Book Review: The Orphans Tale
Books have a way of compelling us to read things that we wouldn't normally read. Gravity pulls us towards something that we would never usually tend to pick out. Last year, about a month before Christmas, I was walking at Barnes and Noble and all of sudden, this book with a wintry background with a lone boxcar and the words The Orphan's Tale on the cover appeared in front of me. I had never heard of this book, so there was no hype or movie that spread the word about it. All of the reviews on the back of the book had raved about how amazing it was which can sometimes be a scam, but once I had finished the book, I totally understood why everyone liked it.
The Orphan's Tale brings together two separate stories of women who forge an unlikely alliance, but the secrets that are held between them could tear them apart. Noa Weil is a 16 year old girl working at a train station after being thrown out of her house from becoming pregnant by a Nazi soldier. When a train car appears full of infants that are headed to a concentration camp, she grabs a child and flees into the night. Although the risk is high, after the birth of her child, the Germans took away her own, so what's the difference? She winds up in the care of a German circus who want her to perform in exchange for her and her "brother", Theo. Astrid, who was previously married to a Nazi solider, is forced to train Noa, but she instantly resents her. Over time the bond between the two girls grow, but it's hard to maintain a sense of normalcy in a stressed time like this.
This book is an incredible roller coaster of emotion, one that hooks you from the very beginning and doesn't let go of your hold until you finish it. As Christina Baker Kline reviewed on the cover, "Secrets, lies, treachery, and passion... I read this book in a headlong rush." Plot twists are in every chapter. My jaw dropped open in shock multiple times reading this and it takes a lot for me to reach that point in a book. The characters develop deep relationships with each other and envelop you into their own world. Told during the Holocaust stage, the perspective is interesting as it is not told from someone who is trying to hide themselves from the Nazis or is struggling to survive in a concentration camp. It's about hiding in plain sight and trying to make it seem like life is mundane as it has always been. Every other chapter it alternates between Noa and Astrid which makes you engaged, although it's not hard to keep track of what's going on. It has 342 pages, so depending on how much you like to read, you can determine on whether this book is long or short. Personally, I thought it was a little on the longer side, but I didn't mind one bit as I was able to enjoy it for a longer period of time.
This book's message was a little bit harder to figure out, but after reading it twice, I figured out that there were many of them in front of my face the entire time. One is to trust in one another when the times get tough. The reason Astrid resents Noa so much in the beginning is that she doesn't really believe her full story. Once secrets start being revealed, the strength between them grows and their friendship further develops. Another is to make the best of difficult situations.While traveling from city to city, the circus folk are able to find time to still have fun while training and performing. Overall, if you like history, romance, mild suspense, and want a book that will keep you on your reading feet, read this book. It's almost as dazzling as the circus.
The Orphan's Tale brings together two separate stories of women who forge an unlikely alliance, but the secrets that are held between them could tear them apart. Noa Weil is a 16 year old girl working at a train station after being thrown out of her house from becoming pregnant by a Nazi soldier. When a train car appears full of infants that are headed to a concentration camp, she grabs a child and flees into the night. Although the risk is high, after the birth of her child, the Germans took away her own, so what's the difference? She winds up in the care of a German circus who want her to perform in exchange for her and her "brother", Theo. Astrid, who was previously married to a Nazi solider, is forced to train Noa, but she instantly resents her. Over time the bond between the two girls grow, but it's hard to maintain a sense of normalcy in a stressed time like this.
This book is an incredible roller coaster of emotion, one that hooks you from the very beginning and doesn't let go of your hold until you finish it. As Christina Baker Kline reviewed on the cover, "Secrets, lies, treachery, and passion... I read this book in a headlong rush." Plot twists are in every chapter. My jaw dropped open in shock multiple times reading this and it takes a lot for me to reach that point in a book. The characters develop deep relationships with each other and envelop you into their own world. Told during the Holocaust stage, the perspective is interesting as it is not told from someone who is trying to hide themselves from the Nazis or is struggling to survive in a concentration camp. It's about hiding in plain sight and trying to make it seem like life is mundane as it has always been. Every other chapter it alternates between Noa and Astrid which makes you engaged, although it's not hard to keep track of what's going on. It has 342 pages, so depending on how much you like to read, you can determine on whether this book is long or short. Personally, I thought it was a little on the longer side, but I didn't mind one bit as I was able to enjoy it for a longer period of time.
This book's message was a little bit harder to figure out, but after reading it twice, I figured out that there were many of them in front of my face the entire time. One is to trust in one another when the times get tough. The reason Astrid resents Noa so much in the beginning is that she doesn't really believe her full story. Once secrets start being revealed, the strength between them grows and their friendship further develops. Another is to make the best of difficult situations.While traveling from city to city, the circus folk are able to find time to still have fun while training and performing. Overall, if you like history, romance, mild suspense, and want a book that will keep you on your reading feet, read this book. It's almost as dazzling as the circus.
Signed,
Midwestern Redhead
Comments
Post a Comment