The Orphan's Tale- A Novel by Pam Jenoff
Look for Pam Jenoff's new novel, The Woman with the Blue Star, an unforgettable story of courage and friendship during wartime. A New York Times bestseller! Readers who enjoyed Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale and Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants will embrace this novel. Library Journal Secrets, lies, treachery, and passion,. I read this novel in a headlong rush. Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan TrainA powerful novel of friendship set in a traveling circus during World War II, The Orphan's Tale introduces two extraordinary women and their harrowing stories of sacrifice and survival. Sixteen-year-old Noa has been cast out in disgrace after becoming pregnant by a Nazi soldier and being forced to give up her baby. She lives above a small rail station, which she cleans in order to earn her keep, When Noa discovers a boxcar containing dozens of Jewish infants bound for a concentration camp, she is reminded of the child that was taken from her. And in a moment that will change the course of her life, she snatches one of the babies and flees into the snowy night. Noa finds refuge with a German circus, but she must learn the flying trapeze act so she can blend in undetected, spurning the resentment of the lead aerialist, Astrid.
- Suggested age range- Adult
- Format- Paperback
- Product dimensions- 6.3" W x 9" H x 1.2" D
- Genre- Fiction
- Publisher- MIRA Books, Publication date- 02-21-2017
- Page count- 368
- ISBN- 9780778319818
Web ID: 4293747
A wartime tale of rescue and redemption
Jenoff's narrative is told by two different narrators, Astrid and Noa. Astrid is hiding out at the circus but is actually a talented aerialiste. Noa is discovered by the circus folk, unconscious in the wood with a baby and is brought into the troupe. Grateful for the salvation, it comes at a price: Noa must perform and Astrid must teach her the art of the flying trapeze in double quick time if she is to stay within the relatively safe confines of the circus. The book begins with them at loggerheads but gradually, as their time progresses they become friends and have a relationship between them which is more like sisters. There are a lot of external pressures: regular visits from German soldiers on the lookout for hideaways; the financial constraints of wartime, exacerbated in a circus which relies on its showiness; secrets that people are hiding in order to remain alive. There is lots in the book to like. It is set in the claustrophobic atmosphere of the circus, an insular world of suspicion and survival, and the ever present threat of the Germans hovers. For me, though, it didn't feel scary enough and I am not sure why this is, as all the hallmarks of a tense atmosphere with peril around every corner was there. But I found myself a little underwhelmed. Noa commits an extremely brave act at the start of the book but there was much of it where I found her annoying. She is young and lonely and perhaps acts a little selfishly, a dangerous personality trait to have in occupied Europe and I think it was this that rankled me. I liked Astrid and her story but again, it failed to ignite an emotive response in me and I was very much expecting to have one, the book being about such emotively explosive material. Pam Jenoff is a competent writer and her writing develops in a linear way. Her characters are solid but I can't help feeling that it is them that are at the root of my lack lustre response to this book. This review was first published on Reedsy Discovery.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Interesting story but a bit slow
There are very few times listening to an audiobook negatively impacts how I feel about a book, but I think this may be an instance of that. The book itself is good, though a bit slow paced, particularly because we often get experiences from the points of view of both Noah and Astrid. But it’s also just a slower paced book, which is different for a lot of war-time set books I have read. I’d say the last half or so of the book covers a time span of just over three weeks. Reading about intricacies and details in running a circus was interesting. I particularly found the aerialist act fascinating. This people must have been incredibly fearless! I cannot imagine swinging through the air with nothing but a thin net to—hopefully—catch you 40 feet below. The main characters are Astrid and Noah (who is a female character). From the beginning of their introductions to the reader, they have already experienced a lot of heartache and trauma. Astrid’s has made her hard and almost callous. Noah’s has made her vulnerable and impulsive (though maybe some of that impulsivity is simply part of her nature). Due to their experiences, you feel sympathy for them both from the beginning. They have a rocky relationship, Astrid being forced to train Noah on the trapeze act with only a few weeks to make it work. Astrid doesn’t trust Noah and Noah trusts no one. But as the book progresses, they learn to trust one another and become like sisters to each other. It was interesting watching their relationship change, to the point where they are fiercely protective and loyal to one another. The last couple of chapters and the epilogue bring everything full circle and it ends in a very bittersweet way. The ending is quite beautiful, actually. I am still a bit confused by the book title. I can only assume it is reference to Theo, and while I suppose it is kind of his story, it’s mostly Noah’s and Astrid’s. I think it’s a decent story, and I do think I’d have liked it better if I had read it instead of listened to it. But I also thought it drug on a bit. The middle got a little redundant and slow. TW/CW: Contains lots of heavy content. This is not an easy book to read. Parents kicking children out of their home; soldiers taking advantage of young girls; babies taken from their mothers; families ripped apart; Jews deported. Contains sexual content, suicide, some swearing, talk of “mangled” body, death. AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: READ BY: Jennifer Wydra and Kyla Garcia: I usually like books that have multiple narrators and these two narrators are both good. I liked the accents and emotion I could hear come through the voices and I think they’re decent readers. However, the reading was soooo slow! I do not think that helps with the slower paced plot. It is a decently sized book, but the audiobook is longer than I would expect for the book length. I usually listen to my audiobooks at 1.5x speed, which drives my husband crazy because he doesn’t like the sped up voice (I try to listen at about the speed I would read it if I were holding the book). But when he overheard me listening to this book, he assumed I was listening at regular speed. When I showed him what the normal speed was like, even he said it was ridiculously slow.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Heartbreaking!
Intriguing--after reading this and THE LOST GIRLS OF PARIS, I am a true fan of Pam Jenoff.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com