Pam Jenoff’s The Orphan’s Tale takes place in World War II Germany. The two main characters are Astrid, a Jewish aerialist, and Noa, a gentile who saves the life of a newborn destined for a concentration camp. Both young women use a traveling circus to hide from the Third Reich, which seem to be on their heels at all times. Each woman has suffered their own personal trauma, and one loses her life so the other can live.
I must say, this is not my typical book. I am very much a World War II enthusiast and the idea of coupling that with a plot that concerns a circus made me a little apprehensive. I was afraid the book would make light of the travesty and suffering of individuals who lived and died under the Third Reich, but it was not like that in the least; I was pleasantly surprised.
It does have a romantic element to it which I must admit I am not a fan of, but as far as historical fiction goes, it was a good read.
Krista Richardson is queen of the archives: she has been the Archives Manager for the County of Prince Edward since 2009. She guards her archives closely for preservation and conservation of our history. She’s a self-professing crazy cat-lady and is always happy to chat about her fur-ball Ursula.