Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

Pam Jenoff’s The Orphan’s Tale has been sitting on my shelf for over a year (maybe two?); thanks (again) to the wonder of listening to audiobooks on my phone, however, I’m finally in a position to review it!  (I quite enjoyed the audio version, by the way, although I might not have realized how often the two narrators use “though” in their sentences if I’d only read the print version instead of using both.)

First and foremost, unlike the last WWII-era novel I read, The Orphan’s Tale was what I wanted it to be (insofar as I knew what I wanted!).  It sounded compelling, and poignant, and out of the common way, and it was most definitely all of those things.  I knew nothing about European circus dynasties (which you should absolutely google when you get a chance!), which made Noa’s rescue by one of them doubly fascinating.  I’ve read enough about the Holocaust not to have been surprised by the almost-fate of the Jewish baby she brought with her, but the intertwining of their stories made for riveting fiction.  Astrid, the aerialist that trains Noa, felt a bit uneven once or twice–abrupt about faces without textual explanations can interrupt a story’s flow–and Noa’s actions sometimes frustrated me (although given her youth, they weren’t improbable), but overall, this book grabbed me on the first page and held me until the last.  If the premise sounds even mildly interesting to you, find it and read it.  You won’t be disappointed!*

*As long as you note the title of this post, I should say.  This IS a WWII story, after all…