WWII Fiction

Photo credit: Mira

This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration.

The Orphan’s Tale

Summary: The Nightingale meets Water for Elephants in this powerful novel of friendship and sacrifice, set in a traveling circus during World War II, by international bestselling author Pam Jenoff.

Seventeen-year-old Noa has been cast out in disgrace after becoming pregnant by a Nazi soldier during the occupation of her native Holland. Heartbroken over the loss of the baby she was forced to give up for adoption, she lives above a small German rail station, which she cleans in order to earn her keep.

When Noa discovers a boxcar containing dozens of Jewish infants, unknown children ripped from their parents and headed for a concentration camp, she is reminded of the baby that was taken from her. In a moment that will change the course of her life, she steals one of the babies and flees into the snowy night, where she is rescued by a German circus.

The circus owner offers to teach Noa the flying trapeze act so she can blend in undetected, spurning the resentment of the lead aerialist, Astrid. At first rivals, Noa and Astrid soon forge a powerful bond. But as the facade that protects them proves increasingly tenuous, Noa and Astrid must decide whether their unlikely friendship is enough to save one another—or if the secrets that burn between them will destroy everything. Continue reading →

Photo Credit: Goodreads

The Pieces We Keep by Kristina McMorris

Audra has not had an easy 2 years since her husband unexpectedly passed away. Raising Jack without him and still dealing with grief- Audra decides that what she and Jack needs is a fresh start. A brand new page in the life of Jack and Audra shall begin in Philadelphia- Audra will continue her work as a veterinarian and Jack will go to a new school, with new friends. This is the plan- until they board the plane. Jack has a reaction- a terrible reaction and the plane is forced to turn around and take Jack and Audra back to the airport.

Audra is concerned (what mother wouldn’t be?) but, one reaction like that might can be explained by a million factors. When Audra is called into the school to look at some pictures Jack has drawn- her concern increases. Then, the night terrors. Audra knows there is trouble- and yet, she can’t explain or even wrap her mind around a possible suggestion. One night, when Jack turns up missing at a fair- a former soldier named Sean Malloy finds him. Something Jack said to him triggered a figment of a memory- and Sean, suffering from a memory loss due to an event in Afghanistan, wants to know more.

Together, Audra and Sean begin to piece together a story from World War II- a story of love, of deception, a story that still has the ability to potentially hurt people of today. As each piece of the story is put together- Audra comes closer to understanding why her son, the son she loves and cares for beyond all things possible- has turned into a child who is withdrawn, anxious, and suffering from night terrors.

As the reader delves further into Audra’s life and learns more about the mystery of WWII and how that connects to today’s time- the reader will be amazed, touched and entertained.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts

This is my first Kristina McMorris book. Several months ago, the Twitter-verse was excitedly talking about Kristina’s upcoming book- and a blogger I trust (BookMagnet) raved about Kristina’s previous books. After reading and hearing such good things, when Kristina offered me a book- I jumped at the chance. This story, oh my, this story- weaves together perfectly a mystery of WWII and a current day mystery. The characters- Audra, Jack, Vivian, Lulu, Gene and Judith- are written in such a way that you can almost see them. You can see the characters- the mistakes, the love, the reasons for what they did- and understand them.

The Pieces We Keep takes 2 stories- 2 stories that are strong enough to stand on their own- and places them together. No, not places. Immerses these stories in each other. Criss-crosses them in ways that are not immediately apparent. And makes a story that is a can’t put down, must stay up and read as much as you can story. Once the reader gets to a certain point of the mystery- the intrigue to find out what happens next will outweigh the need to do laundry, talk on the phone or even cook dinner. Clear your schedule and enjoy The Pieces We Keep!

*This book was provided to me by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts & opinions are mine alone.