
Noa has been kicked out by her parents for becoming pregnant with a German soldier's baby. When that child is subsequently taken from her, Noa must live at a train station which she cleans in order to stay there. She discovers a train car full of Jewish babies headed for a concentration camp. Without contemplating the consequences she might face, Noa grabs one of the infants and heads into the woods so they might escape. The weather overtakes her, but luckily she is taken in by members of a traveling circus. The circus owner agrees to shelter her and the child, whom she is passing off as her younger brother, but Noa must become part of the trapeze act in order to stay. Astrid, the current star of the trapeze, is tasked with training her in a very short time. Astrid faces her own danger if they are discovered since she is Jewish as well. Astrid and Noa develop a special bond as they must learn to trust each other both inside and outside of the ring.
I loved this amazing novel! It offered all the wonderful hallmarks of a great historical fiction novel with the wonder of the circus as well. The Orphan's Tale provided a unique view of World War II that I had not read about before. This was the first novel by Pam Jenoff that I had the pleasure of reading and it definitely won't be the last.
I received this book courtesy of Mira through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.