Monday, November 16, 2015

Book Review: "The Girl from the Train" by Irma Joubert



Gretl Schmidt escapes from a train headed to Auschwitz, but at only 6 years old, she is left destitute. Jakob Kowalski brings him to his house, but she isn't able to stay there forever. There are already too many people living there. He brings her to a German orphanage and prays he is doing the right thing for her. With her connections to Poland, the Catholic Church, and her Jewish ancestry, she has a lot to hide. There is little hope that Gretl will see Jakob again, but they both can see the moon at night and she takes comfort in that.

"The Girl from the Train" starts in April 1944 and spans the next 16 years. It is told from both Gretl's and Jakob's experiences. I found it easy to read and stayed up too late on more than one occasion because I didn't want to stop reading. The characters were realistic and fleshed out. It was interesting to learn about the events that were taking place in Poland during and after World War II. I also was not aware of the German orphans that had been relocated to South Africa.

"The Girl From the Train" is available in paperback:
  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Nelson (November 3, 2015)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0529102374
  • ISBN-13: 978-0529102379
  • Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.9 x 8.4 inches

and in Kindle edition:
  • File Size: 1630 KB
  • Print Length: 379 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Nelson (November 3, 2015)
  • Publication Date: November 3, 2015
  • Sold by: HarperCollins Christian Publishing
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00PWOGZAI

I received a free copy of this book for me to review. No other compensation was received and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

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