When Noa saw the Jewish babies bound for the camps she knew she had to save one. Fleeing with a baby, she miraculously finds refuge in a circus. To survive, she must learn the art of trapeze from the secretive Astrid. As they train, a friendship is formed by common danger. Will secrets or the dangers they face rip them apart?
A friendship, my ancestry, or going on an errand aren’t things that could get me killed. Noa and Astrid have to consider every choice they make. “…Our actions have consequences. Good intentions won’t save us from that,” Astrid warns Noa (pg. 173). Jenoff clearly conveys tension, deprivation, and normalcy being a shield. The characters are compelling. Astrid is an ordinary woman trying to survive in horrible times. She gets jealous, and she isn’t as compassionate as she could be, but she tries. Noa is a brave woman who could be too impetous- but that could be what keeps her spirit alive. (Their choices create a complicated friendship.) Peter faces the choice of his art being survival or truth. Jenoff wants people to wonder what they’d do- see the author’s note- and I did. Some choices I hope I would have made too and others I would’ve done differently. On another note, the hard work and allure of circus life was interesting to read about. The Orphan’s Tale offers a suspenseful story, WWWII historical fiction, and a story of complicated bonds.
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