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The Girl They Left Behind: A Novel
Por Roxanne Veletzos
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INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
A sweeping family saga and love story that offers a vivid and unique portrayal of life in war-torn 1941 Bucharest and life behind the Iron Curtain during the Soviet Union occupation—perfect for fans of Lilac Girls and Sarah’s Key.
On a freezing night in January 1941, a little Jewish girl is found on the steps of an apartment building in Bucharest. With Romania recently allied with the Nazis, the Jewish population is in grave danger, undergoing increasingly violent persecution. The girl is placed in an orphanage and eventually adopted by a wealthy childless couple who name her Natalia. As she assimilates into her new life, she all but forgets the parents who were forced to leave her behind. They are even further from her mind when Romania falls under Soviet occupation.
Yet, as Natalia comes of age in a bleak and hopeless world, traces of her identity pierce the surface of her everyday life, leading gradually to a discovery that will change her destiny. She has a secret crush on Victor, an intense young man who as an impoverished student befriended her family long ago. Years later, when Natalia is in her early twenties and working at a warehouse packing fruit, she and Victor, now an important official in the Communist regime, cross paths again. This time they are fatefully drawn into a passionate affair despite the obstacles swirling around them and Victor’s dark secrets.
When Natalia is suddenly offered a one-time chance at freedom, Victor is determined to help her escape, even if it means losing her. Natalia must make an agonizing decision: remain in Bucharest with her beloved adoptive parents and the man she has come to love, or seize the chance to finally live life on her own terms, and to confront the painful enigma of her past.
A sweeping family saga and love story that offers a vivid and unique portrayal of life in war-torn 1941 Bucharest and life behind the Iron Curtain during the Soviet Union occupation—perfect for fans of Lilac Girls and Sarah’s Key.
On a freezing night in January 1941, a little Jewish girl is found on the steps of an apartment building in Bucharest. With Romania recently allied with the Nazis, the Jewish population is in grave danger, undergoing increasingly violent persecution. The girl is placed in an orphanage and eventually adopted by a wealthy childless couple who name her Natalia. As she assimilates into her new life, she all but forgets the parents who were forced to leave her behind. They are even further from her mind when Romania falls under Soviet occupation.
Yet, as Natalia comes of age in a bleak and hopeless world, traces of her identity pierce the surface of her everyday life, leading gradually to a discovery that will change her destiny. She has a secret crush on Victor, an intense young man who as an impoverished student befriended her family long ago. Years later, when Natalia is in her early twenties and working at a warehouse packing fruit, she and Victor, now an important official in the Communist regime, cross paths again. This time they are fatefully drawn into a passionate affair despite the obstacles swirling around them and Victor’s dark secrets.
When Natalia is suddenly offered a one-time chance at freedom, Victor is determined to help her escape, even if it means losing her. Natalia must make an agonizing decision: remain in Bucharest with her beloved adoptive parents and the man she has come to love, or seize the chance to finally live life on her own terms, and to confront the painful enigma of her past.
Acciones del libro
Comenzar a leerInformación sobre el libro
The Girl They Left Behind: A Novel
Por Roxanne Veletzos
Descripción
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
A sweeping family saga and love story that offers a vivid and unique portrayal of life in war-torn 1941 Bucharest and life behind the Iron Curtain during the Soviet Union occupation—perfect for fans of Lilac Girls and Sarah’s Key.
On a freezing night in January 1941, a little Jewish girl is found on the steps of an apartment building in Bucharest. With Romania recently allied with the Nazis, the Jewish population is in grave danger, undergoing increasingly violent persecution. The girl is placed in an orphanage and eventually adopted by a wealthy childless couple who name her Natalia. As she assimilates into her new life, she all but forgets the parents who were forced to leave her behind. They are even further from her mind when Romania falls under Soviet occupation.
Yet, as Natalia comes of age in a bleak and hopeless world, traces of her identity pierce the surface of her everyday life, leading gradually to a discovery that will change her destiny. She has a secret crush on Victor, an intense young man who as an impoverished student befriended her family long ago. Years later, when Natalia is in her early twenties and working at a warehouse packing fruit, she and Victor, now an important official in the Communist regime, cross paths again. This time they are fatefully drawn into a passionate affair despite the obstacles swirling around them and Victor’s dark secrets.
When Natalia is suddenly offered a one-time chance at freedom, Victor is determined to help her escape, even if it means losing her. Natalia must make an agonizing decision: remain in Bucharest with her beloved adoptive parents and the man she has come to love, or seize the chance to finally live life on her own terms, and to confront the painful enigma of her past.
A sweeping family saga and love story that offers a vivid and unique portrayal of life in war-torn 1941 Bucharest and life behind the Iron Curtain during the Soviet Union occupation—perfect for fans of Lilac Girls and Sarah’s Key.
On a freezing night in January 1941, a little Jewish girl is found on the steps of an apartment building in Bucharest. With Romania recently allied with the Nazis, the Jewish population is in grave danger, undergoing increasingly violent persecution. The girl is placed in an orphanage and eventually adopted by a wealthy childless couple who name her Natalia. As she assimilates into her new life, she all but forgets the parents who were forced to leave her behind. They are even further from her mind when Romania falls under Soviet occupation.
Yet, as Natalia comes of age in a bleak and hopeless world, traces of her identity pierce the surface of her everyday life, leading gradually to a discovery that will change her destiny. She has a secret crush on Victor, an intense young man who as an impoverished student befriended her family long ago. Years later, when Natalia is in her early twenties and working at a warehouse packing fruit, she and Victor, now an important official in the Communist regime, cross paths again. This time they are fatefully drawn into a passionate affair despite the obstacles swirling around them and Victor’s dark secrets.
When Natalia is suddenly offered a one-time chance at freedom, Victor is determined to help her escape, even if it means losing her. Natalia must make an agonizing decision: remain in Bucharest with her beloved adoptive parents and the man she has come to love, or seize the chance to finally live life on her own terms, and to confront the painful enigma of her past.
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The fact that this book is based on a true story made it even more fascinating to read. A Jewish couple has to flee to avoid persecution and decide to leave behind their young daughter to give her a fighting chance at a better life. This story pulls at your hearts strings and really makes you think about how much some people have to go through. Someone else reviewed this book saying it can be slow at times, but is never boring. True!
As they were fleeing from the Nazi's, a young couple leaves their 4 year old daughter on the steps of an apartment building. The child is sent to an orphanage, and then adopted by a wealthy couple who is unable to have children. As the war ends, Romania is taken over by the Soviet's and the wealthy family is now at the bottom of the economic and social ladder.I thought Natalia's story was interesting but I did not enjoy the writing style. The book had a large number of time transitions, that were handled poorly. Every once in a while a paragraph or two was completely confusing, which made me wonder if this is a translation. Overall, a bust.
Natalia was not yet four when the Bucharest Pogroms began, the killing of Jewish families in the streets. Natalia's parents are on the run when they make the heartbreaking decision that will keep both Natalia and themselves alive, they leave Talia on the steps of an apartment building while they escape to a friends attic and then Switzerland. Talia is quickly found and brought to an orphanage where she was adopted into the Goza family. Talia's wealthy adoptive parents, Despina and Anton give her everything she could hope for, they make it through the war only to have the Iron Curtain come crashing down on them. While the Goza's are doing their best to survive with the help of their friend Victor who works for the Party, Talia's birth parents are still searching for her and they might be the answer to Talia's survival once again.The Girl They Left Behind is an astounding story of hope and courage based on the life of the author's mother. From the beginning when Talia's parents made the heartbreaking decision to leave her on the doorstep, I knew I had to find out the rest of her story. This book explored a part of World War II that I did not know a lot about including the Pogroms and life in Romania during the War. Talia's character showed amazing growth throughout the story, from a scared orphan to a woman taking risks for her survival. I could not imagine being either Talia's birth parents or adoptive parents and having to leave or send away their child for her own safety. I could also not imagine being Talia and knowing that two sets of parents sacrificed everything for my safety. More than anything, I was amazed that the author so very closely followed the story that her own mother had lived through, seeing the pictures at the end of the book really solidified the honesty of the story. Overall, a heartfelt account of remarkable people during World War II and the Soviet Occupation.This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
This was a wonderful well-researched novel about an area not often discussed in current WWII fiction - Romania. Plus it is based on the author's mother and her life as the girl that was left behind. The story was not only about WWII when Romania was an ally of Germany but later in the war, they sided with the Allies so they went from being bombed by the British to being bombed by the Germans. When Russia invaded them at the end of the war, they took over control of the government and Romania existed as part of the USSR. The novel covered the beginning of the war as well as the bleak life of the people under Russian rule.In 1941, a young Jewish couple leaves their 3 year old daughter behind as they flea from the police. They are heartbroken to leave her behind but they feel that their lives are in imminent danger and that leaving their daughter is her only chance of survival. Natalie is found and sent to an orphanage where she is soon adopted by a loving couple who raise her in a home of love and affluence. At the end of the war when their country was controlled by the communist regime, their lives became unbearable due to the deprivation and lack of jobs and living spaces. The bottom line for both parents is what they did to help their only child survive and have a better life.This is an intense novel written with love and care by the author in honor of her mother. It's a debut and I look forward to her future books.Thanks the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
This is the story of Natalia, found abandoned in Bucharest during World War 2, loosely based on a true story. This is also the story of her parents and what it was like to live in Romania during and after World War 2. One of my favourite books for 2018.. Review based on an ARC received from NetGalley.
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book.The Girl They Left Behind by Roxanne Veletzos was such an amazing read, I didn't want to stop until I finished it. Thank you Roxanne for sharing a bit of your life story with us. Living here we never know what it would be like to have to make the decisions that some do, just to survive. Learning about the history makes you thankful for the freedoms that we share.
As the mother of 2 adopted daughters I loved the respectful and authentic way their relationship was portrayed. Thank you!
The Girl They Left Behind By Roxanne Veletzos
(Scribd).
The setting: 1941 Bucharest, Romania . A young couple is fleeing from the Nazis and abandon their four year old daughter on the steps of an apartment building. Loosely based on the real life experience of the author’s grandmother. This story is a work of fiction and I think ultimately it is one of unconditional love.
We see this in the actions of her birth parents and repeatedly in the actions of her adopted parents as they raise her through the rest of World War II and behind the Iron Curtain. Both sets of parents make heartbreaking decisions in order to give the girl the best life possible.
The book also goes into depth of the political and social atmosphere in Romania at the time. This book pulls at your heart strings while also appealing the your inner history nerd. Highly recommend .
(Scribd).
The setting: 1941 Bucharest, Romania . A young couple is fleeing from the Nazis and abandon their four year old daughter on the steps of an apartment building. Loosely based on the real life experience of the author’s grandmother. This story is a work of fiction and I think ultimately it is one of unconditional love.
We see this in the actions of her birth parents and repeatedly in the actions of her adopted parents as they raise her through the rest of World War II and behind the Iron Curtain. Both sets of parents make heartbreaking decisions in order to give the girl the best life possible.
The book also goes into depth of the political and social atmosphere in Romania at the time. This book pulls at your heart strings while also appealing the your inner history nerd. Highly recommend .
Amazing story - based on the author's grand parent's and mother's life. Such a GREAT READ!!!!
Not just another Holocaust historical fiction. This combines the author's family story and what happened in WWII and after in Romania to many families.
This book is a perfect example of how real life experience can enhance a story. This book is kind of modeled off of the author's real life. Thus you could feel the labor of love by reading this book. The characters came alive as did the story. Natalia was a strong woman. Which I imagined was not an easy thing to come by during that time period. Yet, on the other hand, I can see a lot of women showing strength in adversity. I have read a lot of books during the WWI and WWII era. I am a fan of these types of books. Instantly, from the beginning, I felt like I was in Romania. Victor was another shining light in this book. His and Natalia's relationship was true. He risked a lot to help save her. While, the focal point of this book may have been on Natalia and Victor; the other characters were not muted or downplayed in roles. The story really picks up in the last half of the book. If you are a fan of historical fiction, memoirs, WWI, WWII, or on the look out for a wonderful book to read; you need to pick up a copy of this book.
I really wanted to enjoy this book (I find that I have said that a lot recently!), but I just didn't. I fully admit that I only read about 35-40% of the book (to part two) before calling it quits, because life is too short to read books you aren't loving.I didn't connect with any of the characters at all, and the continual descriptions over how Natalia's adoptive parents are wealthy and rolling around in money were bordering on ridiculous. It also set up some problematic situations that may or may not have happened later in the book (like I said, I bailed on this and didn't even care enough to skim ahead) about how the adoptive parents are "better suited" because they're rich. The writing style felt rather simplistic and wasn't engaging to me, either.
During WWII, Natalia is left at an orphanage when she is just a small child. She is adopted by an amazing set of parents. They truly want the best for her. When the Iron Curtain fell on Bucharest, their whole lives changed for the worst.
There is so much packed into this read. With the daily struggles just to survive, it is hard to read in places. Natalia is a talented pianist, but she ends up working in a warehouse just to support herself and her parents. Her parents lost everything during the Russian occupation. Their home, their business, their dignity, is all gone!
Victor is a rising star under the communist rule. He became a friend of this family back when he was a starving student. This friendship is Natalia's saving grace in more ways than one. She is in love with Victor. And he loves her enough to set her free!
I fluctuated between 4 and 5 stars while I was reading this book. But the ending rolled it on up to 5. Talk about emotional whirlwind. I am not much of a cryer during books...but this one ALMOST succeeded in making me cry. Any author who can achieve that deserves 5 stars! And to know...it is based on the author's family. Superbly done!
I received this novel from Atria Books via Netgalley.