From the internationally bestselling author of The Secret Orphan, a must-read for fans of My Name is Eva
When all seems lost… with the city in chaos, Ruby is determined to survive this war and rebuild her life. And a chance encounter with street urchin Tommy gives Ruby just the chance she needs…
And love will overcome.
Because Tommy brings with him Canadian Sergeant Jean-Paul Clayton. Jean-Paul is drawn to Ruby and wants to help her, but Ruby cannot bear another loss.
Can love bloom amidst the ruins? Or will the war take Ruby’s last chance at happiness too?
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4 stars
This is a wonderful, if predictable read. It is the story of sixteen-year old Ruby Shadwell who while delivering something to a neighbor, her entire family is wiped out by a German bomb in Coventry, England.
As she makes her way in her new world, she learns much and discovers the value of neighbors, friendship and self-reliance. She grows up quickly and becomes somewhat embarrassed by her previous “childish” behavior as she now sees it.
She meets neighbor Fred who is slightly shell-shocked, Beatty, the semi-adorable Tommy and of course her beloved Jean-Paul or John as he prefers to be called. She has encounters with evil people out to get what they can and those who generously give of their time and resources.
I liked this book. It was entertaining and gave much information about the conditions post-bomb attack in England. While it described the horrific conditions the survivors had to endure, it also spoke of hope and the endurance of the human spirit.
I want to thank Harper Impulse and Killer Reads/One More Chapter for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review.
The Orphan Thief by Glynis Peters is a heart-wrenching historical tale that totally consumed me.
The novel is set in Coventry during the night of 14th November 1940 and onwards. The reader, along with the characters, watches helplessly on as the medieval city of Coventry is destroyed by German bombers. The smoldering wreck of the cathedral says it all.
Rising from the ashes are the remaining residents of Coventry. Though shocked, the bulldog spirit is alive. Survivors band together making new family units as they learn to live again.
The dead are not forgotten but remembered in hearts all over the city.
There is a wonderful community of love and care for the lost and the vulnerable. Most have good hearts but there are a few who take advantage and prey on the young.
Despite the war, life and love, births, deaths and marriages continue. There are moments that make you smile and moments that make you cry.
The Orphan Thief is a marvellous and powerful read in memory of those residents of Coventry who perished and those who survived.
The city of Coventry is very dear to my heart as I have relatives who lived through the blitz in Coventry but they lost their livelihoods and homes.
Thank you Glynis Peters for a powerful read.
I received a free copy via Net Galley. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
The Orphan Thief is the second book set during World War Two by Glynis Peters. This book begins during the Coventry Blitz with a shocking scene of young Ruby Shadwell discovering that she has lost her entire family, her home and everything she held dear.
Ruby struggles to cope with the shocking realities of her new life, in one day she has been left with nothing. But Ruby isn’t a quitter. She might be young but she’s determined and once she’s had a little time to process all that’s happened to her, she works hard to pick herself up and make something of herself.
As Ruby fights to find her way in the chaos of war-torn Coventry she makes new friends, including a photographer, Canadian Sergeant Jean-Paul Clayton and a young streetwise urchin, Tommy. Slowly her life takes on new meaning, but as with Glynis Peters’ books there is far more to the story than a review can ever cover.
The Orphan Thief is a brilliantly written, dramatic, heart-breaking, yet heart-warming story that draws the reader into Ruby’s life and will no doubt be a huge bestseller, just like Peters’ previous book, The Secret Orphan.
A very moving and compelling read set in Coventry during World War II.
Well written and researched, it tells of the devastation, loss and suffering caused by the constant bombings of this city.
Could not put this one down. War-time London and it’s hardships.
Sitting down to tea with Ruby, Tommy, and friends is precisely what I wanted to do as I dove into The Orphan Thief. Learning of the Coventry experience during WWII continues to intrigue me, especially as a city attempts to rebuild despite the constant threat of enemy bombs. A tale of love, friendship, forgiveness, and the incredible ability of the human spirit. I look forward to more books by Glynis Peters.
Very capturing !!
Loved this book!
A look at the effects that the BLITZ had on the people of London.
Very compelling
Loved the Orphan Train. This one was just so-so.
This was a great book. It showed determination for a girl to go after her family is killed in the blitz. It also shows that family is who you make special to you. Great reading
I would recommend to a friend. The ending seemed a little rushed. However, I enjoyed it!
Plot is slow but inspiring and appears well researched. The characters are believable and definitely kind and caring. Reinforces good values mainly compassion. I definitely recommend it.
To be honest I found the plot thin and the characters were undeveloped. The style of dialogue did not match the times that the book was set in at all. Very disappointing.
Family is : those you love
The Orphan thief was set in WWII but it was surprisingly different. What a refreshing read.
Ruby, returning home found her home demolished, her parents and siblings dead. At sixteen she was overwhelmed with grief. She ran to her grandmother’s house only to find that her home was gone as well. A disaster worker helping the neighbor Fred to the hospital told her to check to see if her grandmother was among the injured. She found her grandmother on the deceased list as well. What to do now? The first night she slept in the park in a den in the ground. The next day she found food in town at a Red Cross truck. She decided to go to Fred’s house her grandmother’s neighbor, he was gone, but she spent the night there. The next day they started demolishing the houses on the block as they were unsafe. She then went to her family’s bookkeeper’s office, as she knew no one else. He was deceased in his chair from a heart attack. When the workers came to take him away she let them think he was her Uncle and would watch over his home. She then went to see a friend of her mother’s , Helen, that used to buy dresses from her mother, who was a seamstress. She took papers to Helen from the bookkeeper’s desk and found out the land and property belonged to her father and was now hers.
This is the beginning. How Ruby brings Fred and Beatrice and finally the young boy , Tommy to live with her and how Fred and Beatrice
become guardians for both her and Tommy is within the story told in the book. Also her romance with John the Canadian Army photographer. The story of Tommy and the evil Earl and how he came to know Ruby is also in the story told. It tells the story of how Ruby, a young lady transforms into an adult. It also tells the story of a young orphan boy Tommy and his life as a thief.
It is a sad story at times with the loss of Ruby’s family, but there is so much love from others it is a happy story. Ruby is so resourceful and so grown up at an early age.
The story is heartwarming, the characters are so charming and true to life it is like watching it all play out in your head. I sincerely enjoyed this book with a breath of fresh air into the WWII genre. I know that you will enjoy it as well. I highly recommend it.
Thanks to Glynis Peters, One More Chapter / HarperCollins, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of the book.
The Orphan Thief by Glynis Peters is an interesting, enveloping, and enjoyable historical fiction book that makes for a great, fast read.
This book is set during WWII and focusses on Ruby, a strong female protagonist who’s life is completely changed during the horrific bombing and destruction of Coventry, England during air raids from the Germans during WWII. This book spans from 1940-1945.
This book is not just about a “love story” and a “ happy ending”. This story adds obstacles, perseverance, overcoming odds, as well as loss before arriving to a bittersweet and satisfying ending.
I loved Ruby, Beatty, Fred, Tommy, and John.
The author made the characters realistic and likable. I also thought the pacing and events were appropriate and created well with a nice flow to what I feel is a great ending.
This is the second book that I have read by Ms Peters and I thoroughly enjoyed it just as much as The Secret Orphan. I look forward to further books by this author.
4.5/5 stars.
This is a very well written historical novel about the the bombing and devastation in Coventry England during WWII. 16 yr old Ruby Shadwell loses her entire family in the first bombings in that city. Her home is destroyed and she is alone. So starts the beginning of her effort to survive in a war torn town, as she struggles to keep moving, to avoid leaving the only place that she has ever known.
This is a story of struggle and hardship in an effort to survive the brutalities of war. It’s the unlikely people that Ruby meets along the way that become her new family and support system. They is Glynis Peters’ second novel and it reveals wonderful storytelling, intense research and strong, interesting characters.
Looking forward to her next novel, which sounds good also.
My thanks to #NetGalley #HarperCollinsPublishers and #GlynisPeters for the ARC. All comments are my own.
I had a difficult time getting involved in the story. The dialog seemed bland and stiff to me. I pushed though reading, although the pages went by and the story did not seem to be leading anywhere. It was a depressing account of how life was in Coventry after the Blitz. While my heart did go out to the situation the main character, Ruby, was living with, I was not especially drawn to her from the story. My feeling were more from the history of how awful WWII was on everyone than from this book.
I did become more interested about half way in the book and I was happy that I kept reading. I appreciate all the research the author did to write what I imagine is a fiction based on fact novel. I want to thank Harper Impulse and Killer Reads, One More Chapter for allowing me to read the ARC. My review is my own opinion, not influence by receiving the ARC.