Six-year-old Gretl Schmidt is on a train bound for Aushwitz. Jakób Kowalski is planting a bomb on the tracks. “Richly imagined and masterfully told, a love story so moving it will leave you breathless. And deeply satisfied.” —Tamera Alexander, USA Today bestselling author As World War II draws to a close, Jakób fights with the Polish resistance against the crushing forces of Germany and Russia. … the crushing forces of Germany and Russia. They intend to destroy a German troop transport, but Gretl’s unscheduled train reaches the bomb first.
Gretl is the only survivor. Though spared from the concentration camp, the orphaned German Jew finds herself lost in a country hostile to her people. When Jakób discovers her, guilt and fatherly compassion prompt him to take her in. For three years, the young man and little girl form a bond over the secrets they must hide from his Catholic family.
But she can’t stay with him forever. Jakób sends Gretl to South Africa, where German war orphans are promised bright futures with adoptive Protestant families—so long as Gretl’s Jewish roots, Catholic education, and connections to communist Poland are never discovered.
Separated by continents, politics, religion, language, and years, Jakób and Gretl will likely never see each other again. But the events they have both survived and their belief that the human spirit can triumph over the ravages of war have formed a bond of love that no circumstances can overcome.
“Readers will adore intrepid Gretl and strong Jakób in this story of war, redemption, and love.” —Publisher’s Weekly
“Joubert reminds readers how love triumphed over the difficulties faced by WWII survivors as they navigated new boundaries, revised politics, and the old faith prejudices that defined post-war Europe.” —CBA Retailers + Resources
“Right from the start, Joubert sets up a palpable, tension-filled atmosphere and visually striking landscape. Mixing factual events with fiction, Gretl and Jakob offer interesting viewpoints on the world around them.” —RT Book Reviews, 4 1/2 stars
“A riveting read with an endearing, courageous protagonist . . . takes us from war-torn Poland to the veldt of South Africa in a story rich in love, loss, and the survival of the human spirit.” —Anne Easter Smith, author of A Rose for the Crown
“Captivating. Emotional and heart-stirring. Joubert masterfully crafts every scene with tenderness and hauntingly accurate detail. It’s a stunning coming-of-age novel that packs emotion in a delicate weave of hope, faith—and the very best of love.” —Kristy Cambron, author of The Butterfly and the Violin and A Sparrow in Terezin
“A fresh voice and a masterpiece I could not put down—one I will long remember.” —Cathy Gohlke, Christy Award winning author of Secrets She Kept and Saving Amelie
“The Girl From the Train is an eloquent, moving testament to love and its power to illuminate our authentic selves.” —Sherry Jones, author of The Sharp Hook of Love
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Such a beautifully written story! The secret thread that first binds little Gretl to Jakob, a Polish Resistance fighter, is woven into an unforgettable, page-turning tale of compassion, love, and fresh starts after WWII is over. I had never known about the Jewish war orphans who were sent to South Africa for adoption by Protestant couples there. What a culture shock that was for them. A thousand thanks to the author Irma Joubert for crafting such a wonderful book!
could not put it down, a great book
Wonderful story
Wonderful book. Exception author. Desire to read more of joubert’s books. I will read these English translated books more than once and already recommended them highly to several other family members and friends. Please give us more excellent reading books! I appreciated the clean Christian faith based books
Veda wright
The Girl from the Train
Just got this book. The description sounds intriguing. I’ll definitely update as I read.
Loved the book and characters! Best book!
An incredibly emotional story spanning from war ravaged Poland during WW2 to the late 1950s.
Well written and researched, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Joubert weaves a moving and compelling Holocaust tale from Poland to South Africa in a story that challenges the strength of the human spirit while revealing the power of love. The Girl From the Train is a study in the secrets we keep to survive and those redemptive acts of grace for which there is one explanation. A fresh voice and a masterpiece I could not put down—one I will long remember.
This book fills a gap in the multitude of WWII collections by beginning in Poland and covering the Polish resistance. An orphaned young girl is found by a Polish national and eventually placed in an orphanage. From there, she is adopted out to a wealthy family in South Africa. Beside the romance that occurs, a few other characters shine, and the problems engendered by many differences are interestingly dealt with. A unique and satisfying read.
Wonderful twist to the story that I didn’t see coming! Characters are so endearing. Lovely ending.
Loved this book – – great writing and historical information.
This is an insightful story about orphans during WW11. So many children needed someone to care. Life was hard, but there were people who made a difference.
I loved this book so much I recommended it to my teenage granddaughter, who also loved it. We both admired the courage, strength, and determination of the characters.
This is a remarkable book that captures the heart and imagination.
Very quickly, you are caught up in the story that takes you back the Second World War and the devestation it caused in peoples lives. Not to mention the countries and the turmoil they were left in.
It has so many facts in the book to make it realistic and still relevant. It is heartbreaking as you experience the war through the characters eyes.
A must read for all historical readers.
I don’t know how to put into words home much I loved this book. The journey from beginning to end is brilliant. They characters are very well developed. The plot pacing is well done especially considering there are often two storylines occurring simultaneously. I would read this book again and recommended it well before I finished reading.
When you have one of those books that the minute you open it up and start reading it, you know that it is going to be a book you can’t put down. The characters of this book have gone through such bad things during WWII. A young child loses first her father, because he was a soldier, then they go to their mother’s mom who happens to be a Jewish woman in Poland and they get sent to the Ghetto, and everyday there is death and disease around them, then one day they are told they are going on a train, her grandmother and mom get her and sister out of the cattle car and then she loses both of them to a train blowing up on the way to the camp, her and her sister get found but she loses her also to disease, then comes Jacob who takes her from the farm she is at to his family home, being older and grown up he doesn’t think anything of her and then he gets hurt and she helps take care of him. He realizes she is smarter than he thought for 8 years old, he ends up taking her to a orphanage in Germany so she can get adopted at 10, she proves she is worth adopting and goes with a group of children sent to South America to be adopted. She finds a wonderful family and grows up. Jacob has to flee Poland because he doesn’t believe in the politics. He ends up in the same area as Gretl and he ends up helping her overcome her fears and they figure out that they are in love. He feels he is told and she doesn’t care. 13 years is a big difference. But her adopted father problem is that they are Protestant and he is Catholic. But the big thing is she has to tell them her real mother was Jewish. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story.
I hardly have words for this book. I absolutely could not put it down. There were so many twists and turns, never a dull moment. I highly recommend this book to everyone!
An enjoyable read from start to finish
I enjoy reading historical fiction and this book did not disappoint. It was a page turner from beginning to end about war, survival and love—especially since there is a forward in the beginning that told you it was partially based on two real life characters.
This was a good book with a little bit of history, which I found interesting.