‘A powerful debut!’ Gill Paul, author of The Secret Wife. ‘A captivating story with a twist of romance threaded throughout’ Glynis Peters, author of The Secret Orphan. ‘A compelling tale of friendship, courage and espionage in a frightening and uncertain world’ Charlotte Betts, author of The Dressmaker’s Secret. What would you risk to save your best friend? As a young girl, Ella never considered …
What would you risk to save your best friend?
As a young girl, Ella never considered that those around her weren’t as they appeared. But when her childhood best friend shows Ella that you can’t always believe what you see, Ella finds herself thrown into the world of the German Resistance.
On a dark night in 1941, Claudia is taken by the Gestapo, likely never to be seen again, unless Ella can save her. With the help of the man she loves, Ella must undertake her most dangerous mission yet and infiltrate the Nazi Party.
Selling secrets isn’t an easy job. In order to find Claudia, Ella must risk not only her life, but the lives of those she cares about.
Will Ella be able to leave behind the girl of her youth and step into the shoes of another?
Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The German Midwife and Kate Furnivall.
Praise for The Girl I Left Behind:
‘A gripping historical page-turner about an audacious eighteen-year-old girl in Nazi Germany, who finds herself at the heart of the Reich. It’s a thrilling tale of female friendship, young love, and extraordinary courage, laced with chilling reminders of the fate Ella will face if her treachery is discovered. A powerful debut!’ Gill Paul, author of The Secret Wife.
‘The Girl I Left Behind made me cry and left me wanting more, which to me are signs of a truly wonderful book, one that will stay with me long after I’ve finished reading’ Lana Kortchik, author of The Story of Us.
‘Wonderful story where it has you on the edge of your seat but have the tissues with you!’ NetGalley Reviewer.
‘The author has a gift for creating a sense of place whether the setting was on a snowy mountain or the streets of Germany in the early 1940s’ NetGalley Reviewer.
‘Excellent story. Strong characters’ NetGalley Reviewer.
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Ella has been forced to be part of the Nazi Party her whole life, against her internal belief she finally has found a friend who has the same feelings and outlook on the party, Claudia. Ella, having lived with her aunt for a while now, is the shop girl at her aunt’s antique shop.
Ella mostly does as she is told, unless she is with Claudia. Her aunt quickly takes a dislike to this friend due to a previous incident that went against the proper morals of a young lady. One night, Ella is asked by Claudia to help her. Deliver a key, to this man at this place at this time. If he does not appear right away, wait for him. It is VERY important.
Ella knows this is dangerous but she does not know the extent of what she is getting herself into. After a long day of waiting, she realizes that something is not right and decides to take matters into her own hands and gets caught up hiding people in the basement of her aunt’s shop, and Claudia has gone MIA.
Little does Ella know the dangerous path she is heading down. She is proud to be part of something that helps people and knows the risks, but not until one refugee comes along that needs more than Ella’s help does she really get herself mixed up in things.
Sent off to Munich for her own protection, Ella soon gets a job that will eventually get her access to things she could not even fathom having access to. What choices does she make in this job, and will she be able to keep up the charades to help those who need help, without getting caught?
This was a very well written novel and it was mostly an edge of your seat, heart beating, hold your breath storyline as you lived the dangerous life right along with Ella. Every single WWII novel I read, I learn something new about some other hero and it is amazing what these people risked. Thank you to Historical Fiction Virtual Blog Tours and the the author, Andie Newton for having given me this opportunity!
Another WWII historical to add to your list, this is a good read if you are needing a break from the concentration camp stories, but still want to read more about the people during the war.
This story starts in Nuremberg, Germany in 1943 where Ella, or Sascha, works in her Aunt Bridget’s antique shop. Ella’s best friend, Claudia, is involved in the Resistance and talks Ella into joining the movement. When Claudia disappears after a big leaflet drop, Aunt Bridget sends Ella to Munich were she gets a job working for the Reich filing documents. Ella continues her spying while working there. Lots of things happen in this book which kept me on the edge of my seat. I love WWII Historical Fiction and this book did not disappoint. Thank you to NetGalley and Aria Books for the ARC of this very good book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a sad story of two childhood friends who got separated in Nazi Germany. One friend spent a lot of her youth searching for the other. The story was very realistic and original. To me, the ending was happy and it was very unexpected. I would recommend it to anyone who likes reading about the era of WWII.
A new twist to life during the world war. Great title. Good writing.
Ella never expected she would have to put her life in danger, her aunt as well who raised her since her parents died, and to save her loyal and best friend, Claudia.
Ella decides to join the German Resistance.
Keeping secrets is a ruthless and terrifying game, constantly facing danger.
Ella risks everything to find her friend.
You will think about this story long after turning the last page.
Highly recommend.
Loved the story and the characters
Compelling story of friendship, survival, love, and resilience
A compelling read for those interested in the World War II era. What a frightening and terrible time to be alive!
Great read
Good but just wish for a more defined ending on what became of her friends and family like Max and her Aunt.
“The Girl I Left Behind” by Andie Newton
“A good shop girl can make a person believe anything”.
Ella an 18 year old girl who lost her parents from a car accident, now lives with her aunt, who is an antique shop owner, living in Nuremberg, Germany. Ella helps in the antique shop and has developed a talent in working with the customers to make a sale.
Her aunt, a strong nationalist ensured Ella become a member of the League of German Girls, a female branch of the Hitler Youth, where Ella is taught of Hitler’s indoctrination. In the League, Ella befriends Claudia who helps her realize that what they had been taught to admire was not worth admiring at all, and they cannot believe everything they hear and see from the propagandas against the Jews.
Ella with Claudia join a group of rebels, the German Resistance, and help in the efforts against Germany’s Third Reich. First starting out as a courier but later saves families from imprisonment, torture and worse, death.
Risking being caught in Nuremberg, her aunt arranges for Ella to move to Munich, where she secures a position as a secretary for the branch of government that handles and audits the files on Germany’s enemies. Through this, she is able to gain information to help the Resistance.
What will Ella continue to do to save others at the risk of her own life and the people she loves?
The book, “The Girl I Left Behind” by Andie Newton is a fantastic debut novel. This is a beautifully and well researched story that I thoroughly enjoyed reading from the vantage point of a young German girl, Ella. I loved that the story is seen through her eyes as she is coming to grips with her world changing, and seeing her country, family, and friends changed by the war.
This was an emotional story that had my interest from the very first page and will keep you turning those pages. I highly recommend this amazing book from Andie Newton. This was a story of bravery, survival and love.
The Girl I Left Behind is a poignant tale of friendship and the bond forged between two girls during World War 2 in Nazi Germany.
Ella Strauss never wanted to join the League of German Girls (her deceased parents weren’t Nazi Party members), but it’s there she meets Claudia, a girl of derring-do and a member of the German Underground. The two ‘misfits’ (they rebel against the Party rules) connect after a youthful prank and forge a deep friendship soon tested when Claudia recruits Ella for the Resistance.
Before she can take a step back, Ella finds herself in so deep, she can’t get out. Then Claudia disappears…and the game is on.
The Girl I left Behind is a page turner guaranteed to draw you into a world of intrigue in the German underground not often written about, which makes it even more fascinating. As if you’re peeking over Ella’s shoulder and living every frightening moment with her.
The story oozes with an intense realism about the underbelly of wartime as seen through the eyes of the regular German folk caught up in a war they often didn’t understand. Their fear, their pain, and yes, their hope that things will be ‘all right’ even when we know they won’t.
The author has a gift for weaving history into the tapestry of the story seamlessly and making it sparkle just enough to catch your eye, but never taking away from the beauty of the piece. Her story breathes hope for the Resistance fighters at every turn, yet knowing they’re doomed. The mystery that keeps you turning the pages is: who will survive the Gestapo’s wrath and how?
I highly recommend The Girl I Left Behind. It will take you on a remarkable journey you will never forget.
A very suspenseful and moving WW2 story of the heroic people who risked their lives for what they believed in
There a gazillions of WW2 novels, but Andie Newton’s debut stands apart in a great way. It’s not just that its heroine is a German, suffering under a regime she hates, but the tender, intimate writing and the love this author has for its characters and the topic shine through in every line.
Loved this book, with its clever plotting and incredibly strong characters. Certainly an author to watch! The various storylines were woven so closely hardly stopped to draw a breath.
The Girl I Left Behind tells the story of Ella Strauss, a young woman who works as a secretary for the Nazi government all the while stealing secrets in hopes of helping the resistance and saving her captured friend. At its heart, it’s both a spy novel and a coming of age story, and certainly an emotional read, especially at the end. Ella very much leaves her girlhood behind, trusting the best – and worst – people of her country in pursuit of what she believes to be right, even while the world around her tells a different story. Many of the World War II novels I’ve read lately have focused on British or American spies, so it was intriguing to read a novel that focused on Germans instead, especially when they would have been raised from children to believe everything the Nazi party proclaimed as truth. My only complaint was I felt a few characters’ stories were left slightly open-ended, although I know that is one of the unfortunate realities of war – sometimes not knowing where people ended up. I’m hoping though that perhaps it actually means a sequel is forthcoming?
This is a page-turner which gives a thoughtful and detailed insight into those who found themselves on the wrong side of the war and on the right side of humanity. A fascinating glimpse into Nazi Germany at its most inglorious time, and told with the kind of hindsight that age and wisdom affords us.
The (almost matter-of-fact) reflective tone is what enabled me, as reader, to immerse myself in the story without being so overcome with emotion I couldn’t finish it. Yet I did immerse myself, especially as I have been to many of the locations depicted and could *see* the scenes play out. And I certainly found myself gasping aloud and tearing up as the story unfolded.
I wonder at the skill Andie Newton demonstrates as author – as researcher, as storyteller – but also in finding the protagonist’s voice – as though Ella must protect her inner heart from what she experienced, who she loved, and what she lost, just so she can tell this story.
Masterful.