Inspired by the author’s true family story of survival during the Second World War, Natalia’s story is an unforgettable portrait of the triumph of the human spirit. ‘In anguish and despair we release this child into the hands of God, with hope and faith that she may be saved…’ On a freezing night in January 1941, a little Jewish girl is found on the steps of a building in Bucharest. With … building in Bucharest. With Romania now in league with the Nazis, the Jewish population is doomed. The child is placed in an orphanage and adopted by a wealthy childless couple who name her Natalia. As she adapts to her new life, she all but forgets the parents forced to leave her behind.
Yet, as Natalia comes of age under Soviet occupation, traces of her identity pierce the surface of her everyday life, leading to a discovery that will change her destiny. When she meets Victor, an important official in the Communist regime, she is drawn into a passionate affair despite overwhelming obstacles and her lover’s dark secrets.
When Natalia is offered a one-time chance at freedom, Victor is determined to help her escape, even if it means losing her. Natalia must make an agonising decision: remain in Bucharest with her beloved adoptive parents and the man she loves, or seize the chance to finally live life on her own terms – and to confront the painful enigma of her past.
‘There are stories that must be told because in doing so, they shed light on the irreparable consequences of war in the lives of so many innocents.’ Armando Lucas Correa, author of The German Girl
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Roxanne Veletzos pens a fresh, original debut in THE GIRL THEY LEFT BEHIND, twining personal family drama together with the lesser-known history of World War II Romania. When an explosion of horrific anti-Semitic violence sends a Jewish family fleeing into the night, driving them to leave their only daughter in the safe arms of new parents, the consequences will reverberate past Hitler’s defeat through the Soviet oppression of post-war Bucharest. Even readers saturated with Second World War dramas will be enthralled by this moving tale of two ferociously-devoted mothers, the daughter they share, and the sacrifices they are willing to make for a new future. Gripping, tragic, yet filled with passion and hope–I couldn’t put it down.
There are stories that must be told because in doing so, they shed light on the irreparable consequences of war in the lives of so many innocents. The Girl They Left Behind, written with flawless historical detail, is a page-turner. In its first pages, it narrates the desperation of a young couple as they leave their four-year-old daughter on the steps of a building. The tale of that girl’s destiny, like those of thousands of others, are a necessary testimony for humanity.
I really enjoyed this book and learned about Romania and the Iron Curtain. The hardships of war and the decades following that war . The suffering and the strength shown is remarkable.
Natalie is abandoned by her birth parents in order to save her life and she is adopted by a wealthy couple who become her family.
Every thing changes when the war comes.
This is more than a sweeping family saga with all the tears , strength and endurance. All the characters are strong and the book is well written
The book was based on the author’s own mother’s history; please take time to read the authors notes at the end of the book.
THanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to get lost in Natalie’s story.
Pre-order your copy now !!!
Wonderful book, with a somewhat abrupt ending. Really enjoyed reading the story, good plot. Gave it a 4 because i wanted more closure, although it may have been intentional by the author to simulate the feeling of the abrupt end of a part of life for the main character.
I have read and listened to many books about WWII but never one that took place in Romania. This was an audiobook that virtually caused me to stop doing everything I could just to sit and listen to the voice of the narrator. I don’t usually write long reviews of audiobooks but this book moved me to tears more than once and is a story that should be heard.
This novel starts in Bucharest, Romania in 1941 when Jewish people were being rounded up, beaten and killed by the government which was then aligned with Nazi Germany. Two parents have to make a life and death decision, to leave their 4 year old daughter behind as they try to escape the city, hoping that she will be adopted and have a good life. They feared that they would be killed and wanted to give their daughter the hope of survival even though their hearts broke with having to leave her behind.
Natalia is that little girl. After some time in an orphanage she is fortunate to be adopted by a kind and very wealthy family who give her love and attention. They were never able to have a child of their own. For many years Anton and Despina live a charmed life. Anton had built a chain of stores which did well and he was able to provide a very good life for his family.
However when the war ends, the Soviets take over Romania which will become part of their empire which will be ruled with an iron fist. All of this captured land will be known to those in the West as Behind the Iron Curtain, as no news can flow in or out.
Anton and Despina are stripped of their wealth, their home, their stores and made to live a dismal life in a communal shared apartment. There is little food and life is bleak for everyone.
In the end, against all odds, Natalia will be given the chance of a lifetime, to come to the United States. It is here that she will finally meet her birth parents. With the help of Victor, Anton’s family friend, who worked for the Communist government in Romania, the money that her biological parents saved, will help buy her freedom from the hands of the Soviets.
This is a long, heart wrenching story which is hard to sum up in a review. It is a story that is based on familial facts that the author has researched. Her mother was that orphan left behind in Bucharest.
This is an impeccably narrated audiobook that I would recommend to all lovers of historical fiction.
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I have read a lot of books about WWII but had not read anything about Romania until this book. What a horrific choice Jewish parents had to make. This book haunted me.
In Bucharest, Romania, 1941, a young Jewish couple, fleeing from the Nazis, abandons their 3 year old daughter on a doorstep with the hopes someone will take her in and keep her safe. Natalia is put into an orphanage and is soon adopted by a well off childless couple. The story follows Natalia as she grows up behind the Iron Curtain and details the struggles she and her family face. I read a lot of historical fiction but this is the first I’ve read about the Bucharest pogrom. Roxanne Veletzos based her book on the life of her own mother, who was abandoned then adopted. The Girl They Left Behind is a captivating, well researched, hard to put down debut! I can’t wait to read her next book!
It was a very interesting book, makes you realize how strong some people are.
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.
If you like a good story set during WWII, then this is the book for you. Set in Romania, 1941 the Jewish population was now being targeted, Natalia was left on the doorstep of a building by her parents who feared for their very survival. Anton and Despina wanted for nothing, except a child. They adopt Natalia and give her a good life. Then Romania is taken over by the Russians and becomes a communist country. The struggles of this family and others will show you what it was like to live with first the Nazi’s and then the Russians. Its based on the author’s own family. It will grab you and not let go. It makes you wonder if this was your life would you survive? Would you have hope or just live in despair? A great book like this makes you ask those questions. Thank you Roxanne for sharing your families story!
Love in all its forms — parental, filial and romantic — renders each character’s life through a prism of deeply felt humanity in The Girl They Left Behind as unforgettable men and women face devastating choices during WWII and its aftermath. The political is personal, and Roxanne Veletzos shows us how lives shatter when ideology devolves into chaos and brutality behind the Iron Curtain. This is an important book for these times.
Based on the life of Roxanne Veletzos’ mother, The Girl They Left Behind is a vividly told, beautifully written, impossible-but-true story. This novel is a moving testament to the power of the human spirit and to those who defied impossible odds to allow the light of humanity to shine in the darkest of times.
5 Stars. Great premise—a mother who has to leave her daughter (Natalia) behind in order to save her. Sympathetic heroine. Evocative, poignant storytelling. Page-turning plot.
This is not just Natalia’s story but also the story of all those who loved & sacrificed to give her hope & a future. Made me thankful for the special people in my life & also for the opportunity, as a teacher, to impact the lives of young people.
LOVE that it was based on the author’s mother!
(I listened as I powered through an at-home work day of school work & my online parttime jobs. It was definitely entertaining.)
AMAZING!