The Orphan's Tale, by Pam Jenoff | Historical Fiction | World War II Europe | Book Review

Heartbreaking Historical Fiction

This book broke me.

It's been a good few days since I finished reading it, in part because I had to take some personal time once it was finished to come down from the trapeze. 

No, seriously. This book destroyed me. It didn't break me. No. It SHATTERED me. 

Alright, alright. I should tell you, first and foremost, that I love all things circus. This probably sounds ODD coming from someone who hasn't read Water for Elephants (in my Amazon cart right now!) or Night Circus (on my bookshelf!) yet, but the fact remains this book appealed to me because of its circus plot.

That is certainly MUCH of what HELD my interest throughout the experience reading The Orphan's Tale, by Pam Jenoff.

I loved this for two reasons. The first is that the circus created an amazing backdrop for the story and creates the cornerstone for the relationship between the two women, Noa and Astrid. The other is that it is historically relevant to the experience of Jews during occupied Europe during World War II.

This book, therefore, brought me gently back to World War II fiction (something I was needing anyway) by connecting me to it through my love of circus settings. It has been YEARS since I read World War II fiction at all. (And by YEARS I mean I was in middle school at the time.) The Orphan's Tale gave me a reason to pick up historical fiction again. It started a ball rolling I'm grateful to have rolling.

So here's what you need to know before you commit to reading this book.

First, the synopsis is meaningless.

I bought this book based on its circus setting because the synopsis was too weak to gain my interest. The book's inner flap describes this as a novel of two women, at first enemies and then unlikely friends, whose secrets threaten to tear their friendship apart.

That's not what this book is about. In fact, I'd venture so far as to say this synopsis is INACCURATE to describe this book. Not only are the secrets between Noa and Astrid minor in most cases, but they aren't FRIENDS in the sense of most chick-lit.

This REALLY isn't a story about a friendship. It's a story about a circus sheltering Jews during World War II when the Nazis were everywhere.

If you want to read a book which demonstrates how people passively allowed the atrocity of the Holocaust to take place, or if you wish to read a novel which demonstrates how ordinary people did extraordinary things, then this book may excite you. I've not read other books on this topic in a long time, and can make no comparison to popular novels such as The Nightingale, but I can speak to the merits of THIS book.

I loved the relationships between people and their situation more than the relationships between the characters in the book. How they interacted with the circus and with the war is remarkable and fascinating. This is what was most important to me.

You may also want to know this book contains a racial slur referring to a woman of Roma descent. Before you argue that this is simple historical accuracy, you have to understand the reader does NOT encounter a lot of supremacist talk against JEWISH PEOPLE (which would also have been historically accurate).

I believe this is a situation where the author may not be educated on the use of this term, but I would have preferred it to be omitted OR used to the story's advantage.

After all, the Romani people were also targeted during World War II.

Therefore, I also find myself concerned by the missed opportunity on the part of the author. She could have discussed the protection of the Romani woman in this story, or addressed HER fear of the Nazis, but this never came up. 

In my opinion, if a racial slur is used for historical authenticity, it's important it be placed in context, and I didn't feel it was in this story. Whether Jenoff realized "gypsy" is a slur or not is irrelevant. The use of the term felt contextually out of place with the rest of the story, and served as a missed opportunity to address the plight of the Roma people during this period of history.

The book is written in first person present tense from the alternating perspective of Noa and Astrid. This keeps the tension high, as the circus is in constant peril, the characters at risk of being discovered by the Nazis. This is a HUGE plus for me.

I recommend this book, and I hope you love it as much as I did. This is a novel which stayed with me long after I had finished reading it, and I still have dreams of the flying trapeze (which takes up a large portion of the story)! 

Please let me know what you thought of this one!

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase The Orphan's Tale from this page, I will receive a small compensation from Amazon.

The Mermaid's Daughter, by Ann Claycomb | Little Mermaid Spinoff | F/F Love Story | Book Review

A Love Story in Three Acts

Oh. My. Goodness.

Where do I even START? 

Okay, okay. How about here? I loved this book. In fact, this book was enough to pull me out of a major reading slump following a series of disappointing books I felt compelled to read (because that's just how I am). 

This book is the reason I bought books again.

Let me reiterate that. This book is the reason I have a to-be-read shelf AT ALL.

First of all, I've discovered I love these sorts of re-imaginings of classic fairy tales. There is something intriguing about taking a classic story and transplanting it into modern times. I'm ESPECIALLY thrilled when that story is intended for ADULT (rather than YOUNG adult) audiences (not because I dislike young adult fiction in general, but because I find books written for younger audiences often lack the rich prose of literary fiction).

It was the language that hooked me. (See what I did there? Haha, fish puns.)

Surely I would have continued reading had the language NOT been so compelling and rich (that first chapter is a hard sell, let me tell you) but it was the language which impressed me. It's a rare thing to meet a book in which the language is so provocative but in which it doesn't completely take over and bog down the narrative. (No doubt you've read at least one fantasy novel in which the description and world building was so extensive it was difficult to follow the story line or the characters. If not, pick up any novel by Anne Rice or see my review of The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco.)

The Mermaid's Daughter starts strong with an introduction to the first act: Soprano Kathleen's love affair with the Opera. Her voice is stunning, remarkable, something special, even among students of opera. She is destined for tragic ingenue roles, to die a thousand deaths on the stage. Kathleen must embrace these roles in spite of her own tragic past.

Next, the reader is introduced to the second act: Kathleen's love for her girlfriend, Harry (Harriet), a Mezzo at the same school (and more deserving of a special place with instructor Ruzena than the student selected for instruction). It is Harry who takes care of Kathleen when the mysterious pain in her feet or mouth become too much to bear, Harry who consoles Kathleen, who encourages her, who supports her.

Not long after, you will learn of the third act: Kathleen's tremendous love for the sea. It is the sea which provides the most comfort from the stabbing pain in her feet, the pain which plagues her mouth. She longs for the ocean, for the salty water which claimed her mother when she was only a baby in Ireland.

These are Kathleen's three great loves. A love story, in three acts.

I could wax lyrical like this for any length of time, but you could get this easily enough from the back of the book, and that's not REALLY what you're here for. 

Let me tell you what I loved about this book.

I loved (LOVED!) the way the fantasy blended seamlessly with the modern world. I'm a sucker for the type of story in which the supernatural exists quietly alongside the natural without interference by science or politics. (Let's just say the Sookie Stackhouse novels did NOTHING for me.) It's always intriguing for me when one of those very supernatural creatures considers themself to BE human.

The fantasy elements are unveiled from the start, but the main character comes to understand them slowly, which I loved. What seems impossible in the beginning is unveiled later in the novel.

But, I'll admit, it's unveiled a bit too quickly, somewhat haphazardly, as though the author was in a rush now that she'd written nearly half a novel without revealing all the information.

I would PERSONALLY have enjoyed this book more (and yes, I DID love it. LOVE it!) had the author taken her time, introduced more of these elements to the story earlier, and allowed the reader to savor Kathleen's emergence, her growing understanding of what she was. Instead, it happened ALL AT ONCE in this book, leaving me feeling frustrated, and a bit disappointed.

This has led me to a general confusion surrounding this book. I loved the language (I did!), and in spite of her whiney, needy, UNPLEASANT personality and behavior, I enjoyed Kathleen. I loved the story as well, though this has left me with another issue in reviewing.

I both love it and accept its faults. There were some things missing, and some things which bogged down the narrative.

What was missing? All that history! This is a story which goes back for GENERATIONS, for more than 400 pages and the only story we walk away UNDERSTANDING is Kathleen's. Yet how can we understand her story if we don't understand the women who came before her? 

There is SUCH a missed opportunity here. I hope Ms. Claycomb will read this and take it to heart for her future endeavors. Each of these love stories was unique and in its way could have contributed to the story, bolstered it, proven it through the generations. These stories were RELEVANT to Kathleen's experience, and the story of the original Little Mermaid. 

I felt some of these stories were skirted instead of addressed the way they deserved to be addressed, and I was disappointed.

(The way Claycomb tied the story to Hans Christian Andersen was fascinating, and I appreciated that part of the story. It gave the narrative some credence.)

I also enjoyed the alternating perspectives. I'm partial to this style of writing because each person exists differently in the minds of others, and it was fascinating to see the way Harry felt about Kathleen vs. how Kathleen felt about herself. 

On the other hand, I would have been satisfied with these TWO alternating perspectives, and often felt Robin's parts of the story (told in the third person perspective instead of the first person perspective of the two leading females) could have been omitted and the story wouldn't have lost anything.

I'd have much preferred the absence of Robin's Composer's Notes in exchange for more development of the previous generations of mermaids.

The ending of the novel was beautiful and tragic, but also wholly predictable. It didn't let me down (though as I have said, I enjoy those twists and turns in a story!), but I feel you should know, as MY reader, that you may be able to anticipate the ending of this novel, and therefore could be disappointed by it.

This book has been difficult to review precisely BECAUSE I loved it so. I try to be realistic, even about the books I love the most, but often by the time I'm finished writing a critical review, I find myself confused. WHY do I love this book so much?

Sometimes I think the reasons why defy explanation. 

I loved this book. That's enough for me.

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