What an emotional roller-coaster! We’ve all read books about the horrors of the holocaust but I never really knew how much the people of Romania suffered under both the Nazi regime as well as the Soviets.

With a Dr. Zhivago-like feel, this fascinating and emotional story is sure to keep you thinking about it even after you’ve finished reading it.

Based on true events of the author's mother, The Girl They Left Behind is an endearing story set in Romania that immediately took my heart!

Two people fleeing in the night as the Germans enter Bucharest to roundup the Jewish population make the difficult decision to leave their three year old daughter behind. Enter Anton and Despania, a Romanian couple who have struggled amidst four devastating miscarriages. When Anton suggests a visit to the local orphanage, they soon find the family they have been dreaming of for so long. But there will be many troubles ahead as the Germans are soon replaced by the Soviets and the Romania they once loved is now very vulnerable.

Without a doubt one of the most heartfelt WWII/Cold War stories of the year! If I had one little quibble, the last 1/3 of the novel really escalated towards resolution and I wasn't totally ready to let go of the characters....yet!

Every novel asks a question.
This one asks, “How much would a parent sacrifice out of love for a child?” Natalia is only three when she is adopted by a loving couple in war torn Bucharest. As she grows up, the situation becomes worse for her and her family as Romania falls under Soviet Occupation. When an opportunity arises, Natalia must make a choice that will change her fate once again and one that might even reveal the truth about her past.
This book drew me in from the start. I felt for the characters, their love for one another came across in the writing and kept me engaged. While the war and Soviet occupation were the main setting of the story and certainly affected the characters, it did not overshadow the story in the way that other historical novels can. Truly a story of love, family and survival. 5/5 stars.
Note: I received an advanced copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Great story line. Fresh and original. Very well written. Very emotional. Good characters. The first half of the book was the best part.

I had difficulty reading this book ..in fact, I put it down to read something else, only to come back and finish it! Talking about World War II and all the atrocities that entailed, this book just glossed over most of the details, leaving the reader questioning more about life behind the Iron Curtain after the war than actually learning anything from it! I perked up at the end when Natalia comes to America! This book left me with more questions than answers! The only positive critique I have for this book was that I enjoyed the author’s style of writing.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest and unbiased review of this novel.

This novel takes place in Bucharest, Romania. In 1941, during a time of increasing persecution against the Jewish population and the encroachment of German soldiers into the country, a young Jewish girl is left abandoned by her fleeing parents on the steps of an apartment complex. She's taken to an orphanage and later adopted by a wealthy couple and given the name of Natalia.

Natalia grows up in a bleak time and comes to age in an even worse time, when the war is over but peace does not come to Romania. They trade German soldiers for Russian ones as Romania falls under Soviet occupation. It is a harsh and difficult life, reminding readers of the realities that followed the Second World War for many eastern European countries.

I really enjoyed the first half of the novel. Romania is a certainly unique place to explore during WW2: I have not yet encountered a novel that takes place there. For all the research I've done into both World Wars, I never gave much thought to the European countries that later formed the Soviet bloc. I now wish to find more books that explore the trauma other countries experienced during this time.

However, I think once the war ended in the novel and the focus shifted to Romania under Russian occupation, my interest began to dwindle. I think Veletzos did a great job showing the emotional strain of characters during WW2 and the affects of the war, but she skipped time rather quickly afterwards - sometimes entire years were skipped, and I felt jarred by the jump. I don't feel like we were given enough time to adjust to the new conditions of life or completely understand how things changed so rapidly. That may also be due to my own ignorance of Romania's history during this time, as I'm sure context would have helped greatly. Regardless, at that point, I started to skim a lot and felt like I wasn't missing much. Which is a shame, considering how much I enjoyed the novel's strong beginning.

I think if you are interested in WW2 and wish to explore a country that I feel is generally overlooked in these narratives, this may be great novel for you!

WOW. So current and yet written about the past. Gut wrenching, difficult to read at times, however important to remember because this is repeating around the world today. A real eye opener.

I wanted to like this more than I did, especially since I think I read somewhere that the story is based on the author's own family. The concept itself is compelling, and there are moments when I did get caught up in the story. But it was just never enough to keep me wanting to read on. I found myself putting down the book, then picking it up again (mostly out of a sense of obligation for my blog), and having to start from the beginning because I couldn't remember the characters or what had happened. When I think of the chapters I did read, I can't quite pinpoint what it was that kept me from getting into the story as the events are interesting and the writing is solid. But I was bored, and after several attempts at getting into it, I'm giving up.

DNF at 33%.

In 1941, a young girl was found on the steps of an apartment building in Romania. The girl ends up being adopted from the orphanage in which she was placed in. The Girl They Left Behind follow Natalia as she becomes part of her new family and years later is forced to decide whether to stay in Bucharest with the only family she knows or seize the chance to finally live life on her own terms, and to confront the painful enigma of her past or take a chance to finally live her own life, and finally meet her birth parents.

It took me a while to get into this book, but once I was hooked, I couldn't put it down. Very powerful story and I enjoyed the historical context at the end of the book.

*I received an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was really ell written. The story was heartwarming, yet heart wrenching at the same time. During the era of wartime, there are many characters in this book that you can’t help but root for a happy ending for them. I don’t want to provide any spoilers in this review. All I will say is that this book is a must read, so grab a glass (or a bottle) of wine and prepare to indulge.

Disclaimer: I was given a free advance copy from NetGalley in return for my honest review

It was the ending of this book that made the read worthwhile. At times the book dragged . The atrocities of the Nazi regime and subsequent fallouts from it especially Romania are high lighted . The separation of families was heart wrenching and the author does a good job in describing this.

There are stories that when you read them, you are transported to the time and place of the novel. There is writing that is so sublime, so well done, that reading it is pure pleasure. The author has done both of these things in this novel.

We open with a scene that is so delicately written, you can almost see the strands woven through to create it. This scene had the potential to be a mawkish serious disaster if played wrong but the author set the stage right from the first paragraph for a level of writing that would carry through to the end of the book.

The story of this young girl as she is found and then adopted, as she grows up first in the shadow of WW2 and then the Iron Curtain is captivating and tragic and beautiful all at once. The characters are fully fleshed and their desperation at times can become your own. This is a masterpiece of character creation.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is sick of typical WW2 and Iron Curtain novels. This isn't typical. It is in a class all its own.

The Author draws you into a world full of terror, hopelessness
and enduring love. The characters become so real, you feel their heartache.
It’s a reminder to us, that after the World War 11 with the Germans.
Many Countries were given to the Soviet Union, who placed the people
behind the Iron Curtain.
In telling their plight, the Author helps us to feel the will to survive.
Where there is hope and love, there is salvation.
A MUST READ. A BOOK THAT YOU’LL LONG REMEMBER 5 out of 5.

What really happened during the Romanian Pogrom of 1941? Even now, nearly 80 years later, the history books are sketchy about what befell the Jewish population of Budapest during the three day coupe. The Iron Curtain was tightly sealed to keep us learning about many of the atrocities that occurred in Romania, and we are still, slowly, getting glimpses of life under the oppressive communist regime of Antonescu.

In her historical novel, The Girl They Left Behind, Roxanne Veletzos has used her family history, additional research and her imagination to tell a believable story that has really opened my eyes to the Romanian experience during, and immediately after, WWII. The novel opens during January 1941 when a young Jewish couple and their young daughter are arrested by the Iron Guard legionnaires and subsequently make a daring escape. During their flight they are forced to make the difficult decision of abandoning their toddler who is saved from freezing to death by a kind stranger and subsequently left at an orphanage. The toddler, Natalie, is later adopted by a childless couple, Anton and Despina, who raise her with love in an luxurious home.

Told in the first person, by Natalie, the novel lets us experience the damage and loss that the bombing by the Allies brings into her life, her guttural reaction to the sirens sound is palatable, Things get even worse when Romania switches its alliance to the Allies and feels the wrath of Germany's Nazis. Despite the lack of transportation, Anton sends his wife and child to live with relatives in the country. But is anyone ever really safe? Natalie manages to contract a deadly infection from the local water. High drama follows. Natalie is not expected to recover. Her mother makes a desperate dash back to the city with her cadaverous daughter. There is a run in with a Nazi. There is no hope for Natalie. Only penicillin can save her life but it is not available. But mysteriously a package of this magic elixir arrives by mail and Natalie is saved!

Life does not improve for Natalie and her family after the war. Her family is viewed as an enemy of the State, Anton's businesses, their beautiful mansion and all their worldly goods are taken from them by the Party and they are rehomed in a State owned apartment where they have to share the kitchen and bathroom with other families, all of whom look down on them.

To relate the circumstances of Natalie's great love affair and the novel's ending would be a giant spoiler, but let it be said that both Natalie's birth parents and adoptive parents had no greater love than that they had for their daughter.

The Girl They Left Behind is a beautifully written, satisfying read. I strongly recommend it.

I received a free copy of this ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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 !!!

This book is set in Bucharest Romania in 1941. Romania had recently allied with the Nazi's and anyone that is Jewish is in great danger. Out of desperation, a little Jewish girl is left on the steps of an apartment building by her parents who know that this is their last hope of survival for their little girl as well as themselves.
The girl is taken to an orphanage and quickly adopted by a rich couple who have almost given up hope of having a child of their own.
The book follows Natalia's life through WWII as well as the Soviet Occupation. We see her family go from extreme wealth to extreme poverty, experience many trials and tribulations together that threaten to tear them apart but they hold fast to the one thing that keeps them going, family and the love they share!

This was another fascinating read based on the author's mother who was left on a doorstep half frozen in Romania during the same time period.

I would have given this 5 stars but I found the section of Natalia a little flat in parts compared to the rest of the book.
Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for the advance copy!