The second in a series, The Stolen Sisters continues the story of Marguerite Weiss, a German nurse, forced to work for the Nazi Lebonsborn programme. This time she tries to help two Polish sisters who are stolen from their parents and separated.

As with the previous book, The Stolen Sisters deals with difficult subject matter and was a very emotional read.

Although, the plot kept surprising me, I didn’t find it as thrilling as the first instalment. It doesn’t have the dual timeline running throughout the story (which was one of the things I enjoyed about the previous book), but it does have three narratives which kept things interesting and I enjoyed the later 2005/6 timeline which was explored towards the end.

All in all, an enjoyable follow up and a good conclusion to Marguerite’s story

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for this eARC.

This story is about sisters during WWII. It is heartbreaking. The author writes so that you feel you are right there with them. I cried throughout it. A must read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of The Stolen Sisters (The World War Two Orphanage Book 2) by Ann Bennett. This was an emotional story that was a continuation of The Orphan List by Ann Bennett. I enjoyed reading this one as well. It is gut wrenching and the despicable things that happened made it hard to read at times. It was heartbreaking! Both books should be read by all so I highly recommend them both. Well done Ann Bennett. A 5 star rating from me. #Bookouture #TheStolenSisters # AnnBennett

I was swept away in the heartbreaking story of The Stolen Sisters. Margarete Weiss continues her devotion to helping children taken from their families under the worst circumstances in this second book in #TheWorldWarTwoOrphanageseries. This times the focus is on sisters Marta & Joanna. The traumatic events that surround them gripped me as I know such devastating things happened in history. Ann Bennett’s novel is so eloquently written and will stay with me long after I read the last words.

Daphne Kouma wonderfully narrates this beautiful & emotional read.

The Stolen Sisters by Ann Bennett is an emotional duel timeline book between 1944 and 2005. It tells the story of two young sisters who are stolen off the streets of Poland by the Nazis during WWII. This is a very compelling book that grabs the reader from the first page until the last page.

Martha and her younger sister, Joanna are kidnapped off the street while shopping and taken for the Lesbensborn program. Only one of the sisters will pass the testing to make sure they are Aryan. The girls are separated and both hope to find each other after the war but will they? The mistreatment and hardships they both endure are heartbreaking.

This book is a real page turner. I love the author’s writing style and her characters are very engaging and real. I highly recommend this book and the previous book in this series. Ann Bennett is fast becoming one of my favourite authors.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of this novel.

This was a fantastic follow up to The Orphan List - it allowed me to see what happened after the end of the story .... this is something I always crave. In this book we follow up with the orphans from the first book and what happened to them since the end of the war. We also get some of the back stories and how they found them in the situations they were in. I love the authors writing style and she will be someone I will also turn to when looking for a historical story. What will she bring out next.

This is book 2 of The World War 2 Orphanage series, I read and reviewed book 1(The Orphan List) back in August, so scroll down my grid to see what I thought.

I was a bit worried that as it had been a while since i read book one that I wouldn't remember any of the book. But as soon as I started reading I immediately remembered exactly what had happened before. Although this is book 2, I think it would work well as a standalone too.

I was once again struck by Margarete's bravery and dedication to the children in her charge. Whilst I knew about Lebensborn, I had forgotten that the 'programme' also stole children from their families and had them adopted. I also didn't realise that these children were held in a separate area of the Lodz Ghetto.

This book was emotional at times, but the bravery of Margarete, Martha and Joanna shone through, and even somewhere as awful as Auschwitz lead to moments of hope.

The Stolen Sisters is the second and concluding part in Ann Bennett’s World War Two Orphanage series and it more or less follows on from where the previous book left off. Which I must say I was glad of because the first book had left the reader with an ending that although solved some plots there were plenty of unanswered questions and one or two were particularly pressing on my mind. Starting this new book, I fervently hoped that I would get the answers to the burning questions that had lingered long in my mind since the time that I had last left Margarete.

OK, the answers didn’t manifest themselves straightaway and initially I was worried as the focus turned to two young children Martha and her sister Joanna. I wanted to know where was Margarete and would the author reveal what had kept me in suspense? I needn’t have worried Anne Bennett had the entire book plotted out so well and she knew that her readers wanted answers and she expertly gave them to us whilst at the same providing us with a new aspect to the Lebensborn programme which I hadn’t known anything about. With this book I got an interesting history lesson alongside a story packed full of emotion, loss, heartbreak and trauma.

Strictly there is no necessity to have read book one, The Orphan List, prior to reading this book but I would urge you to read it if only to gain an even deeper appreciation for Margarete and all that she did in the war. She stood true to her beliefs and did her very best to thwart the Nazi’s in their Germanisation programme. Yes, she may have worked for a war machine, but she had no other choice. For if she did not, the consequences would have been dire. So, she did the next best thing and kept records of everything she partook in, in the hopes of one day reuniting families and mothers and their lost children. I did feel though that we didn’t get as deep inside Margaret’s head as we had in book one and I can only say this because I can compare and contrast her character and actions between the two books. I felt it was almost as if the majority of her story had been told and at times the author was thinking what can I do with her? It didn’t come across like this the entire time but I did feel that I wanted to delve deeper into her time with the Lebensborn programme when she became involved in the Germanisation of young children from different European countries such as Ukraine and Poland. I suppose given the fact that the more personal side of her story was apparently resolved we couldn’t venture much down that avenue.

The story opens with a brief prologue as we meet two sisters Martha and Joanna who live in Krakow in Poland. They set out on their daily excursion to the market. It’s March 1944 and food is scarce and the Nazi’s are in full power. Their father is working in a local factory and their mother is at home sick so Martha, the elder of the two, takes on the motherly role and does what she can to keep the house going. Whilst battling through the crowds at the market the pair are seized by the Nazi’s and put abroad a truck with other children. They are taken to the Camp for Polish Children and Youth in the Lodz Ghetto where they undergo tests to see if they qualify for the Germans Lebensborn programme which is searching for children that fit their Aryan criteria of blue eyed, blonde haired children who will boost the declining German population. I had never heard of this aspect of the programme before and to be honest it was a real eye opener. Just when you think the actions of the Nazi’s couldn’t get any worse and that you have read it all having read countless books set during this time period here comes another aspect to the war that was brutal, traumatic and shocking.

It really hit hard for me that innocent young children who weren’t even Jewish were taken from their families. Literally snatched and separated from the people they loved and not knowing whether they would ever see them again. I say not even Jewish because we all know the Nazi’s wanted nothing to do with Jewish people and a target was placed on their backs as they were believed to be inferior. But yet the Nazi’s still felt the need to target many more innocent young people and claim them as their own all for status and to create this great Aryan race that had featured so long in their ideology and mythology. It as barbaric and insane and in this case it lead to the separation of Joanna and Martha given that Joanna didn’t pass the tests because of her heritage. The story then splits in two following Martha and Joanna as they venture down different paths. Paths not of their own making or longing but rather destinies forced upon them by the hatred, greed and evil ways of a group who stole the childhoods of so many and tore families and so many different groups apart.

Joanna really matured and grew throughout the book despite the fact that she was only 10 (although at one stage it did say she was 14 and then went back to 10 again so I was a little confused about this) but I suppose she had no choice given where she eventually ended up. The details of which I won’t go into as it would ruin the story. Suffice to say these scenes were very written and written through the eyes of a very young child who has no clue as to what is going on where she is. Some of the questions she initially asked had me cringing as I thought surely you know what is going on. But I had to step back and think I am reading it from a historical viewpoint, and I have all the answers and the information. This was unfolding for Joanna in real time and she weren’t aware of what awaited her. I loved how she remained steadfast and strong throughout the hardships, anguish and torture and the one thing she wanted was to one day be reunited with her sister and hopefully her parents too. She clung to this belief but honestly where she found herself I couldn’t see this coming to fruition.

Martha finds herself sent to one of many homes where the Germanisation process takes place and here is where she once again meets Margarete having previously meet her at the ghetto home in Lodz. Margarete is kind, caring and compassionate and she hates to see what the children are forced to go through, and I admired her courage, bravery and tenacity in going against an ideology that she had no faith nor could not stand. A special relationship is struck up between Margarete and Martha but Martha does herself no favours when she resists and bucks against the programme. It takes her some time to comprehend that although it goes every ounce of her being she may well be better off to just go with things as long term it may enable her survival instead of being sent to somewhere where there may be no coming back from. I could feel her sorrow and the strain at being separated from Joanna and I hoped the story would have a positive outcome but the way things developed I wasn’t at all sure if this could be possible. Martha’s path takes her into the heart of a country that she has no wish to go to and I was appalled that this was going on during the war and it led to consequences that echoed down for many years and through several generations. I found Martha to be obstinate yet also resilient, but I couldn’t say that I preferred one sister over the other as they were both equally well written and I became deeply invested in both their stories.

The Stolen Sisters was an absorbing read and fitting conclusion to this two part series. It provided me with the answers I had needed whilst at the same time introducing me to another aspect of the war that I knew nothing about. Yet now, I feel fully informed and have a deeper appreciation for all that the people who lived through those times went through. I will admit given how well the two books had been developed I did find the ending to this one quite rushed. With loose ends being tied up rather too quickly and conveniently. I would have loved another chapter or two to allow for some more development, explanation and consideration to allow the characters to absorb what they had learned. But look, this is a minor thing as overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and certainly look forward to reading whatever Ann Bennet has next in store for us.

I have read a few in this series now and each one is a very heart warming book. It tells the story of 2 sisters who are taken from the streets whilst out shopping for food for their mother who was ill and put into the German programme to make them into good German women.
This book will tug at your heart strings but will keep you wanting to read on.

This will have you feeling every emotion. I laughed I got angry I hoped I cried. The subject matter was harrowing but the story beautiful and could easily have been a true stoey. Rhe characters were well written snd the plot tough gpingi in places. Despite this it was hard to put down. Thank you netgallery and publisher and author for this 5 star read rhat is perfect

Poland, 1944 with World War II in full swing, Marta only twelve years old and her little sister Joanna are quickly taken while they were out shopping for food. They were tossed onto an army truck with a swastika marked on the door. They are terrified and now all they have is each other. The truck is full of other children that were taken in the same manner. Marta and Joanna are separated from each other and they fear they will never see each other again. Berlin, 2005 Marta is seventy years old and so many years have passed by. Not a day goes by where Marta doesn’t wonder where Joanna is and if she is even still alive. Marta wonders, after all these years, can she still find Joanna?

The Stolen Sisters, written by author Ann Bennett, is an amazing story of family, courage and never giving up hope. This heartbreaking story left me in tears so many times. I loved the storyline and my heart tore into pieces for Marta and Joanna. There were so many children that were taken and my tears flowed again for them. The events of this story chilled me to the bone, but I was encouraged by the people that took care of each other during an unimaginable time. This is one story I highly recommend. I really enjoyed this phenomenal book.

Omg this broke my heart. The cruelness , the insane germanisation. Have your tussues ready.
Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

Martha and her sister Johanna are snatched off the street while shopping for their parents. They are tested for Aryan features and then separated.
When she’s in her 70s, Martha sees Margarete Weiss on the news talking about the Lebensborm Program and she recognizes her as the kindly nurse who helped her when she was first taken. Will she help her find her sister?


This is the second in a series, following the story of Margarete and the Lebensborn Program, a program where children were assimilated as Aryans and adopted by Germans. I’d never heard of the program before the series. The author does a wonderful job of bringing us into the turmoil of the main character's life as they try and deal with their new lives as they deal with Nazi rule. I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.


Thanks to @bookouture, @netgalley, and the author for this arc.

There is nothing that brings out the empathy in readers more than to have down on their luck characters involving animals or children. This one involves children and it's heartbreaking. The author, I love her writing style her words are so fluid, they just flow effortlessly. A book like this just gets to you, as you keep reading hoping against hope to find that silver lining amongst the sadness. There has to be hope somewhere.
Sisters in Poland ten and twelve are out minding their own business when they are kidnapped. Scared out of their wits, the older does everything she can to comfort and protect the younger, all the while having no one to reassure her. Their mother, sickly and at home has no idea what has happened to her children.
Put through unwanted medical tests they had no choice but to receive, all of the kidnapped children are Germanized if they pass the medical tests. The process involves shipping them off to different facilities, none a pleasant place to be with no security or comfort.
The Nazi's don't care how the children are treated or if they have enough to eat.
There is one little ray of hope in a kindly German nurse who puts her life on the line to treat the children kindly and offer comfort for the little time she is with them.
When the unthinkable happens and the children are separated will they find the will power to go on or just give up? Utterly heartbreaking and intense. I loved the ending it was rewarding and satisfying. I really enjoy WWII historical fiction especially when it's as realistic as this author writes it. This is an automatic buy author for me and looking forward to many more great reads.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I’ve enjoyed this series. All the details about Margarete Weiss and the Lebensborn Program are fascinating to me. Not only did she help as many mothers and babies as she could while she was in the homes for the special Reich babies, she also was forced to be involved in the where the Germans placed the Polish children they kidnapped during the war. She was immediately drawn to Marta and Joanna, and it devastated her when the two sisters were separated. She wanted to help them both.

When Margarete is an old woman, she is still trying to reunite family members from all the time she was involved with both programs. It didn’t matter how many years had passed, she wanted to continue to help. Marta happened to see the tv program and it brings back all the memories of that time.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my audio and digital copies of this book.

A beautifully written book with lots of emotions. Margarete Weiss and both sisters, Johanna and Martha, all are courageous women. I loved them. The horrific situations in war were heartbreaking to read. Especially the treatment of stolen children. They suffered so much. The cruelties against them were gut-wrenching. I loved that after so many years,both sisters could meet at last. Two timelines and multiple points of view make the book more interesting. The ending is superb and hopeful. Thanks a lot to the author, Netgalley, and the publisher for the eARC.

I count myself privileged to have been able to read this incredible story thanks to #NetGalley and #Bookouture. All opinions are my own. I had read the first book in the series "The Orphan List" and found it extremely moving and informative as it looked at the Lebensborn program through the eyes of nurse Margarete Weiss as she shared her story with a German reporter Kristel. This second book picks up with more of Margarete's story as told to Kristel and tells a different less covered aspect of the Lebensborn program.

Margarete has returned to Berlin, only to find her home destroyed. Believing that her family is all dead, she heads in to find her next assignment. The assignment was a command rather than a choice and led her to be charged with working with young children who were stolen from their homes to be assessed as to whether they were truly Aryan and then be placed into a training school where they would be fed Nazi lies and be "Germanized". Those who "succeeded" where then placed with high ranking Nazi families, given new names and brought up to meet the Nazi ideals.

There are two children who become the focus of the story, Martha and her younger half- sister Joanna. They are in Poland and it is 1944. Their mother is ill and they are sent to the market to see what food they can find. Unfortunately, on their way they are grabbed and put on a truck with other children and taken to be examined by Nazi doctors. Their faces are measured, distance between the eyes, eye and hair colour and asked questions about their family background. Martha gets classified as acceptable. Joanna is considered borderline. The only person at all kind to them or the other children is nurse Margarete, who does her best but often draws the ire of her superiors. The children are taken to a camp in Poland where yet more examinations are done and at this point, Joanna and her sister are separated. They do not know if they will ever see each other again.

The book is not an easy read. There are descriptions of child abuse that were pretty routine as a form of discipline and there are descriptions of escape attempts met with severe retribution. While I had known that children were being stolen and placed in German families before, this novel filled in the ugly details and it was heartbreaking. Imagine being taken away from all you have ever known and all those you have loved and being forced to put your past completely behind you. If you failed, your life was worth nothing.

This story was told partly in 2005 and partly in 1944-45. The author did a magnificent job of sharing enough information to give hope while leading the reader through the depths of despair these children faced. When Kristel uses television to once again share part of Margarete Weiss's war story, the goal is still to try and share the past while hopefully answering questions long unanswered and hopefully bringing about reunions. It made me cry. It was worth it.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own.

Having read book one, I was excited to get into the story. I was not disappointed, although absolutely heartbreaking, the story was a pretty good representation (as far I my research anyway) of the often overlooked Lebensborn program and how truly scaring it was. Prepare to feel a heavy heart after reading a few of the chapters

It’s 1944 in Poland. Marta and her younger sister, Johanna have gone to the market to get their food, as their mother is too ill to go. Once there, they are taken by the Nazis, and their lives change forever.

As part of the Lebensborn Program, they are checked over to make sure they are Aryan. The two sisters are separated and can only hope they will see each other again after the war.

In 2005, Margarete Weiss is talking to Kristel in another TV interview about her time with the lost children. They are both trying to reunite families.

This is book two in the series, and it is as difficult to read as the first book.

I found this to be extremely emotional, and I had to put the book down a couple of times to have a cry.

A story that is told over two timelines and I loved the rapport that has been built between Kristel and Margarete.

A heartbreaking tale of loss, fear, darkness and pain.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This story was so emotional and I could not put it down. I didn't know about the stealing of children and opened my eyes to some of horrible things the Germans did to children and adults.This is the story of Martha and Joanna ,sisters ,that were taken from the market place in a Polish village while they were out shopping for food as their mother was ill and couldn't go.The sisters are separated and we travel between Poland 1944 and Berlin 2005 through all the emotions the girls go through.I would really recommend reading this book.Thank you too Netgalley and Bookature.