The Girl They Left Behind by Roxanne Veletzos ~ a Review #MondayBlogs

by Susan Roberts

Opening paragraph

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October 2018; Atria Books; 978-1501187681
audio, ebook, print (368 pages); historical

The Girl They Left Behind is a wonderful well-researched novel about an area not often discussed in current WWII fiction - Romania. It made it even better to know that 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 for many years. 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 flee 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.   I look forward to her future books.

Buy The Girl They Left Behind at Amazon

About the Author:

Roxanne Veletzos was born in Bucharest, Romania and moved to California with her family as a young teen. Already fluent in English and French, she began writing short stories about growing up in her native Eastern Europe, at first as a cathartic experience as she transitioned to a new culture. Building on her love of the written language, she obtained a bachelor’s degree in journalism and has worked as an editor, content writer and marketing manager for a number of Fortune 500 companies. Since 2012, Roxanne has been writing historical and contemporary fiction and is the author of two novels.
Connect with Roxanne: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina when she isn't traveling. She and her husband enjoy traveling, gardening and spending time with their family and friends. She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and thrillers. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook, Goodreads, or Twitter. 

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