The Secret Orphanage by Barbara Josselsohn ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

“Nobody outside the village knows the orphanage exists, Celina. We’re hidden by the mountains and everyone is sworn to secrecy. Please don’t give the soldiers a reason to come here…”

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site.  A free book was provided for an honest review.

August 2025; Bookouture; 978-1836186137
ebook, print (272 pages); historical fiction

There is a lot of World War II historical fiction on the market right now, and some of it tells the same stories over and over.  This new book by Barbara Josselsohn is a fresh look at German-occupied France that features a strong and tenacious woman who works to help Jewish children despite the danger to herself.  It is also a dual timeline novel with another strong and caring woman who lives in America in the present time.

In a tiny village in German-occupied France, Celina is a teacher at a small school.  The school is run by Remy, who is part of the resistance.  Despite the fact that Remy has led the local police to believe that it is just a school, several of the students are Jewish children who are being hidden.  The entire town is part of the deception, with families who help the orphanage and the children.  Despite the constant fear of being discovered by the police, both Celina and Remy enjoy their time with the children and with each other.  

In the current time, Rachel was raised by her grandfather from an early age.  He read her the same book every night as she was growing up.  He had a lot of secrets in his life, and even though he admitted that he was from a small village in France, he would never tell her about his earlier life.  Now he is losing his memory to dementia, and as his mind slips away, Rachel takes items to his room from their past that she hopes he'll remember.  When she takes a copy of the children's book that he used to read to her, it evokes strong feelings.  She decides to travel to the small village where he grew up to try to find out more about the book and its connection to her grandfather.

I have read other books by this author, and her research is always extensive and apparent on every page.  Her characters are both strong women who care deeply for other people.    The dual timelines are well-written and mesh well with each other.  Sometimes in a dual timeline story, it's easy to like one timeline more than the other, but both of these timelines and characters are emotional and unforgettable.  This book has mystery, a little romance, danger, and suspense, but the overall feeling is one of hope for the future, no matter how dark the world is.

Buy The Secret Orphanage at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is three hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction

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