The Stolen Sisters - (The World War Two Orphanage) by Ann Bennett (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

'The lorry is ready to take you to the train station, ' the soldier announced, and Marta clung to her little sister. 'I want to stay with her, ' Marta said, voice shaking. 'It is not possible. You belong in the Reich, ' the officer said. 'And she does not.'

Poland, 1944

When twelve-year-old Marta and her little sister Joanna are snatched while out shopping for food and pushed into an army truck with a swastika on the door, they are heartbroken. Terrified they will never see their mother again, the little girls cling to each other as the truck full of stolen children rumbles through the countryside.

But worse is yet to come. When they arrive at their strange new home, tears streaming down their cheeks, Marta is sent into a separate room. As she is measured, her blonde hair and blue eyes exclaimed over, she doesn't realise she has seen her sister for the last time. Later, as she sobs alone in the chilly dormitory, her only crumb of comfort is the memory of a kind German nurse who took a photo of the two sisters, and promised Marta she will do what she can to find Joanna.

Berlin, 2005

In her cosy sitting room, seventy-year-old Marta freezes. The woman on her television talking about lost children is someone she could never forget. Margarete Weiss is the nurse who took the photo of her and Joanna, the photo with the secret message on the back...

Marta has never been able to find her younger sister and has buried herself in work so as not to be haunted by the ghosts of her past. But, seeing Margarete's blue eyes again, a shoot of hope takes root in her heart. Margarete may not have been able to prevent the sisters being separated during the war. But might she be able to help Marta find out what happened to Joanna now?

A beautiful and emotional read about finding hope in the darkest corners. Fans of The Midwife of Auschwitz, Before We Were Yours and The Orphan Train will lose themselves in this beautiful and heartbreaking book.

What everyone is saying about The Stolen Sisters:

'Haunting and emotional.... Packed with emotion and heart-wrenching moments, I couldn't put it down and read in day.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Omg what an emotional rollercoaster of a read! Such bravery, heartbreak and tears. I loved the first book and was desperate to read this one. The fact that these things happened during the war is just absolutely heartbreaking. The courage that people had is just amazing. This book is definitely a hard-hitting book with lots of tears but some in a good way!' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Heartbreaking. If I picture WW2 this is exactly how I believe it was. It's full of fear and anxiety, love, hate, tears and dreams. Beautifully written it very quickly sucked me in, and I couldn't stop reading until I had finished. This book will put you through an emotional wringer but it's so worth the read. I highly recommend this book, it was excellent.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐