rma Joubert's novel, The Girl From the Train, covers an aspect of World War Two that I was not aware of, the placement of Aryan orphans into South African families. Gretl Schmidt, the six year old,orphaned daughter of a Nazi soldier and a German- Jewish mother escapes a train bound for Auschwitz. She is rescued by 21 year old Polish rebel Jakob Kowalski. He manages to protect her through the war years.
This novel can best be summed up by the Bible verse 'For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' Jeremiah 29:11. It is a novel of hope and survival. I have not read any books about South Africa before, but found the word pictures painted by Joubert to be fascinating. The characters are complex, with real life flaws. I would recommend this book to any fan of Historical fiction.
I was given this book by The Fiction Guild for review purposes. I was not required to post a favorable review. These are my true thoughts on the book.
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