Book Review: ‘The Winter Orphans: A Novel’ By Kristin Beck

If you’re a fan of historical fiction, it doesn’t get any better than this novel. Everytime I read one of these books I learn something new. The year is 1942 and Swiss nurse Rosli Naf is in charge of 100 Jewish children, in a castle, in the South of France. They get checks every now and then from the police, who take down names of any Jew 16 and over. But on this night the police raid the castle and take 44 Jews away to a camp. Rosli won’t stand for this and forces her way into the camp and gets a postion to be closer to the kids. Then by miracle, she’s able to get them released back to her and the castle. They’re still not safe there and a hiding place is made, until she can smuggle them out of the country to Switzerland and Spain. We follow them along on the daring escapes through the snow and bad conditions, now all are successful. Author Kristin Beck has done an outstanding job writing this book and you feel the pain and sorrow of the children and what they’re going through. Have some kleenex handy.

You can pick up The Winter Orphans in stores on Tuesday, September 13th from Berkley.