The Girl They Left Behind, Roxanne Veletzos
The Girl They Left Behind, Roxanne Veletzos
12 Rating(s)
List: $25.99 | Sale: $18.20
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The Girl They Left Behind

Author: Roxanne Veletzos

Narrator: Cassandra Campbell

Unabridged: 10 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/09/2018


Synopsis

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

A sweeping family saga and love story that offers a vivid and unique portrayal of life in war-torn 1941 Bucharest and life behind the Iron Curtain during the Soviet Union occupation—perfect for fans of Lilac Girls and Sarah’s Key.

On a freezing night in January 1941, a little Jewish girl is found on the steps of an apartment building in Bucharest. With Romania recently allied with the Nazis, the Jewish population is in grave danger, undergoing increasingly violent persecution. The girl is placed in an orphanage and eventually adopted by a wealthy childless couple who name her Natalia. As she assimilates into her new life, she all but forgets the parents who were forced to leave her behind. They are even further from her mind when Romania falls under Soviet occupation.

Yet, as Natalia comes of age in a bleak and hopeless world, traces of her identity pierce the surface of her everyday life, leading gradually to a discovery that will change her destiny. She has a secret crush on Victor, an intense young man who as an impoverished student befriended her family long ago. Years later, when Natalia is in her early twenties and working at a warehouse packing fruit, she and Victor, now an important official in the Communist regime, cross paths again. This time they are fatefully drawn into a passionate affair despite the obstacles swirling around them and Victor’s dark secrets.

When Natalia is suddenly offered a one-time chance at freedom, Victor is determined to help her escape, even if it means losing her. Natalia must make an agonizing decision: remain in Bucharest with her beloved adoptive parents and the man she has come to love, or seize the chance to finally live life on her own terms, and to confront the painful enigma of her past.

About Roxanne Veletzos

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. With a bachelor’s degree in journalism, she has worked as an editor, content writer, and marketing manager for a number of Fortune 500 companies. Her debut novel, published in multiple languages, is an international bestseller. Roxanne lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Norma ~ The Sisters on December 07, 2018

Haunting, compelling & engrossing! THE GIRL THEY LEFT BEHIND by ROXANNE VELETZOS is a fascinating, captivating, and deeply moving historical fiction novel inspired by true events of the author’s mother. The way that the story unfolds is so powerful, poignant and so delicately and beautifully written......more

Goodreads review by Lindsay L on December 09, 2018

4 stars! A beautiful and heart-wrenching story about family, love, loss and letting go. “In anguish and despair we release this child into the hands of God, with hope and faith that she may be saved.” This was the note that was left in a little girls’ beautiful velvet dress on the day that her Jewish......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader on October 08, 2018

5 enchanting stars to The Girl They Left Behind! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ The Girl They Left Behind is an enchanting story of family based on the author’s mother’s early life. In Bucharest, Romania, in 1941, a three-year-old girl is found alone on the steps of an apartment building. She is Jewish, and Romania......more

Goodreads review by Kate on August 25, 2018

Will definitely be giving a cover quote for this one--forthcoming! Updated: "Roxanne Veletzos pens a fresh, original debut in THE GIRL THEY LEFT BEHIND, twining personal family drama together with the lesser-known history of World War II Romania. When an explosion of horrific anti-Semitic violence se......more

Goodreads review by Barbara on April 12, 2020

3.5 stars: “The Girl They Left Behind” by Roxanne Veletzos is a story of the political history of Romania from 1941 to 1960, told from a Romanian’s family’s point-of-view. It begins with a Jewish couple in Romania when Germany is in control. In January of 1941 there was a Nazi Pogrom in which the Je......more