A sweeping international love story that celebrates the triumph of the human spirit over the inhumanities of war and prejudice.
Six-year-old Gretl and her sister jump from a train bound for Auschwitz, her mother and grandmother unable to squeeze between the bars covering the windows. The daughter of a German soldier, Gretl understands very little about how her grandmother’s Jewishness brought her first to the ghetto, then to the train, and now, to the Polish countryside where she wanders, searching for food and water for her dying sister.
Soon, Gretl finds refuge with Jakob, a Polish freedom fighter, and his family, where she is sheltered until the end of the war. Gretl is then sent away to a new life, a new name, and a new faith in Apartheid-era South Africa. As she comes of age in this strange place, she confronts its prejudices as she hides the truth of her past from her new family.
When Jakob makes his way to South Africa many years later, Gretl and Jakob are reunited in a love story that transcends time and distance and survives the ravages of hatred and war.
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“Right from the start, Joubert sets up a palpable, tension-filled atmosphere and visually striking landscape. Mixing factual events with fiction, Gretl and Jakob offer interesting viewpoints on the world around them. While there is a love story here, there are many other themes present that add to an already gripping narrative and standout tale.”
— RT Book Reviews (4 ½ stars)
“South African native Joubert brings her country to life in this tale that begins in Poland at the twilight of World War II and ends deep in the South African bushveld…Readers will adore intrepid Gretl and strong Jakób in this story of war, redemption, and love.”
— Publishers WeeklyBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Irma Joubert, international bestselling author, was a history teacher for thirty-five years before she began writing. She is the author of several novels and a regular fixture on bestseller lists in the Netherlands and in her native South Africa. She is the winner of the 2010 ATKV Prize for Romance Novels.
Sarah Zimmerman is an actress and Audie Award–nominated narrator. She has performed on Broadway, in regional theaters across America, and in numerous guest-starring TV roles. She is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory and the Old Globe/USD.