Reviews for The Dutch orphan
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From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
The cracks in Johanna and Liesbeth's ’ relationship start as small fissures, but by the time WWII envelops the Netherlands, the two sisters are on the verge of splitting apart forever. While Johanna begins to organize secret night concerts for Jewish artists in Amsterdam, her newlywed sister Liesbeth watches as her husband’s ambition and commitment to a fascist political party drags them deeper into collaboration with the occupiers, illustrating the rationalizations allowing citizens to tolerate the increasing disruptions to their lives and the trade-offs they’re willing to make to survive. While Liesbeth tries unsuccessfully to start the family she always dreamed of, Johanna finds that her unexpected pregnancy brings both heartbreak and the chance to save at least one person from the relentless Nazi campaign to eradicate Jews. As Amsterdam is slowly ground beneath German jackboots over the war years, the sisters’ diverging paths eloquently explore how small decisions build to life-altering consequences and whether a path to forgiveness is possible.
