The Stolen Sisters

The World War Two Orphanage #2

by Ann Bennett

‘The lorry is ready to take you to the train station,’ the soldier announced, and Martha clung to her little sister. ‘I want to stay with her,’ Martha said, voice shaking. ‘It is not possible. You belong in the Reich,’ the officer said. ‘And she does not.’

Poland, 1944 When twelve-year-old Martha and her little sister Johanna are snatched while out shopping for food and pushed into an army truck with a swastika on the door, they are heartbroken. Terrified they will never see their mother again, the little girls cling to each other as the truck full of stolen children rumbles through the countryside.

But worse is yet to come. When they arrive at their strange new home, tears streaming down their cheeks, Martha is sent into a separate room. As she is measured, her blonde hair and blue eyes exclaimed over, she doesn’t realise she has seen her sister for the last time. Later, as she sobs alone in the chilly dormitory, her only crumb of comfort is the memory of a kind German nurse who took a photo of the two sisters, and promised Martha she will do what she can to find Johanna.

Berlin, 2005 In her cosy sitting room, seventy-year-old Martha freezes. The woman on her television talking about lost children is someone she could never forget. Margarete Weiss is the nurse who took the photo of her and Johanna, the photo with the secret message on the back…

Martha has never been able to find her younger sister and has buried herself in work so as not to be haunted by the ghosts of her past. But, seeing Margarete’s blue eyes again, a shoot of hope takes root in her heart. Margarete may not have been able to prevent the sisters being separated during the war. But might she be able to help Martha find out what happened to Johanna now?

A beautiful and emotional read about finding hope in the darkest corners. Fans of The Midwife of Auschwitz, Before We Were Yours and The Orphan Train will lose themselves in this beautiful and heartbreaking book.

What everyone is saying about Ann

‘What an amazing read!!! I didn't expect this to be a roller coaster of emotions, suspense, and mystery but it was everything!!… The characters were amazing, the story will keep you wanting more and more until the end.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘So captivating, I was on edge while flipping through the pages as fast as I could… Truly heartwarming… Emotional, heartbreaking … I loved this… A must read… Amazing.’ Page Turners, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Get those tissues ready, and prepare for some restless nights… This is a real page-turner… A real heart-wrencher… Filled with warm and tender moments and memories… Left me smiling’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘ALL. THE. STARS… You’ll be emotionally wrung out, yet absolutely spellbound… a heartwarming story that’ll have you reaching for your tissues… breathtaking… needs to be on every historical fiction lover’s TBR list.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Genres: Historical Fiction, World War II, Fiction, Holocaust, Historical, Book Club, War

316 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 29, 2024

Reviews

[Marilyn (not getting notifications) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Stolen Sisters (The World War Two Orphanage, #2) by Ann Bennett was a hard book to read. I actually listened to the audiobook that was narrated by Daphne Kouma. The narration was done quite well. Despite being the second book in this series, The Stolen Sisters, can easily be read as a standalone book. Ann Bennett’s focus for this series was on The Lebensborn program that was established by the Nazis near the beginning of World War II. Most books that I had previously read about the Lebensborn program focused on the birth of pure Aryan infants. The Stolen Sisters took the Lebensborn program to whole new depths.

In a small village in Poland two sisters, Marta aged 12 and Joanna aged 1en lived with their parents in a modest home. The two sisters were very close. Joanna looked up to her big sister and admired and loved her very much. Their mother was often sickly. On one such morning, Marta discovered that her mother was not feeling well again so she and her younger sister Joanna went to get the food they needed in the town for their mother. Little had Marta or Joanna realized that that would be the last time they would see their mother. Both girls were kidnapped by the Nazis for the sole purpose of entering the Lebensborn program. Marta and Joanna were both terrified and confused. They clung to each other but thought that as long as they were together they would be alright. Then they were each put through a series of tests to determine whether they actually possessed enough pure Aryan qualities to become part of the Lebensborn program. That was when the Nazis discovered that Marta and Johanna were half sisters. With that discovery, Marta and Joanna were assigned different fates. What would happen to each of the sisters? Would anyone come to their rescue?

The Stolen Sisters presented another horrific injustice that the Nazis inflicted upon young innocent children during World War II. Imagine the fear those children felt when they realized that they would never see their parents again. It was hard enough to comprehend and understand the cruel act of kidnapping innocent children but to learn that the kidnapped children were then subjected to a rigorous, strict and unforgiving indoctrination into becoming Aryan despite the children’s unwillingness was unbearable. Even worse was the fate of the rejected children who the Nazis deemed flawed. What were the Nazi’s plans for these children? The atrocities the Nazis inflicted upon these children were so heinous and cruel. It is so hard to imagine the lasting effects that these acts had on the children years later. Although this was a hard book to listen to, I highly recommend it because we cannot ever let ourselves forget.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio for allowing me to listen to The Stolen Sisters by Ann Bennett through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[linda hole · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was so heartbreaking , have your tissues ready.

[Kristina Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of The Stolen Sisters (The World War Two Orphanage Book 2) by Ann Bennett. This was an emotional story that was a continuation of The Orphan List by Ann Bennett. I enjoyed reading this one as well. It is gut wrenching and the despicable things that happened made it hard to read at times. It was heartbreaking! Both books should be read by all so I highly recommend them both. Well done Ann Bennett. A 5 star rating from me. #Bookouture #TheStolenSisters # AnnBennett

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading The Orphan List, I thought I was emotionally prepared for The Stolen Sisters. I wasn't. I knew about the Nazi breeding program of Lebensborn which is certainly disturbing but this organized kidnapping of children with Aryan features in occupied countries was so horrific that I had difficulty reading the book. I had to keep putting the book down and walking away for a few hours. The cruelty and brutality these innocent children were forced to endure was overwhelming for me. They weren't even orphans but were snatched off the streets. This book exposes new levels of Nazi barbarity. We must never forget what they did; for that reason, I hope you'll read it.

[Wendy G · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://wendyreadit.wordpress.com/202...

This story begins in Poland in 1944. Two happy Aryan looking children, ages 12 and 10, go to the store one day and never return home. They are kidnapped by the Nazi regime and sent for testing to see if they qualify for the Lebensborn program. This program essentially 'stole' children from their parents, forced those that 'qualified' to learn German, and then sent them out for adoption to Nazis to raise as their own. Marta and Joanna were two such children. Through their eyes the reader sees the horror of what the Nazis did to the children they took for this program, the ones who passed and the ones who did not. Nov 2024 Pub Date.

[Josephine Jarman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This high quality audio book had me feeling every emotion and I felt this hopefully could be a true to life story. This was hard going in places but the narrator did not shy away from it. Their voice was quite protective given the subject matter.
This is number 2 in a series and works as a standalone. I cried I laughed I got angey and I smiled.. It was s binge listen as I was desperate to know the ending.
This will keep you invested in the human nature and remind you just how awful things were in this . The best thing is it emphasis that within any race of people there are good and bad and the world shouldn't forget that in these days of wokeness. The characters felt alive and so well developed.
Thank you netgallery and publisher and author and narrator for this 5 star listen. Perfect for all historic novel lovers. Be warned the subject matter means it's hard to hear.

[Christine M in Texas (stamperlady50) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Stolen Sisters
By: Ann Bennett
Pub day: November 29, 2024
Publisher: Bookouture

Set in Poland, in 1944 Martha and her littles sister Johanna are taken in an army truck while out for the day. They soon realize that are being taken from their town and may never see their parents again. The children are taken to a new area and sadly tested on to see how “aryan” they are. One sisters meets the needs of Hitler’s pure race, and the other does not, so they are separated. Martha meets a kind German nurse who sympathizes with her and vows to do everything she can to help her.

Berlin, 2005 Martha is now seventy years old and she sees a woman on TV whom she recognizes. It turns out to be the kind German nurse, Margarete Weiss. Will she be reunited with her sister and family? What happened to them?

An emotional novel. We all know what happened during those horrific years. This is 2nd in a series, and I will be looking for the 1st one. This novel transport you into those times and my heart was breaking and hoping against all odds she would see her family members again.
Thank you Bookouture for this heartwarming novel

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

The premise was an instant hook for me, an avid historical fiction reader.
The setting is a small Polish town, which has been occupied by the Nazis. With food always in short supply, two young sisters set out to buy whatever they can find for their family. Grabbed off the street by Nazi soldiers, they are driven away and put through “testing” by SS doctors. Martha, the oldest, fits the Nazi ideal of “Aryanism” with her blond hair and blue eyes, just the right shades. Johanna is slightly darker in features, and her blood test shows the result of possible Slavic blood. This is cause for the two girls to be separated, for German blood must be kept pure. Will they survive the war, and learn of each other’s fates?…
An unputdownable novel about the German Lebansborn program of WW2, which was enacted to help the Aryan race to continue in purity, by any means necessary.

*I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*

[Branita J · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book broke my heart. I was bawling by the end. It follows two polish sisters during WWII and a German nurse that tried to help them. They were ripped from their home and sent to a reeducation camp to become p erfect Germans. The sisters are separated and continue to fight to stay alive and to find each other. I listened to the audiobook. Daphane Kouma was fantastic as the narrator. She did a great job with the different voices, making it easy to keep them separated. I will definitively have to give the 3rd book a try.

This is a review of the audiobook.

[Caroline|Page~Turners · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poland, 1944 with World War II in full swing, Marta only twelve years old and her little sister Joanna are quickly taken while they were out shopping for food. They were tossed onto an army truck with a swastika marked on the door. They are terrified and now all they have is each other. The truck is full of other children that were taken in the same manner. Marta and Joanna are separated from each other and they fear they will never see each other again. Berlin, 2005 Marta is seventy years old and so many years have passed by. Not a day goes by where Marta doesn’t wonder where Joanna is and if she is even still alive. Marta wonders, after all these years, can she still find Joanna?

The Stolen Sisters, written by author Ann Bennett, is an amazing story of family, courage and never giving up hope. This heartbreaking story left me in tears so many times. I loved the storyline and my heart tore into pieces for Marta and Joanna. There were so many children that were taken and my tears flowed again for them. The events of this story chilled me to the bone, but I was encouraged by the people that took care of each other during an unimaginable time. This is one story I highly recommend. I really enjoyed this phenomenal book.

[Diane Saul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fiction but I’m sure it reflects the stories of families and their heartbreak thru the actions of the Nazis. Bring the tissues, this isn’t an easy book to read. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

[Nethanja · Rating 5 out of 5]

They have been stolen from the street to become children of good German people. But what they have to endure is heartbreaking.
This is the story of two sisters and the woman who has helped them. You can read them as a stand alone but better to read The Orphan List first.
I couldn’t put this book down, it kept me entertained till the end.

Thanks to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the chance to read this.

[Dee Groocock · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s 1944 in Poland. Marta and her younger sister, Johanna have gone to the market to get their food, as their mother is too ill to go. Once there, they are taken by the Nazis, and their lives change forever.

As part of the Lebensborn Program, they are checked over to make sure they are Aryan. The two sisters are separated and can only hope they will see each other again after the war.

In 2005, Margarete Weiss is talking to Kristel in another TV interview about her time with the lost children. They are both trying to reunite families.

This is book two in the series, and it is as difficult to read as the first book.

I found this to be extremely emotional, and I had to put the book down a couple of times to have a cry.

A story that is told over two timelines and I loved the rapport that has been built between Kristel and Margarete.

A heartbreaking tale of loss, fear, darkness and pain.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of the book "The Stolen Sisters {the World War two Orphanage book 2} This story starts in Poland in 1944. World War 2 is raging across Europe . The Holocaust is gathering Jewish people and putting them in concentration camps. At the same time children are being kidnapped from their families to be tested to see if the qualify for being a "pure Aryan" Martha and Joanna are taken off the street to be held at a building and tested to be considered pure German. When Martha age 12 passes for pure German her younger sister Joanna does not. They are now separated by force Martha being forced to attend classes to teach German and becoming a pure German. After trying to escape Joanna is sent to Auschwitz. a third character named Margarete tries to help the girls. She has her own tragic life when her family is killed in a bombing.
the book takes turn on each of the three characters following what happens to them in 1944 and 45 ending the book in 2005 where we learn the "Whatever became of?" A good read. Had me wanted to know about each character.

[annasbook nookk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This haunting and emotional book followd Martha and her younger sister Johanna, two young girls separated from their mother and forced into a terrifying new life under Nazi rule.

When the sisters are separated, Martha is left with only hope from a compassionate nurse who takes a photo of them and promises to help.

Decades later, in Berlin, 2005, Martha, now seventy, is taken aback when she sees that same nurse on television, rekindling a spark of hope she had long forgotten.

The story blends past and present, showing Martha's anguish and resilience as she holds onto the memory of her lost sister.

This novel is a moving story about family bonds, wartime scars, and the hope for reunion against all the odds.

Pact with emotion and heart-wrenching moments, i couldnt put it down and read in day.

[Dawn Lawrence Read_with_Lola · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was heartbreaking. If I picture ww2 this is exactly how I believe it was. It’s full of fear and anxiety, love, hate, tears and dreams. Beautifully written it very quickly sucked me in and I couldn’t stop reading until I had finished. This book will put you through an emotional wringer but it’s so worth the read. I highly recommend this book, it was excellent.

[Emma Crowley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Stolen Sisters is the second and concluding part in Ann Bennett’s World War Two Orphanage series and it more or less follows on from where the previous book left off. Which I must say I was glad of because the first book had left the reader with an ending that although solved some plots there were plenty of unanswered questions and one or two were particularly pressing on my mind. Starting this new book, I fervently hoped that I would get the answers to the burning questions that had lingered long in my mind since the time that I had last left Margarete.

OK, the answers didn’t manifest themselves straightaway and initially I was worried as the focus turned to two young children Martha and her sister Joanna. I wanted to know where was Margarete and would the author reveal what had kept me in suspense? I needn’t have worried Anne Bennett had the entire book plotted out so well and she knew that her readers wanted answers and she expertly gave them to us whilst at the same providing us with a new aspect to the Lebensborn programme which I hadn’t known anything about. With this book I got an interesting history lesson alongside a story packed full of emotion, loss, heartbreak and trauma.

Strictly there is no necessity to have read book one, The Orphan List, prior to reading this book but I would urge you to read it if only to gain an even deeper appreciation for Margarete and all that she did in the war. She stood true to her beliefs and did her very best to thwart the Nazi’s in their Germanisation programme. Yes, she may have worked for a war machine, but she had no other choice. For if she did not, the consequences would have been dire. So, she did the next best thing and kept records of everything she partook in, in the hopes of one day reuniting families and mothers and their lost children. I did feel though that we didn’t get as deep inside Margaret’s head as we had in book one and I can only say this because I can compare and contrast her character and actions between the two books. I felt it was almost as if the majority of her story had been told and at times the author was thinking what can I do with her? It didn’t come across like this the entire time but I did feel that I wanted to delve deeper into her time with the Lebensborn programme when she became involved in the Germanisation of young children from different European countries such as Ukraine and Poland. I suppose given the fact that the more personal side of her story was apparently resolved we couldn’t venture much down that avenue.

The story opens with a brief prologue as we meet two sisters Martha and Joanna who live in Krakow in Poland. They set out on their daily excursion to the market. It’s March 1944 and food is scarce and the Nazi’s are in full power. Their father is working in a local factory and their mother is at home sick so Martha, the elder of the two, takes on the motherly role and does what she can to keep the house going. Whilst battling through the crowds at the market the pair are seized by the Nazi’s and put abroad a truck with other children. They are taken to the Camp for Polish Children and Youth in the Lodz Ghetto where they undergo tests to see if they qualify for the Germans Lebensborn programme which is searching for children that fit their Aryan criteria of blue eyed, blonde haired children who will boost the declining German population. I had never heard of this aspect of the programme before and to be honest it was a real eye opener. Just when you think the actions of the Nazi’s couldn’t get any worse and that you have read it all having read countless books set during this time period here comes another aspect to the war that was brutal, traumatic and shocking.

It really hit hard for me that innocent young children who weren’t even Jewish were taken from their families. Literally snatched and separated from the people they loved and not knowing whether they would ever see them again. I say not even Jewish because we all know the Nazi’s wanted nothing to do with Jewish people and a target was placed on their backs as they were believed to be inferior. But yet the Nazi’s still felt the need to target many more innocent young people and claim them as their own all for status and to create this great Aryan race that had featured so long in their ideology and mythology. It as barbaric and insane and in this case it lead to the separation of Joanna and Martha given that Joanna didn’t pass the tests because of her heritage. The story then splits in two following Martha and Joanna as they venture down different paths. Paths not of their own making or longing but rather destinies forced upon them by the hatred, greed and evil ways of a group who stole the childhoods of so many and tore families and so many different groups apart.

Joanna really matured and grew throughout the book despite the fact that she was only 10 (although at one stage it did say she was 14 and then went back to 10 again so I was a little confused about this) but I suppose she had no choice given where she eventually ended up. The details of which I won’t go into as it would ruin the story. Suffice to say these scenes were very written and written through the eyes of a very young child who has no clue as to what is going on where she is. Some of the questions she initially asked had me cringing as I thought surely you know what is going on. But I had to step back and think I am reading it from a historical viewpoint, and I have all the answers and the information. This was unfolding for Joanna in real time and she weren’t aware of what awaited her. I loved how she remained steadfast and strong throughout the hardships, anguish and torture and the one thing she wanted was to one day be reunited with her sister and hopefully her parents too. She clung to this belief but honestly where she found herself I couldn’t see this coming to fruition.

Martha finds herself sent to one of many homes where the Germanisation process takes place and here is where she once again meets Margarete having previously meet her at the ghetto home in Lodz. Margarete is kind, caring and compassionate and she hates to see what the children are forced to go through, and I admired her courage, bravery and tenacity in going against an ideology that she had no faith nor could not stand. A special relationship is struck up between Margarete and Martha but Martha does herself no favours when she resists and bucks against the programme. It takes her some time to comprehend that although it goes every ounce of her being she may well be better off to just go with things as long term it may enable her survival instead of being sent to somewhere where there may be no coming back from. I could feel her sorrow and the strain at being separated from Joanna and I hoped the story would have a positive outcome but the way things developed I wasn’t at all sure if this could be possible. Martha’s path takes her into the heart of a country that she has no wish to go to and I was appalled that this was going on during the war and it led to consequences that echoed down for many years and through several generations. I found Martha to be obstinate yet also resilient, but I couldn’t say that I preferred one sister over the other as they were both equally well written and I became deeply invested in both their stories.

The Stolen Sisters was an absorbing read and fitting conclusion to this two part series. It provided me with the answers I had needed whilst at the same time introducing me to another aspect of the war that I knew nothing about. Yet now, I feel fully informed and have a deeper appreciation for all that the people who lived through those times went through. I will admit given how well the two books had been developed I did find the ending to this one quite rushed. With loose ends being tied up rather too quickly and conveniently. I would have loved another chapter or two to allow for some more development, explanation and consideration to allow the characters to absorb what they had learned. But look, this is a minor thing as overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and certainly look forward to reading whatever Ann Bennet has next in store for us.

[Bev Walkling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I count myself privileged to have been able to read this incredible story thanks to #NetGalley and #Bookouture. All opinions are my own. I had read the first book in the series "The Orphan List" and found it extremely moving and informative as it looked at the Lebensborn program through the eyes of nurse Margarete Weiss as she shared her story with a German reporter Kristel. This second book picks up with more of Margarete's story as told to Kristel and tells a different less covered aspect of the Lebensborn program.

Margarete has returned to Berlin, only to find her home destroyed. Believing that her family is all dead, she heads in to find her next assignment. The assignment was a command rather than a choice and led her to be charged with working with young children who were stolen from their homes to be assessed as to whether they were truly Aryan and then be placed into a training school where they would be fed Nazi lies and be "germanized". Those who "succeeded" were then placed with high ranking Nazi families, given new names and brought up to meet the Nazi ideals.

There are two children who become the focus of the story, Martha and her younger half- sister Joanna. They are in Poland and it is 1944. Their mother is ill and they are sent to the market to see what food they can find. Unfortunately, on their way they are grabbed and put on a truck with other children and taken to be examined by Nazi doctors. Their faces are measured, distance between the eyes, eye and hair colour and asked questions about their family background. Martha gets classified as acceptable. Joanna is considered borderline. The only person at all kind to them or the other children is nurse Margarete, who does her best but often draws the ire of her superiors. The children are taken to a camp in Poland where yet more examinations are done and at this point, Joanna and her sister are separated. They do not know if they will ever see each other again.

The book is not an easy read. There are descriptions of child abuse that were pretty routine as a form of discipline and there are descriptions of escape attempts met with severe retribution. While I had known that children were being stolen and placed in German families before, this novel filled in the ugly details and it was heartbreaking. Imagine being taken away from all you have ever known and all those you have loved and being forced to put your past completely behind you. If you failed, your life was worth nothing.

This story was told partly in 2005 and partly in 1944-45. The author did a magnificent job of sharing enough information to give hope while leading the reader through the depths of despair these children faced. When Kristel uses television to once again share part of Margarete Weiss's war story, the goal is still to try and share the past while hopefully answering questions long unanswered and hopefully bringing about reunions. It made me cry. It was worth it.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found it ironic that I finished reading this book on the same day the notice below was being passed around on social media. It would seem that, as human beings, we will never learn from history, and we will continue to be cruel to the least of us. The Stolen Sisters is the second book in Ann Bennett’s historical fiction series about the Lebensborn program in Nazi Germany.

In The Orphan List, we met Margarete Weiss, who was a nurse in Nazi Germany. She was assigned to the Lebensborn program and kept secret coded records, hoping one day they could be of help to people. When she was interviewed by a news program, some of the horrors of the forced birth and stealing of babies came to light. Another part of the program involved taking “Aryans” found in countries the Nazis invaded and “Germanizing” them then resettling these children with Nazi families.

Martha and Joanna are two Polish girls who go shopping for their mother in the market when they are abducted by SS Agents. Martha is very blonde and fair, while Joanna is a bit darker due to having a different father. They are “tested” and Martha is deemed to be Aryan but Joanna is deemed to not be. Martha is sent to a special school to learn how to be a good German. Joanna is sent to a work camp. The story follows the two very different experiences during the war, while Margarete tries her best to cushion the harm being done to these children.

In light of ICE ripping children away from their parents, this is an important story to read right now. Children are just that – children. Bennett shows that Martha and Joanna are not political footballs to be tossed around, but children who don’t have anything to do with the war surrounding them. They have done nothing to garner attention from the Nazis except to exist. They aren’t dangerous. They aren’t part of the resistance. They just exist. It’s the same way children just trying to exist and attend school in Texas have to be worried about being taken from their parents. They haven’t done anything wrong; they just exist.

To read my full review please go to The Stolen Sisters by Ann Bennett – The Impact of WWII on Children That We Can Learn From Today

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this is a historical fiction, the Lebensborn program did exist and was run as briefly described. The Program for the assimilation of Polish children and the kidnapping of those children also did exist and is as brutal and horrible as described. The descriptions of Auschwitz-Birkenau are also as horrible or worse as described. The book does describe what happened to two young Polish sisters who were blonde-haired or light brown haired with blue or green eyes when they were torn from their families and submerged into the assimilation program at the age of ten and twelve. Many other children in the program were as young as two or three.
Marta and Johanna Kaminsky had gone to the market to do the daily shopping for their Mother who was sick. Marta told Johanna to sit on a bench and wait for her as she pushed her way through the crowd to buy what she could at her mother's favorite vendor. When she turned to make her way back to Johanna, she saw a Nazi talking to her and rushed back to her sister. When she went to take Johanna's hand and run, the Nazi grabbed her by the arm and pulled both of the girls towards a truck. Thus began their journey through the assimilation program.
After a long train ride, the children were placed in another truck and moved through a camp to a specific barrack for tests to see if they were true Aryans. Luckily for the girls and the other children, a nurse Margaret Weiss had been engaged to travel with the children and help them through the process. Margaret was kind and loving and disliked what the Nazis were doing; but knew that her role here was to help these children and to try to keep track of who they were and where they truly belonged. She could only do this from the inside. She kept notebooks of the children's real names, where they were from, when they were taken and what their "new German names" were and where they were sent. She also kept photographs of the children when she was able to take them without being caught. She wasn't always able to prevent bad things from happening; but she did try.
After the testing was done, Marta and Johanna were sent in different directions. Marta continued in the program, although reluctantly, while Johanna who was found to have some non-Aryan DNA was sent to work.
Will the girls survive the war and will they ever be reunited? What about their Mother and Father or in Marta's case, her step-father?
The book is definitely a tearjerker.

[Barbara Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: The Stolen Sisters
Series: The World War II Orphanage Book #2
Author: Ann Bennett
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Daphne Kauma
Publisher: Bookouture Audio
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pub Date: November 29, 2024
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pages 362

Historical fiction about the forgotten orphans of WWII

Chapter One - Berlin, 2005 Martha is now a seventy year old retired physician. While on a coffee break she sees a feature on television talking about how a nurse was instrumental in helping taken children find their families.
Martha recognizes the woman as the kind German nurse, Margarete Weiss.

Main story starts in a small Polish village occupied by the Nazis in 1944. Twelve year old Martha and her ten year old sister Johanna are sent to the market as their mother is ill
While shopping Martha instructs Johanna to sit on the bench where they often sat when they went to the market with their mother. When Martha is finished buying the few things she can afford she spots a soldier talking to Johanna. The soldier takes both girls and tells them they are needed to go to the doctor for testing. They object but are immediately snatched and put in the back of the army truck that is filled is young children.
They soon realize that are being taken to be tested. Martha with her blond hair and blue eyes meets the needs of Hitler’s pure race; however Johanna with her darker hair and brown eyes does not.
While Martha and the chosen children ae being trained by the cruel Doctor she meets a kind German nurse Margarete Weiss who sympathizes with her and vows to do everything she can to help her. Martha is punished for speaking Polish as she is having difficulty learning German. Margarete teaches her and Martha soon speaks well enough to be placed with a German family

Story does cover the horrors experienced by these children. Needless to say it is a very emotional read.

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for granting me this audiobook. Publishing Release Date scheduled for November 29, 2024.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Stolen Sisters AUDIO by Ann Bennett was a nicely done telling of a Holocaust story and how the time period stole so much from so many but gave some of it back in the end. Marta and Joanna were literally stolen off the street by the SS in their small town in Poland. They were whisked away to see if they could become German. What would follow was years of misery. The only good news is that they were taken in 1944 so the war was nearly over. What was to follow was a happier story than many Europeans captured by the Germans had.

A pivotal point in the story was when they met nurse, Margarete Wiess, who had a story of her own but did her best with the girls in the short time she knew them. It was only many years later that many people were reunited due to her efforts. This was a moving and heart-rending story of love, loss, cruelty, recovery, miracles, and so much more. Being as Auschwitz was a harrowing experience for both Joanna and the reader/listener. Many times she was moved to give up and it broke the reader’s heart but also made sense. But, some people don’t give up and some are even rewarded for it. We all know all the horrors of Nazi Germany and its incursion into surrounding countries. This is one of many stories that will break one’s heart over what horror humans can induce. I recommend it.

The narrator was Daphne Kouma who did an excellent job of voicing both adults and children, as well as older people. She read at a level pace, allowing the horror of the story, not her voice, to be what the listener heard.

I was invited to listen to The Stolen Sisters by Bookoutre Audio. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #BookoutreAudio #AnnBennett #TheStolenSisters

[Trudy Dowling · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Stolen Sisters was magnificent. The story grabbed me with an "I didn't know that happened moment" and the story didn't set me free until tears flowed with happiness.

The dual timeline, which included more than one character's timeline, was pure brilliance. It brought to life the story of Margarete, from The Orphan List, and Martha, a victim of the the Reich's goal of purity.
Margarete worked as a nurse for the Lebensborn program. Her action of creating lists of those affected by the program would lead to numerous families being reunited after her story is aired in 2005. It grabbed the attention of many, including Martha, one of the victims.

The story was a very emotional read. The writers words brought the story to life. I followed Margarete's challenges and risks as she worked for the Reich. It isn't as if she had a choice. She lived in fear. I felt her fear. At times she was the only friendly face the children saw.

Martha and her sister, Joanna, were snatched off the street and taken to be Germanized. The reader witnesses the beginnings of their journey of horrors. They are soon separated, not knowing what happened to each other. I witnessed the horrors, the tragedies, the desperation experienced by the children.

The Stolen Sisters gave me so much insight to some of the horrors experienced during World War Two. The Stolen Sisters gave me the desire to search for more information, to learn and remember. This story ends with a little more brightness but not everyone was so fortunate. I shed so many tears while reading The Stolen Sisters. Thankfully, the last were in happiness.

[Kaajal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first part of this 2 part series talks about the bravery and gumption of a German nurse called Margarete Weiss during world war 2. She was part of the Lebensborn program designed by the Nazis to bring in as many aryan children into this world as they could and to Germanise children that fit their perverted criteria from the countries they occupied.

It is the latter part that we hear about and understand in this book through the eyes and experiences of Polish sisters Marta and Joanna. They are kidnapped by the Nazis off the streets and taken to a children’s home. There they are subjected to tests that will determine their future. While there, they met a nurse who was very kind to them.

Marta was blonde and Joanna had darker hair and this sealed their fate. Marta was taken away to be Germanised at another children’s home while Joanna is sent to work in a neighbouring ghetto. The sisters are separated and do not know if they will ever see other again. The kind nurse accompanied Marta to the new home and continued to show her great kindness. The nurse was Margaret.

As part of a television series on the Lebensborn program, Margarte is sharing her knowledge about what went on. Marta sees the show and decides to reach out, not really knowing what to expect.

It is incredible what the warped ideologies of a few did to destroy the lives of so many countless people, no matter what their religion or race or nationality. Also incredible is the number of brave-hearts that put their own lives at risk to fight against the atrocities in whatever way they could.

As with the first part, I found this a very engaging read.

[Hazel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read the first in this series but I definitely think this works as a standalone very successfully.

I have an interest in reading books from this period and whilst this isn't a true story, I have no doubt that a lot of what is covered is pretty accurate and from the very beginning, I was hooked.

This is an emotional story of two little Polish sisters taken from the street whilst on a shopping trip for their mum who is ill in bed and tested to ascertain if they are Aryan enough to be 'reprogrammed' and potentially adopted by a German family after the process of Germanisation.

The characters were really well developed and well written, the descriptions of their situations, the people they encountered and the places they went were exceptional and all brought to life by the excellent narration from Daphne Kouma.

I went through all manner of emotions whilst listening to this story; anger, hope, fear, sadness and I actually think I stopped breathing at one point with my hands over my mouth in horror such was the depth to which this story and the characters of Martha and Johanna got to me.

If you like reading to or listening to books from this period of history whether they be fiction or non-fiction, I would definitely recommend this and many thanks to the author, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of this emotional book.

[Lilly Sipy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Stolen Sisters by Ann Bennett is a deeply emotional and gripping historical fiction novel that explores the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable hardship. The story alternates between 1944 Poland, where sisters Marta and Joanna are forcibly separated by the Nazis, and 2005 Berlin, where an elderly Marta rekindles hope of finding her sister.

The novel delves into the haunting realities of the Nazi Lebensborn program, which aimed to "Germanize" children deemed racially suitable, and vividly portrays the trauma, courage, and enduring hope of those affected. Bennett's writing is praised for its evocative descriptions and compelling narrative that immerses readers in the historical context while maintaining a strong emotional core.

Many readers have highlighted the novel's ability to shed light on a little-known aspect of World War II, with its heart-wrenching storyline resonating deeply. Critics also note the book's focus on familial bonds and the resilience required to face loss and rediscovery, making it a must-read for fans of emotionally charged historical fiction.

For anyone interested in stories of wartime courage, unyielding hope, and the strength of familial love, The Stolen Sisters is a powerful and unforgettable read.

[Pam]

This book broke my heart. I’ve read a lot of WWII historical fiction, but this one affected me more than the others probably because it involved children. It is a story based on real history, about the SS Nazis snatching up children as young as 3 years old, some older, 8, 10, 12 to enhance their Aryan race and have them “Germanised” and sent to live with a German family. I knew about the “Lebensborn” babies and mothers but not this part of Hitler and Himmler’s Regime. Absolutely awful. This story was very depressing, and I had to push my way through it. The absolute cruelty inflicted by so many people on these poor children is heart-wrenching. Horrible living conditions, severe discipline, being forced to learn German, forget they were Polish and had a family. The ending was a tearjerker. I’m glad I read it but I suggest readers be in the frame of mind to handle an incredibly sad and depressing story. It makes me want to vow to never set foot in Germany again. I’ll say it again: I hope there is a special place in HELL for those horrible Nazis, the SS Officers, and all of those who inflicted this horrible pain and death on so many people.

[Melissa * bookedwithmel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve enjoyed this series. All the details about Margarete Weiss and the Lebensborn Program are fascinating to me. Not only did she help as many mothers and babies as she could while she was in the homes for the special Reich babies, she also was forced to be involved in the where the Germans placed the Polish children they kidnapped during the war. She was immediately drawn to Marta and Joanna, and it devastated her when the two sisters were separated. She wanted to help them both.

When Margarete is an old woman, she is still trying to reunite family members from all the time she was involved with both programs. It didn’t matter how many years had passed, she wanted to continue to help. Marta happened to see the tv program and it brings back all the memories of that time.

I loved the multiple POVs of this one. Even though there was only one narrator, Daphne did a wonderful job distinguishing between the two girls and Margarete.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my audio and digital copies of this book.

[Reeca Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a tale which breaks your heart and then gives you hope!

Martha and Joanna were snatched off the streets of Poland when they were just young girls. These sisters were taken by the Nazis to be tested to see if they could be aryan enough to be adopted by loyal Nazis. Needless to say their lives took a different path.

There is a lot that happened to these two little girls in a short amount of time and this lasted their whole lives. I love how the author reels you in and keeps the intensity and emotions up all the way till the end. And yes it is heartbreaking and terrifying to read what they go through but the ending is worth every minute! This would make a great movie!

What an amazing read! I have not read Book 1 and I will remedy that soon!

The narrator, Daphne Kouma, could not have been better. I love a narrator that can do it all!

Need an emotional tale you will not soon forget…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Stolen Sisters by Ann Bennett is an emotional duel timeline book between 1944 and 2005. It tells the story of two young sisters who are stolen off the streets of Poland by the Nazis during WWII. This is a very compelling book that grabs the reader from the first page until the last page.

Martha and her younger sister, Joanna are kidnapped off the street while shopping and taken for the Lesbensborn program. Only one of the sisters will pass the testing to make sure they are Aryan. The girls are separated and both hope to find each other after the war but will they? The mistreatment and hardships they both endure are heartbreaking.

This book is a real page turner. I love the author’s writing style and her characters are very engaging and real. I highly recommend this book and the previous book in this series. Ann Bennett is fast becoming one of my favourite authors.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of this novel.