The Other Girl

The Winter Guest #1.5

by Pam Jenoff

One woman's determination to protect a child from the dangers of war will force her to face those lurking closer to home…

Life in rural Poland during WWII brings a new set of challenges to Maria, estranged from her own family and left alone with her in-laws after her husband is sent to the front. For a young, newly pregnant wife, the days are especially cold, the nights unexpectedly lonely. The discovery of a girl hiding in the barn changes everything—Hannah is fleeing the German police who are taking Jews like her to special camps. Ignoring the risk to her own life and that of her unborn child, Maria is compelled to help. But in these dark days, no one can be trusted, and soon Maria finds her courage tested in ways she never expected and herself facing truths about her own family that the quiet village has kept buried for years…

From the international bestselling author of The Kommandant's Girl comes a searing historical companion novella to >The Winter Guest

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, World War II, Historical, Short Stories, Mystery, Amazon

21 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2014

About the author

Pam is the author of several novels, including her most recent The Woman With The Blue Star, as well as The Lost Girls of Paris and The Orphan's Tale, both instant New York Times bestsellers. Pam was born in Maryland and raised outside Philadelphia. She attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and Cambridge University in England. Upon receiving her master’s in history from Cambridge, she accepted an appointment as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. The position provided a unique opportunity to witness and participate in operations at the most senior levels of government, including helping the families of the Pan Am Flight 103 victims secure their memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, observing recovery efforts at the site of the Oklahoma City bombing and attending ceremonies to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of World War II at sites such as Bastogne and Corregidor.

Following her work at the Pentagon, Jenoff moved to the State Department. In 1996 she was assigned to the U.S. Consulate in Krakow, Poland. It was during this period that Pam developed her expertise in Polish-Jewish relations and the Holocaust. Working on matters such as preservation of Auschwitz and the restitution of Jewish property in Poland, Jenoff developed close relations with the surviving Jewish community.

Having left the Foreign Service in 1998 to attend law school at the University of Pennsylvania, Jenoff practiced law at a large firm and in-house for several years. She now teaches law school at Rutgers.

Reviews

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Living in Poland during World War II, Maria, who is estranged from her family, is living with her in-laws while her husband is away fighting. One day she finds a young Jewish girl hiding in the barn trying to escape the German police, so Maria decides to help this young girl at the risk of her own life. This was a really short story, quick to read, but still good. Kinda left me wanting more though.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short prequel to the novel The Winter Guest. Having read that several months ago, I was not immediately reminded of the characters. I always enjoy Jenoff's writing - in fact she is one of my favourite historical fiction writers. However I finished this book quickly and felt a little despondent; like a teaser trailer to the latest blockbuster, The Other Girl only hints at what is to come.

Having paid the princely sum of £1 for this via kindle, I was expecting more. I feel this should've been a freebie to entice me to buy the next book (if I hadn't have already read it of course!) Alas, that will teach me to remember to read the number of pages on the e-book description in the kindle store in the future.

[Belinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars - English Ebook - 32 pages is this story. But aldo their not much pages, the story has many different point of views you can look at it. 🌸🌼🌻

[Lyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a prequel to the novel “The Winter Guest” which I thought I had previously read, but discovered that I had not!
This is a very short novella, (126 pages or 165 KB). Before I knew it, the story was over. While I prefer a longer read to a novella, they generally have a beginning, middle and an end. This story lacked a middle and went straight to the end. It left me wanting. I needed to know more about the story and the characters. I felt a little disappointed. However, it’s still a good read.
I have read other Pam Jenoff books and enjoy her as a writer. While I feel the novella was lacking, it whetted my appetite to know more and leads me to putting the The Winter Guest on my TBR list.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rural Poland, WWII, Maria whose husband has gone off to fight, finds she is pregnant. Living with her husband's family on their from, she finds a 10 yr. old Jewish girl hiding in the barn.

A prequel to Jenoff's The Winter Guest, it did Piqua my interest. Maria's uncle was my favorite character in this short.

ARC from Netgalley.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short story. I didn't realize until after I started reading it that I should've read The Winter Guest first but I did enjoy this book. I love Pam Jenoff's writing style and I think she's an excellent storyteller so I will definitely read more of her books.

[Erin (Historical Fiction Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Find this and other reviews at: http://flashlightcommentary.blogspot....

Pam Jenoff is one of my favorite authors. I've enjoyed her work for several years and love what she does with World War II fiction. Her latest release, The Other Girl is a novella, a companion piece to The Winter Guest, and though I've yet to finish the novel, I found the short interesting for the perspective it brought to the larger story.

Naturally there isn't a lot of character development, but one can't help empathizing with Maria. A young woman, alone in a small Polish village, she struggles to make peace with her personal situation and understand the changes wrought by German occupation. I don't want to spoil anything, but suffice it to say her brief experience with Hannah and Janusz is quite moving.

Understandably, I have difficulty stating a short is a must read, but the piece is certainly worth looking into if World War II fiction is something you find appealing.

[Carolyn Scarcella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Pam Jenoff first book she wrote is called by “The Other Girl” by Pam Jenoff. This book is a very short and sweet is about the people of Biekowice, a village in Poland, during the Second World War. The story is about Maria and Hannah, I am very intriguing to find out what had happened and I will have to read that follows the story in the next book that is called “The Winter Guest”. I must say Pam is a great writer and writes incredible stories about during the WW2 as a result.

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novella is a spin-off with one of the minor characters from The Winter Guest. Quick read, but seemed to just be thrown together. OK rating - 3 out of 10.

[Carly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pam Jenoff always sweeps readers into her stories. She has a magic touch through her words.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very well written short novella set in Nazi occupied Poland during WW2. A young Jewish girl is found hiding in a barn after running away from her family. She is found by a young Polish woman who befriends her but she disappears the next morning. The author added some mystery, romance and dark family secrets which all kept me interested and engaged.


“ Hannah . ” The girl faltered , seemingly waiting to be told she was wrong . “ Hannah Stein . ” “ You’re a Jew ? ” The girl nodded .

I definitely plan on reading more of this authors writing and highly recommend this book as a great introduction to her style!!

[Maggi Andersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pam Jenoff is a favorite author of mine. Her latest release, The Other Girl is a short novella, a companion piece to The Winter Guest. Although I have yet to read the novel, I found this an enthralling and thought-provoking look at villagers riven by war.

Maria is a character who engenders sympathy. She has left the family home disapproving of her father’s actions and married in haste. Now, a husband she barely knows has gone away to war, leaving her with her unaffectionate in-laws. In the small Polish village, she is quite isolated and struggles to understand the undercurrent of fear and uncertainty wrought by the German occupation. There are secrets concerning Maria’s family, which she must uncover. With only a touch of the brush in this short story, Jenoff brings her characters to life. Hannah, the young girl Maria discovers hiding in the barn is fleeing the German police who are taking Jews like her away to special camps. I found Hannah’s acceptance of her situation, and how she deals with it, quite moving.

If you like to read World War II fiction, I would certainly suggest this one, but to appreciate this companion piece even more, I would suggest reading The Winter Guest.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Other Girl

A good read -wanted more!Enjoy everything Pam Jenoff writes .looking forward to her next book Something addicting about WII stories. These people were real heroes !

[Maureen Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick novella of WWII rural Poland and the challenges faced by ordinary citizens who heard of and saw inhuman injustices. It was a good story that revealed the human condition when courage is called upon to assist others.
Maria, is estranged from her own family and left alone with her in-laws after her husband is sent to the front. For a young, newly pregnant wife, the days are especially cold, the nights unexpectedly lonely.
One day she discovers a girl hiding in the barn and that changes everything—Hannah is fleeing the German police who are taking Jews like her to special camps. Ignoring the risk to her own life and that of her unborn child, Maria is compelled to help. But in these dark days, no one can be trusted, and soon Maria finds her courage tested in ways she never expected and herself facing truths about her own family that the quiet village has kept buried for years…

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Being that this is a novella, there shouldn’t be expectations on this being a lengthy-detailed story. However, this doesn’t feel really like a Novell but more of a brainstorm for the beginning of a sequel to The Winter Guest. If Pam were to take this and develop it as a true sequel story, I think it’d be a great story to tell! I found Maria’s character a bit interesting in The Winter Guest since we didn’t really get much from her since she was not even a secondary character, but a complete background character. I also would love to know what happens to Hannah, though we can make assumptions based on the general unfortunate outcomes of many people at the time. I also would love, and noticed another review mentioned this as well, to have a sequel that is told from Ruth’s perspective from when the separation occurs and on (trying my best to not give away anything here haha).

I definitely would recommend Pam to other readers though; she’s one of my favorite writers of the genre.

[Bookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short to read book and can be finished in a day. The book is set on World War one between Jews and Nazi. Maria was pregnant when she found a Jew girl staying inside their barn. Not trusting to be keep in the family barn forever she help Hannah escape by staying with the old lover of her mother. The man also helps Jews have a safe refuge during the war. The first historical fiction I have read for this year. I discovered this author writing to be interesting and I am planning to read more world war novels written by this author. I like the plot and the ending of the story. Atmosphere was stated well as well as the situation of each characters during the war. Overall I have given this book Four stars.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very short novella that ties into Jenoff's book "The Winter Guest." I'm glad that it was free on Kindle, as this was really short, a quick read, and I feel like the story could have been developed even more. The story is about Maria, living in rural Poland, who is briefly mentioned in "The Winter Guest." Maria is newly married, pregnant, and her husband is away fighting in WWII. She lives with his family, who are not very friendly. Basically, she is alone. And she is a very kind person who comes across a young girl hiding in her in-law's barn. This young girl, Hannah, is fleeing the German police and wears a read scarf. She also is mentioned in "The Winter Guest." How does one help someone in Hannah's situation in such a dangerous time?

[Randy Tramp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maria lives in Poland during WWII. She's estranged from her family, living with her in-laws after her husband is sent to the front. Young and pregnant, the days cold, the nights lonely. Maria discovers a girl (Hannah) hiding in the barn. Hannah is hiding from the German's who are rounding up Jews.

Although short, this book packed a million words. It'll be one I long remember, thus my rating of 5-stars. Jenoff has a way to go to the heart of the story. The Other Girl transforms the reader to the characters involved, making one ask, "What would I do?" This is a wonderful, yet terrifying, story.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehh. This was okay. The writing style was very nice, as always, and you can only develop characters/relationships so much in a 20-page novella. The ending only left me with more questions though. What will happen to Maria? Will she join the resistance now? And what about Hannah's fate? The ending implies she'll be all right, but when we see her in The Winter Guest, she's lost in the forest and on the verge of freezing to death. That's not a very uplifting thought. This novella was supposed to expand on and develop these two minor characters, but didn't do a very good job of it.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realize when I bought this that it was a short story. I finished it in 30 minutes! Pam Jenoff revisits the town in Poland that she wrote of in the first Winter Guest book, and specifically to a young girl, recently wedded and pregnant, who aids a young Jewish child who has escaped from the cattle train bound for Auschwitz. We don't find out exactly how it all ends up, but the child leaves on her own on foot after a meal and a night of shelter is provided for her. I love Pam Jenoff's books so I was left wanting more with this one.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, so first just let me say that I didn’t realize this was a short novella. So when all a sudden it was over, I had to make sure my ereader didn’t goof up and sped ahead to end of book.

Now, this book would have made a great story, if only it would have gone farther. That’s why I only gave it a 3 star review. It’s also why I don’t like reading short stories. It catches my attention, then boom. It’s over.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

sleight of hand into the heart and knowing only whewas takena perfect short story that is what it is why say more when a little is it's essence

to
basta mom dieu Too much review Let me go Let me go I want to forget you literary nazis who ask for one more word when fewer was the right price

[Celeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick look at bravery

I enjoyed this novella and was very disappointed that it was so short. The characters and storyline were well -developed and I believe could have worked as a full novel. I enjoyed her writing style and will look for more writings by Pam Jenoff. I would recommend this book.

[Tricia Toney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story is about Maria, a Polish newlywed who is left alone with her distant in laws when her husband goes off to fight in the war. She finds a young Jewish girl named Hannah hiding. She knows that few are to be trusted, including her own father, but she risks hiding Hannah at great risk to herself.

[PAMpublish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written and riveting, but incomplete follow-through in this novelette. Very well could have become a full length novel that maintains one interest from cover-to-cover. Upped the star rating from a 3.5 for its potential in hopes that the author will treat us to an entire novel and not just a teaser.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very short story. It was a good story and gives a little bit more understanding to just a couple of things from Book 1 Winter Guest (which I recommend be read first.) I wish the story was longer because there’s still many questions and unknowns that leave the reader hanging. Maybe, hopefully there will be a Book 2.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bridging cultures and generations

A quick and easy read. A poignant snapshot of war-torn Europe where families are torn apart, and the way a stranger changes individuals and relationships.

[Audrey Stars in Her Eye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella immediately caught my attention. But the story was too short and I was unsure how it would play to a bigger picture. But I really want to read the authors other work just from reading this.
I received a copy from the publisher for free but all opinions are my own.

[Marisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very short novella to the Winter Guest. Drew me in immediately, but just as I as engrossed in the story it ended. Would have loved more of the back story on the relationship between Janusz and Maria's mom as well as the strained relationship in her family.

[Susan Weintrob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holocaust novel

More than 1.5 million children were murdered by the Nazis and their supporters. Developing the character of a child brings home the uncertainty, darkness and terror of this era. Well written and developed.