The Warsaw Orphan - Kelly Rimmer

The Warsaw Orphan

By Kelly Rimmer

  • Release Date: 2021-06-01
  • Genre: Historical Fiction
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 574 Ratings

Description

Instant New York Times bestseller—for fans of All the Light We Cannot See and The Tattooist of Auschwitz!

Inspired by the real-life heroine who saved thousands of Jewish children during WWII, The Warsaw Orphan is Kelly Rimmer’s most anticipated novel since her bestselling sensation, The Things We Cannot Say.

“Gripping… This one easily stands on its own.” —Publishers Weekly
“Heart-stopping.” – Lisa Wingate, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
“A surefire hit.” – Kristin Harmel, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

In the spring of 1942, young Elzbieta Rabinek is aware of the swiftly growing discord just beyond the courtyard of her comfortable Warsaw home. She has no fondness for the Germans who patrol her streets and impose their curfews, but has never given much thought to what goes on behind the walls that contain her Jewish neighbors. She knows all too well about German brutality--and that it's the reason she must conceal her true identity. But in befriending Sara, a nurse who shares her apartment floor, Elzbieta makes a discovery that propels her into a dangerous world of deception and heroism.

Using Sara's credentials to smuggle children out of the ghetto brings Elzbieta face-to-face with the reality of the war behind its walls, and to the plight of the Gorka family, who must make the impossible decision to give up their newborn daughter or watch her starve. For Roman Gorka, this final injustice stirs him to rebellion with a zeal not even his newfound love for Elzbieta can suppress. But his recklessness brings unwanted attention to Sara's cause, unwittingly putting Elzbieta and her family in harm's way until one violent act threatens to destroy their chance at freedom forever. 

From Nazi occupation to the threat of a communist regime, The Warsaw Orphan is the unforgettable story of Elzbieta and Roman's perilous attempt to reclaim the love and life they once knew.

Don’t miss Kelly Rimmer’s newest novel, The Paris Agent, where a family’s innocent search for answers brings a long-forgotten, twenty-five-year-old mystery featuring two female SOE operatives comes to light!
 
For more by Kelly Rimmer, look for: Before I Let You Go The Things We Cannot Say Truths I Never Told You The German Wife The Midnight Estate (out July 22, 2025)

Reviews

  • The Warsaw Orphan

    5
    By Mackeywine
    I just couldn’t put this down. I was pleasantly surprised that this wasn’t just taking place in the concentration camps. I’ve read a lot of those. But never about the suffering in Warsaw. In and out of the ghetto. I just love her writing. On to her next novel.
  • Warsaw Orphan

    5
    By Gcgjgsdgjjff
    Excellent book!
  • Amazing Read!

    5
    By ucandoit.tnt
    This book while it is fiction allows you to see into the events and things that happened in the Warsaw Ghetto. Very eye opening to the real torture that occurred that history wants to erase!
  • So sad

    4
    By Frustrating12231
    The horrors of war and the resilience of people would never cease to amaze me and to make me appreciate peacetime, wondering how long, now a days, it will last.
  • Excellent historical fiction

    5
    By chisnic
    Kelly gave the characters depth. I could see them so well, feel their emotions, picture their pain. I would definitely recommend this book!
  • A Story of courage

    4
    By Fthillslady
    A haunting yet hopeful story about a young couple trying to survive the WWII German occupation of Warsaw, Poland. I felt that I had a real glimpse of their pain and hope for a better existence.
  • The Warsaw Orphans

    5
    By 1*haminator
    I thought this book was the best one I have read all year the story had my attention from the first few pages I have suggested this book to all my friends and to anyone on my good reads family it is a must read Great job!!!

Comments