The Dutch Orphan

Written by Ellen Keith

Narrated by Nancy Peterson

From the author of The Dutch Wife comes a riveting novel set during World War II about a woman who offers shelter to a Jewish baby, and her sister, who must choose between family loyalty and her own safety.

Amsterdam, 1941. When the Nazis invade Amsterdam, singer Johanna Vos watches in horror as the vibrant music scene she loves is all but erased, her Jewish friends forbidden from performing with her onstage. Alongside her friend Jakob, Johanna helps organize the Artists’ Resistance, an underground network allowing Jews to perform at house concerts hosted by their allies. When Johanna hears of a Jewish orphan headed for deportation, she does not think twice. She takes the baby in as her own, hiding the truth from even her own sister, Liesbeth.  

Meanwhile, Liesbeth finds herself in a dilemma, as she knows of her sister’s staunch support for the Resistance, but her husband supports the Nazis. When a charming member of the Dutch Fascist Party sets his eyes on her, her predicament only deepens. As secrets continue to grow between the sisters, severing their once-unbreakable bond, they are both forced to make choices that will alter their lives forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harlequin Audio
• Release date: Apr 19, 2023
• ISBN: 9781488215650

Ellen Keith

Ellen Keith is the author of the bestselling novel The Dutch Wife, which won the 2016 HarperCollinsPublishersLtd/UBC Prize for Best New Fiction. She has an undergraduate degree in history with a focus on WWII/Holocaust Studies from the University of Alberta, as well as an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia. She is originally from St. Albert, Canada, and currently lives in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.    

Reviews for The Dutch Orphan

[Virginia Rodriguez · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Worth the listen - I was definitely invested in the characters about midway through, although it would’ve been much more captivating if the voices used were the nationalities of those in the book. The author also use some phrases that don’t seem like they would’ve been used between people in that era, but still a good listen!