Publication Date: October 30, 2024
Berlin, 1939. Tears pouring down her cheeks, Rosa pushes through the crowds and thrusts the basket containing her darling newborn twins at the woman closing the door to the carriage. All she can say is please take them. Then she runs, praying the train will reach England safely…
As the smell of smoke drifts through the air, Jewish people lock their doors. They no longer feel welcome in their home city, and while some mothers hide their children, others take them, clad in dark threadbare coats, to the crowded train station and the hope of a new life.
Rosa has feared for her twins since they were born two weeks ago. As she huddles in her filthy house, crammed in with her neighbours, she sees children growing weaker. It may be too late for her and her seven-year-old daughter Therese. But can she find a way out for her precious babies?
Dora scans the desperate crowd on the platform, despairing as she knows there isn’t room for all of them on the train to England. And when a woman thrusts a basket containing newborn twins into her arms, a shiver of dread slides down her spine. Babies aren’t authorised to travel – how can she keep them hidden from the cold-eyed soldiers?
She knows this mother wants the same thing she does – safety for these innocent children. But will she be able to help this brave woman before it is too late?
An unforgettable World War Two novel about two courageous women who risked everything for the innocent victims of war. Fans of The Nightingale and The Alice Network will be utterly gripped by this unputdownable page-turner from bestselling author Suzanne Goldring.
Leading up to World War II, a group of British Quakers ran regular missions to transport children from Germany to foster families in England.
Author  Suzanne Goldring uses this as inspiration for The Twins on the Train. Referred to as Kindertransports, these missions grew more dangerous as tensions mounted with Nazi-controlled Germany.
The story shifts between time periods, but primarily follows Dora and her cousin, Verity. While Verity is drawn to the handsome soldiers during an early pre-war visit to Germany, Dora’s perspective is much different.
This contrast factors into the story’s later development. Five years later, Dora helps children leave Germany and finds herself in dangerous situations. This part of the story is heartbreaking when considering that parents sent their children away with strangers.
The story also focuses on one of the mothers who makes the choice to send her babies away. The stark reminder of so many families separated, only to face the horrors of concentration camps, is woven throughout the book.
The Twins on the Train offers insight into the brave volunteers who risked their lives to transport children out of Nazi Germany.
Following an eventful career as a public relations consultant, specialising in business and travel, Suzanne Goldring turned to writing the kind of novels she likes to read, about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people. Whether she is working in her thatched cottage in Hampshire or her seaside home in North Cornwall, Suzanne finds inspiration in the secrets hidden by everyday life.
