Review: The Child by Fiona Barton

 

Title:The Child
Author: Fiona Barton (Facebook) (Website) (Twitter)
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Publisher: Berkley (June 27, 2017)
Length: 384
Source: First To Read Reviewer Program/Netgalley

 

About the Book: (From Goodreads)

As an old house is demolished in a gentrifying section of London, a workman discovers a tiny skeleton, buried for years. For journalist Kate Waters, it’s a story that deserves attention. She cobbles together a piece for her newspaper, but at a loss for answers, she can only pose a question: Who is the Building Site Baby?

As Kate investigates, she unearths connections to a crime that rocked the city decades earlier: A newborn baby was stolen from the maternity ward in a local hospital and was never found. Her heartbroken parents were left devastated by the loss.

But there is more to the story, and Kate is drawn—house by house—into the pasts of the people who once lived in this neighborhood that has given up its greatest mystery. And she soon finds herself the keeper of unexpected secrets that erupt in the lives of three women—and torn between what she can and cannot tell

About the Author: (From Author Website)

Fiona’s career has taken some surprising twists and turns over the years. She has been a journalist - senior writer at the Daily Mail, news editor at the Daily Telegraph, and chief reporter at The Mail on Sunday, where she won Reporter of the Year at the National Press Awards, gave up her job to volunteer in Sri Lanka and since 2008, have trained and worked with exiled and threatened journalists all over the world.

Fiona and her husband are still living the good life in south-west France, where Fiona writes in bed, early in the morning when the only distraction is their cockerel, Titch, crowing.

 

My Review: I was very excited to have the opportunity to read, The Child by Fiona Barton.  I had read Fiona Barton’s debut novel, The Widow and love it!  In the beginning of The Child, there are a lot of characters and the narrative switches between them frequently.  It took me a little bit to get all the characters straight and feel a connection to them.   Three women are the main characters.   Katie is a journalist wanting to dig deeper into the story of a infant’s body found at a building site.  Emma is an Editor, she has some difficulty/anxiety.  She become very interested/obsessed in the infant.  Angela and Nick are parents of baby Alice who was abducted from the hospital shortly after birth. 

The character develop is great.  You have a good sense of each character and their inner thoughts while the story switches between past and present.  The Child by Fiona Barton starts off slow with giving you a glimpse into each woman’s life and you are also introduced to people in their lives as well.  Just as I began to feel like this story wasn’t going anywhere, my interest was peaked.   The small connections between the women’s life start to be skillfully revealed.  Ok, Ok…Fiona Barton you got me!  I am hooked.   Each connection brings you closer and closer to understanding the memories that haunt the women, with a few twist to keep you on your toes.

The suspense builds and builds.   I am reading the last few chapters in the morning before going to work.  Ok….I will have a second cup of coffee and read one more chapter.  Ok…. I will read one more chapter and work late tonight.  Ok…I am sitting on the edge of seat and on a total emotional roller coaster – tears and all!  I will finish this book before going to work.  Yes, I was late for work, but The Child by Fiona Barton was totally worth it.    Fiona Barton sure knows how to build the suspense and deliver a memorable ending! I give The Child by Fiona Barton 4 star – could I have a note for being late for work??

The Child by Fiona Barton is being released today,  June 27, 2017.

Happy Reading!

**Disclosure – The Child by Fiona Barton was received from The First To Read Program at Penguin Random House and Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own.  This post contains affiliate links.

Review: Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

  Title:  Before We Were Yours
  Author: Lisa Wingate (Website)
  Genre: Literature/Fiction
  Publisher: Ballantine Books (June 6, 2017)
  Length: 352 pages
  Source: First To Read Reviewer Program

 

About the Book: (From Goodreads)

Two families, generations apart, are forever changed by a heartbreaking injustice in this poignant novel, inspired by a true story.

Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family’s Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge—until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents—but they quickly realize that the truth is much darker. At the mercy of the facility’s cruel director, Rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together—in a world of danger and uncertainty.

Aiken, South Carolina, present day. Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career as a federal prosecutor, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions—and compels her to take a journey through her family's long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation . . . or redemption.

Based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals—in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country—Wingate’s riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.

About the Author:

Lisa Wingate is a former journalist, inspirational speaker, and bestselling author of more than twenty novels. Her work has won or been nominated for many awards, including the Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize, the Oklahoma Book Award, the Utah Library Award, The Carol Award, the Christy Award, and the RT Booklovers Reviewer’s Choice Award.

The group Americans for More Civility, a kindness watchdog organization, selected Lisa along with six others as recipients of the National Civics Award, which celebrates public figures who work to promote greater kindness and civility in American life. Booklist summed up her work by saying, “Lisa Wingate is, quite simply, a master storyteller.” More information about her novels can be found at www.lisawingate.com.

 

My Review: I love books that are based on actual real-life events.  I had never heard of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society and Georgia Tann.   Ms Tann ran an adoption organization that kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families.  From 1924 to 1950 Georgia Tann used deception, manipulation, threats and force to obtain children from poor families and single moms.   The children were than sold to families of means.  Notable celebrity, Joan Crawford used Georgia Tann’s services to obtain her twins.   The treatment of children at the Tennessee Children’s Home Society resulted in many children dying during their time there.  It is hard for me to believe that this continued for 30 years without detection or intervention.

Knowing this historical context, makes Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate all the more powerful.  Lisa Wingate provides amazing character development.  Many of the characters have stayed with me long after finishing Before We Were Yours.  The story takes place in two time periods.   In present day we meet Avery Stafford, the senator’s daughter and successful lawyer.  Avery as a character grows throughout the story and begins to understand what is really important in life.  She takes a journey through her families history and brings the truth forward, even though she is unsure if her Grandmother, Judy wants the truth known.  I love how Avery kept after the truth even though it could change her family.   As she grew, her life priorities changed and she found happiness.

In 1939 the Foss children lived on a shantyboat in Memphis with their parents.  They are a very happy family of limited means.  A medical emergency takes the parents away from the shantyboat.  During their absence, their 5 children (Rill, Lark, Fern, Camilla and Gabion) are kidnapped and taken to the Tennessee Children’s Home Society.  The children are slowly separated as some are adopted. Georgia Tann changed all the children’s names when they came to the orphanage and tricked families into signing papers to legal surrender their children.  Some of the legal paperwork were completely fabricated. 

The oldest daughter Rill, feels she is to blame for not keeping her siblings safe.  Rill is an amazingly strong young girl in a no win situation.  She does the best she can to take care of her siblings.  I have so much respect for all she did for her siblings.  Rill gave up a great deal to stay with her sister, Fern and build a life with her.

I don’t want to give too much away, but Before We Were Yours is an very emotional journey.  Lisa Wingate skillfully weaves together the past and present to drive the plot.   I absolutely loved the ending.  There is freedom in the truth for the eldest of the characters.   I think the ending perfectly brought both story lines together, allowing a lost family to be found.   Before We Were Yours is about deep love and family secrets.   I have had a hard time starting another book since I finished Before We Were Yours, as I keep thinking about these characters and their lives.  

I rate Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate a 5 (it was amazing) due to the depth and development of the characters as well as my love for books based on real-life events.  I know this story and its’ characters will stay with me for a long time.   The images of the Tennessee Children Home Society and the events that happened there are forever with me.

My Rating Scale: 1 – didn’t like it; 2 – it was ok; 3 – liked it; 4 – really liked it; 5 – it was amazing

Happy Reading!

**Disclosure – Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate was received from The First To Read Program at Penguin Random House in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own.  This post contains affiliate links.