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kktaylor11's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The story centers on the experiences of a little girl (Rill) who along with her siblings is taken into state custody off of their family's shanty boat during the Great Depression -- juxtaposing Rill's story with the modern day story of Avery, a member of a wealthy political family. One thing I'll say before I get to spoilers -- I am often hesitant about any book that pulls the "back and forth through time" card, but this one is actually done fairly well! The blending is nearly seamless and is connected to the story, and keeps you engaged from beginning to end. Now...for story thoughts, enter the spoilers:
So the first 3/4 of the book I thought was great. I was deeply invested and really enjoyed it - even though Avery's character annoyed me a bit. BUT - I felt like the last 1/4 was dragged out unnecessarily. The whole part where the girls run away and find their father's boat was unrealistic - I'm sorry, the river is LONG...it's highly unlikely two children under 12 are going to find the single boat they are looking for in essentially one day. The addition of the "boy who is actually a girl" was unnecessary. She could have just been a girl character -- have her be the little girl who comes and brings her father lunch every day while he works - he can still beat her and be mean to her. It just felt forced. Rill's father crashing the boat and the fiery wreck -- all felt unnecessary. The story to that point had been focused on the children and the horrors of the Children's Home...I understand the desire to give them "closure" on their life so they could "be OK" in their new life - but it just wasn't realistic and almost added a justification to the story, like "this is what their lives would have been like, so the police are right to have taken them."
Also - Avery - Ugh. Her character annoyed me from the beginning - the exaggerated emphasis on her wealth -- the awkward "we're riding horses on Sunday because we're rich..." or "we have too many houses because we're rich" felt like overkill. We get it - wealthy families bought the children. But the love story took the cake. There was ZERO reason to have Avery engaged and then suddenly fall in love with someone else. There wasn't a hint she was unhappy with her fiancee until suddenly she's hiding her wedding ring to talk to Trent. Just cut the fiancee, have her be a single woman uninterested in getting married but pressured to "find a man" for politics. She doesn't need to be emotionally cheating on someone for the relationship with Trent to have value.
So overall, I enjoyed the story. I had ZERO knowledge of Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children's Home Society until I read this book and did some research. It's horrid, but not entirely shocking if you understand the state of social services in the 1930s. There's a reason "Little Orphan Annie" was a classic story.
Bottom line - this is worth a read, and I don't resent the time I spent listening to it -- I actually enjoyed it! I might recommend it to someone here or there - but I won't read it again.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Grief, Miscarriage, Abandonment, Classism, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Infertility
hanngigi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Physical abuse, Dementia, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Violence, Confinement, and Trafficking
Moderate: Bullying, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Child death, and Miscarriage
Minor: Cancer and Infertility
trinloyd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Medical content, Alcohol, Cancer, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Murder, Kidnapping, Infertility, Racism, Alcoholism, Classism, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, and Gaslighting
holliebye's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual assault, Dementia, Excrement, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Miscarriage, Murder, and Trafficking
Moderate: Cancer
des9120's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Miscarriage, Child death, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Child abuse, and Violence
mandi4886's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Abandonment, Murder, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Infertility, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual harassment, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, and Confinement
Moderate: Racism, Rape, Alcoholism, Ableism, Alcohol, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Police brutality, Chronic illness, Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Vomit
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Terminal illness, Cancer, and Antisemitism
lucy_shanners's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Cancer, Trafficking, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Confinement, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Dementia, Death of parent, Miscarriage, and Mental illness
Minor: Alcoholism and Self harm
greatexpectations77's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Excrement, Grief, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, and Racial slurs
maddiet425's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Kidnapping, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Child death, Death, and Confinement
Moderate: Pregnancy
kweaver_pdx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Trafficking, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, and Kidnapping
Minor: Death and Death of parent