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szirbel's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderful heart wrenching story of history of baby farms in the early 20th century in America and the ultimate power of love and family. Fantastic on audio.
hadavis87's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
shubbard116's review against another edition
4.0
Was captivated by Rills story, even more so after finding out much was based on the reality that so many children faced at the TCHS. The only thing that kept me from giving 5 stars was that I thought Averys part of the story was less developed and a bit predictable/romanticized.
annakinsky's review against another edition
3.0
I was truly astonished to learn that this book drew its inspiration from the historical fiction of actual accounts and interviews with children rescued from the Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage. While the characters themselves were products of fiction, it was heart-wrenching to contemplate the real-life struggles those children endured.
Rill, Lark, Camellia, Gabion, and Fern served as the central child characters in the narrative, and their harrowing experiences under the cruelty of the orphanage owner, Ms. Murphy, Ms. Tann, and Ms. Phulnik was deeply unsettling. One by one, they were sold to affluent individuals seeking to adopt children, specifically those with desirable traits like blonde hair and blue eyes. Their separation from their parents, Briny and Queenie, who believed they were merely signing papers to waive hospital fees upon the birth of their twins, was nothing short of a heartbreaking abduction.
The story unfolds in two distinct time periods: one in 1939, where the Foss children resided in the orphanage, and the other in the present day, with Avery's discovery that her grandmother, Judy Stafford, was the younger sister of May Crandall (Rill Foss). Both sisters had aged considerably and resided in a nursing home. Avery, along with Trent, embarks on a journey to reunite the two sisters after stumbling upon pictures of them together in their adult years. Avery learns of her grandmother's clandestine meetings with her sisters at their hidden beach house in Edisto Beach, thanks to the assistance of Trent Sr., who was also a child at the orphanage
My Review:
- I empathized deeply with the children's experiences at the orphanage; it was a powerful and impactful aspect of the book that truly immersed me in their emotions.
- The reunions between some of the siblings were heartwarming, adding a touching layer to the story.
- Some parts of the story don't quite fit or rushed, and some parts slow.
- The strong connection between Judy and May, given the circumstances, did raise questions, and it might have felt more natural if they had grown up together in the orphanage. However, the bond they formed over time still added depth to the narrative
- The decision to keep their sisterhood a secret as adults does seem unusual, especially considering it wasn't their fault they were separated. It's a choice that might have been made for dramatic effect or to highlight the complexities of their situation.
Fave lines:
- You can’t solve anything by worrying ahead of yourself.
- It feels like people will poke a spear in any place they can draw blood these days.
- " If there was one thing I’d learned from watching Briny and Queenie, it was that love doesn’t put food on the table. It doesn’t keep a family safe.”
- Wanting to and doing are two different things
- I learned that you need not be born into a family to be loved by one.
- I suppose in my twelve-year-old heart, I was still ashamed that I’d failed to protect Camellia, Lark, and Gabion. I feared that the Seviers wouldn’t love me if they knew.
- Life is not unlike cinema. Each scene has its own music, and the music is created for the scene, woven to it in ways we do not understand. No matter how much we may love the melody of a bygone day or imagine the song of a future one, we must dance within the music of today, or we will always be out of step, stumbling around in something that doesn’t suit the moment.
- I found room for a new life, a new mother who cared for me, and a new father who patiently taught me not only how to play music, but how to trust. He was as good a man as ever I’ve known. Oh, it was never like the Arcadia, but it was a good life. We were loved and cherished and protected.”
- “I loved each of them dearly. One was a teacher, one was a preacher, and the last was an artist who found his calling later in life. One taught me to think, one taught me to know, and one taught me to see.
- By taking me back, Arney brought me forward.
- A woman’s past need not predict her future. She can dance to new music if she chooses. Her own music. To hear the tune, she must only stop talking. To herself, I mean. We’re always trying to persuade ourselves of things.”
Rill, Lark, Camellia, Gabion, and Fern served as the central child characters in the narrative, and their harrowing experiences under the cruelty of the orphanage owner, Ms. Murphy, Ms. Tann, and Ms. Phulnik was deeply unsettling. One by one, they were sold to affluent individuals seeking to adopt children, specifically those with desirable traits like blonde hair and blue eyes. Their separation from their parents, Briny and Queenie, who believed they were merely signing papers to waive hospital fees upon the birth of their twins, was nothing short of a heartbreaking abduction.
The story unfolds in two distinct time periods: one in 1939, where the Foss children resided in the orphanage, and the other in the present day, with Avery's discovery that her grandmother, Judy Stafford, was the younger sister of May Crandall (Rill Foss). Both sisters had aged considerably and resided in a nursing home. Avery, along with Trent, embarks on a journey to reunite the two sisters after stumbling upon pictures of them together in their adult years. Avery learns of her grandmother's clandestine meetings with her sisters at their hidden beach house in Edisto Beach, thanks to the assistance of Trent Sr., who was also a child at the orphanage
My Review:
- I empathized deeply with the children's experiences at the orphanage; it was a powerful and impactful aspect of the book that truly immersed me in their emotions.
- The reunions between some of the siblings were heartwarming, adding a touching layer to the story.
- Some parts of the story don't quite fit or rushed, and some parts slow.
- The strong connection between Judy and May, given the circumstances, did raise questions, and it might have felt more natural if they had grown up together in the orphanage. However, the bond they formed over time still added depth to the narrative
- The decision to keep their sisterhood a secret as adults does seem unusual, especially considering it wasn't their fault they were separated. It's a choice that might have been made for dramatic effect or to highlight the complexities of their situation.
Fave lines:
- You can’t solve anything by worrying ahead of yourself.
- It feels like people will poke a spear in any place they can draw blood these days.
- " If there was one thing I’d learned from watching Briny and Queenie, it was that love doesn’t put food on the table. It doesn’t keep a family safe.”
- Wanting to and doing are two different things
- I learned that you need not be born into a family to be loved by one.
- I suppose in my twelve-year-old heart, I was still ashamed that I’d failed to protect Camellia, Lark, and Gabion. I feared that the Seviers wouldn’t love me if they knew.
- Life is not unlike cinema. Each scene has its own music, and the music is created for the scene, woven to it in ways we do not understand. No matter how much we may love the melody of a bygone day or imagine the song of a future one, we must dance within the music of today, or we will always be out of step, stumbling around in something that doesn’t suit the moment.
- I found room for a new life, a new mother who cared for me, and a new father who patiently taught me not only how to play music, but how to trust. He was as good a man as ever I’ve known. Oh, it was never like the Arcadia, but it was a good life. We were loved and cherished and protected.”
- “I loved each of them dearly. One was a teacher, one was a preacher, and the last was an artist who found his calling later in life. One taught me to think, one taught me to know, and one taught me to see.
- By taking me back, Arney brought me forward.
- A woman’s past need not predict her future. She can dance to new music if she chooses. Her own music. To hear the tune, she must only stop talking. To herself, I mean. We’re always trying to persuade ourselves of things.”
maggiesasha's review against another edition
3.0
Avery wasn't the most interesting narrator, but the story was interesting and the ending was very sweet.
bittersweet_symphony's review against another edition
2.0
Showed a lot of promise but had to return it to the library before I could finish reading it.