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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
This book was absolutely incredible-I LOVED it. I am a sucker for a well done historical fiction book, and this book was definitely no exception. I loved the characters, and thought that they were so well developed throughout the entire story. I felt the plot was incredible as well, and when appropriate, I could tell that the author had done her research. This book is a refreshing take on the genre, and I really appreciated how she took this true story I've never heard of and completely brought it to life.
The Forgotten Home Child follows five poverty-stricken children from England as they make the journey overseas to Canada to start a new life in the young country. While the children expected to have greater opportunities and a better life in Canada, the reality was quite different. Years later, 97-year-old Winny has to confront the horrors of her past when her relatives question her about a mysterious old trunk in her possession.
This book has all the makings of a great historical fiction novel. Bringing to the foreground a lost part of Canadian history, Genevieve Graham delicately and respectfully paints a picture of the real-life experiences of British Home Children. She accurately depicts the horrors that many of these children lived through, showing the multiple levels of abuse and prejudice that the kids experienced.
Genevieve Graham perfected the dual narrative, crossing over multiple characters' perspectives and timelines seamlessly. She finds a way to make each character, in both the past and present-day narratives, to be original and multi-layered. Everyone contributes to the storyline in their own way. Often, in multi-narratives, authors aren't able to make all of the stories equally valuable and interesting - Genevieve Graham, however, excels in this matter.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I am grateful to Genevieve Graham for introducing me to a part of Canadian history that I had never heard of before!
I received this ARC for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Full Review: Link
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This book has all the makings of a great historical fiction novel. Bringing to the foreground a lost part of Canadian history, Genevieve Graham delicately and respectfully paints a picture of the real-life experiences of British Home Children. She accurately depicts the horrors that many of these children lived through, showing the multiple levels of abuse and prejudice that the kids experienced.
Genevieve Graham perfected the dual narrative, crossing over multiple characters' perspectives and timelines seamlessly. She finds a way to make each character, in both the past and present-day narratives, to be original and multi-layered. Everyone contributes to the storyline in their own way. Often, in multi-narratives, authors aren't able to make all of the stories equally valuable and interesting - Genevieve Graham, however, excels in this matter.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I am grateful to Genevieve Graham for introducing me to a part of Canadian history that I had never heard of before!
I received this ARC for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Full Review: Link
Blog | Instagram | Twitter
Based on true stories of the Home Children of Canada. Some parts were difficult to read because of cruelty to children.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Forgotten Home Child is based on stories of British Home Children, who were British orphans who were sent to Canada to be adopted or indentured for a better life. As you can imagine, this is not what always happened. This is an excellent historical fiction book about this time in British and Canadian history. The story centers around a group of children who all came to Canada aboard the same ship and all had different experiences in Canadian life. If you are not familiar with British Home Children, this is a must read book.
The Forgotten Home Child is based on stories of British Home Children, who were British orphans who were sent to Canada to be adopted or indentured for a better life. As you can imagine, this is not what always happened. This is an excellent historical fiction book about this time in British and Canadian history. The story centers around a group of children who all came to Canada aboard the same ship and all had different experiences in Canadian life. If you are not familiar with British Home Children, this is a must read book.
It opened my eyes to the Home Children that were sent to Canada from 1860's to 1948 and how they were mistreated. It was so sad that no one watched over them. So many of them died and it was covered up.
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Rape, Suicide
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
First thing I love about this one? The genre. Historical fiction will always hold a special place in my reader’s heart. Always. This novel is based on factual history, but the plot and characters are make-believe. It’s the type of historical fiction that made me do some very light research because I had no idea this had happened (and it left me feeling bereft and heartbroken on behalf of the children who left their homes, and even more so for those who were mistreated in what should have been a better life.)
Two, I love this title because it showcases an important piece of Canadian history, is set in Canada (and the UK), with recognizable destinations and landscapes and was written by a Canadian author. Score for familiarity.
Three, I loved the voice of this writer so much. It was so easy to read, engaging and emotional. I read some early feedback from others that felt certain aspects were sugarcoated – there are some mature, graphic situations (not graphic in actual content, graphic in theme). The author chooses to gloss over them (i.e. rape was not called rape) but I took the liberty of assuming this had more to do with keeping with the era than the author choosing to belittle such horrible events. She paints a highly illustrative struggle of the children in their new situations and also casts a fair light on the flaws in what should have been an excellent program. On the flip side, there is a balance in acknowledging that not all the children ended up in abusive positions and their lives were better for it.
This novel addresses chasms between classes, the heartbreak of stigma, the darkness of an era not far behind us. It’s presented in the retelling by a nonagenerian who has kept her history a secret until a fateful occurence sparks some questions from her family.
Overall, I found The Forgotten Home Child to be one of my all-time favourite reads. It was emotionally moving and enlightening. I am in awe of the resilience of the characters and saddened by this aspect of our history. It hits shelves on March 3rd so make a preorder or on publication day pick up a copy for yourself and let me know if you agree or disagree with my take.
I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this title courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own
Two, I love this title because it showcases an important piece of Canadian history, is set in Canada (and the UK), with recognizable destinations and landscapes and was written by a Canadian author. Score for familiarity.
Three, I loved the voice of this writer so much. It was so easy to read, engaging and emotional. I read some early feedback from others that felt certain aspects were sugarcoated – there are some mature, graphic situations (not graphic in actual content, graphic in theme). The author chooses to gloss over them (i.e. rape was not called rape) but I took the liberty of assuming this had more to do with keeping with the era than the author choosing to belittle such horrible events. She paints a highly illustrative struggle of the children in their new situations and also casts a fair light on the flaws in what should have been an excellent program. On the flip side, there is a balance in acknowledging that not all the children ended up in abusive positions and their lives were better for it.
This novel addresses chasms between classes, the heartbreak of stigma, the darkness of an era not far behind us. It’s presented in the retelling by a nonagenerian who has kept her history a secret until a fateful occurence sparks some questions from her family.
Overall, I found The Forgotten Home Child to be one of my all-time favourite reads. It was emotionally moving and enlightening. I am in awe of the resilience of the characters and saddened by this aspect of our history. It hits shelves on March 3rd so make a preorder or on publication day pick up a copy for yourself and let me know if you agree or disagree with my take.
I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this title courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own
This book follows the lives of children that were placed into the Barnardo Homes. Winny, Mary, Cecil, Jack, Charlotte, and Edward experienced devastating circumstances from being moved from England to Canada to the mostly horrible people that bought the children. The book exposes how children are regarded in this time period especially on farms, where children were birthed for labor and in the case of the Barnardo Home Children bought for labor. Winny is the main character, the narrator, of the story, who exposes the horrible circumstances she experienced as a child and how multiple generations were impacted by Barnardo's charity.
As to my thoughts on the book, I would have appreciated a more developed background of the children during their time in England pre and during their time at Barnardo's. A more developed background would have given the reader more knowledge about Barnardo's and the experiences of children and destitute families in England during the Industrial Revolution and the Great Depression. Further, more information can be developed with the many illnesses that children experienced while in these close quartered homes. The Note to Reader section of the book provided a lot of information about Barnardo's Homes and his charity that could have been better weaved into the book. The story after the children were settled into their new homes was well done with a lot of historical facts about their tragic lives. I appreciated that the author did explore that not all children were bought by horrible people, as in the case of Charlotte. And, I appreciated the multigenerational approach to the book include the organizations that continue to work into this modern day to expose and link families that were victims of Barnardo's charity.
Net Galley Review
As to my thoughts on the book, I would have appreciated a more developed background of the children during their time in England pre and during their time at Barnardo's. A more developed background would have given the reader more knowledge about Barnardo's and the experiences of children and destitute families in England during the Industrial Revolution and the Great Depression. Further, more information can be developed with the many illnesses that children experienced while in these close quartered homes. The Note to Reader section of the book provided a lot of information about Barnardo's Homes and his charity that could have been better weaved into the book. The story after the children were settled into their new homes was well done with a lot of historical facts about their tragic lives. I appreciated that the author did explore that not all children were bought by horrible people, as in the case of Charlotte. And, I appreciated the multigenerational approach to the book include the organizations that continue to work into this modern day to expose and link families that were victims of Barnardo's charity.
Net Galley Review