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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
Bestselling author T. Greenwood (one of my favorite authors) returns following (2017) The Golden Hour with her best yet (of course, I say this after reading each one) with RUST AND STARDUST —a beautifully written and compelling retelling of a haunting true-crime story that inspired Nabokov’s Lolita. Top Books of 2018!
A tragic story of the eleven-year-old Sally Horner. A brutal 1940’s kidnapping. From the heartbreak to the people Sally touched along the way —as this tragedy unfolds. T. Greenwood is the perfect author to pen this incredible story.
An innocent girl, from a poor family. Camden, NJ, 1948. A single mother, a seamstress with a debilitating arthritic disability, with little time or energy left over for Sally. The older sister is married, and Sally must take care of her mother. However, like most young girls, she wants to fit in with the popular girls at school. To be a part of their club.
To become a part of their group, the mean girls want her to steal something. This is not something Sally wants to do. However, she takes a composition notebook from Woolworths. (I recall as a girl, my aunt took me to the local Woolworths and remembered men sitting at the soda counter. Of course, my aunt brought me along so she could flirt from the table across from the counter). I can envision this story playing out. Chilling.
There happened to be a man at the counter to witnesses the event and is ready to prey on this young innocent girl. Frank LaSalle, who goes by Mr. Warner— posing as an FBI agent. He is a convicted felon. He tricks her. A scheme. He is an adult, an authority figure (so she thinks), so she feels she has to follow his orders, or he will hurt her family. He warns her to tell no one and follow his instructions. She believes him.
Little does she know or her mother what this horrible man is capable of. He instructs her to tell her mother they are going on a trip (father of her friend). The mother allows her to go. With no idea, her little girl will be in the hands of a rapist and pedophile.
On the road from one town to another, Sally is held, hostage. He mentally and physically abuses her. However, along the way, Sally meets caring people. She hopes and prays someone will save her from this man and reunite her with her family. He locks her away, and she is unable to escape for two years traveling across the country.
Greenwood alternates between POV of Sally and her mother. Then there are more characters as the hunt continues. From a teacher, a woman at a trailer park, circus people, and later the girls. Finally by the time the family figures out Sally is in real danger, the harder it is to track them. Sally’s brother in law is diligent, as well as others who begin to discover what is really going on.
Rather than focusing on the horrors only, Greenwood zooms in what it was like for Sally. Her dreams, hopes, and fears. The steadfast love and perseverance that eventually brought her home.
Signature Greenwood style, the author creates her skillful magic turning something heartbreaking and sad into stardust as the story comes to life. Inspired by history an eloquently blending of characters and events —from compassion and heart.
As the author mentions in her notes, this is not a true-crime story in the traditional way. She took liberties with some fictional portions, and others mirrored history. While she drew heavily on Sally’s heartbreaking story, the novel is ultimately an imagined rendering of the years she spent on the road with her captor and the impact of her abduction— and those Sally encountered along the way as well as those she left behind.
As a nana of an eleven-year-old granddaughter, I know all too well at this age, even today there is so much peer pressure with social media. They want to fit in and can be easily persuaded to do things without the forethought of the consequences. To realize this could happen today when someone tries to pass themselves off as an authority figure. We want to guard our children against the evils of our world.
Thank you, for writing this emotional, beautiful and heartbreaking story! The author has outdone herself. Both lyrical and haunting— Sally would be proud! Her voice speaks through each page—the bright and shining star. A fitting title.
As Greenwood references in her writing, author Sarah Wineman. Be sure an add to your book list, [b:The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel that Scandalized the World|37959891|The Real Lolita The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel that Scandalized the World|Sarah Weinman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1536686960s/37959891.jpg|59686303],coming Sept 11, 2018.
Sally Horner’s story echoes the stories of countless girls and women who never had the chance to speak for themselves. By diving more in-depth in the publication history of Lolita and restoring Sally to her rightful place in the lore of the novel’s creation, The Real Lolita casts a new light on the dark inspiration for a modern classic.
A Conversation with the Author.
Highly Recommend both books. A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.
August Newsletter Feature
“And the rest is rust and stardust.”– Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita
JDCMustReadBooks
More of my T. Greenwood reviews (plus more not listed here):
The Golden Hour
Top Books of 2017
Where I Lost Her
Top Books of 2016
The Forever Bridge
Top Books of 2015
A tragic story of the eleven-year-old Sally Horner. A brutal 1940’s kidnapping. From the heartbreak to the people Sally touched along the way —as this tragedy unfolds. T. Greenwood is the perfect author to pen this incredible story.
An innocent girl, from a poor family. Camden, NJ, 1948. A single mother, a seamstress with a debilitating arthritic disability, with little time or energy left over for Sally. The older sister is married, and Sally must take care of her mother. However, like most young girls, she wants to fit in with the popular girls at school. To be a part of their club.
To become a part of their group, the mean girls want her to steal something. This is not something Sally wants to do. However, she takes a composition notebook from Woolworths. (I recall as a girl, my aunt took me to the local Woolworths and remembered men sitting at the soda counter. Of course, my aunt brought me along so she could flirt from the table across from the counter). I can envision this story playing out. Chilling.
There happened to be a man at the counter to witnesses the event and is ready to prey on this young innocent girl. Frank LaSalle, who goes by Mr. Warner— posing as an FBI agent. He is a convicted felon. He tricks her. A scheme. He is an adult, an authority figure (so she thinks), so she feels she has to follow his orders, or he will hurt her family. He warns her to tell no one and follow his instructions. She believes him.
Little does she know or her mother what this horrible man is capable of. He instructs her to tell her mother they are going on a trip (father of her friend). The mother allows her to go. With no idea, her little girl will be in the hands of a rapist and pedophile.
On the road from one town to another, Sally is held, hostage. He mentally and physically abuses her. However, along the way, Sally meets caring people. She hopes and prays someone will save her from this man and reunite her with her family. He locks her away, and she is unable to escape for two years traveling across the country.
Greenwood alternates between POV of Sally and her mother. Then there are more characters as the hunt continues. From a teacher, a woman at a trailer park, circus people, and later the girls. Finally by the time the family figures out Sally is in real danger, the harder it is to track them. Sally’s brother in law is diligent, as well as others who begin to discover what is really going on.
Rather than focusing on the horrors only, Greenwood zooms in what it was like for Sally. Her dreams, hopes, and fears. The steadfast love and perseverance that eventually brought her home.
Signature Greenwood style, the author creates her skillful magic turning something heartbreaking and sad into stardust as the story comes to life. Inspired by history an eloquently blending of characters and events —from compassion and heart.
As the author mentions in her notes, this is not a true-crime story in the traditional way. She took liberties with some fictional portions, and others mirrored history. While she drew heavily on Sally’s heartbreaking story, the novel is ultimately an imagined rendering of the years she spent on the road with her captor and the impact of her abduction— and those Sally encountered along the way as well as those she left behind.
As a nana of an eleven-year-old granddaughter, I know all too well at this age, even today there is so much peer pressure with social media. They want to fit in and can be easily persuaded to do things without the forethought of the consequences. To realize this could happen today when someone tries to pass themselves off as an authority figure. We want to guard our children against the evils of our world.
Thank you, for writing this emotional, beautiful and heartbreaking story! The author has outdone herself. Both lyrical and haunting— Sally would be proud! Her voice speaks through each page—the bright and shining star. A fitting title.
As Greenwood references in her writing, author Sarah Wineman. Be sure an add to your book list, [b:The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel that Scandalized the World|37959891|The Real Lolita The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel that Scandalized the World|Sarah Weinman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1536686960s/37959891.jpg|59686303],coming Sept 11, 2018.
Sally Horner’s story echoes the stories of countless girls and women who never had the chance to speak for themselves. By diving more in-depth in the publication history of Lolita and restoring Sally to her rightful place in the lore of the novel’s creation, The Real Lolita casts a new light on the dark inspiration for a modern classic.
A Conversation with the Author.
Highly Recommend both books. A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.
August Newsletter Feature
“And the rest is rust and stardust.”– Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita
JDCMustReadBooks
More of my T. Greenwood reviews (plus more not listed here):
The Golden Hour
Top Books of 2017
Where I Lost Her
Top Books of 2016
The Forever Bridge
Top Books of 2015
I've always liked the book Lolita which was inspired by the real-life abduction of 11 year old Sally Horner by Frank La Salle, a 50-year-old mechanic. In Lolita we are told a fictionalized story from the pedophile's point of view where he makes Lolita out as sexually precocious.
In Rust and Iron we have a more realistic point of view from Sally and her family. A novel that while speaking for her characters, the author stays true to the headlines of the story. A dark, sad tale of a naive young girl who just wants to do right and fit in with everyone else. Instead she is abducted by a man who says he's an FBI Agent and is trying to help her. He later claims he's her father all the while refusing to let her contact her mother. For 21 months he keeps her under his watch abusing her and telling her it's for her own good.
Heads up to Greenwood for approaching a sensitive matter with honesty and sympathy for Sally Horner so that she finally has a voice that can speak up in honor of her short life and all her pain and suffering at the hands of a horrible sick man.
In Rust and Iron we have a more realistic point of view from Sally and her family. A novel that while speaking for her characters, the author stays true to the headlines of the story. A dark, sad tale of a naive young girl who just wants to do right and fit in with everyone else. Instead she is abducted by a man who says he's an FBI Agent and is trying to help her. He later claims he's her father all the while refusing to let her contact her mother. For 21 months he keeps her under his watch abusing her and telling her it's for her own good.
Heads up to Greenwood for approaching a sensitive matter with honesty and sympathy for Sally Horner so that she finally has a voice that can speak up in honor of her short life and all her pain and suffering at the hands of a horrible sick man.
This is a fictionalized (and largely imagined) account of the 1948 kidnapping of Sally Horner, reporting on which is thought to be part of what inspired Vladimir Nabokov to write his most famous novel. Greenwood takes the known facts of Horner's story to imagine what her months being held captive were like and to tell the story from the points of view of Sally and the members of her family, as well as a few others who knew Sally during her time with Frank LaSalle.
This was a sensational case, but Greenwood takes care to focus on the emotional impact for all those affected and to explain why Sally believes LaSalle's lies. This is pretty straight-forward historical fiction and Greenwood isn't trying to do anything ground-breaking except to tell a story well and in this she largely succeeds, with a story that certainly held my interest throughout.
This was a sensational case, but Greenwood takes care to focus on the emotional impact for all those affected and to explain why Sally believes LaSalle's lies. This is pretty straight-forward historical fiction and Greenwood isn't trying to do anything ground-breaking except to tell a story well and in this she largely succeeds, with a story that certainly held my interest throughout.
Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ. I don’t even know how to accurately put to words the range of emotions this book dragged me through.
I could not put this book down. Stomach turning, heart breaking, true crime fiction.
I could not put this book down. Stomach turning, heart breaking, true crime fiction.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
I LOVED this book. It was so raw and heart wrenching. It made me cry in the very end, with Lena and Ruth. God. I had a lot of feelings, and this may be a very important book for me to use when i lock my emotions away and need to access them and let off some steam. I felt so much sadness and anger. I was waiting for the cover to make sense and when it did I read that passage over and over; it left me breathless with the implication of the chameleon being a symbol of our poor Sally. Incredible read. I devoured it in an evening, something I haven't done in awhile. I had zero intentions of finishing it in one go, but it hooked me from the first page, it really did.
It's not often I read a book that actually gives me chills. I was hesitant to read this novel. I had read Lolita the year before and felt a sick sort of discomfort that I would read a novel with such subject matter, in my free time, and find myself enjoying it.
This is an even finer novel than Lolita, and I hope that it overshadows it in the future.
The story is told, not from the voice of the abductor as in Nabakov's novel, but from the point of view of Sally herself, as well as the people who cared for her. While it is still a heavy and sometimes uncomfortable read, the subject matter is handled with such compassion and gentleness that I was able to read it almost entirely in one sitting.
The book is wonderfully paced, and the characters felt like family to me by the end of the story. I cannot overstate what a pleasure it was to read this book. Even the ending, even though it follows one of the most sorrowful stories I've ever encountered, leaves the reader with hope, which I was very grateful for.
Very poetic, very quick read. If you know how to read, you should read this book.
This is an even finer novel than Lolita, and I hope that it overshadows it in the future.
The story is told, not from the voice of the abductor as in Nabakov's novel, but from the point of view of Sally herself, as well as the people who cared for her. While it is still a heavy and sometimes uncomfortable read, the subject matter is handled with such compassion and gentleness that I was able to read it almost entirely in one sitting.
The book is wonderfully paced, and the characters felt like family to me by the end of the story. I cannot overstate what a pleasure it was to read this book. Even the ending, even though it follows one of the most sorrowful stories I've ever encountered, leaves the reader with hope, which I was very grateful for.
Very poetic, very quick read. If you know how to read, you should read this book.
I hesitated to read this book because of the subject matter but I'm glad that I did. Eleven year old Sally Horner steals a notebook and is convinced by a former convict, Frank, that he is an FBI agent and he's her only way to stay out of prison. For the next two years, Frank mentally, physically, sexually, and emotionally assaults Sally while they hide from those who are looking for her. This story is actually based on what happened to a real life Sally Horner and the story is heartbreaking.
The chapters are told from the point of view of a variety of people and I liked that feature. It helped to know how many people really cared about Sally, while Sally was thinking she was all alone in the world, with this horribly abusive man. Frank's crimes hurt so many people, not just Sally, and this book shows how much everyone who knew Sally suffered. Sally's mother was already a sick women due to her arthritis and loss of two husbands, one who abandoned her and other other who committed suicide. The book is full of despair but Sally is able to find some good in parts of those two years.
I especially liked Sally's brother-in-law Al, who was determined to not give up on finding Sally. Even when his wife, Sally's sister, wanted to give up hope, and felt that her mom's depression was dragging them down, Al would jump to the defense of Sally's mom, understanding what the loss of a child could do to a person. There was also Ruth, a childless woman who knew her mission in life was to save Sally from Frank. Both these people went out of their way to help Sally and knowing that they cared for her so much, made the story easier to read.
Published August 7th 2018
Thank to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
The chapters are told from the point of view of a variety of people and I liked that feature. It helped to know how many people really cared about Sally, while Sally was thinking she was all alone in the world, with this horribly abusive man. Frank's crimes hurt so many people, not just Sally, and this book shows how much everyone who knew Sally suffered. Sally's mother was already a sick women due to her arthritis and loss of two husbands, one who abandoned her and other other who committed suicide. The book is full of despair but Sally is able to find some good in parts of those two years.
I especially liked Sally's brother-in-law Al, who was determined to not give up on finding Sally. Even when his wife, Sally's sister, wanted to give up hope, and felt that her mom's depression was dragging them down, Al would jump to the defense of Sally's mom, understanding what the loss of a child could do to a person. There was also Ruth, a childless woman who knew her mission in life was to save Sally from Frank. Both these people went out of their way to help Sally and knowing that they cared for her so much, made the story easier to read.
Published August 7th 2018
Thank to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
4.5 stars
“She couldn’t ever tell anyone the things he had done and said to her. The secrets her skin kept now, the horror that flowed in her veins. Her marrow poisoned.”
Rust & Stardust is an affecting novelization of the true crime story that ultimately inspired Nabokov’s writing of Lolita. The facts: Sally Horner was kidnapped from Camden, New Jersey, in the summer of 1948, by a man claiming to be with the FBI after he caught her stealing a five-cent notebook. The man’s real name was Frank La Salle who had been released from state prison in January of the same year for sex crimes against young girls. The unknown: All of the tiny details that Greenwood had to infer in order to recreate the tragic story of Sally Horner.
The story melds the horrifying point of view of Sally Horner with that of the family she left behind and various individuals that were unwittingly impacted by La Salle’s crimes. Sally’s story is, of course, heinous especially when you consider this girl was a mere 11-years-old and the ease with which she was convinced that her minor crime was worth what she endured was heartbreaking. But it was the normalcy of life that her family was forced to revert back to that was the most heartbreaking for me. The efforts they were forced to exude, all because of the continuous passing of time with the vestiges of hope deteriorating with each passing day.
‘How sad it is that grief has a shelf life […]. It’s only fresh and raw for so long before it begins to spoil. And soon enough, it will be replaced by a newer, brighter heartache – the old one discarded and eventually forgotten.’
Within the first 100 pages you start to feel as if Sally had already endured a lifetime of suffering, but of course, the book was far from over. Her story, far from over. It’s hard to understand how an 11-year-old could be convinced the situation was credible, but then again, this happened in the year 1948 when crime wasn’t quite so common and it was normal for children to be mostly sheltered from the nightmares of the world. Also, we’re taught at a very early age to respect authority, especially police officers, so I can understand even if something seemed wrong, how would someone at that age really know? And of course, it wasn’t until months into her abduction as Sally grew up that she finally started asking the questions that you, as the reader, were no doubt screaming at her to question when this all began.
Rust & Stardust was, as expected, a most difficult read but Sally’s story was gracefully told. Do yourself a favor and don’t go searching for Sally’s story to find out what became of her; I made the mistake of doing just this and I wish I hadn’t so that the ending could have remained elusive.
I received this book free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
“She couldn’t ever tell anyone the things he had done and said to her. The secrets her skin kept now, the horror that flowed in her veins. Her marrow poisoned.”
Rust & Stardust is an affecting novelization of the true crime story that ultimately inspired Nabokov’s writing of Lolita. The facts: Sally Horner was kidnapped from Camden, New Jersey, in the summer of 1948, by a man claiming to be with the FBI after he caught her stealing a five-cent notebook. The man’s real name was Frank La Salle who had been released from state prison in January of the same year for sex crimes against young girls. The unknown: All of the tiny details that Greenwood had to infer in order to recreate the tragic story of Sally Horner.
The story melds the horrifying point of view of Sally Horner with that of the family she left behind and various individuals that were unwittingly impacted by La Salle’s crimes. Sally’s story is, of course, heinous especially when you consider this girl was a mere 11-years-old and the ease with which she was convinced that her minor crime was worth what she endured was heartbreaking. But it was the normalcy of life that her family was forced to revert back to that was the most heartbreaking for me. The efforts they were forced to exude, all because of the continuous passing of time with the vestiges of hope deteriorating with each passing day.
‘How sad it is that grief has a shelf life […]. It’s only fresh and raw for so long before it begins to spoil. And soon enough, it will be replaced by a newer, brighter heartache – the old one discarded and eventually forgotten.’
Within the first 100 pages you start to feel as if Sally had already endured a lifetime of suffering, but of course, the book was far from over. Her story, far from over. It’s hard to understand how an 11-year-old could be convinced the situation was credible, but then again, this happened in the year 1948 when crime wasn’t quite so common and it was normal for children to be mostly sheltered from the nightmares of the world. Also, we’re taught at a very early age to respect authority, especially police officers, so I can understand even if something seemed wrong, how would someone at that age really know? And of course, it wasn’t until months into her abduction as Sally grew up that she finally started asking the questions that you, as the reader, were no doubt screaming at her to question when this all began.
Rust & Stardust was, as expected, a most difficult read but Sally’s story was gracefully told. Do yourself a favor and don’t go searching for Sally’s story to find out what became of her; I made the mistake of doing just this and I wish I hadn’t so that the ending could have remained elusive.
I received this book free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
*I received an advanced copy of this book for an honest review. *
I just finished this book and I’m not really sure how I feel yet. It was deeply troubling and heartbreaking. The abuse that Sally received at the hands of Frank Is beyond what my mind can even comprehend. I read this all in one day since I couldn’t stand not knowing what was coming next for her. Every time she would be so close to being saved... Frank. My heart ached for the true story this book is based upon and all the other children who suffer such horrific abuse by such evil people. The author did a good job of making the reader understand what Sally, in her 11 year old mind, believed and why she didn’t just run when she could have. I will be haunted by this story for a while.
I just finished this book and I’m not really sure how I feel yet. It was deeply troubling and heartbreaking. The abuse that Sally received at the hands of Frank Is beyond what my mind can even comprehend. I read this all in one day since I couldn’t stand not knowing what was coming next for her. Every time she would be so close to being saved... Frank. My heart ached for the true story this book is based upon and all the other children who suffer such horrific abuse by such evil people. The author did a good job of making the reader understand what Sally, in her 11 year old mind, believed and why she didn’t just run when she could have. I will be haunted by this story for a while.