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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
They couldn’t know, of course; it wasn’t their fault. Yet Sally blamed them. She blamed all of them: the cars passing them by, the managers of the motel courts, the gas station attendants as they swiped their rags across the glass. Why didn’t anyone see what was going on inside that cab? Why didn’t anyone try to save her? It didn’t matter one bit if this man was her real father like he said he was. She wanted to go home, and he wouldn’t let her.
I had a hard time forming thoughts for this review. The subject matter is awful, the book isn't a fun, easy, or uplifting read, but I knew less than halfway through that it would be one of my favorite books this year.
The novel tells a fictionalized account of a true story. Sally Horner was abducted by a child molester at the age of 11 and spent the next two years on the run with him. Sally's story is heartbreaking and as the mother of two girls I wanted to wake my kids up and hug them every time Sally suffered.
The story is also told through the eyes of Sally's family, friends, and teachers. I wanted to reach through the pages and hug some of the people who gave this little girl a spark of hope or showed her kindness, and shake them when they didn't help her.
I couldn't help Googling about halfway through, so I knew Sally's fate and I think knowing how it ended actually helped. The pictures mentioned in the book are real and searchable, which added another layer to a wonderfully told story.
I had a hard time forming thoughts for this review. The subject matter is awful, the book isn't a fun, easy, or uplifting read, but I knew less than halfway through that it would be one of my favorite books this year.
The novel tells a fictionalized account of a true story. Sally Horner was abducted by a child molester at the age of 11 and spent the next two years on the run with him. Sally's story is heartbreaking and as the mother of two girls I wanted to wake my kids up and hug them every time Sally suffered.
The story is also told through the eyes of Sally's family, friends, and teachers. I wanted to reach through the pages and hug some of the people who gave this little girl a spark of hope or showed her kindness, and shake them when they didn't help her.
I couldn't help Googling about halfway through, so I knew Sally's fate and I think knowing how it ended actually helped. The pictures mentioned in the book are real and searchable, which added another layer to a wonderfully told story.
I have conflicted feelings about this book. On the one hand, it's so good. The writing is gorgeous and Greenwood tells the story so well. There are a lot of different narrators and usually that can trip me up a bit, but in this book it worked so well. Everyone had their place in the story and fit in so well that I never felt like I was struggling to keep up. I would highly recommend this.
I cried so hard at the end. I love when books can make me cry so hard that I literally have to stop reading for a minute. I want to feel that level of emotion.
On the other, and this is where it gets a little complicated for me, this book made me feel bad. I don't know why. I frequently read books about sad topics, and in general I prefer it. Happy fluffy books don't hit me emotionally in the same way so I seek out sad books. I knew the Sally Horner story going in, so it's not like that surprised me. And like I said above, I love when books make me cry. But something about this book just hit me wrong and made me feel bad in a way that I didn't enjoy and have never experienced before. It almost left kind of a bad taste in my mouth, and I don't understand why. It wasn't just the topic. I genuinely don't have the words for why and I hate that so much.
The one thing I can talk about that I didn't enjoy was the level of coincidence in this book. It seemed like this book was full of overly convenient coincidences. Her brother in law goes looking for her in Baltimore after she's been kidnapped and just happens in the same convenience store she was in earlier, but forgets to ask if anyone recognizes her. A woman in a circus offers to let Sally run away with them the next day, but then for unrelated reasons they have to pack up in the middle of the night. Sally decides to ask for help from her neighbor, but the neighbor winds up moving out literally that same day. It wasn't that one of these instances bothered me, but there were so many that it continuously felt too convenient and gave the book a sense of unreality.
This was highly worth reading, though. I thought Greenwood's writing style was lovely. All of her characters had so much depth and fully fleshed out this whole story. It was absolutely fantastic and if you can handle such a difficult topic, I think you should give this a go. It's such a well written book.
I cried so hard at the end. I love when books can make me cry so hard that I literally have to stop reading for a minute. I want to feel that level of emotion.
On the other, and this is where it gets a little complicated for me, this book made me feel bad. I don't know why. I frequently read books about sad topics, and in general I prefer it. Happy fluffy books don't hit me emotionally in the same way so I seek out sad books. I knew the Sally Horner story going in, so it's not like that surprised me. And like I said above, I love when books make me cry. But something about this book just hit me wrong and made me feel bad in a way that I didn't enjoy and have never experienced before. It almost left kind of a bad taste in my mouth, and I don't understand why. It wasn't just the topic. I genuinely don't have the words for why and I hate that so much.
The one thing I can talk about that I didn't enjoy was the level of coincidence in this book. It seemed like this book was full of overly convenient coincidences. Her brother in law goes looking for her in Baltimore after she's been kidnapped and just happens in the same convenience store she was in earlier, but forgets to ask if anyone recognizes her. A woman in a circus offers to let Sally run away with them the next day, but then for unrelated reasons they have to pack up in the middle of the night. Sally decides to ask for help from her neighbor, but the neighbor winds up moving out literally that same day. It wasn't that one of these instances bothered me, but there were so many that it continuously felt too convenient and gave the book a sense of unreality.
This was highly worth reading, though. I thought Greenwood's writing style was lovely. All of her characters had so much depth and fully fleshed out this whole story. It was absolutely fantastic and if you can handle such a difficult topic, I think you should give this a go. It's such a well written book.
*I received an advanced copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
This book is now my favorite book of the summer (and actually, my favorite book of 2018!). I love reading books that relate to my home state, no matter how small the connection. I did not know the story of Sally Horner and waited until I finished reading before looking up more about her actual life.
As awful as the experiences are that Sally goes through, I kept reading to see what would happen next, each time hoping that someone would help her out. This book is riveting, emotional, and bittersweet. A fascinating story!
This book is now my favorite book of the summer (and actually, my favorite book of 2018!). I love reading books that relate to my home state, no matter how small the connection. I did not know the story of Sally Horner and waited until I finished reading before looking up more about her actual life.
As awful as the experiences are that Sally goes through, I kept reading to see what would happen next, each time hoping that someone would help her out. This book is riveting, emotional, and bittersweet. A fascinating story!
My rating - 4.5
T. Greenwood creates a fictionalized version of Sally Horner's story, facts linked together with speculations. Starting from the day Sally meets 52-year-old Frank La Salle, just released from prison, the book explores the harrowing two years that follow, filled would torture and cruelty for the naive and terrified young girl.
Sensitively and beautifully written, the novel conveys the utter despair and humiliation Sally feels throughout her ordeal without being too descriptive with regards to the abuse she suffered. The branching out in the points of view to encompass different characters, from those that Sally meets to the anguished family she leaves behind, certainly adds a lot more to the account.
While the book was difficult to put down, it was also difficult to read at times because of how heart-breaking the story was. You can't help but want to protect poor little Sally, to grab her away from that monster of a man and to make sure that nothing bad ever happens to her again. The fact that this is all based on a true story makes it that much more tragic. Reading this book has only served to reinforce my hope that there's a special place in hell for people like Frank La Salle!
If you think you can deal with the heart-wrenching nature of the story, I highly recommend it.
T. Greenwood creates a fictionalized version of Sally Horner's story, facts linked together with speculations. Starting from the day Sally meets 52-year-old Frank La Salle, just released from prison, the book explores the harrowing two years that follow, filled would torture and cruelty for the naive and terrified young girl.
Sensitively and beautifully written, the novel conveys the utter despair and humiliation Sally feels throughout her ordeal without being too descriptive with regards to the abuse she suffered. The branching out in the points of view to encompass different characters, from those that Sally meets to the anguished family she leaves behind, certainly adds a lot more to the account.
While the book was difficult to put down, it was also difficult to read at times because of how heart-breaking the story was. You can't help but want to protect poor little Sally, to grab her away from that monster of a man and to make sure that nothing bad ever happens to her again. The fact that this is all based on a true story makes it that much more tragic. Reading this book has only served to reinforce my hope that there's a special place in hell for people like Frank La Salle!
If you think you can deal with the heart-wrenching nature of the story, I highly recommend it.
Heartbreaking and good but also really hard to get through at times. I had to take breaks, but also couldn't put it down. I don't think I liked it because it was a hard (emotionally) read.
I really wanted to like this book more than I did but I just had a hard time connecting with the people in it. I vaguely remember reading about Sally Horner years ago and was excited to read this book. I wonder if the non-fiction account would be better for my taste.
The narrator spoke so slowly that halfway through the book I sped it up to 1.5x speed and I very seldom do that. That could also have impacted my enjoyment of the book.
The narrator spoke so slowly that halfway through the book I sped it up to 1.5x speed and I very seldom do that. That could also have impacted my enjoyment of the book.
*I won this advanced reader's copy through Goodreads Giveaways*
Rust & Stardust took me on a trip. I think the worst part is that in the back of your mind is this constant reminder that Sally Horner was actually abducted by Frank LaSalle. That Sally endured things no child, no person, should. T.Greenwood did a fantastic job retelling what Sally Horner went through, while sparing the reader the more graphic details. I also thought towards the end, Greenwood did a great job of telling how Sally may have struggled with the "happy" people and times she had through her abduction and reconciling that part of her life with the existing life, her family. It was a little, comforting?, that Sally still had people who cared for her while she endured the hell of Frank LaSalle.
Rust & Stardust took me on a trip. I think the worst part is that in the back of your mind is this constant reminder that Sally Horner was actually abducted by Frank LaSalle. That Sally endured things no child, no person, should. T.Greenwood did a fantastic job retelling what Sally Horner went through, while sparing the reader the more graphic details. I also thought towards the end, Greenwood did a great job of telling how Sally may have struggled with the "happy" people and times she had through her abduction and reconciling that part of her life with the existing life, her family. It was a little, comforting?, that Sally still had people who cared for her while she endured the hell of Frank LaSalle.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
This was disturbing but captivating. The story is basically true with the author taking liberties with certain facts. I never knew about this little girl and what she went through and now I probably won't ever forget her.
This one will stick with you for awhile. Dark and horrifyingly sad. This is based on a true kidnapping of Sally Horner. I loved his little girl’s innocence and resilience but the alternate view of her mother made me furious. She seemed more devastated about the suicide of her husband than the idea of her daughter being gone, and salable. Poor little Sally endured more in the short life than was fair. I’ll think of you often, Sally.