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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
informative
I loved this book, even though it made me cry at the end. I found it as interesting as the Nickle Boys, based on a place that used to exist. A home where girls could be sent for things like kissing a boy or talking back to their parents. When a girl thinks her parents sent her older sister there, she sneaks in and finds her using a fake name. She is trapped and trying to escape when she realizes her sister is not there. You will not be sorry that you have taken the time to read this book.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Girls With No Names by Serena Burdick was kind of like the parts of Annie where she's in the orphanage, but there wasn't any music, and it was just really, really sad. The story focuses on two sisters Luella and Effie. One day Luella disappears. Effie suspects that Luella might have gone to the House of Mercy, a home for wayward girls in their neighborhood. So, Effie decides she's going to get admitted to the house to find and rescue her sister. Except here's the thing, she's not there. However, Effie cannot just leave the House. This is her new reality, and she must do the work expected of her. The environment of the House of Mercy is rough, and it was hard to read about this place that was offering anything but mercy. It was also hard to read about the anguish Effie's family felt as they tried to find her. This was a really, really heavy read. I knew this might be the case when I read the description, but it was also more feels than even that led on. Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this recent release.
No creo que pueda olvidar este libro fácilmente. Cada vez que no estaba leyendo me moría de ganas de volver a cogerlo, y alargué el final todo lo que pude para que no terminara tan pronto. El estilo de escritura me ha encantado, enganchado desde el primer momento, y escribirlo desde las perspectivas de diferentes personajes tiene mucho sentido y le da tridimensionalidad a la historia. Va a ser uno de esos libros que recomiende a todo el mundo; eso sí, comprobar primero los tw entre los que incluyen violencia física, maltrato y abusos sexuales entre otros.
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book sneaks up on you and is so incredibly sad.
Two sisters, the younger one with a heart defect, sneak to meet nearby gypsies. After a summer of sneaking and becoming more discontent with her own life, the eldest runs away to be with the gypsies forever. She leaves a note for her sister, Effie, but the parents find it first and decide not to tell Effie about it or where her sister went.
Effie wrongly assumes her parents sent her away to the House of Mercy. This is a true historical place, where girls were sent by the courts or their own families for infractions ranging from major crimes to premarital sex. The conditions were harsh, and these were essentially prisons/labor camps sponsored by churches and endorsed by society.
Effie knows her parents are softer on her, so she finds a way to be sent to the House of Mercy and leaves a note saying she won't come back unless they bring her sister back too. Of course, her sister isn't there and her parents think she must know the sister went with the gypsies and thus they cannot find her and Effie is now at the House of Mercy indefinitely.
There, she meets Mabel who comes from a very different walk of life. They eventually escape, the runaway sister returns home stricken with grief that this is her fault, and their mother finally has the courage to leave their father due to his infidelity.
It's a hard read because the women have such few choices and despite it being a work of fiction, the lack of options and the horror of places like the House of Mercy are very much true.
There are multiple perspectives, which make it very interesting. I read it very quickly. I love the acknowledgement at the end, where the author discusses her use of the word gypsy and how she decided to write about the Romani.
Two sisters, the younger one with a heart defect, sneak to meet nearby gypsies. After a summer of sneaking and becoming more discontent with her own life, the eldest runs away to be with the gypsies forever. She leaves a note for her sister, Effie, but the parents find it first and decide not to tell Effie about it or where her sister went.
Effie wrongly assumes her parents sent her away to the House of Mercy. This is a true historical place, where girls were sent by the courts or their own families for infractions ranging from major crimes to premarital sex. The conditions were harsh, and these were essentially prisons/labor camps sponsored by churches and endorsed by society.
Effie knows her parents are softer on her, so she finds a way to be sent to the House of Mercy and leaves a note saying she won't come back unless they bring her sister back too. Of course, her sister isn't there and her parents think she must know the sister went with the gypsies and thus they cannot find her and Effie is now at the House of Mercy indefinitely.
There, she meets Mabel who comes from a very different walk of life. They eventually escape, the runaway sister returns home stricken with grief that this is her fault, and their mother finally has the courage to leave their father due to his infidelity.
It's a hard read because the women have such few choices and despite it being a work of fiction, the lack of options and the horror of places like the House of Mercy are very much true.
There are multiple perspectives, which make it very interesting. I read it very quickly. I love the acknowledgement at the end, where the author discusses her use of the word gypsy and how she decided to write about the Romani.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Rape
I really enjoyed this book. In many ways it is a chronicle of the challenge of being a woman in 1900-1920. I read as an audio book, which used 3 distinct narrators (my only quibble was the French mother, who when speaking had a French accent, but her narrative was delivered in standard American English). The characters did seem to have a lot of misfortunes befall them, but at the turn of the century, life was hard, especially for those of limited income.
slow-paced
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes