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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
dark
medium-paced
Let me be completely honest—I almost DNF’d this book more than once. For a good chunk of the story, I just wasn’t connecting with what was happening. The pacing felt slow, and I struggled to stay interested in the characters or plot. But the epilogue? That epilogue hooked me. It dropped just enough of a mystery, wrapped in eerie ambiguity, that I had to know how it all tied together. It wasn’t clear at all what the connection was, and that uncertainty kept gnawing at me until I had no choice but to keep reading.
And thank goodness I did. Slowly but surely, I found myself pulled into the chilling atmosphere of this Catholic institution, the growing unease that clung to the walls, and the unraveling fates of the girls trapped within. There’s a creeping dread threaded through the story that eventually consumed me in the best way. What started off as a potential DNF turned into a haunting and thought-provoking read that lingered with me after the final page. I’m genuinely glad I stuck with it—because in the end, I truly enjoyed the tale that unfolded.
And thank goodness I did. Slowly but surely, I found myself pulled into the chilling atmosphere of this Catholic institution, the growing unease that clung to the walls, and the unraveling fates of the girls trapped within. There’s a creeping dread threaded through the story that eventually consumed me in the best way. What started off as a potential DNF turned into a haunting and thought-provoking read that lingered with me after the final page. I’m genuinely glad I stuck with it—because in the end, I truly enjoyed the tale that unfolded.
After her best friend is “sent away” for a period of time, Mairin is at home when her step father enters her room. After her brother intervenes and both tell their mom what happened, Mairin is sent to Good Shepherd. Good Shepherd is a “school” where girls are forced to work hard labor to “repent” for their sins. While they aren’t encouraged to talk to each other, Mairin finds a way to become friends with her fellow inmates.
Have you ever heard of the Magdelene Laundries? I had not so this book was so fascinating to me. Based on the title I assumed this would be about a home for young women who found themselves pregnant, but surprisingly this felt even worse. These girls weren’t educated, or even treated with the slightest bit of dignity. They were treated as prisoners and forced to do free labor in the laundry for local businesses.I adored the girls that we meet in this book, and loved that Mairin did not give up on finding a way out for them all. This book was a tough read, and following what these girls went through was devastating, but the friendships were top notch.
Thank you to @librofm and @williammorrowbooks for my gifted copy of this book!
dark
emotional
sad
slow-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:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
slow-paced
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
3.5 ⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley, HarperAudio, and Susan Wiggs for allowing me to preview this title.
This was a perfectly, solid okay book. I feel like this review should be written about 2 different books because I would almost swear it was written by 2 different authors. The first part of the book was well written, interesting, with good character development. The story was about a very heavy and difficult topic, but it was done in a respectful way that really illustrates just how life for girls and women were in the 60s when women had little rights. The second part takes place 50 yrs after the first and it was disjointed, repetitive, drawn out, and, to be frank, boring.
The story is about a young girl growing up in a very strict Irish Catholic household who finds herself in a Catholic reform "school," through no fault of her own. While in the reform house, she is subject to abuse from the nuns, difficult labor in their laundry service, and near sexual assault by the house's doctor (several of the girls are assaulted). Six of the girls band together to escape and the second part of the book is their story 50 yrs later with their shared-trauma bond.
Part 2 of the story starts off like the reader had to wait years for the next part to come out. What is explained, sometimes literally the chapter before, is retold in part 2, often more than once. Each time a character meets up with another person from the group, their story is told yet again. Also, all of their stories have perfect endings...success, often wealth, prestige. Statistics say that at least one of them should have had to significantly struggle, and fail, at life, and add to that a very troubled and abused childhood, those statistics climb. But, no. Not one of them has an "okay" life. They are all quite successful by all standards.
I listened to this on audiobook and there was one narrator for part one, and another for part two. The first narrator managed to do each of the voices fluidly, so they could be told apart but not so different that it was jarring. The 2nd part is a whole different story. The characters would have been anywhere from 55-70 yrs old in part 2, but the narrator made them sound in their 90s and beyond. And heavy smokers. Who were losing their faculties. Even at 1.5x speed, the voices were gravelly and slow. It was painful to listen to.
I did not love or hate this book. If this sounds like a topic that is of interest to you (which is was to me, hence me reading it), read it. If not, then pass. I can, however, and without a single doubt, not recommend this on audiobook.
Thank you to NetGalley, HarperAudio, and Susan Wiggs for allowing me to preview this title.
This was a perfectly, solid okay book. I feel like this review should be written about 2 different books because I would almost swear it was written by 2 different authors. The first part of the book was well written, interesting, with good character development. The story was about a very heavy and difficult topic, but it was done in a respectful way that really illustrates just how life for girls and women were in the 60s when women had little rights. The second part takes place 50 yrs after the first and it was disjointed, repetitive, drawn out, and, to be frank, boring.
The story is about a young girl growing up in a very strict Irish Catholic household who finds herself in a Catholic reform "school," through no fault of her own. While in the reform house, she is subject to abuse from the nuns, difficult labor in their laundry service, and near sexual assault by the house's doctor (several of the girls are assaulted). Six of the girls band together to escape and the second part of the book is their story 50 yrs later with their shared-trauma bond.
Part 2 of the story starts off like the reader had to wait years for the next part to come out. What is explained, sometimes literally the chapter before, is retold in part 2, often more than once. Each time a character meets up with another person from the group, their story is told yet again. Also, all of their stories have perfect endings...success, often wealth, prestige. Statistics say that at least one of them should have had to significantly struggle, and fail, at life, and add to that a very troubled and abused childhood, those statistics climb. But, no. Not one of them has an "okay" life. They are all quite successful by all standards.
I listened to this on audiobook and there was one narrator for part one, and another for part two. The first narrator managed to do each of the voices fluidly, so they could be told apart but not so different that it was jarring. The 2nd part is a whole different story. The characters would have been anywhere from 55-70 yrs old in part 2, but the narrator made them sound in their 90s and beyond. And heavy smokers. Who were losing their faculties. Even at 1.5x speed, the voices were gravelly and slow. It was painful to listen to.
I did not love or hate this book. If this sounds like a topic that is of interest to you (which is was to me, hence me reading it), read it. If not, then pass. I can, however, and without a single doubt, not recommend this on audiobook.