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anbpeanut 's review for:
Wayward Girls: A Novel
by Susan Wiggs
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While this book does not come with explicit warnings it is important to note that this book covers heavy topics and sometimes is hard to read.
That being said this story is groundbreaking and heartbreaking at the same time. And it feels poignant and relevant to read given what is happening in 2025. The entire time I was reading this story about how the church, specifically the Catholic Church, viewed women; all I could think was we haven’t learned anything. And then I experienced the profound gratitude to know that I did grow up in a time in which women were less likely to be punished as these girls were in this book. It’s gut wrenching to read about what was normalized and accepted in the 1960-1970’s. The violence in which these women were mistreated was such a hard thing to read.
Susan Wiggs took care in her words and research of this topic. She explored something I was unfamiliar with and shared it with a compassion that shows how she viewed the people who she loosely based her book around. She gave the survivors in this story a voice in a way that many never have.
The book follows the story of 6 young girls sent to a reform school for girls. Each were in for their own perceived crime. But the true crime is what was happening inside the reform school. Each girl abused and shamed and mistreated in their own way. But these girls find a way to band together and not give up or give in. They find a way to find light in the darkness. The story explores PTSD and its long term effects on people in a thoughtful way.
That being said this story is groundbreaking and heartbreaking at the same time. And it feels poignant and relevant to read given what is happening in 2025. The entire time I was reading this story about how the church, specifically the Catholic Church, viewed women; all I could think was we haven’t learned anything. And then I experienced the profound gratitude to know that I did grow up in a time in which women were less likely to be punished as these girls were in this book. It’s gut wrenching to read about what was normalized and accepted in the 1960-1970’s. The violence in which these women were mistreated was such a hard thing to read.
Susan Wiggs took care in her words and research of this topic. She explored something I was unfamiliar with and shared it with a compassion that shows how she viewed the people who she loosely based her book around. She gave the survivors in this story a voice in a way that many never have.
The book follows the story of 6 young girls sent to a reform school for girls. Each were in for their own perceived crime. But the true crime is what was happening inside the reform school. Each girl abused and shamed and mistreated in their own way. But these girls find a way to band together and not give up or give in. They find a way to find light in the darkness. The story explores PTSD and its long term effects on people in a thoughtful way.