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A review by elinorrigby66
The Girls We Sent Away: A Novel by Meagan Church
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
Thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for the ARC of this book.
I loved this book. I've already heard about the 'homes for unwed mothers' in passing and also from my mother (who had friends disappear to them), so the premise of this book immediately caught my attention.
Lorraine- soon to be valedictorian of her high school class the next school year and the single child of a well-to-do family becomes pregnant (without really understanding the concept of how one gets pregnant) and gets sent away to not tarnish the family name. I immediately loved Lorraine's character. That being said, Church's development of characters is fantastic throughout the book which is rich with characters from different classes and backgrounds.
The readers get to know the other girls in the home, along with the strict understanding that there is a family ready to adopt each of their babies, so they can go back to their lives as if nothing happened, which is largely how these homes worked back in the 40s-70s.
This book explores the lack of sex education given to young women, the same pressures from men to have sex, and the abandonment from boyfriends when given choice of marriage and raising a child or breaking ties with their girlfriends. The baby scoop era forced so many young moms to relinquish their rights to their babies through lies, parental/societal pressure and the withholding of medical support/treatment.
This was both a fast and tough read. I had to know what happened to Lo and her baby, yet having an inkling of what would happen at the same time. This was one of my favorite historical fiction books I've read in a while. I would highly recommend this to bookclubs as it is one that I desperately want to be able to discuss with others.
I did receive the audiobook of this novel. And Susan Bennett was fine, although a little melodic for my taste.
I loved this book. I've already heard about the 'homes for unwed mothers' in passing and also from my mother (who had friends disappear to them), so the premise of this book immediately caught my attention.
Lorraine- soon to be valedictorian of her high school class the next school year and the single child of a well-to-do family becomes pregnant (without really understanding the concept of how one gets pregnant) and gets sent away to not tarnish the family name. I immediately loved Lorraine's character. That being said, Church's development of characters is fantastic throughout the book which is rich with characters from different classes and backgrounds.
The readers get to know the other girls in the home, along with the strict understanding that there is a family ready to adopt each of their babies, so they can go back to their lives as if nothing happened, which is largely how these homes worked back in the 40s-70s.
This book explores the lack of sex education given to young women, the same pressures from men to have sex, and the abandonment from boyfriends when given choice of marriage and raising a child or breaking ties with their girlfriends. The baby scoop era forced so many young moms to relinquish their rights to their babies through lies, parental/societal pressure and the withholding of medical support/treatment.
This was both a fast and tough read. I had to know what happened to Lo and her baby, yet having an inkling of what would happen at the same time. This was one of my favorite historical fiction books I've read in a while. I would highly recommend this to bookclubs as it is one that I desperately want to be able to discuss with others.
I did receive the audiobook of this novel. And Susan Bennett was fine, although a little melodic for my taste.