Diane Chamberlain

This well-crafted tale takes place in two different time periods with alternating chapters, the common link being the arts. Anna, from the 1940s won a national contest to paint a mural for a post office in North Carolina. Morgan, in 2018, is hired to restore the badly damaged and dirty mural. As Morgan works on the painting, she finds herself becoming more and more interested in the artist, and the reasons behind some of the stranger aspects she painted into the mural. As the story unfolds, show more we gradually learn about both of these remarkable women, and as their stories play out, readers eventually discover the answers to the mysteries that surround the mural. This novel has many things to commend it. Besides the intriguing plot, the author does an excellent job of handling both time periods. She illustrates the inequalities between races, the prejudices of the people in the small town, and the struggle with poverty. She also writes about taking responsibility for your actions. She created strong female characters at the core of the story, but also has well-developed secondary characters. All these aspects come together to make a cohesive and fascinating story of survival. Highly recommended. show less

Vidas Esquecidas é um livro escrito pela Diane Chamberlain e traduzido por Ana Mendes Lopes.

Este romance prendeu-me à leitura logo nas primeiras páginas. Não estivesse eu a ler outro livro em simultâneo, apesar do número de páginas, teria devorado este livro em muito pouco tempo. Por outro lado, gostei de prolongar a sua leitura, porque foi sempre um prazer voltar a retomar a sua leitura. É um livro intenso, que aborda questões sociológicas de famílias desfavorecidas, temas show more controversos como a “eugénia” e que nos revolta, choca, inquieta e comove. A "Eugenia" era um programa esterilização, muito utilizada durante a II Guerra com a ideologia de atingir a “pureza racial”, e que continuou a ser amplamente utilizada, mesmo após a II Guerra, em vários países. Entre 1929 e 1975 a Carolina do Norte esterilizou sete mil dos seus cidadãos. No total cerca de 65 mil americanos foram esterilizados em 33 Estados. Apesar de ser um tema abordado de forma fictícia, retrata acontecimentos que podemos situar em termos históricos e que nos ajudam a perceber e a consciencializar para estes programas de apuramento racial tão injustos e abomináveis.

A história decorre na Carolina do Norte, na zona de Grace County em 1960. Jane Forrester, recém-formada e casada com um médico, começa a trabalhar como assistente social, ainda que o marido preferisse que ela ficasse em casa e tivesse logo filhos, como a maior parte das mulheres dos seus amigos. Mas Jane não se identifica com essas mulheres e quer exercer a sua profissão.

Jane começa a prestar assistência a famílias muito pobres e, inicialmente com o desejo de mostrar as suas capacidades profissionais, acaba por se envolver emocionalmente nos casos que segue. A família que mais a comove e interessa é constituída por Ivy, a irmã (mãe solteira e esterilizada pela “eugénia”) e a avó.

À semelhança do livro O Segredo da Minha Irmã, a história é narrada alternadamente por duas personagens, neste caso, Ivy e Jane, o que torna a narrativa mais envolvente. Os capítulos são breves, mas intensos e, sempre que queremos saber como a história continua, passamos para a outra personagem, que, por sua vez, também nos envolve e absorve completamente.

Posso dizer que adorei este livro, até mais do que o anterior, tal a carga emocional e riqueza destas personagens, que nos sugam e nos levam com elas para as suas vidas complexas e únicas.

Que segredos escondem estas mulheres? Até que ponto Jane consegue separar a sua vida das vidas que assiste?

Uma leitura que aconselho vivamente! show less

arly Sears has just found out that her unborn child has a fatal heart defect. She’s already struggling because her husband, the child’s father, was killed in the Vietnam War. Her life feels hopeless. Then her brother-in-law tells her he may have a way to save her unborn baby. What is a terminal heart defect in the 1970s is operable in the 2000s. Is what he suggesting for real? If so, does Carly have the courage to go through with it?

I don’t want to say much more, except that things do show more not go as planned and so there are many twists and turns to Carly’s story. Time travel is not a new concept in literature but I found the way Chamberlain uses it to be totally original and creative. Carly’s journey to save her daughter is full of complications and I could not for the life of me predict how the book would end. It was bittersweet but satisfying.

Even though there is an element of science fiction in this book, at its heart, it’s a story of family and a mother’s love for her child. I think it would make an excellent book club selection. As a mother, it made me think deeply about what lengths I would go to and what sacrifices I would make for my children. I imagine a book club could have a robust discussion about what they could do vs. what Carly did.

The other book I’ve read by Chamberlain is Necessary Lies, which I loved as well. However, it’s so different from this book; I’m impressed with the range that she has. I definitely want to read more from her. I also want to read The Dream Daughter again. It’s the kind of book that is so well plotted that you will gain even more from it when you read it through knowing what’s in store at the end. I highly recommend it. show less

I couldn't put this book down. It tells the story of Jane Forrester, a woman in 1960 working for the Department of Public Welfare in the deep south of America. She's new to the job and finds it hard to detach herself emotionally from the families she is dealing with. One of her families is the Hart family and in particular 15 year old Ivy and her 17 year old sister, Mary Ella. They work in tobacco fields and live in poverty. The biggest part of the story relates to a moral dilemma facing show more Jane, and this made the book such an interesting read, especially when you consider it's based on reality.

The book alternates between being told from the points of view of Jane and Ivy. I was never confused as to who was 'speaking' as each has a very distinctive voice. I raced through the story - Diane Chamberlain has such a human way of writing, enabling me as a reader to feel empathy with the characters. Add to that her ability to write such interesting and morally complex storylines and this guarantees a fab read. show less