Lisa Wingate

It was refreshing to read a work of fiction in which there was no major emphasis on a romantic relationship.

I enjoyed both J. Norman's and Epiphany's stories, but I wish each had been a little more involved. The ending was a bit abrupt and easy, and it certainly lacked closure for Epiphany's side of things.

I did appreciate the author's sense of humor.

"...I'd purchased from some wandering Girl Scouts their entire load of cookies as well as the wagon, on the promise that they would tell other neighborhood children I'd stolen their goods, and that this was no longer a safe place to conduct door-to-door sales." p 40… (more)

Oh wow, this is one of those books I read as slowly as I could toward the end, not wanting to finish it!
It is a book I may re-read again to put myself back inside this wonderful story.

I love historical fiction especially if it is based on things that really happened. In this case. Rill and her younger siblings face a similar tragedy as what happened in real life to thousands of other children back in the 1920's to about 1950. Georgia Tann ran the Tennessee Children's Home Society during those years. Lisa Wingate takes that portion of history and weaves a tale that volleys back and forth from those years to present day.

You'll fall in love with Rill, one of the main voices in the story, her resilience, and her love for her parents and siblings.
And you'll want to read it again.… (more)

A heart tugger for sure. I know America was and is horrible to Native Americans but for it to do it to its “own” people is disgusting. And in Tennessee of all places. A complete shame. The book was well written with there being two narratives from the grandmother sharing her story as a child currently going though it and the adult grand daughter in present day trying to piece the story as well as her own life together. I am definitely recommending this to others and am going to do some research myself.… (more)

This is based on a heartbreaking real story. Children were snatched from their parents in unbelievable circumstances and placed for adoption. Reading this, I so wanted the perpetrator to be put to justice but that wasn't the case. Thankfully, that did not affect the enjoyment of the book. Lisa Wingate wrote the book from two perspectives, skillfully unraveling the mystery between Avery's grandmother and Rill. There's also an interesting budding romance between Avery and Trent Turner taking place on the side of the main story.… (more)