London’s East End heaves with child prostitutes, hawkers, beggars and thieves. Constance rescues as many children as she can but feels overwhelmed. A solution is offered that sounds perfect – Canadian farmers need workers, their wives want housemaids. Shipping children to this land of plenty offers them a future. Widow, Mary Trupper, is wary, but the promise of a good life for her children is … strong.
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A really hard book to read because of the tragic way these children were treated
Abrupt ending, obviously there are more books coming. Did not like that it ended so abruptly.
A story that keeps the reader turning pages. Tells about both the good experiences and the not-so-good or just plain awful ones that children have being “farmed out” to rural families, far from their homes. The title is very good: you must listen to the children, NOT to the adults who have taken them in!!
I could not finish not a good book for enjoyable reading
Only read a few pages could not stomach any more
The night I finished this book, I kept waking up with nightmares about what happened to one child in particular. No spoilers, so I can’t say which one but I still can’t stop thinking about it and it’s been about two weeks since I finished the book. So good, but so sad!
Couldn’t get into it.
This was one time I should have paid more attention to the previous reviews. If I could have given zero stars, I would have! This book is dark, dark, dark. I couldn’t finish. I got about 10% into the book and gave up. I have no stomach for this kind of poverty and wretched conditions. Don’t even think a about any kind of happy ever after.
Needed more history of what happened to these children and this practice
Depressing and ended way too suddenly
So disappointed in the end. Too depressing. Couldn’t the end have shown a mix of some sad and some happy endings for those poor kids. Would not recommend with this ending.
Liked the strong female characters and gritty reality in london. Just hoped for a bright light somewhere.
Was interested in the subject matter but the ending was not very satisfying to me. I felt to much was left hanging.
The ending was very emotional and left you almost breathless. But there was no other possible realistic way for this story to end.
Really worth reading.
I wanted to believe in some happy ever after but not to be. It’s a book that you’ll not forget.
The book and story were outstanding–I rarely give 5 rating. However, I had hoped for a more hopeful, promising ending instead of the tragic end.
This has to be the most boring I have read in a long long time. I had to force myself to finish it, hoping it would get better, it didn’t.
A good read except it ended too abruptly…no resolution.
A sad tale of children who are trying to be helped by relocating them from London to Canada. Many deeds seem to be a blessing but how tragic when those in charge refuse to listen and follow through.
Interesting subject on a topic I knew nothing about.
Good description of the poverty in England and the difficult lives of Canadian homesteaders in the late 1800s, through the perspective of an effort to resettle children torn from one soul-crushing situation to another. The trauma of children separated from their families is illustrated; blaming hardworking poor for their poverty has gone on far too long. The book ended somewhat abruptly, though.