The Home for Unwanted Girls meets Orphan Train in this unforgettable novel about a young girl caught in a scheme to rid England’s streets of destitute children, and the lengths she will go to find her way home—based on the true story of the British Home Children.2018 At ninety-seven years old, Winnifred Ellis knows she doesn’t have much time left, and it is almost a relief to realize that once … and it is almost a relief to realize that once she is gone, the truth about her shameful past will die with her. But when her great-grandson Jamie, the spitting image of her dear late husband, asks about his family tree, Winnifred can’t lie any longer, even if it means breaking a promise she made so long ago…
1936
Fifteen-year-old Winny has never known a real home. After running away from an abusive stepfather, she falls in with Mary, Jack, and their ragtag group of friends roaming the streets of Liverpool. When the children are caught stealing food, Winny and Mary are left in Dr. Barnardo’s Barkingside Home for Girls, a local home for orphans and forgotten children found in the city’s slums. At Barkingside, Winny learns she will soon join other boys and girls in a faraway place called Canada, where families and better lives await them.
But Winny’s hopes are dashed when she is separated from her friends and sent to live with a family that has no use for another daughter. Instead, they have paid for an indentured servant to work on their farm. Faced with this harsh new reality, Winny clings to the belief that she will someday find her friends again.
Inspired by true events, The Forgotten Home Child is a moving and heartbreaking novel about place, belonging, and family—the one we make for ourselves and its enduring power to draw us home.
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If there’s one thing that defines The Forgotten Home Child, it’s the essence of the past. In these pages, one family discovers the truth about their personal history and realizes that while our pasts are imperfect and multi-faceted, and can bind us or set us free, in the end, they inform our identity. Genevieve Graham captures the reader’s attention from the beginning in this exquisite journey to the heart of what makes us human.
The Forgotten Home Child is a powerful story that brings history to life and shines a light on child emigration from England to Canada in the mid-1900s. The author did an excellent job weaving facts about British home children into the story. It was hard to read the way many of the children were treated, but I know from my own research for writing No Ocean Too Wide and No Journey Too Far, that too many of these children were abused and neglected. I listened to the audio version, and the narrator did an excellent job with the various characters. Well written and highly recommended.
I had no idea about this terrible part of Canada’s history. Well-researched stories like this should be part of the Canadian history curriculum. A sad story done in a tasteful way. I enjoyed the dual timelines and getting to know Winny in the past and present.
The Forgotten Home Child is a haunting story based on the little-known program called British Home Children. In this program, orphaned, homeless, and destitute children were shipped to Canada, New Zealand and Australia under the premise that they would have better opportunities in the colonies.
The novel toggles between present day and history (beginning in 1936). It is told in dual narration from the perspective of two of the main characters: Jack and Winnifred (Winny).
Following a rag-tag group of street urchins, author Genevieve Graham relays the composite life of many of the over 100,000 Home Children who were shipped to faraway colonies. They were promised a better life, and a few found it, but most were purchased as indentured servants to help out at farms that were struggling through the Great Depression and both world wars. Many of the children were mistreated at best and severely abused at worst.
Their plight is quite sad, and The Forgotten Home Child is sometimes hard to read. There were insufficient personnel (and probably interest) to check on the children once they had arrived and were taken to scattered farms. Their experiences colored their entire life.
Ms. Graham’s interest in her country’s history shows in her well researched story. The plot flows nicely and balances character development and growth. The bleakness of the characters situation made the story drag at times because it was emotionally exhausting to read, however, this story about the abuse and hardships of the British Home Children is compelling and important.
The Forgotten Child is a Historical Fiction novel written by Genevieve Graham. She looks at the British Child Home that sent children from Britian to Canada. These children were orphans, urchins and some had parents that gave them up for what they thought was a short time. These children were told that they were the lucky ones being sent to Canada, but once there some were not so lucky. A moving Historical Fiction novel that will make you wonder why so little is known about it. Highly recommend.
This is the first Genevieve Graham novel I have read, and I’m now going to devour all of them. THE FORGOTTEN HOME CHILD is epic. Incredibly well-researched and gorgeously written, this dual timeline historical/contemporary fiction is heartbreaking, compelling, and so very beautiful. I absolutely loved it.
Beautiful
I had never heard of a Home Child. This was a good read as well as educational.
Other than a few logistical things that seemed contrived for plot purposes, this was book was excellent. Heartbreaking, eye-opening, tragic, haunting, page-turner.
It seems as though this was a cruel way to treat children. I guess the young orphans were at least feed and had a roof over their heads. So very few were actually wanted as a child but most just for slavery.
Since I love to learn while reading, this was a period in Canada’s history I knew nothing about – the indenture and gross abuse of children who were sold to mostly farmers in need of “cheap” help. As we here in America have much to regret in our past, our neighbor to the North also has a shameful history. I found myself Googling names mentioned in this book to learn more. The author did a great job with her research in writing this book – one that I will recommend!
Loved this book
easy to read
Wonderful read. Enjoyed the historical elements
Sad but a good read.
True historical fiction. She explains her resource and passion to write the story in the afterword. I had no idea.
Wow. I didn’t know about the home children in Canada. Touching story.
I learned history I didn’t know. It was long but a good book. You grow to love these young people in their struggles.
Strong characters who define persistence.
The Forgotten Home Child takes the reader on a journey many “orphans” from England travelled during the late 19th and early to mid 20th century. Genevieve Graham tells the story of five children given the opportunity of working towards a better life across the Atlantic Ocean in Canada. Graham’s story is well reserached and fairly presented, acknowledging the social and ecomonic climate of the era. I appreciate that she relates the emotional effects this experience imposed upon these children into their adulthood.