INSTANT INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERA beautiful tale of hope, courage, and sisterhood—inspired by the real House of Mercy and the girls confined there for daring to break the rules.Growing up in New York City in the 1910s, Luella and Effie Tildon realize that even as wealthy young women, their freedoms come with limits. But when the sisters discover a shocking secret about their father, Luella, the … secret about their father, Luella, the brazen elder sister, becomes emboldened to do as she pleases. Her rebellion comes with consequences, and one morning Luella is mysteriously gone.
Effie suspects her father has sent Luella to the House of Mercy and hatches a plan to get herself committed to save her sister. But she made a miscalculation, and with no one to believe her story, Effie’s own escape seems impossible—unless she can trust an enigmatic girl named Mable. As their fates entwine, Mable and Effie must rely on their tenuous friendship to survive.
Home for Unwanted Girls meets The Dollhouse in this atmospheric, heartwarming story that explores not only the historical House of Mercy, but the lives—and secrets—of the girls who stayed there.
“Burdick has spun a cautionary tale of struggle and survival, love and family — and above all, the strength of the heart, no matter how broken.” — New York Times Book Review
“Burdick reveals the perils of being a woman in 1913 and exposes the truths of their varying social circles.” — Chicago Tribune
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Set in the early 1910s, this historical thriller sets up a contrast between the well-off Tildon sisters of Manhattan and the difficult lives of those confined to the House of Mercy, a home for wayward girls. When troubled older sister Luella runs away, 13-year old Effie thinks she has been sent to the institution. Effie sets out on a rescue mission but finds herself trapped in the House of Mercy, a dreadful place run by dreadful adults. There she meets Mable, a girl struggling with a dark past. All the characters–especially the younger girls–are captivating, and their predicament tugs at your heart.
The author intensively researched about the House of Mercy, put two characters that have extremely different backgrounds, and make the historical tragedy alive for us to learn lessons. I was a bit irritated to read how wealthy people “whine” about small things as tragedy while learning about unthinkable poverty and resilience through Mable’s story. Because of Effie and Mable’s unique relationships, Mable’s dark past becomes her strength and appreciation many years later after Effie’s death. The Girls with No Names reveals realistic human drama that would have existed as human injustices including sexism, child abuse, and economical adversity. I deeply appreciate that we live in the society where we can freely express compassion and empathy regardless.
An eye opening novel. Things that went on in female retaining homes for troubled girls in the 1900 hundreds were horrific! The author handled this situation very well in her story. Well worth reading.
I absolutely could not put it down. It was one of the best books I have ever read,
Filled with true historical details about life inside a work house for wayward girls in the 1910s, The Girls with No Names is a beautifully written, haunting novel. Burdick gorgeously portrays womanhood and coming-of-age set against the backdrop of the real House of Mercy, but above all, she weaves a stunning story of sisters, friendship, secrets, and ultimately survival. I fell in love with the courageous Effie and Mabel and will not soon forget their stories.
I’m shocked I’d never heard of The House of Mercy, the asylum for fallen women at the center of Serena Burdick’s beautiful novel. Burdick expertly weaves together the stories of women affected by the asylum, telling a mesmerizing tale of strength, subterfuge, and the unbreakable bond between sisters.
This historical fiction novel is incredible! What a find! I hadn’t heard of this book, and I picked it out of the two for one sale on Audible. I’m so glad I got it. The audiobook is narrated so well by three actresses. The story about young women surviving through all kinds of hardship and extraordinary troubles during the early years of the twentieth century in New York is full of drama, heartache, heroism, and, ultimately, love. I ached for these characters throughout the story and kept hoping for everything to turn right for them. Over a decade ago I released a nonfiction book about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, and that harrowing event makes an appearance in this novel too. The author captures all of the gore and devastation of that tragic event. I finished this book on Labor Day, and that seemed really fitting. If you are a fan of Ruta Sepetys novels, particularly Fountains of Silence or Out of the Easy, you should read this book.
As with all Pam Jenoff books, this one did not disappoint. The characters were so well developed, at times their predicaments and the things the Jewish women were forced to do for survival evoked very real emotions in me. The time period (World War II), is one of my favorites. Seems likes I cannot get enough of it. I highly recommend this novel.
This story takes place in the early 1900s when wealthy Emory and Jeanne Tildon have two daughters. First-born Luella is healthy and a handful. Her sister, Effie, was born with a hole in her heart which was not repairable in those days. This heart defect left Effie sickly and prone to “blue fits” as they referred to them. When the girls got to be young teenagers, Luella was very headstrong while Effie loved to write. The girls discovered a band of gypsies in the woods near them and became friends with them. Eventually, Luella runs away from home and joins the gypsies. Effie thought that their father, Emory, had put Luella in the nearby House of Mercy, a home for wayward girls which was run by nuns and was more like a prison. Effie is heartsick missing her sister and she gets a neighbor man to pretend he is her father and admit her to the House of Mercy so she can find Luella there. The story is told from three different points of view, Jeanne, the neglected wife, Effie the sickly daughter and Edith, a girl Effie meets in the laundry at the home.
I really enjoyed this coming of age story with all the turns it takes even though I thought it was kind of a slow starter in the beginning. The more I read, the more I had to keep reading and it became a real page-turner.
My Review of The Girls with No Names by Serena Burdick; published by Park Row
Once again I’m awestruck as to the resilience in people, especially women as this story proves ten-fold. The Girls with No Names by Serena Burdick is a heartfelt story of the ever powerful love sisters hold for each other. It’s also an unforgettable story of grief and the incredible lengths one endures to survive the hardships put upon them. Although this story focuses mainly on the struggles of two sisters, Effie and Luella, Serena creates an additional female character, Mable, that will squeeze your heart even more. This is a fantastic read! It’s super important to read the afterword in this book. Our world has subjected so much pain amongst itself. It’s inexcusable that still to this day there is very little accountability in the wrong doings of our most powerful institutions. The Girls with No Names by Serena Burdick is a must read and I highly recommend it.
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The two sisters at the center of the story are bright and indulged, and then one disappears. The younger sister thinks she knows what happened to her older sister, but she is wrong and it takes over a year for the family to come back from these events.
A page-turning tale of what life was like for females in the early 1900s.
Thought provoking historical
I read this book till the wee hours of the morning. Excellent is the nearest word I can come to describing this book. It’s going to take a while to find another that I love so very much. The story is so real, you feel like you’re right there with them and sharing their tears. I’d recommend this book to anyone with a heart…..that’s how good it is.
A must read
Pulled me in right away — engaging and not predictable. Characters are relatable and, at least the key ones, well-developed.
Easy read and well written.
The historical setting of the 1918 pandemic
Interesting, good story.
This is historical fiction at it’s best. This page turner will bring you back in time using the life of a young girl to expose a difficult era in NYC for women in the early part of the 20th century. Kudos to Burdick for her research on the details – I found myself looking up the Asch Building, gypsies and The House of Mercy with great interest.