Philomena meets Orphan Train in this suspenseful, provocative novel filled with love, secrets, and deceit—the story of a young unwed mother who is forcibly separated from her daughter at birth and the lengths to which they go to find each other.In 1950s Quebec, French and English tolerate each other with precarious civility—much like Maggie Hughes’ parents. Maggie’s English-speaking father has … parents. Maggie’s English-speaking father has ambitions for his daughter that don’t include marriage to the poor French boy on the next farm over. But Maggie’s heart is captured by Gabriel Phénix. When she becomes pregnant at fifteen, her parents force her to give baby Elodie up for adoption and get her life ‘back on track’.
Elodie is raised in Quebec’s impoverished orphanage system. It’s a precarious enough existence that takes a tragic turn when Elodie, along with thousands of other orphans in Quebec, is declared mentally ill as the result of a new law that provides more funding to psychiatric hospitals than to orphanages. Bright and determined, Elodie withstands abysmal treatment at the nuns’ hands, finally earning her freedom at seventeen, when she is thrust into an alien, often unnerving world.
Maggie, married to a businessman eager to start a family, cannot forget the daughter she was forced to abandon, and a chance reconnection with Gabriel spurs a wrenching choice. As time passes, the stories of Maggie and Elodie intertwine but never touch, until Maggie realizes she must take what she wants from life and go in search of her long-lost daughter, finally reclaiming the truth that has been denied them both.
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This a great book but hard to read at times due to the home for unwanted girls. I did love the family life, the seeds and the love story.
I loved this book. I couldn’t wait to continue reading. I never knew what was going to happen.
This was a most informative book of the unwed Mother’s in Canada and how they placed these babies into to orphanages with nuns, and how the government turned the orphanage into mental hospital. The book has very touching ending. I have lent this book to many of my friends, they found it very interesting as well.
This is a book about true events in Canada regarding the plight of orphans. I have read a few other books on this subject and found this to be a page turner and well written.
Didn’t want to put it down. Tear jerkingstory. Enjoyed the read from beginning to end.
I listened to the audio version of this book.
I loved every single thing about this book! I loved the narrator, the characters, the settings, I loved everything! I listened to this every chance I got. Normally I just listen to and from going to work, but I was able to sneak in some extra times here and there. Get this book, I think you’ll like it!
Good
I loved it. So glad that chapter in girls’ lives is over. Another heartbreaking reminder of the cruelty that the Catholic Church allowed to happen to children under their care.
Couldn’t put it out of my mind after reading this book. It is incredible the people can be so uncaring and judgemental towards the innocent children.
Couldn’t put it down. Know to be basically a true story. Frightening times.
I enjoyed the plot and was not able to guess at the ending.
Tells you what it was like for young women who didn’t have a choice in making a decision of an early pregnancy. And how awful they were treated, as well as their babies.
In-put-downable! Loved this book; by the end I had tears rolling down my face. Not since I read The Throwaway Children have I had such an emotional reaction to s book! To think that this was based on true events is more than appalling! I will certainly read more books by this author.
It makes me sad that girls had to go through this.
It made me sad to think that nuns could treat children this way and that the government could pawn off orphans this way also. I related to the main characters although the book was somewhat slow.
I liked it because I learned a bit of history I did not know about Canada. I always knew nuns were cruel.
Good read. Pulled me in and kept me wanting more.
Great author. This book brings you into the characters’ head. Liked that.
I am originally from QC and grew up Anglo with a French mum, so it was relatable for me. Also, the historical references were interesting to me. Ultimately this book really touched me. I was placed for adoption in 1970 in the Catholic system and am so grateful that’s I wasn’t born just 10-15 years earlier!! Both my parents refer to Duplessis disdainfully and this book deepened my understanding of this disdain.
I found this book sad, but for the fifties it was real. The story was good and moving. I recommend it to anyone who wants to know what it was like to give up your baby in the fifties and sixties.