Before We Were Yours

Product Information

Oh. My. Goodness. What a great read..... If you're ready for a story you can really sink your teeth into with characters that virtually come to life, here you go. I am glad to have learned of this history and to have had the opportunity to learn of it through historical fiction, which I find a valuable medium. I only wish the contemporary story had seemed as serious to me. I do realize that many, if not most readers have or may disagree with me, but I can only speak from my experience.

I don't read a lot of non fiction so I really appreciate when a novel can enlighten me on things that happened that I wouldn't have otherwise known about . As in Orphan Train when I first learned about their existence or in What She Left Behind, which highlights the atrocities of a mental institution and in particular the treatment of women, this story inspired by real events relays the sad story of a family torn apart by the greed and horrible acts against children and their families. The author explains in her note that the characters are fictional but the place and the circumstances and the woman who perpetrated these acts are real. In a recent interview Wingate described the seed for this story. A compelling storyteller, Wingate juggles remarkably well with the two timelines, managing to keep the reader hooked chapter after chapter and, moreover, to profoundly touch him/her through the very same scenes which may have sounded too melodramatic in the hands of a less capable writer. for the hundreds who vanished and for the thousands who didnt - may your stories not be forgotten.’ But the love of sisters needs no words. It does not depend on memories, or mementos, or proof. It runs as deep as a heartbeat. It is as ever present as a pulse."

Before We Were Yours Epilogue

I sincerely feel thankful to the Goodreads Community——it’s books like this 'and' the other book which I’m almost done ‘listening’ to “Only Child” by Rhiannon......(which has me feel extra close to you BOOK PEOPLE).... This novel has garnered worldwide interest in the publishing industry and is being translated for publication in at least fourteen countries. Why do you think the story drew international attention? What themes in it are universal? When Avery Stafford, the daughter of a prominent Senator stumbles upon the possibility her grandmother is harboring a dark family secret, she nearly becomes obsessed with her mission to uncover the truth. Writers never seize to amaze us: they can invent intricate plots and sumptuously beautiful words almost at will, but when it comes to character names – they prefer the use the same ones over and over again!)

The Seviers seem to have adopted the Foss girls with good intentions. Do you think they were aware of or at all suspicious of Georgia Tann’s methods? Should they have been?But, the real magic is creating characters we care for, cheer for, and want to champion. It may have taken a lifetime, but the truth has a way of freeing itself, exposing crimes and scandal, but it also brought out an incredible family saga that is both inspirational and heartwarming. At the TCHS, each of the children face abuse, neglect, and malnourishment. Her sister, Camellia, Rill's sister closest in age to her, is raped by one of the workers named Mr. Riggs. Shortly afterwards, she disappears, and Miss Tann tells Rill that she had never existed in the first place. Grieving the loss of her sister, Rill has no choice but to watch as each of her younger siblings are adopted by wealthy families and separated from her. Oklahoma, 1909. Eleven-year-old Olive Augusta Radley knows that her stepfather doesn’t have good intentions toward the two Choctaw girls boarded in their home as wards. When the older girl disappears, Ollie flees to the woods, taking six-year-old Nessa with her. Together they begin a perilous journey to the rugged Winding Stair Mountains, the notorious territory of outlaws, treasure hunters, and desperate men. Along the way, Ollie and Nessa form an unlikely band with others like themselves, struggling to stay one step ahead of those who seek to exploit them . . . or worse. Wow! This book was really sad and had a happy ending at least. I had no idea this was a place and it breaks my heart 😢

The siblings were kidnapped and taken to the Tennessee Children's Home Society in Memphis, Tennessee. Miss Tann is an evil lady and controls all the decisions. The home is rotten to the core. The stories are sad and gruesome. Kids were brokened. Georgia Tann made money by charging huge fees for adoptions, transportation, delivery out of state. She took children from poor families and sold them to celebrities and people with political interest. She duped women in hospital maternity wards into signing surrender papers while they were still under sedation. She told people that their babies died when they hadn't. Miss Tann was such a monster, a very evil lady. Which, let’s face it, instead of helping you understand what “Before We Were Yours” is all about will lead to you questioning the sanity of your summarizers.

Our Critical Review

Maybe we would have done more justice to the real facts of the story if we just called her Beelzebub! The woman’s ears hear but cannot grasp. All slips in and slips away. It is as if she is attempting to catch the tide, and it drains through her clenched fingers, and finally she floats out along with it. At the event, Avery is accosted by a strange old woman whose name is May Crandall (and Rill her birth given name) who calls her by the name Fern and steals her dragonfly bracelet given to her by Judy Stafford, her grandmother. Avery doesn’t notice, but when she gets home she realizes it’s missing. Both touching and hope-instilling, Lisa Wingate’s “Before We Were Yours” is about the least fortunate among them. Who Should Read “Before We Were Yours”? And Why? WOW! Another fabulous book, the south sure can spin a story! I have read quite a few books recently that take place in the south, and all were wonderful and very interesting to this California girl.... and even though the historic part of this book was horrific and tragic, I could still see the hope, the good and the cultural Pride of the southern people.....

Sometimes when the average rating for a book by 65, 652 people is 4.39...we are foolish to not read it. Mr. Sevier is a goodhearted wealthy composer. His wife, Mrs. Sevier, wasn’t able to have a baby (losing several in childbirth) so she’s more than happy with the fact that she finally has children to care for.My story begins on a sweltering August night, in a place I will never set eyes upon. The room takes life only in my imaginings. It is large most days when I conjure it. The walls are white and clean, the bed linens crisp as a fallen leaf. The private suite has the very finest of everything. Outside, the breeze is weary, and the cicadas throb in the tall trees, their verdant hiding places just below the window frames. The screens sway inward as the attic fan rattles overhead, pulling at wet air that has no desire to be moved. One time, she secretly searches through Judy’s diary and finds a phone number belonging to Trent Turner Sr., but when she traces it, she meets his grandson – Trent Turner Jr.; his grandfather had passed away a few days ago. After a series of uncooperativeness from Trent, both later start working together to unravel the mystery connecting Judy and May. I absolutely loved this heartbreakingly beautiful piece of writing! I'd give this book 10 stars if I could! "Before We Were Yours" by Lisa Wingate grabbed me from the very beginning, tossed my emotions around like a salad, and never let go! I didn't want it to end.