Title: A Home for Unloved Orphans
Author: Rachel Wesson
Publication Day: Oct 26th 2020
Description:
Virginia, 1933: Her heart broke as she took in the scene before her. There were too many orphans and not enough beds. The rags they wore barely covered them and they hadn’t eaten in days. How could anyone let innocent children live like this? She picked up a tiny girl who’d cried as she moved past her cot. “I’ll be back soon, little one.”
Never in a million years did Lauren Greenwood think she would be destitute and without a penny to her name. But when her father mercilessly disowns her in the depths of winter, that is her fate. Now homeless, Lauren finds America in the devastating grip of the Great Depression––children run wild in the icy streets, endless queues for soup kitchens line frosty sidewalks, and desperation hangs in the air.
All alone in the world, Lauren finds an orphanage in the sprawling fields of the Virginia countryside, surrounded by snow-topped mountains and magnificent fir trees––a safe haven for those who have nowhere to go. But she is appalled to find children living in shocking conditions, huddled together for warmth, their hunger keeping them awake at night as the temperature plunges. The home for unloved orphans is on the brink of closure and the helpless innocents may lose the roof over their heads…
Lauren, heartbroken by the rejection of her own father, vows to provide these poor orphans with the love she never received. With Christmas just around the corner, she refuses to see them cast out onto the street, where they will not survive. When she sees an advertisement in the local newspaper, with an anonymous benefactor donating money to families crippled by the Depression, it could be the answer to her prayers.
Can Lauren save these children who have been rejected by the world? Or in a time of so much suffering, is there simply no hope?
A heartbreaking yet hopeful tale about a brave young woman who gives up everything to help unloved children who have nothing. Fans of Before We Were Yours, The Orphan Train and Diney Costeloe will adore this poignant historical novel, which shows that a little bit of kindness can go a long way.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'A Home For Unloved Orphans' by Rachel Wesson.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 26th October 2020
This is the first book that I have read by this author. It is also the first book in 'The Orphan' s Of Hope House' series.
I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful cover and intriguing sounding blurb. I was also looking to read something different from my usual choice of crime and this seems to fit the bill. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of 86 chapters. The chapters are a mix of short and medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is set in Virginia , USA 🇺🇸.
This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonist is Lauren Greenwood. The positives of books written in third person perspective is that you get to see more of what is going on and what other characters are doing and feeling, building a bigger picture overall.
This book had me captivated from the first page until the last. It is very well written and an easy and smooth read. The descriptions were fantastic and really helped me picture everything that was going on. Ravhe has obviously done her research into the timeline which is brilliant as I have read some novels where it is clear no research has been put in and I then really struggle to read it so well done!!
Fantastic character development with each of the characters being very strong with their own seperate personalities. I loved how strong willed Lauren was and I really enjoyed watching her grow and all the friendships develop and bond between all the different characters. I fell in love with many of the characters and it was great "seeing" the children grow. I'm definitely looking forward to meeting each of them again. Lauren is a great inspiration, such a selfless character and a few of the other characters surprised me too.
THE storyline itself is absolutely heart wrenching, beautiful and amazing!! It really was a true eye opener into how people lived and struggled during the depression. I was completely hooked throughout and it was definitely a roller-coaster of emotions filled with laughter, sadness, tension, suspense, love and hate. A brilliant start to what promises to be an epic series to look forward to.
Overall a beautiful historical novel that will take you on a roller-coaster tide of emotions.
Genres covered in this novel include Historical Fiction and Sagas among others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as anyone looking for a heart wrenching yet heart warming beautiful read.
454 pages.
This book is £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5/5 (I loved it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
@RachelWesson @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86
Author Bio:
Having always been a fan of history, Rachel Wesson tries to combine her love of history with a good story.
Rachel was born in Kilkenny, Ireland but considers herself to be from the capital,
Dublin, as that’s where she spent most of her life. Every Saturday Rachel’s
father took her and her two sisters to the library, and to get ice-cream after,
to give their mother a break. It took a long time for Rachel’s sisters to
forgive her for the hours she spent choosing her books!
Rachel drove everyone nuts growing up, asking questions about what they did during the
War or what side they were on in the 1916 rising etc... Finally, her Granny
told her to write her stories down so people would get the pleasure of reading
them. In fact, what Granny meant was everyone would get some peace while Rachel
was busy writing!
When not writing, or annoying relatives, Rachel was immersed in books. Her report
cards from school commented on her love of reading especially when she should
have been learning. Seems you can't read Great Expectations in Maths…
Later in life, after a doomed love affair and an unpleasant bank raid during which
she defended herself with a tea tray, she headed to London for a couple of
years. (There is a reason she doesn’t write romance!). She never intended
staying but a chance meeting with the man of her dreams put paid to any return
to Ireland. Having spent most of her career in the City, she decided something
was missing. So she packed in the job and started writing. Thanks to her amazing readers, that writing turned into a career far more exciting and
rewarding than any other.
Rachel lives in Surrey with her husband and three children, two boys and a girl. When
not reading, writing or watching films for ‘research’ purposes, Rachel likes to
hang out with her family. She also travels regularly back home – in fact she should have shares in BA and Aerlingus.
Author Social Media Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wessonwrites
BUY LINKS:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B08DNVKX4CSocial
Apple: http://ow.ly/dG6w50AJUh8
Kobo: http://ow.ly/zkNf50AJUeV
Google: http://ow.ly/qPQp50AJUk8
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