The Girl in the Letter: A home for unwed mothers; a heartbreaking secret in this historical fiction bestseller inspired by true events

What a great book! Definitely not the kind of book I normally read. Usually I read a romance/drama. This book was so good! Griping you right from the beginning. It makes you sad....it makes you angry. What a great story! A definite MUST READ!

This book is interesting and disturbing, and at times, difficult to read. Because the story switched from the past to present and there were so many characters to keep straight, it became very confusing. I found myself going back to re-read a chapter or several paragraphs. I was very disappointed with the ending. It felt unfinished. Definitely not recommended if you want a relaxing afternoon of reading!

Truly loved this novel. Both the modern and historic storylines were captivating which made the book unputdownable. And the epistolary segments were a nice element that made everything more personal. As the only child of an unwed mother born and raised in my grandparents' home, I find stories related to unwed mother homes and/or forced adoptions (both fiction and non-fiction) equally spellbinding and horrific. If I’d been born just 20 years earlier … yikes!One small flaw in the modern story that left me SMH a bit. If Amazon allowed us to remove partial stars, I would have given this a 4-1/2. I'll try to state my objection without any spoilers but be forewarned and read the rest of this review with caution.In the big, dramatic, death-defying climax scene near the end, the author suddenly jumps into a very minor character's POV and makes the minor character do something crazy-brave ... that was entirely unnecessary to complete the story's plot. With just a little revision, that scene could have been a transformative confrontation between two women that both enriched and contrasted their individual character arcs. This is a story about mothers and daughters and grandmothers and nuns. There was absolutely no need to dilute that dynamic mix by throwing a young, brash, mountain-climbing man into the spotlight at a critical turning point in the story.That said, this flaw did not spoil the book for me and I would recommend it.

***MY OVERALL RATING IS 3.5. This review is based on my experience of having read the ENTIRE book. I found the story to be engaging and interesting enough that I felt compelled to continue reading (thus a 3-star rating). Early on I did take some notes on the characters to help me keep everyone straight (this helped somewhat). As most reviews mention there are NUMEROUS INCONSISTENCIES in the story but rather than get frustrated I felt more committed to the book because I was convinced that when the story ended the loose ends would tie up and provide some satisfaction and closure to the reader. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN!!MY HONEST SUGGESTION FOR READERS: If you can read the book and take the story as it comes (without analyzing every character and asking a lot of questions) then this book will entertain you. But if you are a reader who really spends time thinking about what you are reading then this book will only frustrate and irritate you.......try something else!!Just in case the author or future editor needs some suggestions here are a few:1) Early in the story Sam gives Nana a bracelet with the letters SAE on it. I knew the S and E were for Sam and Emma. At that point in the story the only A was Alistair (which was introduced to the readers early on through Ivy's letters.....the name Alistair did not appear in the letters for Sam until later). I thought Alistair was the deceased Granddad because there was an emphasis on him finding the letter in the antique furniture so I thought he was Alistair. Later when Sam finally reads a letter with the name Alistair in it and does not respond in shock I realize I am wrong. But I did not realize until nearly the end of the book that the A was for Anabelle (Nana's real name).2) Ivy was Alistair's girlfriend......but later in the story how can Kitty ALSO be Alistair's girlfriend? Kitty is at least 10 years younger than Ivy which would make her a 12 year old girlfriend for a 22 year old Alistair. In this situation I honestly thought there was some "secret" that would be revealed at the end of the story to explain this.4) I don't understand how Kitty leaped from being the daughter of a policeman to a nationally recognized television show hostess (who parents were both deceased). Her father should have had a career in show business to allow for this career to be more believable.3) As the bus drives by the fields of St. Margaret's there is mention of the pregnant girls digging in the fields and "what are they digging?" Was this suppose to be the tunnels?? But Ivy never mentions anything about digging........4) What happened to Fred? Why did he leave?5) What happened with Ben?

Very interesting and it makes you feel alive, I love it

The reader is plunged into the horrific daily life of exploitation and abuse endured by young unwed mothers in earlier decades.The story is skillfully woven to show the impact and scars on multiple generations as they struggle to survive.

A truly heartbreaking story of real atrocities committed against innocent young women and children. Fiction, yes, but based on facts. How unmarried pregnant women were treated in Ireland and the UK, and most often by the Catholic Church!, is just too horrific to comprehend. And how their misery seeped into their families’ present and future is perfectly understandable.I don’t think that I will ever forget this book. It’s a story that will always be a part of me. It’s a story that needed telling—you will want to read this.

Different from other books I’ve read, heartbreaking. Lots of twists and turns to get to the end. Good book to get out of the slump I’ve been in, but definitely sad

I liked the book as I have read many books about Irish Unwed Mothers homes. Sometimes it is hard to read about cruelty but it’s also interesting as a part of history.

Mich hat es eine Woche schön ans Buch gebunden

Espetacular! Para quem gosta de suspense, recomendo totalmente!

that's really an unputdownable novel!!!very well written with an emotionally psychological insight of the protagonists' minds. the story is very sad but the plot is well structured . a novel worth reading.

J'ai adoré ce livre du début à la fin.Nuits blanches garanties, impossible de lâcher ce livre tant il est prenant.Les personnages sont attachants, on souffre, on vibre et on a peur avec eux.L'histoire est perturbante et, même si elle n'est pas tirée de personnages réels, elle est inspirée par les faits de société des 70 premières années du XXème siècle.Un superbe livre hommage...