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Title: Before We Were Yours: A Novel
Author: Lisa Wingate
Narrator: Catherine Taber, Emily Rankin
Format: Unabridged
Length: 14 hrs and 30 mins
Language: English
Release date: 6/6/2017
Publisher: Random House (Audio)
Genres: Fiction & Literature, Historical Fiction, General, Literary Fiction
Publisher's Summary:
Two families, generations apart, are forever changed by a heartbreaking injustice in this poignant novel, inspired by a true story, for readers of Orphan Train and The Nightingale.
Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their familys Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in chargeuntil strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Childrens Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parentsbut they quickly realize the dark truth. At the mercy of the facilitys cruel director, Rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together in a world of danger and uncertainty.
Aiken, South Carolina, present day. Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career as a federal prosecutor, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family's long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation or to redemption.
Based on one of Americas most notorious real-life scandalsin which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the countryLisa Wingates riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.
Advance praise for Before We Were Yours
Lisa Wingate takes an almost unthinkable chapter in our nations history and weaves a tale of enduring power. That Georgia Tann and her Memphis Tennessee Childrens Home Society could actually exist, unraveling the lives of countless children, stealing their pasts and changing their futures, will give you chills. But the real feat of this stirring novel is how deeply Wingate plunges us into the heart and mind of twelve-year-old river gypsy Rill Foss. Rills utterly singular voice will stay with you long after the last page is turned, as will Wingates courage to follow her anywhere. . . . Vivid and affecting.Paula McLain, New York Times bestselling author of Circling the Sun
A powerful tale of family, of sisters, of secrets kept and secrets shared. I absolutely loved this book. Im still basking in the afterglow, in shock at the true-crime elements, in awe at the journey of these characters who seem to have immortal souls.Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
An unforgettable read . . . This captivating novel will quite likely break your heart, but because its Lisa Wingate at the helm, you will not be left broken. She is a master storyteller and never fails to get to the heart of what makes us hold on to hope.Susan Meissner, author of Secrets of a Charmed Life
Lisa Wingates heart-racing tale of a family ripped apart by the Tennessee Childrens Home Society scandal rang so true I couldnt sleep until I knew their fate.
