Before We Were Yours

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this is an easy book to recommend if you enjoy historical fiction (beyond WWII), stories about the power of family, and the importance of personal history. But not one moment of this day will happen by accident. These past two months in South Carolina have been all about making sure the nuances are just right—shaping the inferences so as to hint, but do no more. Avery's story line. Initially, I had a hard time getting into her story. Eventually I warmed to her a bit, but the love-story portion was not needed. 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..... The perfect blend of past and present.... The present day was filled with mystery and secrets while the past was filled with heartbreak and hope...

Is the wife to Wells Stafford and mother to Avery, Missy, and Allison. She is probably the person Missy takes after as she is also viewed as a perfectionist. She is loved by Wells resulting in her pet name Honeybee. Readers don’t get to find out what her real name is – as she gets called that by everyone, including her children. The successful federal prosecutor Avery Stafford is the daughter of a virtuous senator and the fiancée of a handsome guy called Elliot.My father is a high-profile face upon which public anger and political finger-pointing can be focused. Was the cover a factor in your bookclub’s decision to read Before We Were Yours? What reaction did you have to the cover and title?

Daddy stares out the window, his head resting to one side. He’s relegated his aides and Leslie to another car. The story begins in 1939, where a young woman, Christine, has given birth to a stillborn child. The doctor advises her of an adoption agency in Memphis. But, come on, you may say, police officers kidnapping children in 1939 in the U.S. and sending them to orphanages? Arriving at the exact same moment the parents aren’t there? This story was powerful and I loved the way it unfolded in alternating voices and time periods. It was the perfect blend of past & present. I’ll start by explaining that ever since I laid eyes on this cover a few months ago, I haven’t stopped thinking of this book. There is just something about this cover that calls to me and makes me want to reach into the picture to hug and comfort these two little girls. I have never had a book cover ‘speak’ to me as powerfully as this one does.and present. The past was the siblings earlier years and the horror they went through. The present was the siblings trying to find each other when they got older. I loved the earlier years the best. It was so emotional and heart breaking. I can't imagine how anyone could do these things to kids, but it happened. It was so awful. The Tennessee Children's home was a horror home. No child should have to go through what these children went through. The author did very well with the characters. She made them come to life. The siblings had a deep love for each other. My heart went out for them. I just adored the siblings, Lark, Fern, Gabian, Camellia, and Rill. I felt that Rill was the strongest one. Miss Tann was an evil lady, a monster. There she finds a phone number from a certain Trent Turner living on Edisto Island who may know something about her grandmother’s past. Georgia Tann did indeed facilitate the adoptions of children from the 1920's through the 1950's. Many of the children were not orphans. Many had loving parents who wanted tonraise them. The children were literally kidnapped in broad daylight and no matter how birth parents tried to fight in court, they were not allowed to win. The babies weren't given proper food or medical care. They were to weak and dehydrated to cry. They were tied to beds, and chairs, they were beaten, held under the bath water, and were molested. It was a house of horrors. In the end Georgia Tann died of cancer before before she could be forced to answer charges. 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).... She is the wife to Briny, and the mother to all seven children stolen and sold away. She elopes and marries Briny at a very young age and loves every bit of it. When she was due for her twin, the delivery becomes so complicated that she is taken to the hospital.

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 😢

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The physician looks over his shoulder to be certain that the nurses cannot hear. “Sir, might I suggest something?” he says quietly, gravely. “I know of a woman in Memphis. . . .” Here is a picture of a memorial to the hundreds of children who died. There are a lot of photos if you google. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine & Lisa Wingate for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. 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? So, forgive us for merely repeating what Cooper wrote a year ago: take “Before We Were Yours” with you on your summer holiday.

Ms. Wingate did a beautiful job of merging fact and fiction. The writing was flawless and the story was well-crafted. My heart went out to the Foss children, as I lost myself in their story. The girls and women in Before We Were Yours are extremely strong & independent. My heart broke for all of the children who spent time in The Tennessee Children’s Home Society or any place that even remotely resembles that. Parts of this story were not easy to read. It is a truly profound & thought-provoking character study, which is full of atrocities that no person, let alone a child, should ever have to endure. While the subject matter is a tough one, the book is very well done and the storylines are intertwined expertly.A [story] of a family lost and found . . . A poignant, engrossing tale about sibling love and the toll of secrets.” — People There are some difficult passages in this novel, which you should be prepared for, but this is such a great story! Everyone kept telling me I needed to read this book and they were right- so I feel I should pass that advice on to you- Read this book!! You’ll be glad you did! I still maintain that The Heart's Invisible Furies and Pachinko were more deserving of the Goodreads Choice Award for Historical Fiction, but I can definitely see why Before We Were Yours has had such an emotional impact on readers. Not knowing who are real family is, Judy grows up in a wealthy family, becomes established in life, and marries a senator from the prominent Stafford family. She will later find out who she really is thanks to Trent Turner Senior – who helps her reunite with her eldest sister – Rill, along with a few other siblings. Before We Were Yours is a story about families torn apart by Social Injustice. Told from two different points of view: Rill, now known as May, who experienced horrors most of us can’t even begin to imagine; and Avery, a former Federal Prosecutor and the Daughter of a Senator, who feels the need to live up to her families’ expectations at all times.