Saw reviews on goodreads

In 1966 when 17 year old Sylvia finds herself pregnant to her boyfriend Tommy her mother spirits her away to a hospital run by the Catholic church where she is to wait out her time until her baby is born. She is locked in and not allowed to see Tommy, who has promised to stand by her and provide for the baby that she so desperately wants to keep. The nuns believe the best thing for the girls is for them to give up their babies for adoption and forget all about them and try to coerce Sylvia into signing adoption papers for her baby. However, this is also a time of great change for the Catholic church with the many modernising reforms announced under Vatican II, and one nun, Sister Gregory has started to question her role in the Church. As she becomes close to Sylvia she also questions whether they are in fact doing what is best for the mothers and babies.

This a thoughtful, insightful novel of a difficult time for unmarried mothers in our society. The characters of Sylvia and Kim, the friend she makes at the hospital, and Sister Gregory are well drawn and the limited choices for women in those days clearly shown. ( )