Jennifer Ann Mann

So well done, giving the reader a visceral sense of the wrong done in these deplorable institutions, it’s appropriately difficult to read at times but worth investing your heart in.

I deeply cared for these four girls (and some periphery characters as well) pretty much from the moment they were introduced. I loved London, how tough she is by necessity yet she’s all heart with a tender and protective streak running through her. Rose was just as wonderful, she has down syndrome and while there are those in the novel who underestimate her the author certainly never did, Rose is every bit as savvy as she is sweet. Maxine is Rose’s older sister and perhaps the most vulnerable of the bunch as she still holds out hope for a bright shiny future away from the institution, like Rose’s friends I spent much of the book hoping she wouldn’t be crushed by reality. Lastly there’s Alice, the book never loses sight of the fact that as a black girl she has it even worse than the others, the cost of her breaking a rule would be that much greater and so Alice tries to maintain a hard shell around herself but she also can’t help falling in love, feelings that due to the time period and circumstances are mostly kept under wraps though there are a couple scenes that are as heartwarming as these girls deserve.… (altro)