I chose this book from an ARC program because the intro and blurb were interesting.

The Premise

In the 1960s, three young women meet in a maternity hospital, each of them pregnant with children whose names and stories they would only find out much later on. They are expected to give up their babies and pretend they do not exist, but their pasts follow them.

However, no secret can remain a secret forever. Decades later, someone unearths their records and threatens to blackmail them all. Now a politician’s wife, a famous Christian singer, and a prominent business owner, all three women have a lot to lose. Told from multiple viewpoints, this novel reveals the heartbreaking but uplifting stories of healing and redemption.

The Pros

This was an epic saga with memorable stories that were touching. I loved all the themes represented — family, responsibility, love, relationships, women’s rights, race relations, and so much more. It presents an accurate picture, showing the pressures that women faced in contemporary society at the time, where there was limited access to birth control, and immense reputational risk for women who engaged in premarital sex.

I enjoyed the relationships and bond the women maintained for each other despite the passage of time, and really appreciated the writer’s talent in capturing these stories which, though stated to be fictional, bear similarities to many real-life experiences during that time. The depictions of the family life situations were particularly well done — especially Faith’s parents and the way they were able to turn a blind eye to her plight.

Overall all the stories made an intriguing page-turner that was exciting though painful at times to read.

The Cons

I appreciated the historical tapestry woven throughout the book, but had to admit that it covers such a long period of time (34 years!), and through the eyes of so many characters, that it was difficult to keep track of at times. I liked the idea of the individual stories, but the execution was a bit convoluted — I lost count of how many viewpoints there were, as some of them came in much later on. I could easily see this story being made into 3 separate books, each of which would have been excellent on its own (or even a “Book 1: Becca”/ “Book 2: Faith”/ “Book 3: Sandy” in one cohesive volume) — but altogether and with so much switching between chapters and viewpoints, it was a lot to take in, which was a shame as the story is fabulous.

It also felt like there were things unresolved by the end, and while this may be acceptable for the genre, it left me feeling unsettled as I wanted to know what happened! After waiting through the entire book, Becca’s story seemed unfinished, and I also didn’t fully understand Michael’s parents’ motivations.

Conclusion

Despite my own feelings that I wish the story were told a bit differently, this was a really good novel that I would highly recommend to other readers. There is a lot here that will resonate with many women who lived during that time, and many profound messages underlying the actual story that will remain with me for awhile. I can easily see this being made into an amazing film. I am grateful to the writer for providing much-needed insight into this aspect of history, and for sharing her own truth as someone who was also adopted from a maternity hospital. I would love to read further work by this author.

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