I started this book on Monday and can’t put it down! Lilly’s story really draws me in and I am completely baffled at how her mother could treat her the way she does. I also feel really drawn to her because my oldest is really close in age to her when she is sold to the circus. I couldn’t imagine treating my children the same way. I can’t wait to see what secrets Julia discovers and what the outcome for Lilly is.

SISTERS OF FORTUNE by Anna Lee Huber

If you loved the movie, “Titanic”, what can I say? Flora and Chess Kinsey can’t even begin to compare to Rose and Jack Dawson. I mean, really, he didn’t even teach her how to spit with gusto!

Kidding aside, the first half of the book spends a lot of time describing the magnificent accoutrements of the Titanic as well as the fashions of frivolous debutants in 1912. And there are many characters to meet. But the author did her homework. Most of these characters were actual passengers on the doomed Ship of Dreams. And some of their back stories are quite interesting as is much of the detail about the ship which, of course, the movie couldn’t adequately cover.

Other than the tragic disaster itself, the storyline pretty much revolves around one family, The Fortunes, fom Winnipeg, Canada who are returning from a grand tour of Europe and the Middle East. Huber has taken some creative license with the individual sisters. So be sure to read the Author’s Notes at the end to separate fact from fiction.

If you are an aficionado of all things Titanic, you will enjoy this book. If you aren’t, move on to a different disaster.

Jean, great review. I will certainly have to check this one out to read. So similar to my mother’s life during WWII. Her hometown of Heilbronn Germany was bombed by the Allies on Christmas Eve, so many deaths that a mass grave was used for the bodies, and like in The Orphan Collector, there was no record of those buried, and so many orphans left to fend for themselves if not taken in by remaining family or neighbors. 1918, 1930’s or 2019, sadly so much history, “people’s stories” are lost.

The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman

Is author, Ellen Marie Wiseman, a gifted wordsmith? YES. Does she do impeccable research? YES. However, I found this to be a very disturbing book that gave me a couple of nights of restless sleep. Before writing this review, I did some internet research to determine what was real and what was fiction. And, I am old enough to remember Geraldo Rivera’s explosive TV documentary about Willowbrook.

I know this book has received many kudos. But the facts were distressful and the fiction depressing. Perhaps I found the subject matter too close to home. I am a senior handicapped individual. I have friends who have mentally challenged children. As I labored through this story, I couldn’t help but wonder often if we would just be “throwaways” were it not for loving families.

If you are curious about mental illness and the history of its treatments and you have a strong stomach, then this book may be for you. Otherwise move on to something a little less stressful to read. Whether you read it or not, however, I would urge you to Google “Geraldo Rivera Willowbrook”. You will be able to view the original documentary as well as an updated interview with Rivera 50 years later. But be prepared to view man’s inhumanity to man up close and personal. While it has taken many years, this single documentary changed the way the unfortunates with mental disabilities are treated. Thank you, Mr. Rivera.