Before We Were Yours: A Novel

After finally reading this phenomenally successful historical fiction novel, I was disappointed.

The true events on which the novel is based were horrifying enough, but Wingate made the characters of Georgia Tann and Mrs. Murphy sound not only completely indistinguishable, but without even the hint of anything human about them--which in fact makes evil characters more realistic. As a result, they appear almost cartoonish. In real life, Georgia Tann had the ability to convince thousands of people that her work was for the good, but her dialogue is so over-the-top smarmy that she becomes less believable.

Wingate also romanticizes the Foss family to almost a comic degree. Rill's parents, Briny and Queenie, are teenage vagabonds when they begin having their many children. They live an itinerant and unstable life, but we are supposed to believe that Rill, by age 12, has already read or been read to, The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells, knows the character of Medusa from Greek myths, Moby Dick, and Huck Finn. Oh, please. The Foss parents surely loved their children but let's not make them seem like humanities scholars.

Avery's storyline also didn't work as well as it might have, and when she first meets Trent, "sandy blonde and blue-eyed, the hair just shaggy enough to backhandedly say, 'I live on beach time.'". . . it's foreshadowing with a bullhorn. Her mother, Honeybee (!!) and future mother-in-law, Bitsy (!!!) also speak like charicatures, not real people.

It is a shame because the reality behind this novel is shocking and gripping. Wingate's treatment seemed to dimish and not underscore that tragedy.

Absolutely a 10 out of 10 historical fiction book. The author hits on sensitive and emotionally charged abuse and neglect of children in the 1930s. She does it in a way that gets the point across however, is not overly explicit. The summary and review of the information the author used to write this book is at the end of the novel - it compels the reader to do independent research. I highly recommend this extraordinary book. Well done!

Not very well written (the show:tell ratio is pretty low), and the characters are pretty one-dimensional. The two storylines are each somewhat interesting—the one about the kids themselves more so than the one set closer to present day. I also have to say, though, I was bothered by a nagging sense that the author believes genetics are really destiny. That our family history determines who we really are. There was a lot of talk about heritage, one way and another, in ways that seemed to rely on such a premise. I can’t bother to support that with actual passages, but it was my sense, and I found it off-putting.

As an “issue” novel, I suppose it could have been worse. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t care much for it, either. Were it not for a book club, I doubt I would have finished it. (Though, to be fair: if it weren’t for a book club, I doubt I would have started it.)

(Historical) Fiction novel of the Tennessee Children’s Home, a black market of its own kind from the Great Depression era all the way into the 50’s. This is a wonderful story of what family really means and the ends you will go to just to be with them. I felt as if Avery’s love quest throughout the story was a bit much, unneeded information that was irrelevant to the plot and didn’t need to be in the book. The flash back chapters were heart breaking in their own ways,

Loved this historical/fiction. Lisa Wingate transforms you between the past and present seamlessly. It is shocking and heartbreaking. Beautifully written.