Lisa Wingate

A tale inspired by firsthand accounts about the notoriously corrupt Tennessee Children's Home Society follows the efforts of a Baltimore assistant D.A. to uncover her parents' fateful secrets in the wake of a political attack and a chance encounter with a stranger. By the best-selling author of Tending Roses.

A Novel

Before We Were Yours

Bria

i love the plot but i feel like it could've been executed better. it's such a great idea but it was so lackluster.

Megan Daigle

Breathtaking! Before We Were Yours is heart-wrenching and beautiful all at the same time. It will suck you in and not release you until you’ve finished every page. A book worth owning and sharing for years to come!

“In my multifold years of life, I have learned that most people get along as best they can. They don’t intend to hurt anyone. It is merely a terrible by-product of surviving.”
Decided to add this book as the availability into my bookshelf last week— as I also need another historical fiction to read later on. The story floats around two girls in the family on Mississippi 1939. I found many dictions that lead to evil and good definition in human, that I believe it’s too cracky to use. They also provided us a metaphor about triggers; as if the strike ignites gunpowder and sends a projectile spinning down a rifle barrel. That makes me thinking somehow not all the white is pure and black is dark? 

In the other hand, I also read another book as I inferred some phrases that I read. It’s similar with what i found in Hobbes’ theory— we as human beings always have choice, like John Kramer said: “free will.” Wecan choose to be good or bad, in everything we do, over anything, over anytime. And it all were driven by fear; a perpetual of restless desire of power. But it’s always entitled as product-surviving, it leans closely to a trauma projecting for me, not the utmost, just some of it. We aren’t a damage of our lives or people mistreating us, right? The ‘fear’ feeling and thought came from that experience. 

However, like the title of this book—it will guide you for the change, the melancholy revolution, of human might experience and how that proves their lives in the most unexpected ways. Not just by themselves, but everyone around them as well. Like family, friends, and their behaviours to treat others.

Lamia Hajani

Before We Were Yours is one of those historical fiction books that is taking pieces from an actual occurrence - like Titanic sort of. I really enjoyed it, and I found myself really into the mystery at hand. I was constantly guessing what the outcome would be, and I ended up being mostly surprised by the reveal. 

The dialogue isn't seamless and the book can be a bit slow at points, but it's worth the read in general.

THE BLOCKBUSTER HIT--A New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly Bestseller For readers of Orphan Train and The Nightingale comes a "thought-provoking [and] complex tale about two families, two generations apart . . . based on a notorious true-life scandal."* Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family's Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge--until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents--but they quickly realize the dark truth. At the mercy of the facility's cruel director, Rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together in a world of danger and uncertainty. Aiken, South Carolina, present day. Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career as a federal prosecutor, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family's long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation or to redemption. Based on one of America's most notorious real-life scandals--in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country--Lisa Wingate's riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong. *Library Journal Publishers Weekly's #3 Longest-Running Bestseller of 2017 * Winner of the Southern Book Prize * If All Arkansas Read the Same Book Selection "A [story] of a family lost and found . . . a poignant, engrossing tale about sibling love and the toll of secrets."--People "Sure to be one of the most compelling books you pick up this year. . . . Wingate is a master-storyteller, and you'll find yourself pulled along as she reveals the wake of terror and heartache that is Georgia Tann's legacy."--Parade

Jacqueline Englund

This is an important story and a story that definitely deserves to be heard. However it dud nit draw me in the way I would have expected and while it did keep me turning the pages, it felt very predictable!

Ana Paula

Sofia Arcângelo 

I struggled to read this book. The first half of the story has so many details, so many memories, that the story doesn't evolve much and it gets boring.
The theme is very interesting, and since it's based in a real adoption scandal, it's the only thing that saves this book from being really, really bad. 
Not a book I recommend.

This was a wonderful story… and I didn’t realize it was based on true events until the end! Then I just bawled, so sad! 

Tobi Anthony

Mary Horton

This is, without a doubt, the hardest book I've ever read.

My heart is broken knowing that this kind of thing actually happened. And it happened for SO LONG. In our country, under our very noses.

These children were treated in a way no human being should EVER be treated. My heart cries for justice to be served, but . . . it never was. 

Sit tight, my friends, because this review is going to be challenging.

L I K E S:

- The writing. It's rare that I connect so perfectly to the characters, that I almost tangibly FEEL their personalities. Wingate's writing style is raw, realistic, vulnerable. It's laced with beauty and charm, yes, but never afraid to be brutally honest. It connects you to the characters in a way that books are seldom able to do. I felt almost physically attached to the characters in these pages; they didn't feel like characters but actual, real people. The writing was something special & unique. I've never read anything quite like it.

- The characters. THEY CAME ALIVE. Rill and her four siblings all stole my heart. I loved Rill especially. Her unwavering love for her siblings and passion to keep them safe both melted my heart and broke it. She was so strong, loving, loyal . . . the best sister to her sweet siblings. I also really loved Avery (the POV character for the contemporary storyline), as well as Trent and Jonah. Every single character came alive for me, even the "minor" ones. I loved Silas and his unwavering devotion to Rill. Queenie and her obviously boundless love for her children. All the Foss children, each with their own personality. 

I'm not doing these characters justice with my words because the way I feel about them is just . . . too hard to describe. They've become almost a part of me, and that's something I can't put into words.

- The emotion. W O W. I've never been this emotionally devastated by a book, ever. (And I've read some really emotional books in my time.) My eyes still hurt a little from sobbing this much, to be honest. You may be saying, "This is . . . a good thing??" AND YES. It is. Because I was so very MOVED by this book. I connected on a deep, hurtful, emotional level. This book hurt to read. It hurt so, so much. But this story is so important for the world to read. I knew nothing about the Tennessee Children's Home Society before reading this book. People NEED TO KNOW so that this never happens again. Though the characters in this book aren't actually real, the historical background is. This. Actually. Happened. It never should have, but it did. My heart breaks just thinking about the thousands of lives this organization and its founder ruined, and I want to make it right. BUT I CAN'T. Justice was never served, and that makes my injustice-hating self angry. Sad. Heartbroken. I want everyone to be aware of the horrors that happened because we have to ensure it doesn't occur again.

D I S L I K E S:

- (view spoiler)[The last chapter set in Rill's POV is emotionally devastating, and I wanted things to turn out differently so, so badly. Though Rill DOES get a semi-happy ending . . . it still hurt a lot to read. I wanted her to end up with Silas one day . . . but they never met again. Queenie died. Briny left. She never got to see some of her siblings again. It was so incredibly heartbreaking. I wish that she had at least met Silas again one day and gotten married. But somehow, the tragedy of it all makes this story just that much more impactful. (hide spoiler)]

Content: Incredibly intense. This book isn't watered down for anybody. There's violence, molestation of children, physical and sexual abuse, abandonment, and just all the other horrors of the orphan's home. Though things are never graphic or shown just for the sake of being appalling - it's still there. This book is raw and vulnerable. The heavy topics handled here make me hesitate to recommend it to anyone unless they are emotionally capable of reading this. Probably 17+, at least. If you have any more questions about content, feel free to message me. This is written by a Christian author, but there's just no way to accurately deal with this historical event without including a lot of hard topics.

I can honestly say that this book changed my life. There's a reason it won the Goodreads 2017 Choice award for Best Historical Fiction, my friends. It was brutally honest & impossibly painful to read . . . and yet, there was hope and light as well. I'm furious with the injustice of it all (I'm an INFJ, y'know) and devastated emotionally. But there's also light in the midst of the darkness. Lisa Wingate has written a story I'll never forget.

5 stars

Barbara Williford

Wow! I couldn’t put this book down. To imagine that things like this actually happened. The struggles of you, poor children ripped from the only home they know, thrown into an even worse situation by the state. The journey, trials and emotions of these young lives. Grab some tissue!

Cindy

Review

This book was one that I read in one sitting. I really connected with the characters. The way that the past and the present were threaded throughout the book made the story come alive. I could just picture the setting and the characters as they were in the late thirties to early nineteen forties. This was also a tearjerker,  all of the siblings ripped from their parents as their mother was recovering in the hospital. What they go through as they are waiting to be sold to a wealthy  family is just beyond sad, this is based on the real life scandal of Georgia Tann who stole poor children from their homes and sold them to wealthy families. May aka Rill is a strong character who tries her very best to keep her siblings together but only succeeds with one. Avery is from the present day and is just uncovering her grandmothers secret that is long buried. I thought that the story was so well written and very respectful to the subject matter.

Avery seemed to do what is expected of her by her wealthy family most of her life. When she starts to unravel her grandmothers past Avery starts to come into her own. There is a bit of a romance but not too much to take away form the story. This story is one that has stayed with me since I put the book down. It was a very moving book. I look forward to reading more from this author.This review was originally posted on Cindy's Book Binge

A heartbreaking story of love and loss, based on a true story OVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD THE NO.1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS 2017 BEST HISTORICAL FICTION AWARD *************************** Memphis, Tennessee, 1939 Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family's Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge, until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents - but they quickly realize the dark truth... Aiken, South Carolina, present day Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family's long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation or to redemption. ********************* Based on one of America's most notorious real-life scandals, in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country, Before We Were Yours is a riveting, wrenching and ultimately uplifting global bestseller. 'A tale of enduring power' Paula McLain 'It is impossible not to get swept up in this near-perfect novel' Huffington Post

The heartbreaking novel that has sold over one million copies

Mallory Collins

This might be one of my favorite books I’ve ever read. It’s heart warming, heart wrenching, and it really made me think about life and the people I have relationships with. This book also made me buy and start using a journal to keep my memories and possibly pass them down to my loved ones.

Jane McCullough

3.5. Surely a heart-wrenching experience and situation, but, for me, trivializing it with the sub-plot of romance and using descriptive language that, at times, trivialized the non-fiction story diminished the history.

Caroline Lewicki

This was such a beautiful story. It was equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful. The history steeped into this book is so richly described and researched, and so disturbing to learn about for the first time. I was locked in to the intertwined stories of Rill and Avery and desperately wanted to know how they would cross paths. I was not at all disappointed once I found out! I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in history, especially the brand of history not commonly taught in school.

Katie LaMarre

amazing book with a little twist at the end i wasnt expecting! definitely going to do some more research on the events this book depicts.

Jillian Slindee

Best book I have read all summer. I wasn’t able to put this one down.

Emily C Peterson

Manish Narayan Pandit

I absolutely loved this heartbreakingly beautiful piece of writing!

There are two storylines going on in this novel,one in 1939 and one is present day . They slowly unravel and come together. Story grabbed me from begining , tossed my emotions. i felt like it an important story must be read!

“In my multifold years of life, I have learned that most people get along as best they can. They don’t intend to hurt anyone. It is merely a terrible by-product of surviving.” 
― Lisa Wingate, Before We Were Yours




“Well, that’s one of the paradoxes of life. You can’t have it all. You can have some of this and some of that or all of this and none of that. We make the trade-offs we think are best at the time.” 
― Lisa Wingate, Before We Were Yours
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“The good life demands a lot of maintenance” 
― Lisa Wingate, Before We Were Yours
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“the love of sisters needs no words. It does not depend on memories, or mementos, or proof. It runs as deep as a heartbeat. It is as ever present as a pulse.” 
― Lisa Wingate, Before We Were Yours



Based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals—in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country—Lisa Wingate’s riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.

Southern Today Gone Tomorrow

I really enjoyed this novel, and it is SUCH a good book-club book.

Kirsty Mortimore 

Abigail F

Hard to get into, but worth the rough beginning. Story is beautifully woven together with heartbreaking realities. Would have been 5/5 but there is a cliche romance angle that wasn’t necessary to the story. Longer review to come.

Emily Christensen

While I am bad because I frequently judge books by covers (and I honestly think this cover is not great 🙈) I regret not picking this one up sooner! 

Before We Were Yours is a part of US history that I literally had never heard about before reading this book! Quick synopsis: The book follows two stories - story one is set in 1930s Tennessee: Rill and her siblings are kidnapped one night when their parents are out and are placed in a children’s orphanage where they soon discover their parents likely don’t know where they are and aren’t coming to save them. The second story takes place present day and follows Avery, born into privilege, who returns home when her father’s health is deteriorating. While at home Avery discovers hidden pieces of her family’s past that she begins to investigate and unveil. 

This book is a PAGE TURNER! Honestly, if you’re in a reading slump go pick it up right now. There’s something about a dual narrative that keeps me turning pages because I’m following two stories where I need to know what happens next in both of them. 

There was little I didn’t like about this book. If anything, present day Avery’s story was a bit slow and her love story speckled throughout the book was kind of hokey and predictable. Rill’s story (the orphanage) was quite intense, interesting and gave me a slice of history I would have never known about (cue internet rabbit hole of diving in deeper to the Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage scandal). 

Pro tip - it takes about 50 pages to dive in to and then you’ll be hooked!

Before We Were Yours A Novel

Reviews