In this case I feel that the story of these ‘pre-owned’ children is well served by the fictional tale that the author has woven around historical fact.

Out of the two storylines a few of us enjoyed the present day one a little bit more as we didn’t connect as much to the characters from the past story as we did to the present day ones. When Avery Stafford, the daughter of a prominent Senator stumbles upon the possibility her grandmother is harboring a dark family secret, she nearly becomes obsessed with her mission to uncover the truth. Avery, who was always very close to her grandmother, sees that she is slowing losing her memories and yet reveals in a conversation to Avery that there may be more to her life than anyone had ever known.While the subject matter is a tough one, the book is very well done and the storylines are intertwined expertly. The book draws on the stories which came to light when the scandal was uncovered and weaves them into an emotional and heart-wrenching work of fiction, one which I don’t think I will ever forget. The fact that it's based on the true story of the Tennessee Children's Home Society and Georgia Tann makes it all the more powerful. If I was to complain about anything, it would be the way the characters frequently have whole conversations without specific names, just to keep the reader guessing who is who, even when it doesn't make sense for them to withhold the person's name.

So happy to have purchased a hard copy of this novel as another beauty to add to my real life book shelf and the dust cover is staying firmly in place on this one. Two alternate stories, one in the past narrated by a young girl, whose brother and three sisters were taken from their parents and brought to this horrible place. I found every time I had to put the book down I was trying to work out when I could pick it back up and carry on. To sum it all up it was an engrossing, moving, heart-wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale that has definitely left us with a lasting impression. I cared deeply for all the children in the book, and I enjoyed reading about Avery and on her path to finding the truth.At the end of the meeting each person was asked how many stars out of 5 they would give it and the average came to 3* There were no 5* given by anyone. Her work has won or been nominated for many awards, including the Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize, the Oklahoma Book Award, the Utah Library Award, the Carol Award, the Christy Award, and the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award. They end up in the Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage under the care of the infamous Georgia Tann. She is able to take this real life scandal and insert her characters within it to tell the story of two families torn apart and put back together again.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Through the dual narrative and Avery's digging into the past, a tale of unimaginable horrors is uncovered. Many prominent people adopted children from the home including Joan Crawford, June Allyson, and the NY governor. This part of the story is narrated by Rill and the second part, set in South Carolina in the current day is told by Avery, a very successful career woman who is being groomed to take over from her father, a Senator whose health is failing. The Foss children and the Arcadia were formed from the dust of imagination and the muddy waters of the Mississippi River.It is interspersed with a present day protagonist - Avery whose father, a senator, has a high profile and is a public figure who can't have a whiff of any kind of scandal.