Category Archives: T Greenwood

August 5, 2019 · 11:58 pm

Review: Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood

Title: Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Historical (60s & 70s), Fiction
Length: 306 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

The heartbreaking and uplifting story, inspired by true events, of how far one mother must go to protect her daughter.

Dover, Massachusetts, 1969. Ginny Richardson’s heart was torn open when her baby girl, Lucy, born with Down Syndrome, was taken from her. Under pressure from his powerful family, her husband, Ab, sent Lucy away to Willowridge, a special school for the “feeble-minded.” Ab tried to convince Ginny it was for the best. That they should grieve for their daughter as though she were dead. That they should try to move on.

But two years later, when Ginny’s best friend, Marsha, shows her a series of articles exposing Willowridge as a hell-on-earth–its squalid hallways filled with neglected children–she knows she can’t leave her daughter there. With Ginny’s six-year-old son in tow, Ginny and Marsha drive to the school to see Lucy for themselves. What they find sets their course on a heart-racing journey across state lines—turning Ginny into a fugitive.

For the first time, Ginny must test her own strength and face the world head-on as she fights Ab and his domineering father for the right to keep Lucy. Racing from Massachusetts to the beaches of Atlantic City, through the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia to a roadside mermaid show in Florida, Keeping Lucy is a searing portrait of just how far a mother’s love can take her.

Based on incredible true events, Keeping Lucy is the searing, heartfelt, and breathtaking story of just how far a mother’s love can take her.

Review:

Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood is a heartrending yet ultimately uplifting novel.

Ginny Richardson and her husband are from very different socio-economic backgrounds but the first years of their marriage are mostly happy.  Ab’s wealthy family helps them purchase their first home while Ab finishes law school and Ginny stays home with their son Peyton.  After law school, Ab joins his father’s law firm and he works long hours moving up through the ranks. Their delight at Ginny’s second pregnancy ends in despair when their daughter Lucy is born.  She has Down syndrome and frightened by their physician’s dire prognosis, they immediately put her in Willowridge School.

Fast forward two years and Ginny is growing more unhappy with her life.  She has no friends in the local area and since Ab works long hours, he is rarely home with her and Peyton.  Ginny’s relationship with her in-laws remains distant and she continues to feel inadequate.  But when her best friend Marsha calls to tell her a reporter has exposed horrific conditions at Willowridge, Ginny goes against Ab’s wishes when she takes Peyton and Marsha to check on Lucy.

Immediately sickened by what she discovers at Willowridge, Ginny leaves with Lucy for a long overdue visit. She also hopes to convince Ab that it is time for them to bring Lucy home. However, Lucy is angered by his refusal to even consider her request.   Although Ginny does not want to go against her husband’s wishes, she also cannot surrender her daughter for a second time.  Needing time to figure out what she is going to do, Ginny makes an impetuous decision that will alter the course of her life. But will she ruin her marriage in the process?

With Marsha behind the wheel, she, Peyton and Lucy embark on a journey in which Ginny decides to regain control of her life. Having completely surrendered to her husband’s and father-in-law’s will,  the distance and time away provides her the opportunity to reflect on what she wants for herself and her family.  But defying her husband is not easy and she often second-guesses her decisions. When a crisis strikes, will Ginny find the strength she needs to protect her daughter?

Keeping Lucy is an emotionally compelling novel that is based on true events.  The storyline is engaging and the characters are well-developed and likable. Ginny is fundamentally changed by her experiences and her fierce desire to protect Lucy once she knows the truth about Willowridge.  The various settings and the time period are vibrantly developed and realistically portrayed.   T. Greenwood brings this deeply affecting novel to a heartwarming conclusion that is quite gratifying.

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Filed under Fiction, Historical, Historical (60s), Historical (70s), Rated B+, Review, St Martin's Press, T Greenwood

August 1, 2018 · 11:57 pm

Review: Rust & Stardust by T. Greenwood

Title: Rust & Stardust by T. Greenwood
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Historical (40s & 50s), Crime Fiction
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Camden, NJ, 1948. When 11 year-old Sally Horner steals a notebook from the local Woolworth’s, she has no way of knowing that 52 year-old Frank LaSalle, fresh out of prison, is watching her, preparing to make his move. Accosting her outside the store, Frank convinces Sally that he’s an FBI agent who can have her arrested in a minute—unless she does as he says.

This chilling novel traces the next two harrowing years as Frank mentally and physically assaults Sally while the two of them travel westward from Camden to San Jose, forever altering not only her life, but the lives of her family, friends, and those she meets along the way.

Based on the experiences of real-life kidnapping victim Sally Horner and her captor, whose story shocked the nation and inspired Vladimir Nabokov to write his controversial and iconic Lolita, this heart-pounding story by award-winning author T. Greenwood at last gives a voice to Sally herself.

Review:

Set in 1948, Rust & Stardust by T. Greenwood is a heartrending fictionalized novel based on the real life kidnapping of Sally Horner.

After seeing a group of girls become “blood sisters”,  shy and friendless eleven year old Sally Horner agrees their “initiation” to their club. Despite her qualms about getting caught, Sally steals a composition notebook from Woolworth’s. She is caught leaving the store by a man claiming to be an FBI agent who tells her she is under arrest. Unbeknownst to Sally, he is in actuality, a recently released ex-convict  named Frank LeSalle. In an effort to spare her widowed mother, Ella, the truth about her “crime”, Sally convinces her mom that Frank is taking her on a family vacation to Atlantic City with her daughter’s classmate. Ella has no reason to doubt the veracity of his story and she leaves Sally with Frank at the local bus station. Thus begins Sally’s harrowing ordeal at the hands of a skillful manipulator who is also a child predator.

Sally is a lonely young girl who does not want to upset or disappoint her mother after Frank catches her stealing. She naively believes everything he tells her and although she picks up on puzzling inconsistencies in his explanations, she blindly follows his instructions.  When she does ask questions, Sally’s punishment is swift and violent. In a desperate attempt to return home, she inadvertently sets in motion their relocation to Baltimore.

In Baltimore, Sally continues to suffer horrific abuse yet Frank inexplicably enrolls her in school. He frightens her into keeping silent about their home life and she follows his order to the letter. Sally’s teacher, Sister Mary Katherine, instinctively realizes something is amiss with the young girl and she keeps a close eye on her new student. Yet when she finally decides to take action, Frank once again evades capture as he escapes with Sally and moves to Dallas, TX.

Now living in a trailer court, Sally remains firmly under Frank’s control while she forms a close bond with their neighbor Ruth. Unable to have children, Ruth spends many hours with Sally. It does not take long for suspicions to arise about what is going on in the trailer next door, but will Ruth be able to save the frightened young girl?

Rust & Stardust  is a truly captivating novel that deals with some very difficult subject matter. The dark and distressing storyline is relieved by genuine moments of true compassion and caring from the people whose lives are touched by Sally’s plight. This intricately plotted novel is loosely based on real life events and T. Greenwood brings this long forgotten crime vibrantly and sensitively to life. I highly recommend this tragic yet fascinating re-imagining of a horrific crime.

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Filed under Crime Fiction, Historical, Historical (40s), Historical (50s), Rated B+, Review, Rust & Stardust, St Martin's Press, T Greenwood

February 21, 2016 · 11:57 pm

Review: Where I Lost Her by T. Greenwood

Title: Where I Lost Her by T. Greenwood
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Literary Fiction
Length: 384 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

In her page-turning new novel, T. Greenwood follows one woman’s journey through heartbreak and loss to courage and resolve, as she searches for the truth about a missing child.

Eight years ago, Tess and Jake were considered a power couple of the New York publishing world–happy, in love, planning a family. Failed fertility treatments and a heartbreaking attempt at adoption have fractured their marriage and left Tess edgy and adrift. A visit to friends in rural Vermont throws Tess’s world into further chaos when she sees a young, half-dressed child in the middle of the road, who then runs into the woods like a frightened deer.

The entire town begins searching for the little girl. But there are no sightings, no other witnesses, no reports of missing children. As local police and Jake point out, Tess’s imagination has played her false before. And yet Tess is compelled to keep looking, not only to save the little girl she can’t forget but to salvage her broken heart as well.

Blending her trademark lyrical prose with a superbly crafted and suspenseful narrative, Where I Lost Her is a gripping, haunting novel from a remarkable storyteller.

Review:

With a possibly unreliable narrator, Where I Lost Her by T. Greenwood is an intriguing mystery that keeps readers on the edge of their seats as Tess Waters tries to locate a missing young girl.

Tess and her husband Jake are visiting friends in rural Vermont when, returning from a late night run to the store, she sees a young girl in the middle of the road. Although the police are little slow to respond to her emergency call, they put together an extensive search that slowly tapers off within a few days. Convinced Tess is either mistaken or outright lying, the local police remain unreceptive to her pleas to continue looking for the missing girl. When the cops threaten to charge her for filing a false report, she hires attorney Ryan Hughes, who pleads with her to stay out of the case. Unable to stop worrying about the little girl, she continues her search and although she does not locate her, Tess stumbles onto evidence that supports her claim but will the police reopen their investigation?

Tess’s marriage never quite recovered from the couple’s infertility treatments and a botched adoption attempt eight years earlier. Their relationship is quite strained during their visit with their friends and Tess’s excessive drinking exacerbates the tension between them. At first supportive of Tess, Jake’s doubts continue to grow especially considering what happened after their adoption attempt went horribly wrong. The fact that she had been drinking the evening she spotted the young girl is another strike against her and Jake eventually returns to New York without her.

Tess’s main priority is continuing her efforts to find the missing girl but she is also quite reflective as she tries to decide what to do about her troubled marriage. Her longtime friend Effie not only believes Tess saw the little girl, but after Tess confides recently discovered information about Jake, she is outraged on Tess’s behalf. Despite Effie’s fears for her safety, Tess continues taking unnecessary risks as she makes impulsive decisions that are dangerous and oftentimes, foolhardy.

The events from eight years earlier are slowly revealed through a series of flashbacks. What begins as a happy occasion becomes emotionally charged after Jake joins Tess in Guatemala where she has been spending time with the little girl they are planning to adopt. These flashbacks slowly reveal the cracks in their marriage as Tess begins to realize that she was much more invested in having children than Jake and she starts wondering what other important information she might have overlooked about her husband. She remains ambivalent about their marriage for a good portion of the novel, but a family emergency puts things in perspective for her and Tess finally arrives at a decision about her future.

With a unique twist on the unreliable narrator plot device, Where I Lost Her is a well-written and engaging novel that is initially a little slow paced. The characters are three-dimensional with true to life flaws and imperfections. The storyline is wonderfully developed and the suspense builds as Tess continues trying to piece together the puzzling clues she uncovers. Overall, it is a very clever mystery/psychological thriller that old and new fans of T. Greenwood are sure to enjoy.

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Filed under Contemporary, Kensington, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Rated B, Review, T Greenwood, Where I Lost Her

February 22, 2015 · 11:57 pm

Review: The Forever Bridge by T. Greenwood

forever bridgeTitle: The Forever Bridge by T. Greenwood
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Length: 369 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

With eloquent prose and lush imagery, T. Greenwood creates a heartfelt story of reconciliation and forgiveness, and of the deep, often unexpected connections that can bring you home.

Sylvie can hardly bear to remember how normal her family was two years ago. All of that changed on the night an oncoming vehicle forced their car over the edge of a covered bridge into the river. With horrible swiftness, Sylvie’s young son was gone, her husband lost his legs, and she was left with shattering blame and grief.

Eleven-year-old Ruby misses her little brother, too. But she also misses the mother who has become a recluse in their old home while Ruby and her dad try to piece themselves back together. Amid all the uncertainty in her life, Ruby becomes obsessed with bridges, drawing inspiration from the strength and purpose that underlies their grace. During one momentous week, as Hurricane Irene bears down on their small Vermont town and a pregnant teenager with a devastating secret gradually draws Sylvie back into the world, Ruby and her mother will have a chance to span the gap between them again.

The Review:

The Forever Bridge by T. Greenwood is an utterly heartbreaking and poignant novel that is also uplifting and hopeful. It is a beautifully written story of forgiveness, redemption and healing that is incredibly moving and full of deep emotions.

Two years after the accident that took the life of her seven year old son, Jess and left her husband Robert in a wheelchair, Sylvie Dupont is emotionally fragile and struggling to put the pieces of her life back together. Suffering from PTDS, agoraphobia and depression, she has isolated herself from friends and family and lives by herself in the family home on the outskirts of town. Barely capable of taking care of herself, Robert and their eleven year old daughter Ruby have moved in with Robert’s brother, but when the men need to take an out of town trip, Sylvie has little choice but to care for her daughter. Their reunion is uneasy and full of tension as they tiptoe around the memories that haunt both mother and daughter.

Sylvie is crippled with anxiety and it is very frustrating watching her refuse to get the help she needs to cope with her fears.   While at first it is incomprehensible that she has so completely checked out from her life and her loved ones, once some of her history is revealed, some of her actions become a little more understandable. But what Sylvie does not realize is her control and safety are only an illusion. It it is impossible to protect herself from further pain and that despite her best efforts, disaster can still strike despite all the safeguards she has tried to put into place.

Ruby is very mature for her age but no matter how wise she is, she still longs for the mother Sylvie used to be. Ruby closely monitors her mother’s erratic behavior and she takes every opportunity to escape the tense and unhappy household. Unfortunately her best friend seems to be replacing her with another girl their age so Ruby spends a lot of her time exploring the woods surrounding her home. When she discovers a pregnant teenager hiding in an abandoned shack, Ruby keeps her presence a secret and helps her as much as she possibly can. But when the young girl needs more help than Ruby can provide, will Sylvie step out of her self-imposed prison and overcome her fears long enough to give them the assistance they need?

Pregnant teenager Nessa is a runaway who has not spoken a word for two years. Disappointed but not really surprised to discover her mom has moved on, she takes shelter in the rundown shack and forages in Sylvie’s garden for food. Nessa has experienced little kindness in her young life and she is profoundly grateful for Ruby’s generosity.

The Forever Bridge slowly winds its way to a dramatic but immensely satisfying conclusion. The characters are three-dimensional and although flawed, they are sympathetic and likable. T. Greenwood’s writing style is quite captivating and she brings the setting vibrantly to life. The storyline is complex, and while some of the plot is a little predictable, there are quite a few unanticipated twists that make it impossible to guess how all of the various storylines will come together. Overall, it is a heartfelt novel of healing that I highly recommend.

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Filed under Contemporary, Fiction, Kensington, Rated B+, Review, T Greenwood, The Forever Bridge