The Forgotten Daughter: The triumphant story of two women divided by their past, but united by friendship--inspired by true events

Joanna Goodman

Harper Paperbacks

Philomena meets The Orphan Train in this suspenseful, provocative novel filled with love, secrets, and deceit -- the story of a young unwed mother who is forcibly separated from her daughter at birth and the lengths to which they go to find each other. In 1950s Quebec, French and English tolerate each other with precarious civility -- much like Maggie Hughes' parents. Maggie's English-speaking father has ambitions for his daughter that don't include marriage to the poor French boy on the next farm over. But Maggie's heart is captured by Gabriel Phénix. When she becomes pregnant at fifteen, her parents force her to give baby Elodie up for adoption and get her life ''back on track.'' Elodie is raised in Quebec's impoverished orphanage system. It's a precarious enough existence that takes a tragic turn when Elodie, along with thousands of other orphans in Quebec, is declared mentally ill as the result of a new law that provides more funding to psychiatric hospitals than to orphanages. Bright and determined, Elodie withstands abysmal treatment at the nuns' hands, finally earning her freedom at seventeen, when she is thrust into an alien, often unnerving world. Maggie, married to a businessman eager to start a family, cannot forget the daughter she was forced to abandon, and a chance reconnection with Gabriel spurs a wrenching choice. As time passes, the stories of Maggie and Elodie intertwine but never touch, until Maggie realizes she must take what she wants from life and go in search of her long-lost daughter, finally reclaiming the truth that has been denied them both.

The Home for Unwanted Girls: The heart-wrenching, gripping story of a mother-daughter bond that could not be broken - inspired by true events

Literature & Fiction

Literary

HarperCollins Publishers and Blackstone Audio

The Home For Unwanted Girls

Harper, And

For fans of Jojo Moyes, from the bestselling author of&nbsp;The Home for Unwanted Girls,&nbsp;comes another compulsively readable story of love and friendship, following the lives of two women reckoning with their pasts and the choices that will define their futures. Divided by their past, united by love. 1992: French-Canadian factions renew Quebec's fight to gain independence, and wild, beautiful Véronique Fortin, daughter of a radical separatist convicted of kidnapping and murdering a prominent politician in 1970, has embraced her father's cause. So it is a surprise when she falls for James Phénix, a journalist of French-Canadian heritage who opposes Quebec separatism. Their love affair is as passionate as it is turbulent, as they negotiate a constant struggle between love and morals. At the same time, James's older sister, Elodie Phénix, one of the Duplessis Orphans, becomes involved with a coalition demanding justice and reparations for their suffering in the 1950s when Quebec's orphanages were converted to mental hospitals, a heinous political act of Premier Maurice Duplessis which affected 5,000 children. Véronique is the only person Elodie can rely on as she fights for retribution, reliving her trauma, while Elodie becomes a sisterly presence for Véronique, who continues to struggle with her family's legacy. The Forgotten Daughter&nbsp;is a moving portrait of true love, familial bonds, and persistence in the face of injustice. As each character is pushed to their moral brink, they will discover exactly which lines they'll cross--and just how far they'll go for what they believe in.

The Forgotten Daughter: The triumphant story of two women divided by their past, but united by loveinspired by true events

Genre Fiction

HarperCollins B and Blackstone Publishing

The Home for Unwanted Girls (Chinese Edition)

China Friendship Publishing Company

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Books by Joanna Goodman