Every once in a while I read a book that has a profound effect on me. I remember the story and the characters as if we’d met and had meaningful conversations. Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate is that kind of book.
The story itself is heart-wrenching and Ms. Wingate’s gifted storytelling ability took me back to 1939 with Rill and then swept me to present day with Avery.
Lisa Wingate has been one of my favorite authors for years, and if it were possible, I’d give a ten out of five (yes you read that right) rating. Before We Were Yours went far beyond my expectations and it left me with more questions than answers.
Rill’s strength and courage throughout her ordeal as a ward of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society accurately reflects the retelling of the horrors children encountered at the hands of evil Ms. Tann. Like Rill, those who survived the terror and abuse there, that no child deserves, were left with scars far deeper than flesh and bone.
I cannot tout the greatness of this book near as much as I’d love to. There aren’t words big enough to express the outstanding story within its pages. What I can say is that it’s haunting just as it should be.
Favorite quote:
“I learned that you need not be born into a family to be loved by one.” –Loc 5115

Wow what a heart-wrenching, emotional story. I loved it! It was a little slow in the beginning but then it grabs you and I couldn't put the book down. Two stories are told simultaneously during 2 different time periods.

Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old, river gypsy Rill Foss and her 4 siblings are snatched from their shantyboat and placed in the Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage. It tells the tale of Rill's struggles to protect and keep her family together while trying to find a way back home.

Aiken, South Carolina, present day. Born into wealth and privilege, 30-year old Avery Stafford returns home to help her father weather a health crisis. As a senator's daughter, she is being groomed to take over if her father's health fails. Avery meets a woman in a nursing home who has a picture that strongly resembles her grandmother. So begins Avery's journey through her family's long-hidden history to see how the two woman are connected.

The story was beautifully written and the characters were well developed. Even though the characters were fictional, it is based on true stories at the Tennessee Children’s Home Society, an adoption organization where poor children were kidnapped and sold to wealthy families all over the country for decades.

I definitely recommend it to all and I look forward to reading more from this author. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for supplying a copy of Lisa Wingate's "Before We Were Yours" in exchange for an honest review.

After reading the short blurb about Before We Were Yours, I was highly intrigued about the plot and the writing. I was fascinated by the idea of a children's home stealing kids and selling them off to the highest bidder. However, once I began reading, I was unprepared for how distressing Rill's story would turn out to be. I actually could not finish it, knowing that horrible fates awaited Rill and her siblings. Perhaps I am too shallow, but reading the book and anticipating what would be happening to the kids, as well as the torture the parents felt over losing their children, was not an option for me. As a parent, I had great difficulty reading about children being separated from the only family they know, about a child being punished for bed wetting, about lies being told while children were used as pawns.

So I do recommend the book for those interested in realistic fiction, who have a strong stomach than me. I think there are many well written pieces and the author does a commendable job outlining the plot, using a mystery as a good device to share this past atrocity.

This book blew me away. The fact that it is based on actual events really did sadden me though. I cannot fathom what those families went through, let alone the children that had to go through the brunt of it.

Rill is a very bold character. Taking on more responsibility than a girl her age should have, she's happy living aboard a shanty-boat with her family. While she may not be street wise, she has skills that most city dwelling people would never have thought of. That culmination made Rill into a survivor.

Avery has been raised and bread in the south. Forefront in the media because of her father's political career, she's had little time to truly be herself. When the hint of mystery involving her family surfaces, she can't help but to dive right in. No matter the walls she runs into, Avery has a knack for getting her information. A strong yet vulnerable character that grew exponentially by the end of the book.

Ms. Wingate takes you on a journey via two very different women. One born of privilege and one born on a river boat, while the couldn't appear more different they are more alike than it may seem.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. This story was very interesting. I learned a lot about the Tennessee Children's Home Society between 1920-1950. Georgia Tann ran this orphanage where most of the kidnapped or stolen children were neglected, molested, abused and treated as commodities. The story is fiction, however, it is based on the stories that survivors told about being raised in the orphanage .Names, birth dates and birth records were changed. Many children died at the home. The book alternates between modern days and the 1930's when the five siblings were kidnapped. The book was very well written and I enjoyed it. Now, I want to read more by this author.

This was my first read from Lisa Wingate... and I will be checking out her other works! This story! Oh how it pulled at my heart strings. I remember reading about Georgia Tann and the Memphis branch of the Tennessee Children's Home Society years ago... but nothing brought it to life like Before We Were Yours. As an adopted child, the story shook me. While the children in the book are fictional, their story is tied to true life circumstances.

I, personally, love when I'm reading two stories at once and this book does exactly that. I love the then/now of it and trying to figure out how the pieces fit. The book blurb explains it better than I can. But I will say, I love how the stories were woven together and how they were brought together in the end. There was an air of mystery in this book and I found myself 'guessing' at a lot of things.

I am really hoping there will be a part 2 to this book to explore the lives of these characters as they were finding out the truth and finding each other later in life. Especially the sisters.

Overall, I am giving this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Wingate is one of the few authors I trust to write a great dual time period book because she is one of the few that does it well.

I was so intrigued by the story line in this book. I love that she tackled a tough topic of child neglect from a background of terrible real life events. That made this book so much better because I knew it was at least loosely based on true events.

I likewise was very interested in finding out who was who in this book. As soon as I realized some names had been changed with the adoptions I was eager to figure out who was related and who wasn't. I really loved the mystery aspect and was glad she only revealed tidbits throughout the book. I did figure out some of the story a couple of times but was never for sure who fit in where in the book. I enjoyed page after page of piecing it all together just as much as I enjoyed when the relations were all gathered at the end.

This really was a phenomenal story that tugged at my heartstrings.

I received a copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Although I have been a fan of Lisa Wingate books since the very first one I picked up several years ago, I was particularly interested in reading “Before We Were Yours”. I have lived my entire life on the outskirts of Memphis and over the years since my childhood have sometimes heard talk among family members that an adopted relative may have come from Georgia Tann. No one ever knew for certain and all those who may have known the truth are now long gone. It is the mystery in my own family that enhanced my interest in this novel.

As always, Wingate’s writing is exquisite. She pulled me right into the story and I felt as though I was experiencing it along with Rill and her sisters and brother. Some readers may find it just a bit slow at the beginning but I encourage persistence. This book is definitely worth your while and you will be glad you kept with it until you are hooked like I was. Although the story took place in two different eras, I easily moved from one to the other with no difficulty. I loved the way that the two stories were woven together so well by the end and especially loved a few surprises along the way.

It was heartbreaking to read Rill’s narration of the horrors experienced by herself, her siblings, and other children in one of Georgia Tann’s institutions. Before reading “Before We Were Yours” I had no idea of the extent of mistreatment the children endured. Reading about it was often difficult, especially while wondering if my relative had experienced the same abuse. The contrast between Rill’s life and Avery Stafford’s life was striking. I had to admire Avery for her persistence in getting to the bottom of the mystery she had inadvertently stumbled upon despite the discouragement that came from every direction.

“Before We Were Yours” is a story about family secrets, both past and present and the long-lasting effect on the lives of those family members. It was a riveting tale based on a true scandal. We can only hope that our society does not produce any more Georgia Tanns but I am afraid there will always be more people like her to take her place. I loved this book and cannot wait to see what the author has planned next for her readers.

I absolutely loved this book. You will follow several siblings who are ripped from their home (such as it was) and placed into an orphanage that employed the most draconian methods ever for raising children. Will they all get out alive? This is not a horror story, but taken from actual events that occurred. You will see the perspectives of some of the children after they are elderly and looking back, and you'll also see the perspective of some of their family members. The story itself has a plethora of twists and turns, and I could not put it down. It's not a mystery necessarily, but there are things that you don't find out until later in the story. How far will they all go for love and normalcy? You'll see.

4 stars

Before we were yours is based on actual events, but is a work of fiction. It is a powerful story of 2 families connected by the inhumane acts of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. This is family drama at its best, told from 2 POV, past and present. I will say that I was much more intrigued and spellbound by Rill Foss than I was Avery Stafford. However, both story lines are told very well and the overall story of family, love, loss and perseverance is excellent.

I read this book very quickly and it was the kind of book that just stays with you. When I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it. And it took me a day or so to sit down to write the review because I just had to let it simmer for a while. I laughed, I cried and all in all was captivated by this story.

I highly recommend adding this to your reading list if you enjoy historical fiction or domestic drama.

One of the best books I have read this year....and I have read 70 as of Mid August.
Lisa Wingate has been purported as a storyteller by many, they were not exaggerating.
She has a way of telling a story that makes you feel as if you are there living the story and experiencing it first hand..
The subject matter of the book is rough, the true story of the enfamous Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children's Home Society. It is heartbreaking, but so heartwarming at the same time, thanks to the author's ability to suck you in! Lisa Wingate takes the facts and tells such a compelling story of what may have become of some of the "orphans". Even though the story takes place over several decades, the author makes transitions seem flawless.
I love a book that not only entertains, but teaches me something....Before We Were Yours does just that. I look forward to rereading this book, which is something I rarely do.
This book will stay with me for quite sometime. I cannot wait for publication date so that I can purchase some as gifts.
I would not be surprised if Before We Were Yours becomes a classic.

Wingate’s book is based on real events. In the 1930’s poor children in Tennessee were sometimes stolen from their parents and sold off to rich families through a sanctioned adoption agency. Parents were strong-armed to sign over their children, never to see them again. After the kids were ripped from their homes, they were kept in a harsh facility that is reminiscent of Oliver Twist. The children were given little food, ill-fitting rags for clothing, were threatened into submission and were even at risk from an employee predator. Rill and her four siblings were river gypsies living with their parents on a houseboat on the Mississippi. They were a poor family living an unusual lifestyle, but the parents loved each other and their children. When the mother is taken to the hospital due to complications that arise when delivering twins, men invade the houseboat and remove the children. Rill is the oldest and tries to do whatever is necessary to keep her siblings together, waiting for the moment they will be allowed to see their parents. The children are the perfect specimens for buyers – blond and blue eyed. That is, all except one feisty brunette sister. The people at the orphanage do not appreciate defiance or any deviance from the strict rules. As the family gets split apart, Rill becomes even more despairing of ever seeing her family together again. In a second contemporary storyline, Avery Stafford, daughter of a distinguished family in SC, visits a nursing home with her Senator father. While there, a strange woman reaches out to Avery as if she recognizes her. An accomplished attorney, Avery becomes obsessed with figuring out if there is some connection to this woman. As she pursues the mystery, the story of stolen children slowly comes to light.
This book was riveting and fascinating. The appalling facts that underlie the true story of what was done to some children under the guise of helping the unfortunate, underscores the horror of the book. The most compelling part of the story centers on Rill and her siblings, innocent children caught up in circumstances driven by greed. Wingate presents characters that are full-of-life and complex. The children are typical of the time, unquestioningly obeying authority (except for the one sister.) Rill is at the centerpiece, a girl trying to do what’s best for her siblings while caught up in an adult web of deceit. This story is haunting and unnerving, a glimpse into an evil practice that was condoned by judges and authorities and was allowed to operate for over 20 years.
4.5*

Before We Were Yours
By Lisa Wingate
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate is a truly amazing read based on true events that will break your heart. Beautifully written and heart wrenching, the story tells the lives of two different time periods and how the people in them connect across the years.
In 1939, the Foss children were living on their boat with their parents who were at the hospital giving birth to their newest brother or sister. Police came and forcibly removed them, carrying them away to a home where they were told their parents would come find them at. The children were mistreated and abused at this home and their parents never did come. They began to understand that the home was part of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society and that they were being put up for adoption. The oldest girl, Rill, fought so hard to keep them together and prevent abuse from happening to her younger siblings.

In present day, Avery Stafford, part a wealthy and prominent family that has been in the government for several generations, is home to help care for her father who has cancer. She is in line to be his successor and has worked hard for this day. A chance encounter at a nursing home with an elderly lady named May will change her life forever.
May looks eerily like Avery’s grandma Judy. She even says that Avery has her bracelet, which was a gift from Avery’s Grandma. The two ladies begin a discussion that will lead Avery to search her family history and discover shocking secrets that could affect their entire futures. Along the way, Avery begins to question her own life and what she wants to do. She realizes that her future is not as planned out as she has imagined.
The two stories interweave perfectly to create an amazing finish that will leave you hungering for more. I absolutely recommend this book!! I received a free copy of this story for my honest review from NetGalley.

Im usually not a fan of historical fiction, but this tale of the sad part of our history, which was Pay for Adoption, intrigued me. Lisa Wingate didnt disappoint. It was obvious she had done her research, and the book was the better for that fact. Her technique of using beautifully drawn families/characters in different time periods to draw readers into the facts and results was very effective. I was drawn into the story early on, and found myself engaged throughout. Lisa Wingate writes lyrically about what was not a stellar example of humanity. It was a difficult subject handled with respect and honor.

I had heard of this before, I really enjoyed following the story of the family. it was well written and interesting. a long lost cousin's grandmother was one of the babies left at this home in the 30's. He just found the real story of her in the last couple of yrs so it was doubly interesting to me.

This was an enthralling tale that draws you in straight from the start. I loved to watch the story unfolding from 2 different views. It was incredibly moving and heartbreaking. This book was such a delight to read, and I can't wait to see more from this author!

I found this book very difficult to put down and the story it told was engrossing. The characters were appealing and interesting and I enjoyed the way the point of view shifted from the present to the past. This is the perfect kind of book for the patrons at our library -- I have purchased it and will recommend.

This historical novel introduced me to the heart-wrenching and sickening practices of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society & the adoptions and child placement activities that they had in place. I felt compassion for the sibling group that the story follows. The book flips between present time and history as Avery is working to uncover some of her grandmother's past that none of the family was ever aware of.

Set in Memphis Tennesse and on the Mississippi River, Before We Were Yours is a wonderful book but terribly sad story.  This historical fiction story is told in alternating timelines, one set in the past and one in the present.  It does not take long to engage the reader to want to keep turning the pages to find out what happens.  It has elements of historical fiction, mystery, and romance.  

While their parents are away, Rill Foss and her siblings are taken from the riverboat they live on and sent to the Tennessee Children's Home Society.  Rill spends much of the book trying to return herself and her siblings to their home on the Arcadia riverboat.  In present day, Avery meets May at a political event held at a nursing home.  She soon learns May is somehow connected to her grandmother who suffers from dementia.  Avery spends much of the book trying to unravel the mystery connection between her grandmother, Judy, and May.

This book is very well written and I will definitely look forward to reading more from this author.  The story pulled me in and made me care about the characters in a way that is rare.  The Tennessee Children's Home Society actually did exist.  While the author wrote a fictionalized story around it, some elements were based on truth.  Readers will be both amazed and horrified that such a place existed.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel.

While this novel is based on historical events and real persons who existed in Tennessee in the first half of the 20th century, preying on poor families and their children, I found that I had great difficulty relating to it, primarily because of the contemporary story and the primary protagonist. My thoughts vary on this book. Some aspects are well done and the expose of the decades-long adoption ring in Memphis is both interesting and abhorrent. But the total presentation still bothers me, particularly the "heroine" of the contemporary story, who might have stepped out of a romance novel. I wonder how this could have been done differently.

Avery seems the Southern society "girl" made good, who has succeeded brilliantly but is still being hounded by the somewhat stereotypical women around her to marry ASAP in order to fulfill her role in life. There is so much talk of beautifully groomed people and lawns and flower beds in the contemporary story, that I grew tired of reading it. And romance is fine, but must it be such a large component of what should be such a serious historical novel. Or perhaps that's the novel I wish it to be, not what it is.

I am glad to have learned of this history and to have had the opportunity to learn of it through historical fiction, which I find a valuable medium. I only wish the contemporary story had seemed as serious to me. I do realize that many, if not most readers have or may disagree with me, but I can only speak from my experience.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.