Although I was interested in the subject matter, this was a little difficult to read as fiction. I think I would prefer to read it as true crime.

This book has been collecting dust on my shelves for a while now. I kept pushing it back and back. You know what I mean? There’s always a “new book” you want to get to. This book is one of the reasons I no longer take part in virtual blog tours. I was reading new release after new release and there were others I too wanted to read…..some of you will know what I mean.

Anyway……this book….

I was aware of the content what I wasn’t aware of what this little girl Sally would worm her way into my emotions.

The ways these perpetrators go about things make me sick, and seeing this is based in the 1950’s it’s equally distressing and disturbing as life and media wasn’t like today.

The Mother of Sally had my support too, I felt her physical pain of her ailment and the distress and guilt she had not only over her child but her husband too.

I loved Sally’s sister too Susan. But I loved her husband much more. What a feeling, tender and coomonsence kind of guy.

The journey that Sally went on and her awful treatment at the hands of this sick man was beyond me. I wanted to go fetch Sally and treat that bloke bad!

Getting toward the end of this book I fully got why Sally wanted to speak about her 2 years away from the family home, inadvertently bringing a nice thought to the surface as she recalls something from that time and I equally get why her Mother couldn’t handle it.

Sally found some “good” things that she experienced along the two years, her dog, people she met etc
She got through it.

Her Mother found this understandably difficult.

The ending was so tragic.

I adore T Greenwood books, so much feeling, so much empathy is drawn out and gifted to the reader.

The true crime story behind Lolita is just as horrifying as you would expect. I appreciated the stylistic choice of telling this story from multiple perspectives, it really rounded out the plot and made it all the more frightening that there were many witnesses to this crime without knowing it. Dark and devastating.

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.

Rust & Stardust is a heavy read. I wasn't quite expecting to be this emotional after reading a book. I love T. Greenwoods books and this one is no exception. I'd definitely plan a "breather" book after reading this one!

I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I did not realize that this was based on a true story until after I finished! Sally Horner was 11 years old, living in NJ with her single mother. A group of girls at school told her that to be popular, she had to steal something. So she took a notebook at the local shop. An excon with a record for rape and child kidnapping sees her do it, and pretends he is an FBI agent. He convinces the naive child and she is "willingly" kidnapped. It is a very sad story, the poor young girl does not know what to think and experiences awful things. #rustandstardust #tgreenwoodauthor #bookstagram #reader #booklover #truecrimenovel #booksbooksbooks #readersofinstagram #lovetoread #bookreview #bookrecommendations #bookreviewsofinstagram #netgalley

On a dare, eleven year old Sally Horner steals a notebook from the Camden, New Jersey local five and dime store and winds up the victim of a serial pedophile recently released from prison and on the run from the authorities. For two years Sally is molested, transported across the country and terrified to tell anyone about her appalling plight. She attends school and lives among others in various trailer parks and hovels but even those suspicious of her situation are unable to act on her behalf. As is always the case with child abductions, there is more than one victim and I was struck by the gentleness with which the author cared for her characters. Sally Horner’s story is the inspiration for Lolita and I found this re-imagining to be much more distressing than Nabokov’s classic.

You'll remember this long after reading it. Well-crafted but really tough to read from a content perspective. Intense and heartbreaking and thought-provoking and it left me feeling torn apart and empty. But I also recommend it!

This was a book that I had to put down. I have read Lolita in the past, but this book depicts the true story that inspired that book, and that alone was too triggering for me. It is greatly written, but I could not find it in myself to be able to face the whole content of the book.

Heartbreaking yet captivating and hopeful, RUST AND STARDUST is a fictionalized novel about the real life kidnapping of Sally Horner. While it does concern me that the author admits to taking great artistic liberties with the story, this book is well written and an absolute page turner.

It's truly fascinating to think how a kidnapping can happen right under the nose of a child's mother (seemingly with her permission!). And how years can elapse without law enforcement finding Sally. While part of me would like to think that this event from 1948 would go a lot differently today, this story helps to illustrate how a conman can really trick anyone into following his narrative.

Although some of the writing feels a bit contrived, the ending of this book was very well done. Greenwood does an excellent job of writing from multiple perspectives. This tactic gives readers a fuller picture of how Sally's kidnapping not only affects her, but everyone she knows. I'm now inspired to learn more about the real Sally Horner, which I think is important.

If you're looking for a crime novel with a lot of heart that doesn't glorify violence for entertainment value, I highly recommend RUST AND STARDUST.

This is a true crime novel based on the 1948 kidnapping of eleven-year-hold Sally Horner. The author took this story and made it so much more with her characterization of Sally, giving her a voice, and bringing the events so much to life that I stayed up through the night reading. It is a disturbing read because of the innocence of young Sally, the details of the crime, and how easy it was for Frank to lure her into his world. I finished this and bought a copy for my shelves to re-read. I also bought a non-fiction book about Sally, but I'm still unable to read it because Greenwood brought her so much to life that I don't think any author could tell her story any better, even as non-fiction. This was my first book by T. Greenwood. I will read more of her books.

This book was just so incredibly sad. And knowing it was based from a true story made it even worse. Ugh. But I did enjoy it and I would recommend.

Rust & Stardust was a disturbing book that I couldn't put down. As a mom, it was extremely hard to read, but the author did a great job in crafting a story that was based in truth.

I had heard about the book "Lolita" but never read it. This book was billed as being inspired by this book. Reading this book made me want to read more about the real "Lolita". This book was very well written and held my interest from page 1. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on my review.

Based on the true story of the 1948 kidnapping of 11 year-old Sally Horner, this fictionalized story tears at the heart strings. Sally longs to be included with the other girls at school. So much so, that she breaks the law and finds herself in hot water with a man who says he is an FBI agent. What Sally does not know is that convicted criminal Frank LaSalle has set his sights on her.
Greenwood has created a plausible narrative for a real-life case that has remained cloaked in mystery. The story is heartbreaking and gut-wrenching at times, but readers are kept riveted to Sally's fate. It is impossible to look away.

The story of the little girl that Lolita was based on ~ gripping, unyielding and heartbreaking. Once you start reading, it won't let you go until the very last page.

Based on a real life abduction. This novel details the abduction of young Sally and her years in the grasp of her abductor. It is heartbreaking and gut wrenching but a good read. It will stay with you for years to come.

In my role as English Teacher, I love being able to spend time reviewing books for our school library which I use to help the students make great picks when they visit us as well as running a library junior and senior book group where we meet every week and share the books we love and talk about what makes a great read. This is certainly a book that I'd be happy to display at the front as one of my monthly 'top picks' which often transform into 'most borrowed' between students and staff. It's a great read and ties in with my ethos of wishing to assemble a diverse, modern and thought-provoking range of books that will inspire and deepen a love of reading in our students of all ages. This book answers this brief in spade! It has s fresh and original voice and asks the readers to think whilst hooking them with a compelling storyline and strong characters It is certainly a book that I've thought about a lot after finishing it and I've also considered how we could use some of its paragraphs in supporting and inspiring creative writing in the school through the writers' circle that we run. This is a book that I shall certainly recommend we purchase and look forward to hearing how much the staff and students enjoy this memorable and thought-provoking read.

This book was so disturbing it took me a good long time to actually make it through. I think I just had a hard time with the subject matter and never was able to see past that. I think it was a great book and well written, I just was never able to completely immerse myself in the story.

Horrifying.

Gorgeous.

Atmospheric.

Distant.

Just a few words I'd use to describe Rust & Stardust. It really is wonderfully written in a lot of ways, but there is a certain level of removal from the truth of the subject matter that I believe readers will feel. Greenwood makes sure you're never quite in Sally's mind when these terrifying and agonizing things are happening to her, and so, I could never quite capture the experience. Perhaps that will be preferable to a lot of readers.

This book is inspired by the true story of Florence Sally Horner, who was the inspiration for Lolita, and who lived a ridiculously tragic life. Much like Steven Stayner (I Know My First Name Is Steven, Sally Horner (view spoiler), and so, you feel doubly awful about her kidnapping and subsequent rapes / abuse.

In the end, I think that the true story is much more riveting than this fictionalized account. The idea of a predator posing as an FBI agent, having the ability to kidnap a young girl, put her in school multiple times, and fool her so completely that she doesn't even try to escape? It seems unbelievable, but sadly - these things happen. I think of Elizabeth Smart who was within breathing distance of multiple people who could have helped her, or Jaycee Dugard, who worked outside of the home where she was held in later years... these women are terrorized so completely and efficiently that they become immune to the idea of ever leaving.

Rust & Stardust is a book worth reading, and it's certainly full of beautiful prose and disturbing details. While it never quite cuts to the blood of the matter, it does do a gorgeous job of skimming over the surface.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was hard for me to read as a mother of three little girls. Frank la salle is an evil tricky man that sets his eyes on young sally. She spends two years as his prisoner and I struggled to get through it. It felt too real for me. Great novel, just too hard of a subject for me to enjoy.