Thanks to St. Martin’s Press #partner for gifting me a copy of Rust & Stardust by T. Geeenwood I have a had a copy of this gem since December and I finally dove in to it over the weekend!

Sally Horner was raised by a single mother in Camden, NJ. Sally enjoyed going to school and learning new things. She didn’t have many friends and longed for friendship. When Sally approached a group of girls they told her she had to complete a dare to join their group. Sally was nervous but really wanted to belong somewhere. The dare was to steal something from their local store.

Sally was successful in stealing the notebook but was stopped by a man outside the store claiming he was with the FBI. The man was Frank LaSalle who just got out of prison. He told Sally to avoid jail and to see a judge she’d have to go with him.

For the next two years, Sally spent her life with Frank and it was not pleasant. Gosh, I really enjoyed this book. I am always fascinated by cases like Sally’s. I immediately googled the case after I finished reading it. I summed up the book for my brother because I was like OMG, he chuckled and said “that’s life”. UGH. Anyways, I definitely recommend! 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ And now, I desperately want to read Lolita since this case gave the author the idea.

What I Liked

The one thing this book did that stands out is the fact that is broke my heart reading it. Even from the description you are warned that this is going to be a story where a man is going to abuse an 11 year old child, it did not prepare me for how much of a reaction I had. I was angry, disgusted, and devastated. This book made me cry, which has not happened for a while. Now it might sound weird to say that this is something I liked, but the writing and the way this story is told really made me invested. 

Another thing I liked was that this novel was written in the manner that it was. Sadly, this story is based off of a true one, you can search the name Florence Sally Horner to find out about her case. But, it is also the case that inspired a novel well known called Lolita. I personally hated Lolita, it was creepy and rubbed me the wrong way. I felt like this story did more justice in telling the story of a child who has been abused. 

What I Didn’t Like

One thing I have to point out is that some points were difficult to read, but I would not remove anything from this book. It simply is a personal preference and I still really enjoyed reading this heart breaking book. 

Overall Thoughts

While this book is filled with abuse of various kinds, made me very angry, and told an awful story. It did so in a beautiful way. The first thing I noticed when I started this book, right in the first chapter when she confronted by the "FBI" man, they way the story was written sounded like the narration was from a young girl. You can feel her confusion, her terror, and worry not just read about it. Over all if you are able to read this type of content I would highly suggest this novel.

WOW what a book! Rust and Stardust had my heart breaking and jaw wide open the whole time I was reading! I really don’t know what else to say about this Must Read because I seriously don’t want to give anything away!
I found out after reading that this book was based on a true kidnapping which FLOORED me! The disturbing details that filled this book became more disturbing. I did do cyber stalking of the true story and I applaud T. Greenwood for her attention to detail in this story and for putting this story out there!
Rust and Stardust is the first book by T. Greenwood that I have read but def won’t be the last! I look forward to what she comes out with next!

Bestselling author T. Greenwood (one of my favorite authors) returns following (2017) The Golden Hour with her best yet (of course, I say this after reading each one) with RUST AND STARDUST —a beautifully written and compelling retelling of a haunting true-crime story that inspired Nabokov’s Lolita. Top Books of 2018!

A tragic story of the eleven-year-old Sally Horner. A brutal 1940’s kidnapping. From the heartbreak to the people Sally touched along the way —as this tragedy unfolds. T. Greenwood is the perfect author to pen this incredible story.

An innocent girl, from a poor family. Camden, NJ, 1948. A single mother, a seamstress with a debilitating arthritic disability, with little time or energy left over for Sally. The older sister is married, and Sally must take care of her mother. However, like most young girls, she wants to fit in with the popular girls at school. To be a part of their club.

To become a part of their group, the mean girls want her to steal something. This is not something Sally wants to do. However, she takes a composition notebook from Woolworths. (I recall as a girl, my aunt took me to the local Woolworths and remembered men sitting at the soda counter. Of course, my aunt brought me along so she could flirt from the table across from the counter). I can envision this story playing out. Chilling.

There happened to be a man at the counter to witnesses the event and is ready to prey on this young innocent girl. Frank LaSalle, who goes by Mr. Warner— posing as an FBI agent. He is a convicted felon. He tricks her. A scheme. He is an adult, an authority figure (so she thinks), so she feels she has to follow his orders, or he will hurt her family. He warns her to tell no one and follow his instructions. She believes him.

Little does she know or her mother what this horrible man is capable of. He instructs her to tell her mother they are going on a trip (father of her friend). The mother allows her to go. With no idea, her little girl will be in the hands of a rapist and pedophile.

On the road from one town to another, Sally is held, hostage. He mentally and physically abuses her. However, along the way, Sally meets caring people. She hopes and prays someone will save her from this man and reunite her with her family. He locks her away, and she is unable to escape for two years traveling across the country.

Greenwood alternates between POV of Sally and her mother. Then there are more characters as the hunt continues. From a teacher, a woman at a trailer park, circus people, and later the girls. Finally by the time the family figures out Sally is in real danger, the harder it is to track them. Sally’s brother in law is diligent, as well as others who begin to discover what is really going on.

Rather than focusing on the horrors only, Greenwood zooms in what it was like for Sally. Her dreams, hopes, and fears. The steadfast love and perseverance that eventually brought her home.

Signature Greenwood style, the author creates her skillful magic turning something heartbreaking and sad into stardust as the story comes to life. Inspired by history an eloquently blending of characters and events —from compassion and heart.

As the author mentions in her notes, this is not a true-crime story in the traditional way. She took liberties with some fictional portions, and others mirrored history. While she drew heavily on Sally’s heartbreaking story, the novel is ultimately an imagined rendering of the years she spent on the road with her captor and the impact of her abduction— and those Sally encountered along the way as well as those she left behind.

As a nana of an eleven-year-old granddaughter, I know all too well at this age, even today there is so much peer pressure with social media. They want to fit in and can be easily persuaded to do things without the forethought of the consequences. To realize this could happen today when someone tries to pass themselves off as an authority figure. We want to guard our children against the evils of our world.

Thank you, for writing this emotional, beautiful and heartbreaking story! The author has outdone herself. Both lyrical and haunting— Sally would be proud! Her voice speaks through each page—the bright and shining star. A fitting title.

As Greenwood references in her writing, author Sarah Wineman. Be sure an add to your book list, The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel that Scandalized the World, coming Sept 11, 2018.

Sally Horner’s story echoes the stories of countless girls and women who never had the chance to speak for themselves. By diving more in-depth in the publication history of Lolita and restoring Sally to her rightful place in the lore of the novel’s creation, The Real Lolita casts a new light on the dark inspiration for a modern classic.

Highly Recommend both books. A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.

“And the rest is rust and stardust.”– Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita

JDCMustReadBooks

More of my T Greenwood reviews (plus more not listed here):
The Golden Hour
Top Books of 2017

Where I Lost Her
Top Books of 2016

The Forever Bridge
Top Books of 2015

RUST AND STARDUST is a devastating, fictionalized re-telling of the famous Sally Horner case. An eleven-year old girl is kidnapped by Frank LaSalle, a serial pedophile and criminal who uses aliases to prey on young children. In the unfortunate case of Sally Horner, he pretends that he is an FBI agent after he catches her attempting to steal a notebook in order to impress a group of girls she goes to school with.
What ensues is a tale full of grief, menacing buildup, and the shattering portrayal of Sally's family as they come to terms with a nightmare scenario!
This was also the true crime case that inspired Vladmir Nabakov's LOLITA. Greenwood is a skilled writer, and has a deft ability to string the tale along respectfully, without conceding to censorship or cheap tactics that another author might have tried as a scapegoat to the subject matter.
Greenwood left me dazzled albeit disturbed, and this book is one that should find its way onto reading lists and book clubs--it begs to be discussed!
The one star I docked off was for pacing--at times the story lagged and dipped its toes into the mundane nature of day-to-day life. Given that the day-to-day for Sally Horner was anything but, makes Greenwood's delicacy warranted. My personal preference is for a quicker pace. What a fantastic piece of fiction, for all that.

I hardly know where to begin with this book! It was well-written, and heartbreaking. It pulled me in from page one, and I couldn't put it down. The story is such a tragic one, and my heart stayed attached to Sally, even to the very end.

Rust and Stardust is one of the most heart-rending books I have ever read.  The tale was tragically thought inducing and the book brought to life the very real horrors that the world contains.  It conveyed a swirling mix of emotions that left the reader disconsolate yet sadly hopeful.  From the first lines, I was thrown into the tale of a girl who was kidnapped and the repercussions it had on her and her family.

Inspired by the true-life kidnapping of 11-year-old Florence (Sally) Horner in Camden, New Jersey, in 1948, this novel reads like 50s noir. Frank La Salle, a 50-year-old mechanic just recently out of prison for child molestation, caught Sally stealing a notebook on a dare from the local Woolworths, told her that he was an FBI agent, and threatened to have her sent to jail. With subtle threats and lies, he kept her under his control until he could spirit her away from her unsuspecting mother.

The two spent the next two years traveling across country, keeping one step ahead of FBI agents. In her novel, Greenwood imagines what that must have been like for Sally, her family and the people with whom she may have come into contact. Why did she never try to escape? Why didn't she call home at every opportunity? Greenwood concocts some reasons why.

There's so much we don't understand about the psychology of abduction and rape. That comes into play too with the ending with its expectations of returning to everyday normalcy, picking up the pieces and moving on.

This is such a devastating book to read! A mother's worst nightmare! But Greenwood handles the hard topics well. I loved the cover design and the title--both are a perfect fit for the story. This is the second book I've read in a row with ties to the stars! (Gateway to the Moon being the previous--another 5-star book.)

I received an arc of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review. Sincere thanks.

I was unaware that Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita was supposedly inspired by a true crime. In 1948 in Camden, New Jersey, 11-year-old Sally Horner stole a notebook; the theft was an initiation into a girls’ club she wanted desperately to join. She was spotted by Frank LaSalle, a recently released convict whose rap sheet included statutory rape and enticing a minor. He posed as an F.B.I. agent who told her she would be arrested if she did not follow his instructions. He convinced her she must leave with him to Atlantic City. Thus began her two-year long kidnapping and serial molestation.

In the Author’s Note, T. Greenwood states her purpose in writing Rust & Stardust: “While I drew heavily on Sally’s heartbreaking story, this novel is ultimately an imagined rendering of the years that she spent on the road with her captor and of the impact of her abduction on those she encountered along the way as well as those she left behind.”

The perspective of a number of people is given. The focus is on Sally, Ella (Sally’s mother), Susan (Sally’s sister), and Al (Susan’s husband), but the views of other minor characters, both real and imagined, are also given. The one person who is not given a voice is Frank.

The events depicted occurred 60 years ago when the phrase “stranger danger” did not exist. I understand that young girls would have been much more innocent and naïve, but would they be as naïve as Sally is for so long? Susan finds some consolation in learning how Frank lured her sister; she feels better knowing Sally must have been terrified: “Sally wasn’t a fool, only a scared little girl.” Though Sally is supposedly an intelligent girl with boundless curiosity who excels in school, she believes Frank’s fabrications even as they become more and more ludicrous?

Ella is an even more problematic character. It is difficult to have much sympathy for her. Even in 1948, would a mother send her daughter on a vacation with a man she meets for the first time when her daughter boards a bus with him? The man is supposedly the father of Sally’s classmate with whom Sally will be vacationing in Atlantic City, but Ella has never met this classmate either. Susan questions her mother’s judgement: “She tried to understand how it was that her mother had handed her own child off to this criminal. She’d walked her to the bus depot, delivered her to him like a gift. She couldn’t understand how Ella had been so gullible, so stupid.” When Sally’s letters make no reference to her classmate and only mention activities with the father, shouldn’t Ella start questioning? Later, Ella even says, “’Sally. I forgive her for what she done with that man.’” Her treatment of her daughter once she returns is hard to understand. Given how consequential her comments to her husband proved to be, one would expect her to be better able to control her tongue. When Sally expresses a desire to visit the woman responsible for her rescue, Ella says, “’Of course not . . . What’s the matter with you, wantin’ to go back there? . . . You’d think you missed it there. Living in squalor with that monster. What’s the matter with you?’” Of course Ella suffered, but she is the adult and should be more concerned about her daughter’s feelings than her own.

There are issues with Frank’s behaviour. At one point, he tells Sally, “’Your daddy killed himself rather than spend a minute more in the house with you and your crippled mama.’” Frank would have known about the suicide of Sally’s stepfather which had occurred years earlier? Ruth writes letters to Sally though she suspects they never reach her, “Not if Frank got to them first. Every day that went by without a response, she became convinced that he was confiscating them. Hiding them from her.” Undoubtedly Frank would have read those letters, the content of which should have aroused his suspicions, so why would he believe a later letter from Ruth in which she suggests he and her husband have a job for him in California?

The book has too much detail. Thankfully, the scenes of rape are not graphically depicted, but the book is overly long. There is suspense at the beginning but a pattern develops and the book drags: Sally meets someone who suspects there is something wrong but is unable or unwilling to help so her situation doesn’t change until she meets someone else who could help her but misses the opportunity to assist, etc. Several of the fictional characters added (e.g. Sister Mary Katherine and Lena and Doris) seem to have been added solely to create suspense. Will this person help? Then there’s the overly dramatic scene where Frank jumps out of the shower just as Sally is trying to use a phone. He can hear so clearly through a closed door with the shower running and moves so quickly that she still has the handset in her hand?

Since the author’s purpose is to imagine the impact of Sally’s abduction, why does the novel continue for so long afterwards? Do we really need to know what happens to minor characters that are figments of the author’s imagination? And the references to luminous stars in each of the last five chapters are heavy-handed symbolism.

This book tells a heartbreaking story which is often a harrowing read. The content often left me feeling uncomfortable. Though the author insists “this is, in the end, a work of fiction,” I felt that in some ways Sally was being exploited yet again. I am not in favour of censorship, but I wonder why not use Lolita as inspiration and write a novel from the perspective of Dolores Haze and those she encounters?

Note: I received a digital galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

Rust & Stardust = serious book hangover! This story is based on the real life 1948 abduction of 11 year old Sally Horner by Frank LaSalle, a child molester, and it totally captivated me. It is one of those books that I couldn't wait to finish but tried to pace myself because I didn't want the story to end. Although this was a difficult story, T. Greenwood did an amazing job writing!

“She couldn’t ever tell anyone the things he had done and said to her. The secrets her skin kept now, the horror that flowed in her veins. Her marrow poisoned.”

Rust & Stardust is an affecting novelization of the true crime story that ultimately inspired Nabokov’s writing of Lolita. The facts: Sally Horner was kidnapped from Camden, New Jersey, in the summer of 1948, by a man claiming to be with the FBI after he caught her stealing a five-cent notebook. The man’s real name was Frank La Salle who had been released from state prison in January of the same year for sex crimes against young girls. The unknown: All of the tiny details that Greenwood had to infer in order to recreate the tragic story of Sally Horner.

The story melds the horrifying point of view of Sally Horner with that of the family she left behind and various individuals that were unwittingly impacted by La Salle’s crimes. Sally’s story is, of course, heinous especially when you consider this girl was a mere 11-years-old and the ease with which she was convinced that her minor crime was worth what she endured was heartbreaking. But it was the normalcy of life that her family was forced to revert back to that was the most heartbreaking for me. The efforts they were forced to exude, all because of the continuous passing of time with the vestiges of hope deteriorating with each passing day.

‘How sad it is that grief has a shelf life […]. It’s only fresh and raw for so long before it begins to spoil. And soon enough, it will be replaced by a newer, brighter heartache – the old one discarded and eventually forgotten.’

Within the first 100 pages you start to feel as if Sally had already endured a lifetime of suffering, but of course, the book was far from over. Her story, far from over. It’s hard to understand how an 11-year-old could be convinced the situation was credible, but then again, this happened in the year 1948 when crime wasn’t quite so common and it was normal for children to be mostly sheltered from the nightmares of the world. Also, we’re taught at a very early age to respect authority, especially police officers, so I can understand even if something seemed wrong, how would someone at that age really know? And of course, it wasn’t until months into her abduction as Sally grew up that she finally started asking the questions that you, as the reader, were no doubt screaming at her to question when this all began.

Rust & Stardust was, as expected, a most difficult read but Sally’s story was gracefully told. Do yourself a favor and don’t go searching for Sally’s story to find out what became of her; I made the mistake of doing just this and I wish I hadn’t so that the ending could have remained elusive.

Even though I knew this would be a heart-rending book, I trusted Greenwood to write in a respectful way without being sensationally graphic, and somehow, even knowing the devastating ending ahead of time, there were peeks of hope that kept this from being an overwhelmingly bleak book.

In Camden, New Jersey in 1948, 11-year old Sally Horner is desperate to be seen and have friendships, to be part of the group. In order to be initiated into a group of girls, she is told she has to steal a notebook from Woolworth’s. Frank LaSalle, a seedy and convicted felon recently released from prison, catches her in the act and misleadingly portrays himself as an FBI worker.

What follows is the two tragic years Sally spends with LaSalle, as they travel cross country, and he repeatedly abuses her.

Even though I knew how it would unfold because it is a story based on true events, at each step, I was hoping, practically pleading, for a different outcome for Sally. There are opportunities for help and near misses, and each time, I kept hoping.

T. Greenwood uses a deft and sensitive hand along with beautiful writing to paint this somber story with respect to Sally Horner and her family and to give them a voice in these disheartening and devastating events. The Author’s Note is not to be missed and shows the heart of the author.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

This book is why there are trigger warnings.

The title and cover may look like some flighty YA fantasy. It is not. Don't be fooled. This is a punch in the gut historical fiction based on a true story, the spark that ignited Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita. That alone should give you enough info to decide whether or not you can handle reading this book.

It's a fictional account of the kidnapping of 11 year-old Sally Horner in 1948 New Jersey. Each chapter is told through the prospective of one of the characters: Sally, her mother, her sister, and sometimes the women Sally encounters during her two year imprisonment by Frank La Salle across America. In the Sally chapters the reader gets insight to how a victim can fell powerless and unable to help themselves, or worse see themselves as the problem. Her fear is so evident the reader can't escape it or forget it for long. It's an underlying current, constantly there. Greenwood builds upon Sally's desperation and reinforces La Salle's control - no one will help her. Even those who want to help her don't know how.

I was born in the 80's and take for granted the programs in place to protect children. While reading this book, I wanted to yell at the characters to call CPS. That's when I looked up that Child Protective Services didn't start in the US until 1974! This story, based on a real story, took place in 1949. How were children protected from adults? The answer is they didn't have advocates like they do today.

I'd like to believe that today children Sally's age would never fall for La Salle's bullshit unless the parents purposely sheltered and controlled their children to the point where they'd believe anyone and just follow orders. But that's most likely not the case. I can only hope that as a society we're progressing towards protecting the innocent. No one should ever want to go back to a time when marginalized people were so voiceless they felt they couldn't stop something bad from happening to them.

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Story: 4 stars
It's based on a true story, so the author didn't have much room to explore but the tension is well structured.

Character Development: 4 stars
Sally changes over her time away, and not for the better. A wounded bird is returned home to a bitter and angry mother.

Writing/Prose: 3 stars
The writing is good. Nothing amazing, but also not bad. It's very clear and to the point.

Upfront. First thing - I am recommending this book. It is a well developed story about a horrible event. But it is a difficult read. Sadness, anger, depression, impatience become the readers constant companions during this reading.
T. Greenwood calmly and clearly chronicles a child abduction. Step by step we are led through the events that wrest a young girl from her home to life on the road with a drunken pedophile. Each step could have turned out differently. This is the “gut wrenchingness” of this book. If Only rides along from New Jersey to California.
The individuals we meet along the way are fully developed characters. This is part of the beauty of this novel. We like some. We admire some. We hate some. Some bring us to tears while others raise our blood pressure.
I will not ruin the book for future readers by disclosing the ending. I will call the ending most satisfying and poignant. I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley. My review is unbiased and completely my own. #netgalkey #rustandstardust

This is a fictionalized account of a true story, the story that inspired Lolita. (There's also a nonfiction book out next month.)

This is a harrowing story but, at the same time, there are moments of hope and happiness. Sally keeps almost getting rescued, but circumstances keep her trapped with her kidnapper. (The neighbor who ultimately gets her rescued is a real person; several others are the author's invention.)

I hate that "Lolita" is used the way it is. Lolita (and Sally) is a girl who was kidnapped and repeatedly raped. It's not a sex-positive story. It's not a love story. It's a cautionary tale. This story in particular shows the effect that it had on Sally, as well as on her family, a teacher and friends. Lives were irrevocably damaged. (Again, not a love story.)

This book will affect you, so go in aware of that. But it's also amazing. Recommended.

Best book I've read, so far, this year! Heartbreaking and yet so wonderful. I fell in love with the main character, Sally, a 12year old girl who's real life story is told here. (Real history plus some dialogue) I will not give away spoilers because I'm grateful I didn't know them, but I promise you, you'll never forget this novel. You should block out time to read it, because you will not be able to put it down. So many interesting characters and situations to enjoy, but I have to confess, I left a piece of my heart behind at the end.

4.5 stars

This was a rough, sad read; but so well-written and one that will most likely stay with me for a long time to come.

Do I recommend? Yes, but only with the warning going in that you need to be prepared for dark subject matter as in child abuse, both physical and sexual, even animal abuse. If you can get around that, this is a worthy read.

I think the story being told from multiple POV's helped break up the horror's that were told in Sally's chapters. Without this, I don't know if I could have continued on to the end. And thankfully there were some moments of hope, love and triumph weaved in. The most heartfelt coming from those who were strangers, who did what they could to try and help.

Much respect to the author. (The author's note at the end was a nice way to wrap things up)
Looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next!

ARC provided by NetGalley

Heart wrenching, fascinating fictionalized account of real-life events. The story of Sally Horner, basis for the book Lolita, is brought to life in this interesting story from T Greenwood. Parts of the book are difficult to read, but the story is fast paced, alternating between various characters in the book.

I didn't expect much going into this one but I definitely found myself enjoying the read. It's well written and, while fictional, does surround two non-fictional people. I didn't know prior to reading this about the Sally Horner case from the 1940's so this was definitely an interesting introduction.

Looking at the cover and hearing the title, you would imagine this to be some harmless pretty tale. But what this book has in store for you is something completely different. If you have read Lolita by Nabokov you would know that his book was based on the abduction of 11-year old Sally Horners. This book is inspired from that incident and is a fictional rendering of the horrifying true crime where an 11 year old girl was abducted and abused, mentally and physically, by a sadistic pedophile for two years.

“She felt as if she’d been invited to play a game, but that nobody was telling her the rules.”

From the very first page, Sally managed to make a strong connection with me. I could relate to her deep need to connect, to belong.
Her immense thirst for knowledge and her undying curiosity made her all the more endearing. And that is exactly why, what followed next, was so difficult to read.

“That sometimes, life was simply too much to bear. Both its pain and its beauty.”

Greenwood never dials down on the intensity of all the emotions Sally and her family go through during the two years she was kept captive. You go through each emotion of guilt, fear, pain and regret as if it was happening to you. Everytime a beacon of hope arises, you pray right along with Ella, Susan and Al for the sade return of Sally. And everytime you see that hope dashed, you lose a bit of faith in the world right alongside them.

“Wasn’t all of this evidence that no matter what sort of allegiances were promised, what sort of pledges made, in the end they were all on their own? Alone?”

The reader is under a constant brutal onslaught of horrifying and heart breaking emotions. We go through everything Sally goes through as well as the guilt, regret and hope her family members undergo.

The writing was phenomenal. The lyrical flowing prose added an undertone of eeriness to the story which makes it all the more real and frightening. The book produced so many warring emotions in me of such intensity that I had to frequently put it down. I almost gave up on it several times because I was afraid I couldn’t handle so much pain. But the constant urgent need to see this girl rescued, to set her free from the monster who keeps her bound, makes you pick it back up.

This is a spine chilling fictional recounting of the abduction and abuse of a 11 year old child by a monstrous pedophile and needless to say, it is filled with triggers of all kinds. It will smash your heart to bits but it needs to be read. This story of Sally needs to be heard. So if the trigger contents are not a problem for you, then I suggest you pick a copy of this book as soon as it hits the stands. Its releasing on the 7th of August.
Thank you St.Martins Press and netgalley for sending me an arc of this book.
Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️