I've had this book for years, I still haven't, unfortunately, got to it, so this is a placeholder review to reduce my shelf for my own sanity, but will replace this if I ever get to the book

A really great read but the subject matter is really
difficult and I had to put the book down a few times. Set in 1940s Ireland, poor Molly is abused by everyone it seems. She is a sweet one though who can heal by touch. Great storyline and the characters even better. Give this a read but be prepared to have your heart broken.

Wow what a book.
This book is a book which will get under your skin.
This book has had an everlasting impression on me and I will never forget it

I could not get into this book. I tried on a couple occasions, and it just didn’t grab me.
Will use in a challenge and let members of Chapter Chatter Pub know it’s out!

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the book, which I have enjoyed reading.
It is not the type of book I normally read but I found myself thoroughly enjoying this engrossing and entertaining book. Ireland in the 1940’s is not the place to live if you are poor and not a normal child. Molly is a child who is abused by her father and uncle, who later in the story rapes her. She can heal people just by touch. It is a fascinating insight to a feudal Ireland, of insights and superstition, a harsh and unforgiving land.
Highly recommended.

I have a confession to make- yes yet another one. Although I have Sharon’s previous book (‘The Abandoned’) on my ever increasing ‘TBR’ mountain, I haven’t actually read it. Whoops big mistake. After reading ‘The Healer’, I now know just what I have been missing and I will definitely be reading ‘The Abandoned’ just as soon as I get a chance. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Healer’ but more about that in a bit.
I couldn’t help feel for Molly from the first time I met her. She is a little girl, who has been born into a family, who abuse her in more ways than one. There’s something different about Molly but I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. She seems to have ‘the gift’ and her parents don’t really understand. I guess that it could be a fear of the unknown. (This Ginger Book Geek has some psychic ability too and the other world definitely interest me). Molly is labelled as a ‘half-wit’ by her parents and others join in with the name calling. On more than one occasion I felt like jumping inside the pages of the book to give Molly a hug or to stick up for her. This might sound awful but I can’t say that I was too unhappy when Molly’s mother passed away. She didn’t deserve to be call herself a mother and she certainly didn’t deserve Molly. Molly is kind, she is funny, she is honest (sometimes too honest) and without doubt Molly is certainly vulnerable. Those who surround her don’t necessarily want the best for her and some of them want to exploit her. I couldn’t help but hope that things worked out for Molly in the end. Do they work out for her? Well for the answer to that question you are going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
‘The Healer’ is one of those books that won’t necessarily be that easy to read for some people. Not because it’s badly written because that couldn’t be further from the truth, but because it deals with some pretty distressing subjects that might upset some. That said, the subject matter certainly didn’t put me off from reading the book. I binge read the book over the course of a couple of days. I soon became addicted to reading the book and I just had to keep reading to see if things improved for Molly. The more I read, the further I got ‘into’ the story and the quicker the pages seemed to be turning. I would pick the book up only intending to read a couple of chapters but half a dozen chapters later and I would still be reading. It was as if the book had a hold over me. When I had to put the book down, I would count down the time until I could pick the book up again. Reading this book certainly felt like I was on one hell of an emotional rollercoaster ride with lots of twists and turns. I seemed to go through a whole range of contrasting emotions.
In short I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Healer’ and I will definitely be reading ‘The Abandoned’ just as soon as I can. I would definitely recommend the book to other readers. I can’t wait to read what Sharon Thompson comes up with next. I hope that we don’t have too long to wait. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

A really heartbreaking read, but a lovely story about love and hope with some great charecters throughly enjoyed

Brilliant plot, excellent main characters that you invest in. I read this book in one sitting and I would highly recommend it.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. What a wonderful storyline based in the 1940s in Ireland. A gritty and chilling read.

Omg!!! I cannot read any more. I'm sorry Sharon Thompson. I tried.

THE HEALER is about a young girl called Molly in 1940s Ireland. Molly is a little bit different, people are afraid of her for she has a special gift of "healing". To me, Molly read like she was slightly autistic - her matter-of-fact way, her literal logic and her long silences - because she certainly wasn't the halfwit her family and others labelled her as. But then again, in the 1940s the word autism didn't exist so people's ignorance just had her down as "simple", a "halfwit" and "not the full shilling".

Molly's life is a sad one. And it just got worse. Hated by her mother, abused by her uncle and father. Molly didn't know any love in her life until she found a littel bundle of fur that had been tied in a bag with the rest of the litter and thrown into the river to drown. He was the only one to survive and Molly nursed him back to health, and loved and cared for him. She named him Hull - short for another name of a warrior of some kind. She kept him secret from her family.

The only other kindness in her life was Dr Brady, who took in her baby brother after he was born with his wife Violet. Molly saw him as her saviour and every weekend she and Hull went to stay with Dr Brady and his wife and baby Jude. They loved her like their own. Even their cook, Jean took Molly under her wing. The Brady's house was her safe place. Because her own was hell. It was only a matter of time before Molly's abuse went even further.

Then when she was almost 16, that was it for me. I couldn't read any more. The happiness and love between Molly and Hull was so beautiful. It was her only saving grace in that hell hole. So when Molly woke one night to sounds of gurgling and gagging, and saw the state of Hull it was obvious he had been poisoned. It was what I had feared. I had written and commented to another reader, and both she and the author responded and told me while Hull did die the story was a beautiful one with a happy ending. But to me a happy ending was nothing untoward happening to Hull. And here he was poisoned!! I couldn't continue with the book. I tried. But Hull's death wrecked me. I was mortified and every time Molly mentioned Hull I was bawling. I'm sorry. I knew this would happen which is why I wanted to know if and how he dies. That was just cruel. And the description of his pain and agony had me bawling so much I couldn't see the words. I just can't read any more. The story is depressing enough without the only good thing Molly had in her life being so cruelly poisoned. That was just horrible. I had to go cuddle my dogs and forget about this story because I just can't move past Hull's cruel an unnecessary death.

The cruel death of a dog kills me. I cannot read it. It has ruined the book for me and I just don't want to read any more of it. Hull's shadow is always there and I am always reminded of his cruel death. And bawling my eyes out all over again. I hugged my dog and couldn't stop crying. I found it very hard to get to sleep after that, as I could picture the agony poor Hull endured so cruelly. I cannot read a book with such cruelty towards an animal, despite it just being a story.

So therefore I must be one of the only people to not like this book. I tried to like it but after Hull, I simply couldn't. I didn't like any of the characters except Dr Brady, Jean and of course Hull. Even Violet turned against Molly, when she had offered her such love in the beginning. Everyone was cruel and narrow-minded. Everyone had their own agenda. Molly didn't stand a chance. So after Hull, what little desire I had for the book evaporated.

Still, I would like to thank #SharonThompson, #NetGalley and #BloodhoundBooks for an ARC of #TheHealer in exchange for an honest review.

My apologies to Sharon Thompson who was so kind to me in her responses. I really did try to enjoy the book but Hull's demise was the end of it for me.

5☆ A Haunting and Enthralling Read that will get Under Your Skin!

Wow oh wow what a book!
A Gritty, Chilling and Taut read that will get under your skin and won't let go! I couldn't put it down and I'm still thinking about it even now!

I'm not even sure where to place this book in terms of genre as it has a lil of everything.

The Healer has certainly made an everlasting impression on me, I don't know where to start my review!

I guess I should start by saying the whole book centres round Molly as we follow her heart breaking abusive childhood to adulthood where again she is abused and used.

Molly is what some would call a healer.
She has the powers to heal. Not everyone is worthy of her powers as some are quick to find out.
Molly calls upon her shadows to help guide her through life and to help heal people

Molly's character will get under your skin!,
Her parents call her simple or a half wit.
But Molly is anything but! Ok she can't read and barely speaks, but she is highly intelligent and just needs to be nurtured and loved.
Molly has never really had a family. Her Father is a useless drunk, her mother despised her, especially her unhealthy relationship she has with her father.

She is vulnerable and an easy target.
She had a captivating aura and people are drawn to her.
But i just wanted to protect her.

But can Molly ever escape her lifetime of abuse or is her shadows right.... and she will eventually find happiness and someone to love?

At times this isn't an easy read, it does contain child abuse, rape, prostitution and some violence but Sharon has written these issues with as much sensitivity as she can Still making an impact as the reader lives Molly's nightmare alongside her.

The Healer is a Poignant, Raw, Emotional, Enthralling, Chilling & Haunting Atmospheric tale full of cleverly plotted twists and suspense.
That's deliciously dark in all the right places, with the perfect cast of desperately flawed characters that get under your skin, a mesmerising pacy plot that kept me on the edge of my seat.

The Healer is an absolutely gripping tale that I couldn't put down!
Definitely one of my favourite books so fat this year!
I can't recommend this book enough!

Thank you to Bloodhound Books for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

For Molly McCarthy, life in 1940's was hard. Regarded as a half wit as she seemed to be unable to read or write & said little, but she was a healer. For that reason she was of some use to her parents but it was a far from loving environment. Her mother beat her, her father beat & abused her & she is scared of the way her uncle looks at her. But Molly has her gift. She can see the good (& bad) in people & has her angels to guide her- if she can only work out what they mean her to do!

My heart went out to Molly as I followed through the ups & downs of her young life. I was rooting for her to finally find some happiness, love & security. She is a character that will be in my mind for a long time. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this moving book.

A hauntingly Beautiful story that will capture your heart and won’t let go!

1940s Ireland, not a good place to be a little different, to have a special gift... this was a well told tale that transported me to the past and to Ireland... it really brought to life how different things were in the 40s in Ireland in particular... this book was so authentic including the vernacular that it did take a while to get used to, but I ultimately truly appreciated....

Molly was such a sweet girl and she grew to be such a strong woman... my heart broke for her so many times... how cruel can people be, and how much can one girl take? Molly’s pain and wisdom popped off these pages completely enveloping me in the story... Sharon Thompson has her own special gift when it comes to storytelling....

An exquisitely told story that will tug at your heart strings and won’t let go! Recommend!

*** huge thanks to Bloodhound Books for my copy ***

Amazing and beautiful. Haunting. It will stay with you long after the last page. Absolutely pick it up and prepare to be as engrossed as I was. Happy reading!

Little Molly McCarthy is a halfwit, or so everyone says, including her parents. She barely speaks, cannot read or write but she is a healer. Her mother beats her, her father abuses her and beats her. Her Uncle Vincent has eyes on her too. It’s a difficult read at times, so heartbreaking and Molly is no fool, she knows exactly what’s going on, the angels tell her things.

As Molly grows up, her life changes and it’s not all good. There is violence, rape and prostitution and Molly almost losses everything. However, she does have Dr and Violet Brady and Jane who give her family and hope.

This is a tale about a young, damaged girl with a special gift, but while the healing of others is part of the story, it’s not all miracles and blessings. This tells of a young girls strength, her sheer will to survive and make a better life for herself.

Sharon Thompson’s marvellous writing has brought Molly McCarthy to life, with its touches of magic and ultimately, hope. This is going to stay with me for a long time and if I see a little feather fall near me, it will make me think of the angels.


I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

The Healer, by Sharon Thompson is the compelling life-story of often misunderstood, Molly McCarthy from childhood into adulthood. Molly has the ability to heal and while those she heals see her gift as a blessing its often a curse to her as she’s labeled ‘different’ and treated as an outcast by her family. She is shunned, ignored, abused and used by those who are supposed to love and protect her. She manages to overcome insurmountable obstacles throughout life and often retreats into her head where voices of angels guide her and give her strength to keep going.
When her mother dies in childbirth a loving family cross her path and adopt her baby brother giving him the warm and nurturing environment she lacks. The Brady family have a positive impact on her life and offer small chunks of respite from the harsh realities of home where the only love she receives is from her dog Hull, her constant companion until his untimely death at the hands of her wicked Uncle. She adores her brother Jude and never begrudges him the happy life he has with his new family. They form a close life-long bond. From an early age her aunt, who has replaced her mother, has her out healing people and pocketing any money made.
When Molly is a teenager a life-shattering incident sets her on a new path where she enters adulthood with limited opportunities but manages to survive. Alone, pregnant and without means to get by she develops a friendship with a woman, Peggy who operates outside the law and Molly is drawn into a life she struggles to break free from. Eventually she escapes with the aid of the Brady family. They arrange for her safe passage to London with her child where she has a chance at finding happiness. News of her healing gifts have attracted a huge following and she is able to make ends meet for her and her son. She meets Luca who could giver her the family she is looking for but can happiness ever be hers?
She receives word that the Brady’s need her support and she travels home to repay them for some of the kindness they showed her. They now need her more than ever and she is faced with a decision - stay and support or go back to her new life in London. Will she ever be able to heal herself the way she can heal others? Is happiness to be hers or something only other people attain?
This is more than just a story about a healer. Its about the stigma attached to mental health, about not being seen as ‘normal’ and often the worst offenders are family acting out of fear. Its also about listening to our inner-selves and trusting our gut to guide us in the right direction and facing our fears and overcoming them.
I really enjoyed this book although it did reduce me to tears a couple of times.

Mary is from Ireland and around at 1940 .
She is in a dangerous place
Will she survive in all the hatred and crime
I had an ARC from Bloodhound Books

What can I say but wow this is the first book I've read on netgalley and what a way to start it of. Although the subject is not a nice one Sharon deals with it well. It will pull at your heart strings that's for sure.
The healer is set in Ireland and at the start it was a little heavy going with trying to understand the way irish talk but I'm glad I carried on.
You become part of the book and want to know what is happening to the main characters.
I was approved this book late this morning and have just finished it now I couldn't put it down it pulls in it won't be the last book by Sharon Thompson that I will read that's for sure.

# The Healer#Netgalley
A decent book set in the 40s it made interesting reading,, also bits of history of the era and how life was so different in those days. I well written book, However I do think in places it could have been slightly better. It’s worth reading . Not normally my genre. Although I did want to try something different and I am glad I did

There are books that tell a story and there are books that touch your heart. The Healer and Molly’s story is the later. I finished this book in one sitting because I couldn't put it down and as I closed it, I did so with happy tears in my eyes.

If you've read Sharon Thompson's book, The Abandoned, you will be familiar with the character of Molly, and in The Healer, we get her story and the answers to questions that may have left you wondering what happened to her after she left Peggy's house in The Abandoned. The Healer is a book that deals with some very dark topics and the author does an amazing job of taking the reader into the mind of young Molly without being too graphic. My skin crawled quite a few times during some of the scenes and as I read I became young Molly and journey with her as she struggled to find her place in the world and deal with the harsh realities of being different. There were characters that wanted the best for Molly and those that wanted to use her gifts for greed and power. Throughout the book, I felt Molly's pain, her frustration, her hopelessness, and her never wavering faith that she would find her way home. I don't like to give spoilers in my reviews but I will say anyone who reads this book will be in for a thrill of a ride as they skirt the dangers Molly has to face and go through the traumas that being different brings her. A powerful story filled with despair, grief, and hope for a better life.

This book is sure to put Ms Thompson back on the bestseller list and will be a much talked about book among my circle of friends and writers.