Thank you Netgalley, Woolton Press | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles and Michelle Cox for free e-ARC of The Fallen Woman's Daughter in return of my honest review.

I absolutely loved this poignant story that explores the complex relationships between mothers and daughters against the backdrop of societal judgment and personal struggles. The narrative begins with eight-year-old Nora, who finds herself thrust into the harsh realities of the Park Ridge School for Girls in 1932. The author masterfully captures Nora's confusion and heartbreak as she grapples with being separated from her mother and placed under the strict authority of the house matron, Mrs. Morris. The emotional weight of Nora’s situation is palpable, and the hints dropped about their mother’s past only deepen the sense of uncertainty and despair.

The dual timeline, moving back nine years to Gertie Gufftason's youthful decision to run away with a carnival barker, adds depth to the narrative. Gertie’s initial dreams of adventure quickly unravel into a life filled with disappointment and despair, especially when her daughters are taken from her. This backstory not only humanizes Gertie but also invites readers to empathize with her struggles.

When Gertie finally reunites with Nora and Patsy, the emotional tension is intense. Nora's cool reception is both heartbreaking and realistic, reflecting her deep-seated feelings of betrayal and confusion. The author does an excellent job of portraying the complexity of Nora's emotions as she navigates her feelings toward her mother, who she believes has failed her.

As the story unfolds, the revelation of Gertie's long-held secret serves as a turning point for both Nora and the reader. It is a beautifully crafted moment that encapsulates the themes of understanding and forgiveness. Nora’s journey toward reconciling her feelings about her mother is both poignant and relatable, reminding us that everyone has their struggles and secrets.

Overall, this book is a heartfelt exploration of family, resilience, and the enduring power of love and forgiveness. The characters are richly developed, and the story is both engaging and thought-provoking. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a compelling narrative that delves into the complexities of maternal relationships and the journey to understanding one's past. This book will stay with me long after the last page is turned.

*5 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.

What a great read and characters. You could just imagine what families went through all those years ago. You had to feel for Gerda, Nora and Patsy, not really knowing why things had happened to their family. A lot of touching moments and especially at the end for Nora to find out the things she did.

What I loved about this book:

1. Great historical fiction set in Chicago starting in the 1930's.
2. A book about choices, love, family and ultimately regrets
3. I thought it was well written - might have been a few errors in the timeline but easy to overlook!


I would like to thank Net Galley and Woolton Press for an ARC copy of the book.

A compelling and poignant tale on love, sacrifice, and forgiveness. It is thought provoking when the reader contemplates the consequences of pivotal decisions and the paths not taken in this story. A captivating read.
Many thanks to Woolton Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A wonderful story of family and the things that happened to women and children all those years ago. This is a very compelling and emotional book but one I just couldn't stop reading.

The author has written this book with such heart and emotion, she has portrayed each character so well and so realistically. This is a book that makes you want to stand up and shout... 'WHY!' So much drama, some secrets, tragedy and hope will pull you in to this book and story and you won't be able to put it down. A wonderful read.

Thank you NetGalley and Woolton Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Fallen Woman's Daughter
by Michelle Cox

Women’s fiction ~ Multigenerational family dysfunction ~ Chicago ~ Love ~ Life choices ~ Loss ~ Abuse ~ Orphanage life ~ Heartbreak ~ Secrets ~ Mother & daughters ~ Regrets ~ Well-written characters ~ Highly recommended

I received a digital copy of this book from Woolton Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This story broke me! The author did an excellent job portraying a realistic story about a broken family. I felt everything the characters went through. Characters were realistic and some likeable. Incredible and hopeful book.

The Fallen Women's Daughter
By: Michelle Cox

4 Stars

This was a story of a mother. It's a story of daughters. It is a story of loss, love, hope, and survival. Nora and her sister Patsy are brought to a home for girls, their mother Gertie, does all she can to survive. They all grow, change, and survive the choices they make. Until they can be together again.

This was a heartbreaking tale. Gertie at such a young age makes choices that will forever change her. She was a giod character, but it was hard to like her at times. Nora and Patsy and the lives they live are hard, but full of hope for a better future. They are simply "along for the ride". They made the story heartwrenching. They make you want to cry and just hold and hug them. This story was written well. Captivating from start to finish. It tells a sad story, that will grab and be remembered.


*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

This book follows the crazy lives of a woman and her daughters. Gertie definitely didn't win a mother of the year award in this one, but her struggles felt real and more close to real life.

Getting ran away from her family with a man that was part of the circus. She ended up having two daughters which ended up in a girl's school since she well struggled with caring for them and had issues with some not so caring people. This book moves back and forth from Gertie to her eldest daughter Nora. Nora really spent so much time looking after her sister Patsy that she struggled doing this for her.

Of course the girls don't lose connection with their mom and make up for some lost time later in their lives, but even then there is so much tragedy and drama. I guess that is real life.

I am not sure why I struggled getting through this book, but maybe it was due to a majority of the time toward the beginning was spent with the girls younger. It definitely fast forwarded pretty quickly near the end which was my favorite part. There was a nice full circle wrap up at the end.

Thank you to Woolton Press and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

Michelle Cox has a way of crafting stories that immediately draws you in and keeps you turning the pages. My heart went out to Nora and Patsy in the first chapter and I had to know how their lives turned out. Fortunately their are different timelines in this book and we get to see why and how they ended up at the children's home, and where they go from there. This is a novel about relationships and what we need to feel secure and loved. It's also a story about choices and how they affect the future. Beautifully written, this is a book you don't want to miss.

The Fallen Woman’s Daughter, a gripping story, by Michelle Cox, will send you on an emotional journey. Gertie, Nora, and Patsy’s story is based on a tale Cox heard while working in a nursing home some thirty years ago is intense and starkly realistic.

This heart wrenching story is told in two time periods by Nora and her mother Gertie. Nora’s story begins as she and her sister Patsy are taken from Gertie in Chicago during the depression in 1932, and Gertie’s story begins in 1923 with her large and poor family in rural Iowa. We join Nora and Gertie on their journeys separately and together through 1963.

Cox with her exquisite prose, crafted a remarkably memorable story, captivating this reader from the very first page. I highly recommend The Fallen Woman’s Daughter, Michelle Cox’s first true standalone.

Thank you to Woolton Press for a complimentary copy of The Fallen Woman’s Daughter to read and review. This was one of the best Women's Historical Fiction books I have read. All opinions in this review are my own and I was not obligated to write a favorable review.

This was a sad, hard, and very emotional read. Although it was well written, it was hard to initially get into it. Perhaps because of how descriptive? Or the initial set up? It covers a lot of ground, interesting.

Michelle Cox is a master of historical writing in the 1920s and with every new novel in her popular 'Henrietta and Inspector Howard 'series she has got better and better. Her new stand-alone 'The Fallen Woman's Daughter' is no exception, and her knowledge, understanding, and passion for life in 1920s US shines through every page. She notes that this story is heavily based on a real-life situation. It is an emotional and sad story of two sisters, taken from their mother when very young, and their relationship with her as they grew older. Not an easy read but a powerful one.
My thanks to Woolton Press and NetGalley for a digital copy.

A young woman literally runs away with a handsome, glamorous stranger, has two beautiful daughters and lives to regret it. The marriage doesn't last and the children are put in a home for children without parents. Nine years later, the woman retrieves her daughters but the reunion is less than perfect.

This story features fallible, believable women in realistic settings and circumstances, It is an interesting read to the last page.

Eight-year-old Nora and her younger sister Patsy arrive at the Park Ridge School for Girls in 1932, removed from the care of their mother Gertie by the authorities. Upset and confused, Nora is sure there's been some mistake and that their mother will come to get them soon.

The story begins in 1932 with the girls' arrival at Park Ridge School and then skips back to 1923 where we meet Gertie and gradually learn the story of how and why Nora and Patsy ended up at Park Ridge. Quite a bit of the story is told in those two timelines, then next thing we know it's the 1940s and then 1962/63. There are many life-changing occurrences in the intervening years but, as another reviewer mentioned, the overall essence is one of sadness. I would've liked more detail for some of those intervening years but then I'd probably complain that the book was too long. It's easy to read and goes pretty quickly. Overall I really liked it although I don't think the epilogue was really necessary.

As far as the title goes, Gertie wasn't really a "fallen woman" as we think of it, she just made poor choices in men.

TW: Sexual content, domestic violence, swearing.

Many thanks to Woolton Press, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: March 5, 2024

I have been a fan of Michelle Cox’s books for a long time, I love her writing, the crafting of her stories and the research she does for every single book she writes, this book wasn’t the exception, it is beautifully written and very engrossing from beginning to end.
The book tells a story of broken and missing opportunities, a multigenerational family drama that spans forty years, at times it will make you smile but also will break your heart, the story focuses on the relationship of mother and daughters, and how a single life choice, or mistake, will influence the life of a whole family for generations to come.
The book stayed with me for days after finishing it and lived in my head and my heart for a long time before I was able to put down in words my feeling for it.

A seamless tale of family, but mostly of mothers and daughters and how the choices made affect future generations. I was not initially a fan of Gertie, myself judgmental, thinking she reaped what she sowed. But the overall message of how our roles in life change, how we at times are the prodigal, at times the one wronged tore me apart.

Michelle Cox has masterfully penned a brilliant portrait of the working class poor from the 1920's-1960's. The emotional range of her characters with their beliefs, motivations and fears captivated me from the first page to the last. The overall tone of despair and regret was at times overwhelming, until it hit me how realistic this story is for many. But then a message of resilience and hope rose from the ashes. This is a story told quietly but well, provoking deep thought.

Content warning: some sexual content, cussing and abuse.

***I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher thorough Netgalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Fallen Woman's Daughter by Michelle Cox is a multi-generational women’s story spanning over forty years. This new-to-me author has written an intensely emotional story that brought as many tears as it did smiles. Eight-year-old Nora and her younger sister, Patsy find themselves separated from their mother and at the Park Ridge School for Girls. Life is not easy with both girls believing a mistake has been made, meaning that their mother will arrive soon to reunite them all. This does not happen for many years.

Gertie, their mother does track them down but her life is in disarrayed so the girls stay. Gertie is a troubled soul who has made some poor choices in the past. This is a story of the trauma on the daughters, the mother, the recovery, the understanding, acceptance, and forgiveness within a family. A profound read that will need a box of tissues while reading.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have devoured this book in three days! It’s so engrossing. Obviously, by the title, it’s not the cheeriest tale but don’t let that put you off. The story starts with Gertie, who lives with her family in a small mining town in the early 1920s. Gertie wants excitement so when she meets Lorenzo at a travelling circus, she is captivated by the circus life. Lorenzo promises to marry her and let her join him in travelling the country and seeing all the wonderful sights.

Alas, ten years later we find her daughters Norah and Patsy being taken away from Gertie and sent to a government run boarding school for girls from troubled families…..

Thoroughly recommended. Really vivid characters - Gertie’s story is so very sad. An excellent read!

This book has not been a page turner for me. It seemed to be so sad. The mother made so many bad choices, had two daughters, married several times. The older daughter, Nora, is the foundation of this story. She is the anchor. I am glad the family had an anchor. The ending was worth reading! It gave insight into the family as a whole.