The Girls with No Names

by Serena Burdick, Amy McFadden (Read by)

Overview

A beautiful tale of hope, courage and sisterhood, inspired by the real House of Mercy and the girls confined there for daring to break the rules.

Growing up in New York City in the 1910s, Luella and Effie Tildon realize that even as wealthy young women, their freedoms come with limits. But when the sisters discover a shocking secret about their father, Luella, the brazen elder sister, becomes emboldened to do as she pleases. Her rebellion comes with consequences, and one morning Luella is mysteriously gone.

Effie suspects her father has sent Luella to the House of Mercy and hatches a plan to get herself committed to save her sister. But she made a miscalculation, and with no one to believe her story, Effie’s own escape seems impossible—unless she can trust an enigmatic girl named Mable. As their fates entwine, Mable and Effie must rely on their tenuous friendship to survive. This atmospheric, heartwarming story explores not only the historical House of Mercy, but the lives—and secrets—of the girls who stayed there.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781094003528
Publisher:	Park Row Books
Publication date:	01/07/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 6.70(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Serena Burdick Graduated from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in California before moving to New York City to pursue a degree in English Literature at Brooklyn College. Author of GIRL IN THE AFTERNOON, she lives in Western Massachusetts with her husband and two sons.

Editorial Reviews

The premise of this audiobook is a familiar one: Pampered young woman rebels against societal expectations, and trouble ensues. While the prospect of returning to Gilded Age New York City is always appealing, this audiobook fails to capture a true sense of time and place, opting instead for exaggerated drama and slow-moving narrative. All three narrators offer uneven performances—sometimes with inconsistent accents, other times with contrived dialogue, and always with an over-the-top tone that somehow spotlights the overused adjectives and clichéd turns of phrase. This audiobook could provide an escape to a different place and a familiar struggle—for independence, for understanding, for happiness—as long as the listener doesn't expect too much subtlety or too challenging a story. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2020 - AudioFile

The premise of this audiobook is a familiar one: Pampered young woman rebels against societal expectations, and trouble ensues. While the prospect of returning to Gilded Age New York City is always appealing, this audiobook fails to capture a true sense of time and place, opting instead for exaggerated drama and slow-moving narrative. All three narrators offer uneven performances—sometimes with inconsistent accents, other times with contrived dialogue, and always with an over-the-top tone that somehow spotlights the overused adjectives and clichéd turns of phrase. This audiobook could provide an escape to a different place and a familiar struggle—for independence, for understanding, for happiness—as long as the listener doesn't expect too much subtlety or too challenging a story. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2020 - AudioFile