Overview

Philomena meets The Orphan Train in this suspenseful, provocative novel filled with love, secrets, and deceit--the story of a young unwed mother who is forcibly separated from her daughter at birth and the lengths to which they go to find each other. In 1950s Quebec, French and English tolerate each other with precarious civility--much like Maggie Hughes' parents. Maggie's English-speaking father has ambitions for his daughter that don't include marriage to the poor French boy on the next farm over. But Maggie's heart is captured by Gabriel Ph�nix. When she becomes pregnant at fifteen, her parents force her to give baby Elodie up for adoption and get her life 'back on track'. Elodie is raised in Quebec's impoverished orphanage system. It's a precarious enough existence that takes a tragic turn when Elodie, along with thousands of other orphans in Quebec, is declared mentally ill as the result of a new law that provides more funding to psychiatric hospitals than to orphanages. Bright and determined, Elodie withstands abysmal treatment at the nuns' hands, finally earning her freedom at seventeen, when she is thrust into an alien, often unnerving world. Maggie, married to a businessman eager to start a family, cannot forget the daughter she was forced to abandon, and a chance reconnection with Gabriel spurs a wrenching choice. As time passes, the stories of Maggie and Elodie intertwine but never touch, until Maggie realizes she must take what she wants from life and go in search of her long-lost daughter, finally reclaiming the truth that has been denied them both.

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9781538498682

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Reviews

Rich and intriguing, The Finishing School is a page-turner of the best sort-a novel that dusts the polish off of prestige and leaves you with the startling truth. -- Joy Callaway, author of The Fifth Avenue Artists Society A fast-paced, nail-biting mystery...By the time you reach the unexpected ending, you'll practically be gasping for air. -- Jessica Anya Blau, author of The Trouble with Lexie The novel centers around the definition, the challenges, the triumph of family, but it also acknowledges that Elodie and Maggie's story is one of many. The ending hits a perfect emotional note: bittersweet and honest, comforting and regretful. -- Kirkus Reviews Deep and meaningful, this novel captures readers' attention until they're rewarded with a happy ending. -- Booklist Goodman's solid historical novel highlights social conditions in Quebec from the 1950s to 1970s, with complex characters and the conflict between the French and English handled realistically. -- Library Journal Moving...Goodman writes with passion about a dark episode in Quebec's recent past. -- Publishers Weekly Heartbreaking, suspenseful...This story of an unwed mother and her daughter tangled in a web of betrayal, family, motherhood, love, loss, greed, and finally redemption is a delightful roller coaster. -- RT Book Reviews (4 stars)

Author Information

Joanna Goodman lives in Toronto with her husband and two children, and is the owner of the Canadian linen company Au Lit Fine Linens. Originally from Montreal, she is also the author of The Finishing School. Saskia Maarleveld is an experienced voice-over actress and Earphones Award-winning narrator. Raised in New Zealand and France, she is highly skilled with accents and dialects, and many of her books have been narrated entirely in accents other than her own. In addition to audiobooks, her voice can be heard in animation, video games, and commercials.

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