Overview

For readers of Room and The Glass Castle, a memoir to be read in one breathless sitting that will leave you astonished by the courage and creative power of even the most neglected soul. Maude Julien's parents were fanatics who believed it was their sacred duty to turn her into the ultimate survivor-raising her in isolation, tyrannizing her childhood, and subjecting her to endless drills designed to eliminate weakness. Maude learned to hold an electric fence for minutes without flinching and to sit perfectly still in a rat-infested cellar all night long: her mother sewed bells onto her clothes that would give her away if she moved. She endured a life without heat, hot water, adequate food, friendship, or any kind of affectionate treatment. But Maude's parents could not rule her inner life. Befriending the animals on the lonely estate as well as the characters in the novels she read in secret, young Maude nurtured in herself the compassion and love that her parents forbid as weak. And when, after more than a decade, an outsider managed to penetrate her family's paranoid world, Maude seized her opportunity. By turns horrifying and magical, The Only Girl in the World is a story that will grip you from the first page and leave you spellbound, a chilling exploration of psychological control that ends with a glorious escape.

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9781549114090

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Reviews

A disturbing, engrossing memoir...[and] a startling testament of survival. -- Kirkus Reviews This story is never maudlin-it is so absorbing that you have to remind yourself to breathe from time to time. -- Le Point (Paris) Maude Julien has every reason to be a terrible human being...Had it not been for her love of animals, literature, and the intervention of an unlikely savior, Maude's tenuous grasp on sanity would very likely have been lost...It is a testament to the power of the human spirit to overcome extraordinary obstacles and proof that love, indeed, wins. -- Amazon.com Fascinating, mystifying, and distressing. -- New York Times The year's most harrowing memoir...That The Only Girl in the World exists as it does is a most persuasive argument for Julien's remarkable willpower. -- Entertainment Weekly In the hierarchy of traumatic memoir, Maude Julien has something to write home about...But it is also proof that love is in our nature regardless of our nurture. -- Vanity Fair A living testimony of resilience...An account as gripping as it is inspiring. -- Elle

Author Information

Maude Julien is a therapist specializing in manipulation and psychological control and a frequent contributor to radio and television. Elisabeth Rodgers is an actress and AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator. After graduating from Princeton University, she completed a two-year program at William Esper Studio, where she studied with Maggie Flanigan. Her audiobook narration training came from Robin Miles, who has also directed her in several productions. She has recorded dozens of books for a multitude of publishers.

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