Missing Persons was a really interesting read. I liked the history of places where women and their children were placed. A quick read.

The premise of this one is super interesting and I like that she had to kind of keep peeling back layers of the story. I feel like there is a lot more that could be said and written about this kind of stuff but the pieces of history and those holding the keys either won’t share or have passed away. It’s interesting that the stories change with time and perspective too, which I’m sure happens very very often.

In <i>Missing Persons</i>, Clair Wills uses the lens of her family’s history to look at the Irish Mother and Baby Homes where many unwed girls were sent to have their babies, where they endured abuse and sometimes even death. During her investigation, Wills discovers that she had a cousin born in one of these homes

I have read a little before about the horror of these Mother and Baby Homes, and enjoyed reading Clair Wills’ insight into the cultural and historical mindset that led to the existence of such homes. The author’s familial history with such homes brought the right blend of personal and national perspectives to the topic. I recommend this book for those with an interest in Irish history and/or women’s history.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this book.

In the book Missing Persons by Claire Wills I listen to the audiobook which was narrated by the author who I thought did a brilliant job she is such a lovely voice. The book is touching it is about family secrets and Miss Wells uncovering as much as she could the drama that unfolded before her birth. What Lily faced was an issue lots of girls in Ireland and around the world face at that time and although the outcome and consequences were Basley different the problem was a common one. I thought the author brought intelligent insights and profound common sense to what happened in her family and although it was a sad story I thought she told it with dignity and found it to be a beautiful book. She shared the good bad and the ugly and did it and such a beautiful way that is the only word that keeps coming to mind when I Think of this book. Lily and her uncle Jackie choices are really unknown to the author and the reader of the book but the story is so interesting and if you love memoirs then you’re definitely like this book I know it was supposed to be under a different genre but this is definitely a memoir and I don’t usually like those but love this book! I want to thank Clair Wills and dreamscape media for my free arc copy via NetGalley please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

A truly harrowing story read by the heroine herself. Definitely enjoyed her narrating the book. It was authentic, raw, honest and I applaud her vulnerability. The writing was beautiful and I admire the author for sharing her and her family’s story. I recommend this book.

This is a worthwhile examination of the social, cultural, psychological, and familial causes and effects of children born out of wedlock in Ireland. The author has done extensive research and presents her ideas clearly and with a tenderness only a descendant might feel. I appreciate her interest in family history and trying to understand that physical characteristics are not the only hereditary feature. Trauma can continue for generations, and so can the growth and change that come from experiencing and observing heart-wrenching circumstances.

Clair Wills delves into her family tree to attempt to find answers to loose ends in the family narrative. The research for this book was thorough and the interwoven layers of family secrets and silences recount an all to familiar experience of many Irish women that found themselves incarcerated in so called safe places such as Mother and Baby Homes, Magdalen Laundries and other "out of sight" places.
I strongly recommend. I listened to the audio book which was narrated by the author.

Interesting but I guess I didn’t realize what I was getting when I requested it. There was a lot of information repeated and it got a little slow. listened to the audiobook and the author narrated it herself, which was fine.

After discovering a secret first cousin, Clair Wills beings to examine her family through the lens of unwed mothers and absent fathers. She puts her family in the context of Mother and Baby homes, a dark stain on Irish history. What she discovers are generations of hypocrisy and shame. This is both a personal memoir and a work non fiction, I enjoyed the combination. The author does a great job narrating the book.

In this book, which is part memoir and part historical non-fiction, Wills weaves together family secrets with the cultural history of Ireland during the turn of the century.

Centered around the stigma of pregnancy outside of marriage, it’s a sad but eye-opening story of secrets, omissions and a quest to find closure in her own life and the lives of women and children that have been lost to time.

The author narrates her own book, and it really adds an extra emotional level. Clair Willis doesn't realize that her own family is tied to a scandal where the bodies of up to 800 babies were found. Clair had a cousin she didn't know about and her family had their own secrets.
The story is shocking but, told from this intimate point of view, also personal and heartbreaking. There are so many sad parts -- learning that your own loved ones had secrets, and that those secrets were because of backwards social norms.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this amazing audiobook

Missing Persons written and narrated by Clair Wills is an enlightening and deeply heartfelt investigation into the culture of hiding the pregnancies of unmarried mothers in Ireland in the 19th and 20th centuries

Wills investigation is twofold, part account of evidence found in the 2015 report by the Irish Government and part memoir of their own family history and as such, this adds a deeper, compelling edge to the already heartbreaking story

Wills explores the soceital pressure placed on young unmarried women to save the reputation of their families in the Catholic faith to hide pregnancies and if the baby was carried to term, the young mother would often be sent away to have the child, which was then immediately removed from her. In 2015, after a mass grave of nearly 800 babies was found, the Irish Government took action and commenced an investigation into the nationwide network of "Mother and Baby" homes which in itself hit barrier after barrier of poor or no records and people having no memory of any such thing happening in their family.

In these tumultuous times, a book could not be more relevant. This is a strong account of what "can" happen when faith determines autonomy over a womans body and especially in the light of the Catholic church being in favour of abstinence as opposed to contraception. This is not a debate of what is right or wrong, each to their own, but it is a powerful account of history teaching us a very powerful lesson about 800 souls that were born and had nowhere to go

I had a basic knowledge of this historical trend and the investigation, but Wills provides a very important, well written account and this is further enhanced by the author narrating her own book which adds an extra nuance to the content and further amplifies the strength, authenticity and integrity of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media and Clair Wills for this fascinating ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

I love history and this story is rich with history of Clair Wills family. I was hoping for it to be a little more in-depth of the history of the Mother and Baby homes and what happened there, but this was an interesting glimpse into it.

Thank you for the ALC for my honest review.

Review of “Missing Persons: or, My Grandmother’s Secret” written and narrated by Clair Wills.

Arriving April 2/2024

Disclaimer: Please note that I received an Audio ARC of this book from NetGalley and The Dreamscape Team, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

⭐⭐⭐☆☆

“Missing Persons: or, My Grandmother’s Secrets” by Clair Wills is a heartfelt journey through both personal and Irish history, touching on the haunting gaps in modern Ireland and within the author’s own family.

Wills’s exploration of Ireland’s Mother and Baby Homes scandal is eye-opening, but the heavy focus on personal anecdotes may not appeal to everyone. At times, the narrative feels repetitive, and it’s easy for attention to drift, especially in the audio version.

That said, the book offers valuable insights into memory, family secrets, and the complexities of Irish history. If you’re interested in Irish history or genealogy, the audiobook might be worth a listen, but it might not hold everyone’s attention from start to finish.

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