One of the most heart wrenching, tear-inducing, hanging on the edge of my seat books I have read in a really long time. All through Sally's ordeal, I could personally relate to everything she was going through. The author captured the raw emotions of Sally, her family, and all of the people that wanted to help, but at the time were unable. Many tears were shed in the reading of this novel, and I loved it.

Heartbreaking. While this is historical fiction, it reads very much like real life. It will make you ache and weepy and you will have no choice but to keep on reading because Greenwood's writing is lyrical and gripping.

"Rust and Stardust" is a novel that retells the story of Sally Horner, the real-life girl whose abduction and subsequent abuse at the hands of a disgusting excuse for oxygen named Frank LaSalle was probably the germ from which Nabokov got the idea for "Lolita."

The essential plot (it's not a spoiler) is this: Little Sally Horner is caught by a conman when she's getting in trouble. The poor child is convinced he's somehow the legal authority and that she must obey him. This sets up her abduction and the story of the book, which is told mostly through Sally's point of view, but with other players as well.

I'm trying to take apart this book as I sit here and stew on it. It's fast-moving--I read it in a night, unable to put it down. It's vivid; I left the book with the same tears-and-existential crisis that I had after reading "The Fault in Our Stars." And thankfully it is quite sensitive--the sexual abuse is handled with no detail, as Sally disassociates in a way that feels very real. (For this choice, the author really does deserve a lot of credit.)

Overall, the book seems to speak to the beauty of our flawed realities, the nature of grief, the power of memory, and the human capacity to love, to treat others with kindness and compassion. (Love is shown in this book in ordinary gestures, far from talk of romance or the horror of LaSalle.) And it is a final tribute to a poor child whose tragic story has been erased in popular memory in favor of twisted readings of the book that was born of her story, "Lolita."

This book was reviewed as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book was really well written. It was very sad though and a very frustrating read. The author did his job well. During the read you just want to rush ahead to the conclusion, you want something to happen to save her, you want to shake her and scream at her to do ‘this’ or ‘that’. So all in all it was a difficult book to read, and the author did a good job of propelling you through a series of emotions. I’m just left feeling sad and unfulfilled though. I do like how you see how the life of Sally then changed the lives of the others in the book. A difficult but good read.

This was a twisted story, and I knew it before going into it. Twisted as it was, I really enjoyed the book and most of the characters. As good as it was, i did skip through mom obsessing over her dead husband. That was made a point early on. Still great read!

Until reading this I had never heard of Sally Horner. What an incredibly sad life this little girl had. There were so many opportunities for rescue that were missed. I throughly enjoyed reading this.

This book was outstanding. Heartbreaking to say the least. I had zero knowledge of who Frank La Salle or Sally Horner were when I began reading. I was so incredibly intrigued, I had to stop and do some googling.

Although this book is a work of fiction based around a true crime, I must say the Author did an amazing job creating a story that immerses you.

The Authors note at the end of the novel was powerful and informative. Highly recommend.

4 girls on a playground - One is desperately wanting to join the group and be a part of the sisterhood!!
She is aching to be on the sun and not on her small, lonely planet.
She is asked to perform a dare to prove herself and pass initiation.

This dare sends her life into a whole new direction!

I was horrified to see so many missed opportunities- so many missed chances for a rescue.
I liked the multiple viewpoints of the family and friends back home
to the people who came in contact with her through the moves.

Hang your red ribbon out
Start reading this and be prepared to be carried away with this story.

"Rust & Stardust" is a fictionalized accounting of the real kidnapping of 11yr old Sally Horner in the 50's by a pedophile. This case is also believed to be the inspiration for "Lolita". The story was an intriguing read, without getting graphic about the abuse, helping the reader understand how a victim stays without barrier with their kidnapper.

Young Sally Horner, kidnapped by repeat sex-offender Frank Lasalle in 1948.....a true story, sadly. And that is where this novel leaves you after carrying you through what might have happened to poor Sally and the family still searching for her on her abusive and bewildering trek from Atlantic City to California. Shock at how easily Sally was convinced that she risked going to jail for trying to steal a notebook, dismay and incredulity at how little Ella, her mother, knows about her daughter's life and how naively she trusts Lasalle's story of taking Sally to Atlantic City to visit with one of her friends, dismay at her inevitable rape throughout her trip, desperate longing for her to share her story with one of those people she gets to know along the way........and finally deep sadness when, shortly after her return, she tragically dies in a car accident. While the story is speculative, it's highly believable and draws you into Sally as well as her families minds and hearts as they all try to cope with her absence. Her story has been 'told' before, in Vladimir Nabokov's 'Lolita'.......but this one is for Sally.

**Review will be published to blog closer to publication date**

I chose this book because:

I’ve never read Lolita, and I never knew that it was inspired by the case of Sally Horner. Crime stories have always captured my interest (I binged all of Criminal Minds on Netflix), so I’m intrigued by this book and it’s definitely up my alley. The fact that this book is based on true events perhaps makes it all the more captivating, but also makes me feel more cautious about how the events will be handled by the author.

Upon reading it:

I started this book in the late evening and didn’t put it down until I finished it in the early morning because I couldn’t bear to stop in the middle of the story and be stuck in that world. It’s terrible to know that this was the reality for Sally Horner.

In the Author’s Note, Greenwood gives the disclaimer that though the case of Sally Horner is true, this book is not a true crime book; she also briefly goes over which characters and events were real and which ones were made up. She did a lot of research, but of course, nobody will know exactly what happened during those two years that Sally Horner was captured. Greenwood does a good job filling in the blanks and telling the story though. It took me there and made me feel some type of way (anxiety!), which for me is an indicator of a good story, whatever that feeling is, whether it’s positive or negative.

I was relieved with the way Greenwood handled the fictionalised events and that this horrible event wasn’t romanticised. It was heartbreaking to see how innocent and trusting Sally Horner was, and to see how she was taken advantage of, to put it lightly. It’s a heavy story and my heart was racing, wondering if and how she was going to survive or escape.

And trying my best not to spoil anything: The end tho…

Story of the true crime abduction of the girl who Lolita was later based on and told from the point of view of the victim.. I had very strong reactions to this book. It's unflinching and heart-breaking.

This was a great start to 2018, as I couldn't put this book down. Its a tragic, sometimes fantastic, heartbreaking story. Fantastically written.

Rust & Stardust is based on the real-life kidnapping of 11-year-old Sally Horner, and her kidnapper, in 1948 whose story inspired Vladimir Nabokov to write his controversial and iconic book, Lolita.

After a dare from a group of girls, 11-year-old Sally Horner attempted to steal a notebook from a Woolworths. She was stopped by a man who claimed to be an FBI agent and that she was under arrest. She had no way of knowing that this man was not an FBI agent but an ex-convict by the name of Frank LaSalle who was recently released from prison. He tells Sally if she does not cooperate, she will be in jail, so she does as he says.

The Author then takes us through the two years in which Frank LaSalle mentally, physically and sexually abuses Sally. The two of them travel from place to place, moving on when people begin to get suspicious of this single father and his "daughter". Along the way, Sally meets people who are kind to her and who suspect the truth. Frank always seems to be one step ahead and keeps them moving so he is not caught. Sally's mother initially believed that Sally was going on vacation with a friend (she walked her to the bus stating and left her with LaSalle!) but soon, the authorities were called in and the real authorities began a search for Sally.

This book lets us into Sally's life and we see her fear, her doubt, her loathing, her anger, her resentment, her hope, her strength. She was taken in a time when people were perhaps more trusting, the internet did not exist, Amber alerts did not exist, the harsh realities of depravity were not widely discussed, and children were not warned pedophiles and teachers were not trained on detecting abuse.

This is not a happy book. It is sad and heartbreaking. It is a story about pain, about loss, about innocence lost, about fear, about pain, about abduction, about abuse, about hope and finding home. This book is extremely well written and captivating. I thought the Author did a wonderful and thoughtful job telling the story with such a sensitive subject.

The Author's note at the end was very poignant and educational. I love books that cause me to think and feel and boy did I do a lot of thinking and feeling while reading this book. I believe the Author showed tact and caring while telling this girl's (and her family's) story.

I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is historical fiction based on a stunning and traumatic child abduction exposed years before the American public was ready to accept that pedophiles walked among us. In Camden, New Jersey, 1948, Sally Horner was stolen from her home by a lecherous old creep who successfully convinced her he was with the FBI and she was under arrest.
Frank LaSalle maintained this entrapping lie for over two years. The author, Tammy Greenwood, based the timeline, locations and as much of the personal drama on facts. The personal feelings, emotions, and glimpses into the thoughts of each character can’t be proven, but Greenwood has done an absolutely stunning job of recreating the atmosphere with conviction and respect.
This is such a sad read because, of course, you know how it will end. To avoid a spoiler, I won’t go into detail. I had read about this case years ago, so I went into it prepared. But that didn’t make me willing. This young little girl was stripped of everything a child holds dear, especially her innocence. The sad shell of a young teen who returned home is gut-wrenching. The reaction and treatment of her family and public is deplorable; no one can believe she was duped so easily or LaSalle was so enthralled by an 11-year old child. Surely she was promiscuous; obviously, she had some mental issues that attracted him. As stated earlier, the American public wasn’t ready to accept that these creeps existed and lived among us in 1948.
I strongly recommend this book. It’s probably best if you haven’t studied the history of the case, to avoid that until you’ve completed this book. It's heart-wrenching. To this day I feel sadness and loss for the child who just wanted so badly to be accepted by the popular girls at school.
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for making it available.)

A parent's nightmare. A fictionalized version of a true child abduction, one in which Lolita was based on. A quick horrifying read. Well written to horrify anyone with a child.

It is hard to find the words to express how I felt about Rust & Stardust. The subject matter was difficult, because I knew it was a true story and reading what Sally possibly went through was emotional and upsetting. T. Greenwood is definitely up to the task of writing abut Sally's experience in a way that is not exploitative but highly empathetic and puts the reader right into the hearts and minds of Sally and those who love her. Although I knew how the story ended, it was still devastating. Warning--the last few pages will tear your heart right out. I have not been this moved by historical fiction since Mary Beth Keane's The Fever, which is high praise. Highly recommended.

This book recounts the true crime abduction that was the inspiration for Nabokov’s Lolita. This time, the story is told from the point of view of Sally, the victim. It is unflinching and beautifully written.

Excellent story! Sad, tragic, memorable! Absolutely engrossing read. Looking forward to reading more by this author!

Heartbreaking. That's the only thing I can say about this one. Even more so because it's based on true events.
It's 1948. Young Sally, still reeling from the death of her father, is desperate to fit it. So, on a dare, she steals a notebook from the local Woolworth's. This one childish mistake sets in motion a chain of events that will have lasting repercussions. When a man posing as an FBI agent approaches her outside the store, Sally's innocence and gullible nature guarantee that she'll believe him. But what excuse for her mother, who allows this man to take Sally off on a supposed trip to the seashore? The only excuse I can think of is that it was a different time, simpler and more trusting.
For almost two years, Sally is victimized by Frank. They travel across the country, Sally being held against her will. Along the way, there are people who see something in Sally. And these people even make attempts to help her without truly knowing the extent of her abuse. Still, Sally must reach within herself and have the courage to speak up before she can be rescued.
While some liberties have been taken in the telling of Sally's story, the fact remains that she was a real person and a real kidnapping victim. An interesting side note: Sally's story was the inspiration for Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita.