Despite the entire premise of this novel (and Lolita) having a major ick-factor, I decided to try it for the historical aspect. Unfortunately I was not wowed by the writing or the characters. The writing was pretty dry and the formatting made the chapters extremely short much of the time. I did feel as though there were too many character POV changes, particularly since some of them did not add much to the story. I also found it difficult, based on what I've read of the true story, what was wholly fictional and what was true. It seemed as though the author may have taken a lot of liberties, some I did not understand the need for, although the basic facts were accurate. One of the facts that she did use was the absolute gullibility of both Sally and her mother. Aside from the abuse, this was the most difficult thing to put up with in the novel. I find it difficult, even knowing how those times were, how someone could be so absolutely, mind-numbingly gullible. I know it is true, but as a person who even as a young child did not take any crap from adults known and unknown (there are many stories...), gullibility just greatly irks me.

Overall, the story of Sally is quite sad (and ends so badly) but the writing rather dwindled the potential of this book.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This book did not appeal to me and I was unable to complete it.

The subject matter was depressing. The writing was not compelling and I found myself struggling to continue.

I am not sure if this would be considered Historical Fiction or based on a true story, but I think it is both as well as crime, drama and a very, very sad story. Make sure you read the author's notes at the end of the story to find out what motivated her to pen this book and to learn more about the true story of Sally Horner. I had no idea this was based on a true occurrence when I started reading it and that made this story even more traumatic to read.

11 year-old Sally Horner lives in Camden New Jersey in 1948. She is a quiet, happy child, who has a hard time making friends. When she finally gets up enough nerve to go up to a group of girls to try and join their group, they decide to take advantage of this young girl. They tell her she can be part of their group, but she needs to be initiated by stealing something from Woolworth’s. Sally is scared to steal and hurt her mother, but really wants to have friends so she slips a marble composition notebook into her sweater and hurries to leave the store. Sally doesn’t realize that stealing that notebook will change her life forever. Enter 52-year-old Frank LaSalle, just released from prison. He sees Sally steal the notebook and makes his move. He tells her he is from the FBI and tells Sally that she needs to do what he tells her or she will be arrested and thrown in jail. Terrified, Sally agrees and tricks her mother into letting her go to "the shore" with her friend's father. What follows is two years of abuse.

The chapters alternate between Sally and many other secondary characters. We read about Sally’s time with LaSalle, the places they lived, and the people Sally came in contact with. There are chapters from Sally’s mother, sister, and brother-in-law while they are trying to find her. They all struggle with guilt, anger, and blame. So many things could have changed the outcome of this story. What is even more of a mystery, is why Sally does not take advantage of so many times she could have gotten away or told someone. She was so brainwashed to think something worse would happen, that she seemed to accept her lot in life. This story is chilling, emotional, and heartbreaking. I had to switch it up with some lighter stories in order to finish this one. Having said that, this story is riveting. I wanted to find out what was going to happen. Who would finally realize that there was something wrong? When would Sally realize she had to speak up?

As I said at the beginning, this story is based upon a true crime story. It was also the basis for the book "Lolita", but the author placed herself as an observer of Sally's story and what she describes is fiction. Many of the characters were based on situations such as the circus being in town and the circus performers staying in the same trailer park were Sally and Frank lived, but the interactions are fiction. Many people will find this book too difficult to read. The incidences of abuse are not graphic, most are just innuendo or Sally writing about them in her journal after the fact, but that may still bother many readers. I am glad I read this book, it was disturbing, but the author did an amazing job. I look forward to reading more by T. Greenwood.

I wasn’t exactly sure what this novel would be like—true crime stories are usually more on the grim, graphic side, and as for “Lolita” (for which Sally Horner’s story was partly an inspiration), I admit I liked it more for its value as a classic than for its theme. Still, “Rust & Stardust” looked like it’d be an interesting read, and that it was… as well as heart-breaking in many ways. (Especially when you already know how things went for the real Sally Horner.)

One thing I really appreciated with it is how it never veers into graphic/descriptive territory when it comes to the sexual abuse Sally suffered. I’m not a prude, but reading about women being defiled in terms that make the whole thing look like “stuff being done to a piece of meat” has never been something I particularly relish, and when the victims are kids, how to put it… That’d just be the worst. So I was really glad that, while there’s no doubt as to what LaSalle does to Sally, there’s also no need to say more. We get it. We get the picture. He’s a disgusting man. And we can leave it at that.

There’s also a really frustrating side to the story, in that it shows us several close calls where, had things gone just slightly differently, Sally could’ve been found much sooner. It always hinges on a tiny thing, on just the wrong timing—frustrating, but also all too human, because it puts the reader face to face with something that most of us may indeed not recognise in time to act. It’s all about “someone has to do something”, but the someones who could act are sometimes oblivious, and sometimes make their decision just that tad bit too late to be useful. And, to be fair, most of the characters were so naive! Granted, it was 1948, and we can assume there weren't so many horror stories of kids being abducted at the time, and people wouldn't be as savvy and wary as they generally (well, supposedly) are now. Still, I felt like slapping them sometimes and tall them "duh, this is so obvious!"

(I say “frustrating”, but with a dash of anticipation, like when you’re left with a cliffhanger.)

The novel doesn’t entirely follow Sally’s ordeal either, and the author took some freedoms with the side characters: people whom Sally meets, who may or may not be in positions to help her, and who provide a ray of sunshine in her existence while LaSalle drags her around. What it was exactly like for the real Sally, we’ll never know, but here, it felt as if these encounters allowed her to survive, to remain strong enough in spite of all the grim sides. There’s an (expected) turning point when she reaches that stage where she starts to look more like a young woman, something that doesn’t “appeal” to Frank, and in turn, he gradually treats her differently—and you can’t help but shiver, on top of the previous shivers due to the whole paedophilia part itself, because it’s when you also start wondering “how long until he discards her because she’s not a little girl anymore?”

I guess I had more trouble, all in all, with the overall style. The writing was OK but not the best ever, and there were moments in the story when the rhythm felt strange; or perhaps that was because everything focused on the characters and little on the investigation itself, so there wasn’t the same kind of suspense I usually associate with “crime stories”?

Nevertheless, I “enjoyed” the book, also for telling this story that deserved telling. 3.5 to 4 stars here.

This book was amazing in how much it opened my eyes. I had never heard of the kidnapping before and the raw manner in which the author brought the story of the captive and captor to life was simply incredible. There are so many kind hearts who honestly deserve honors for the risks they took but there is also so much cruelty in the world and selfishness among human nature - the novel does a fantastic job in highlighting those differences.

I enjoyed this book. It's very well written, but it's a sad story. Based on a true story. Some people will find the subject hard to read and at times I did also.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. Thank you,Netgalley!

This novel excited me as I'm a huge Nabokov fan and I love Lolita. This is a must for anyone who loves Lolita as much as me!

I took soooo long to finally sit down and read this book. The reason I picked it was the description and the fact that it is based on a real story. This is also why it took so long for me to actually start reading it. I was scared that once I got into it the subject matter would be too hard to read about. It was devastating to read about all the abuse this young lady had to deal with. I love when a book can make me react out loud whether it's laughing or crying. This one had me yelling and crying all at the same time. It was truly heartbreaking and yet I had to keep reading to find out what happened. I had a few moments when I had to put the book down and sort of take a deep breath because I just kept thinking that this girl could have been my daughter or even myself at that age. This novel is so well written that I even found myself holding my breath during certain scenes. 5 stars all the way!

Based on a real life event that helped shape Nabokov's Lolita, this well done story wasn't what I would usually enjoy. It was gritty, sad and engrossing all at once, but I don't think I would subject myself to reading it again.

An absolutely heartbreaking, page turning novel about the true crime story that inspired the classic, "Lolita". I could not put this book down even though I wanted to. Beautiful written, chockful with gripping prose, Greenwood is a masterful writer. This is not a book to be missed.

Published by St. Martin's Press on August 7, 2018

The first thing a potential reader should know about Rust & Stardust is that it addresses the sexual abuse of a preteen girl. Scenes in which the abuse occurs are far from graphic, but sensitive readers who would be severely distressed by the subject matter itself might want to avoid the novel.

The story is based on a young girl’s kidnapping that Nabokov read about while he was writing Lolita and to which he referred in the text. In fact, the title Rust and Stardust echoes a line from Lolita. That is where the comparison ends. Nabokov portrayed Lolita as a seductress who is far from innocent, while Rust & Stardust portrays the sexual assault of a clear victim.

Rust & Stardust begins in 1948. At age 11, Sally Horner is plump and friendless. A cruel trick by her classmates — a “single act of careless unkindness” — changes Sally’s life by placing her in the hands of a man who is posing as an FBI agent. Believing she’s about to be taken to FBI headquarters, Sally tells her mother she’s been invited to go with her friend on a vacation to Atlantic City, a story the man confirms in a telephone call. The man who calls himself Frank (his last names vary) holds Sally in Atlantic City for a month before Sally’s mother learns that Sally isn’t staying with her friend.

Frank eventually takes Sally to a string of cities, adopting new identities, sometimes enrolling her in school, and eventually tiring of her as she enters puberty. The police are slow to follow, despite prodding from Sally’s sister and her sister’s husband Al, who plays amateur detective. Sally’s mother frets and feels guilty but is otherwise useless. Sally makes friends along the way, but people who suspect she is in some sort of trouble do nothing to confirm their suspicions until Sally is gone.

Various characters, including Sally’s mother, feel guilt while the predator feels none at all. To a large extent, their guilt is the force that drives the narrative. The classmates who trick Sally eventually come to understand that their prank set the stage for the predator to kidnap her. They must live with that guilt as they get older. Sally blames herself, as children often do, for being a bad daughter who has earned the abuse she suffers. The predator’s friends facilitate his crime, only to feel remorse when it is too late to undo the harm. Sally’s mother has more than enough reason to blame herself for failing to prevent the kidnapping and for waiting so long before contacting the police.

While Rust & Stardust revolves around Frank’s abuse of Sally, T. Greenwood makes clear that Sally is also the victim of poor parenting, tabloid journalists, and a criminal justice system that (in the novel’s time frame) treated child victims as if they deserved to be incarcerated. The story covers all of those issues in convincing detail.

The story is disturbing because life is disturbing, including the life of Sally Horner as Greenwood imagines it to have been. But Rust & Stardust disturbs for the sake of offering insights into how victims and families handle trauma, not for the sake of sensationalizing a horrific crime. Most “every parent’s nightmare” stories overplay the melodrama that is inherent in stories about victimized children. Those that don’t too often read like a documentary, presenting just the facts in order to avoid obvious manipulation of the reader’s emotions. Neither a weepfest nor a clinical report constitutes good fiction. Greenwood manages to get the balance right, creating sympathy when characters deserve it without exploiting trauma for the sake of creating a spectacle.

RECOMMENDED

An excellent book about a terrifying topic: child abduction. Based on the true kidnapping of Sally Horner in the 1940's, this story illustrates the chilling manipulation, kidnapping and violation of an innocent 11 year old. Much mental abuse, to have her believe her predators, as well as moving to different locations across the country, in order to keep her hidden. Disturbing and difficult, yet well depicted. Thank you NetGalley and the author/publisher for the e-copy for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

The synopsis: When 11 year-old Sally Horner steals a notebook from the local Woolworth's, she has no way of knowing that 52 year-old Frank LaSalle, fresh out of prison, is watching her, preparing to make his move. Accosting her outside the store, Frank convinces Sally that he’s an FBI agent who can have her arrested in a minute—unless she does as he says. This chilling novel traces the next two harrowing years as Frank mentally and physically assaults Sally while the two of them travel westward from Camden to San Jose, forever altering not only her life, but the lives of her family, friends, and those she meets along the way.

My thoughts:
I have spent the last two years, or so, listening to many true crime podcasts and thus freaking myself out! I don't know how the story of Sally Horner flew past my radar without me knowing about it. This book was a work of fiction, since of course, we will never know exactly what Sally Horner or her family were thinking during that horrible time in which she was held captive. Yet, I feel that the author did amazing work in bringing her to life for us and really connecting with her. Again, this is a work of fiction, but I do feel that a lot of the feelings portrayed in the book were within reasonable parameters. There wasn't much that was outlandish or uncharacteristic in the story. It did leave me in tears many-a-time and I would recommend having some tissues handy for this one! I would love to read more nonfiction accounts about her story after reading this book. It's always a good thing when a book leaves you feeling like you need more. The book was a 4.5/5 for me.

While I knew the subject of the novel before beginning, like many other reviewers I was neither familiar with the true crime upon it was based, nor with Nabakov's novel Lolita, modeled upon that crime. The novel held its own without any background knowledge, though. It draws the reader into the world and mind of an unfortunate, betrayed child and portrays the tragic events convincingly. The author's characterizations shine throughout.

WOW. I am floored with this book. I feel like I have been ripped up to pieces and put back together. What an incredible book. This story is based on the real life 1948 abduction of 11 year old Sally Horner by Frank LaSalle, a child molester, and it captured me and held me captive the whole journey. This was such a story that ripped my heartstrings but made me think in a way a book hasn't in a while. When I finished this book, I ran immediately to do more research about Sally.

The author does an amazing job of telling this story in such a way, that I will never forget this story. Well done. If you can handle a hard read, please pick this up, as you will not be disappointed.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

"Rust and Stardust" retells the true story of 11-year old Sally Horner, who in 1948 was abducted by convicted criminal Frank LaSalle. While this is fiction, it is based on real events.

LaSalle witnesses Sally steal a notebook from Woolworth's, and he poses as an FBI agent. Sally is young and naive and frightened, and tells no one what happened. LaSalle persuades her to lie to her mother and Sally is allowed to accompany him on a trip to the seashore, on the pretense that she is going with a school friend.

The story is frightening and absolutely gripping. It is astounding that LaSalle was able to keep Sally captive for as long as he did without being discovered. There were friends, neighbors, and teachers who became suspicious, but LaSalle kept them moving whenever suspicion became too great. Sally lived her life in continual fear, longing to go home but unsure whether to believe LaSalle' lies.

This is a devastating story, but sensitively told. Sally's voice, lost for so long, can now be heard.

She thought about want. Wasn't it want that got her here in the first place? She'd only wanted to be friends with those bright eyed girls with their white teeth and shiny hair. She'd wanted it so badly (this simple, stupid thing).

I always try to start a book without knowing the synopsis. Just so I can have an open mind and no preconceived ideals. Not knowing this was based on the true story of Sally Horner, I became somewhat uncomfortable with where this was going. I have read child abductions before, but this was different and the difference was intentional on the author's part. The focus is not on the prevision of the abductor, but on the courage of Sally Horner. How she and her mother let their own loneliness fall victim to a predator.

This read empathizes with Sally's family as they deal with what this man did to their daughter, sister. It also deals with the "friend" that Sally wanted to befriend and the guilt she had as she came to realize her part in Sally's being a sexual victim. This is heartbreaking in many ways but it also depicts courage of a little girl, how she survived the emotional and physical trauma and the little things she held on to. Sally's life touched many people as they came to realize their part and it teaches us to be aware of others!

Greenwood always writes in a way that connects her readers to her characters. She gives light and insight to circumstances that are difficult and painful. I will always read Greenwood book! Always an emotional roller coaster.

A Special Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

Rust & Stardust is a fictional account based on a true story of the kidnapping of Sally Horner in the 1940s. Sally is trying to make new friends and in order to be initiated into the cool girls crew, she is told she must steal and item from Woolworth’s. She chooses an inexpensive marble composition notebook and begins walking out of the store when I man grabs her arm and tells her that he is from the FBI and she was in trouble for stealing. Frank LaSalle continues to follow up with Sally telling her that he is trying to keep her out of prision for stealing. Things escalate when he tells Sally she must go on a trip with him to see a judge. Sally convinces her mom she is going on a trip with a friend from school. The mom is a bit clueless and doesn’t even become worried until he daughter is gone a month and even then she is in denial. The story jumps around with POV from Sally, her brother in law, and her mother. Some scenes are super disturbing and make you wonder how And why Sally continues to keep LaSalle’s secret. So many people could have helped Sally and chose to look the other way. A true case of the bystander effect. This book was truly disturbing, but kept me up at night reading it. I couldn’t wait to get home from work so I could keep reading!

This is a really hard book for me to review. On the one hand, it was very well-written and researched, it kept me turning pages, glued to the story, but the subject matter was not enjoyable. I found myself repeatedly wondering why in the world I had a requested to read it. I've never read Lolita and only knew the surface story about Sally Horner, so I'm not sure what prompted me to request it. It's been sitting on my to be read list for months, and the only reason I kept it on there was because of the glowing reviews. So if you like a novel based on true crime, and can stomach the horrifying details, then it's probably a book you'll find engrossing. But now I'm off to read something happy and cheerful.

Before I get started, there are things that I have to admit. First, I run, but I am a reluctant runner. I really don’t want to put on my running clothes in 85 degree weather at 7:30 in the morning when it’s already 90% humidity here in Georgia (I know- random, but give me a minute to explain) That being said, one of my favorite things about running (besides having an excuse to eat a bunch of Sour Patch Kids because I already ran off the extra calories from the giant bag I devour after a run), but it gives me a chance to listen to whatever book I have queued up. If the book is good, it gets me out the door and ready to run (because I cannot wait to listen to the book!!) Another confession is that running to music is hard for me and kills any consistency in my pace, so I listen to books instead. I started reading Rust & Stardust by T. Greenwood on my Kindle (YAY for advance reader’s copies!!) and I could not put it down. I needed to know what was going to happen. I had to know. To me, a sign of a 5 Star book is when you have it available on every medium possible… traditional book, audio book, and e-reader. And I have all three. While the case of Sally Horner is a true story and was the inspiration for Vladamir Nabokov’s Lolita (1955), Rust & Stardust is a fictional account of her story, based on the facts of the case.


And the story goes…


Sally Horner is an 11-year old girl from Camden, NJ in 1948. She’s a shy girl with no real friends who lives at home with just her mother after her father left the family when Sally was very young and her step-father was hit by a train one drunken night out. Usually the subject of much teasing by the girls in her class, she is thrilled when Vivi, Irene, and Bess finally take notice of her and invite her into their “club” provided she complete the one caveat needed to join– she must steal something from the local Woolworth’s. Unsure what to do, Sally makes the decision to steal a composition notebook, but as she is walking out the door, she is grabbed by a man who presents himself to be a store security guard. In this moment, Sally Horner’s life is about to drastically changed. Little known to Sally, the store security guard is 52 year-old Frank LaSalle, fresh out of prison, who manages to convince her that he is a FBI agent and can have her arrested in a minute if she doesn’t do what he says. Capitalizing on Sally’s fear, LaSalle tells her that he will be checking  on her at school and if she doesn’t listen to him, he will go to her house to tell her mom what Sally had done. And with this threat, he lets her go. Terrified of the threat of going to prison, Sally doesn’t tell her mom what happened and when he shows up after school one day, telling her it’s time to go to see the judge for her crime.


For nearly the next two years, LaSalle physically, sexually, and emotionally abused Sally, convincing her that if she tries to run or alert anyone, he will take her to prison, even going as far as to tell her that now that he is in trouble as well as he was protecting her. Taking her from Camden, NJ to San Jose, CA, and trailer parks in between, the course of Sally’s life, her family’s, and the people she meets along the way will forever be changed.


My thoughts…


I loved this book. It’s gut wrenching, terrifying, and the naivety of Sally was somewhat astonishing (but I also had to tell myself repeatedly that 1948 was not the same as 2018, so being naive at 11 was more the norm than it is now!!) While fiction, T. Greenwood gives a voice to Sally, an insight to the horrors that she suffered, and the innocence that was lost in those two years. Rust & Stardust hit the stands August 7, 2018 and is definitely one not to miss.


It should also be noted that The Real Lolita by Sarah Weinman was published this past September and is also an account a true account of Sally Horner, as well as depicts the extent of information Nabokov knew and covered up when writing Lolita.


Super shout out to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the advance reader’s copy for my honest review.
 #StMartinsPress #NetGalley #rust&stardust

And the rest is rust and stardust. –Vladamir Nabokov