This is one of those books that becomes part of the reader. The characters so well constructed that the reader feels every heartwarming and heartbreaking moment right along with them. An emotional rollercoaster brilliantly tied into a history hidden for so long and finally exposed. One of the best books I have read in a long time, and a story that will haunt me for years. This book should be on the top of everyone must read list.

Didn't really know much about the British Home Children until I read this book and after, did more research into it. This was a beautifully written and researched book. The characters are well developed and you're bound to feel for them (anger, sadness, joy) as they go through life. I enjoyed how the book comes together after the children separate and liked the present and past view points.

From the very first page, this book grabbed me by the heart and didn't let go. I was profoundly touched by the characters, in particular, the five children who were taken from the streets of London and shipped to Canada to be indentured to work until 18 years old or possibly adopted. The story of their lives carried me into a true historic period in Canadian history of which I had never heard in all my years as a citizen and this shocked me. The story is based on the true fact that between the mid 19th to mid 20th century some 100,000 plus, from infant to teenager, British Home Children were sent to Canada and although the original idea had merit, it did not turn out well for about 70% of those children. Genevieve Graham did her research and wrote this story capturing all the nuance, loss, pain and eventual love and peace some of these children eventually found. I highly recommend reading this gem of a book, especially Canadians, as it is a part of our history. It will be published March 3, 2020. Write that date on your calendar!

The Forgotten Home Child is a moving and heartbreaking novel about place, acceptance, and family. It is based on historical cases of British children who were sent to Canada to serve as farm workers in the 1920s. The story draws you in slowly as it centers around five orphan children, Mary, Jack, Edward and Cecil. The plot is carefully crafted to reveal unexpected events that keep you turning pages to reach a most satisfying conclusion. I loved the character development and meticulous research that went into this novel. I highly recommend it. I would like to thank Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of this book.
#TheForgottenHomeChild #NetGalley

from finding work because of the depression and social conditions and because they were British.

This story is fiction based on history and research by the author. The story is about several main characters from Britain Jack, his sister Mary, two brothers Edward and Cecil, and Winny with Jack and Winny being the two main characters. The story follows them from when they took the ship from Britain to Canada. Jack was seventeen and Winny was sixteen.

The story begins with Winny now in her 80's telling the story to her granddaughter an d great grandson after her daughter finds a trunk with old clothes and photos in it from Winny's past.
The story follow the children and some of their friends as they arrive in Canada, go to the farms they will work on, grow up and leave their service or die on the farms. The treatment they receive, the sheds and barns they were forced to live in and the beatings.

The fortitude and courage of Winny and the guilty feelings of Jack as he leaves them behind. As they interact again later in years and how the past affected their present. secrets that were kept and finally released. Love and heartbreak and lives forever changed because of their immigration to Canada. Their dedication to each other and their love for each other.

The ending of the story is bittersweet and very well done. I loved the book beginning and ending, although it was sad and tragic it told me about a section of history which needed to be told.
I would wholeheartedly recommend this book.

Thanks to Genevieve Graham, Simon and Schuster Canada, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I was back and forth between 3.5 and 4 stars with this book and landed at 4. This historical fiction set in England and Canada, brings to light a part of Canadian history I was not aware of at all until now - thousands of poverty-stricken children sent from England between 1869 and 1948 to Canada and other parts of the commonwealth and in many cases worked as indentured workers - often mistreated and abused.

The story follows two of these children - Winnie and Jack, and their friends,
The abuse and the shame that comes with being a Home Child it is often sad and at times heart wrenching. It is a love story at the same time.

Thanks @netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. This is a little outside my normal horror type books but it sounded interesting so i gave it a shot and i am so so glad i did. This book gripped my from page 1, it was so well written and the characters were so richly created. Absolutely amazing. The history that was brought to life in this story was both haunting and revealing. I had no idea this type of thing took place here. The book was fraught with suspense as well as a dash of humor and a whole lot of sadness... bot fear not as hope and survival shines through as well. This story was so well told i could not put it down and read it in one sitting. I was so sad when i reached the last page. This book needs to end up on everyones must read list.

There have been lots of comparisons to Be We Were Yours, and whereas this book is a similar genre, I am not so sure such comparisons are accurate. This book taking place in London and then Canada, allows us to follow 5 characters throughout their times in history. The main character in the book, Winny, is well loved and well written. I did find some of the chance encounters to be somewhat unbelievable but possibly in that time period those encounters could take place. I loved the mystery of the character, Billy, and did relate to his story line.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, and it was a surprise to learn about yet another period in history when children were unaccepted.

I have read some of Genevieve's books previously and enjoyed her writing, so that's why I decided to request an advanced copy of this book. It tells the story of several children who come to Canada as part of the Home Child program. I was flabbergasted to discover that this is a very real part of Canada's history, but I had never heard of it before. The book was very hard to read at times - the abuses that the children were dealt with were horrific, and it was almost too much for me to take. Thankfully, I kept reading and the ending made it all worthwhile. It is a part of Canadian history that people need to be more aware of. I'm glad to have learned a bit about it through this book.

This was a well researched book about a part of Canadian/British history that is not well known. Children, many who were orphans, were sent from England to Canada for a better life during the early to mid 1900’s. Instead of this incredible future they were envisioning, they experienced many atrocities by their new families. These British Home Children as they were called, lived in barns, were malnourished, and were often beaten and much worse in their surroundings. This is a book that will stay with you for a long time. The author did a great job developing the characters in the story to shed light on this sad time in history. Well done! #TheForgottenHomeChild #GenevieveGraham #NetGalley

I could not put this book down! Similar to the stories of The Orphan Train and Before we were yours, this book was of that same genre. I loved it! And I absolutely burned through it. I loved the characters, Winnie, Mary, Jack ......and am floored that the mistreatment of these children happened. Granted, this is a story, but it is based in factual occurrences, and this and probably worse happened to the poor unwitting children shipped off to horrendous treatment by “masters!”. Sickenening! Genevieve Graham wrote an absorbing story that should be read by all. The ending is a grabber, no spoilers here, but brought tears to my eyes. Thank you to Ms. Graham for her eloquent authorship and to NetGalley and Simon and Shuster Publishing for the perusal. One of the best books I’ve read this year! Bravo!

This was a really interesting and well-researched work of fiction that traces the lives of six abandoned children from a London orphanage who are shipped off to Canada. They are just six of the estimated 100,000-120,000 of British Home Children who were relocated by the government, an apparrently fairly forgotten/ignored part of British and Canadian history. The story jumps between the past and present, as told by the main character Winny, although it definitely spends a lot more time on the past.

The writing itself is fairly PG-rated, although reader be warned that the themes and plot touch at much more mature subjects including rape and violence.

I also definitely got the sense that the author connected more with her female characters, as they seemed to come alive a whole lot more than the male characters. For example, Jack's time on the railway is mentioned secondhand but is pretty brushed over for the years he spent there.

I hope to learn more about this time in history and would highly recommend this book. Would definitely make a good book club read, as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book. It has not influenced my review.

I really enjoyed this book! If you are a fan of The Orphan Train, you should definitely read this one too. Interesting piece of history that I knew nothing about. it was well written and well laid out and I would definitely recommend it.

This historical novel based on the British Home Children is one of the saddest and yet most uplifting books I have read.
It tells the story of destitute British children who were sent to Canada though organizations that were designed to give them better lives.
In most of all the cases, the children led terrible lives as indentured servants.
The novel centers around a group of children who met on the streets of London in the early 1900’s. and we are taken though their lives.
It is heart wrenching.
What an incredible story!

What a heart wrenching book. Knowing this actually happened is sad. Touches your heart and makes you think of this book and the home children after you are done. Great read!


Thanks to the publisher and net galley for an early release of this book

An absolutely heart-breaking tale of orphaned children taken from England under false pretences and sent to Canada with the promise of a better life through Dr. Bernardos Home Child program.

Our story begins with Winnie, a 97 year old woman finally speaking of her past to her grand-daughter and great grand-son when the contents of her wooden chest (she built herself in England in preparation for her voyage to Canada) spills her past onto the lawn when she is moving into their home to live out the rest of her days.

Winnie, a poor Irish girl is forced out of her London home when her new step-father begins to physically abuse her and her brothers. She takes to the street and befriends a rag-tag group of thieves. Sarah and her brother Jack, Cecil and his brother Edward- whom she believes to be her true family. This group is the focus of the novel, eventually caught and placed in orphanages they journey from London to Canada to be separated and placed on farms as servants. None of the group is lucky enough to receive the “better life” promised through Dr. Bernardos program.

There are too many children and too few monitors to ensure the children’s safety and well-being. Canada, at the time suffering a depression and a high rate of child mortality rate, is not able to provide the children with the better life the program intended. The Canadians taking advantage of the program are mostly farmers and use these dispensable boys and girls as workers for their farms.

The boys, who manage to stay together, are beaten- in some cases to the point of death- only to eventually escape the clutches of their master. Sarah, forced to sleep in a shed, suffers the physical and sexual abuse of her master on a nightly basis. Winnie sleeps in a barn- happy when the sheep are with her for warmth- completes her chores in time for meals or she doesn’t eat, wears boots that are far too small for her, and suffers the abuse of other children at school (which she is happy to take as long as she gets to go to school!) We follow Winnie through nursing school and Jack through his wanderings of the vast Canadian country - endlessly searching for Winnie and Sarah- only for both of their lives to be caught up in the Second World War. Unwanted by their birth country and the country they were forced to move to, Winnie and Jack miraculously find each other and realize that home to them, is with each other, scars and all.

This was a truly interesting read, and a well-kept secret smudge on Canadian history. I am with the author - this SHOULD be taught in Canadian history classes and these children and their stories should not be forgotten.

Thank you so much for the advanced copy, I learned so much!

What a good book! This is my first book by Genevieve Graham and I will definitely be reading more of hers. In the first couple chapters I wasn't sure that it was going to work for me, but once the children made it to Canada the book really picked up and I found myself hooked. I really enjoyed seeing all the different types of homes the orphans ended up in. I feel like this made the story seem more realistic...it wasn't entirely focused on the horrible stories or just the positive stories.
I also enjoyed that although this book was one that focused on past and present it spent more time on the past. Sometimes when a book flips back and forth I find myself less interested in some of the parts, and really just wanting to focus on the historical aspects. This novel kept just the right amount of each.

Overall, I will definitely recommend this book to my Historical Fiction loving friends and will be adding it to my Library!
Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy!

II loved this one it was an excellent historical fiction book about a time in history I didn’t know about. It reminded me a lot of The orphan train.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

I had never heard of the Home Child program that "exported" a large number of children from England to Canada so the premise of the book intrigued me so I picked it for that reason. I know the story was fiction but the author explains at the end that she did a lot of research on the topic and incorporated a lot of the true stories she found into her fiction story. The story was a real heart-wrencher. I can't imagine being treated the way these children were treated. One other outcome for me was that I wish I had spent more time talking to my own grandparents and parents about their childhood. I'm sure there were many experiences that they had that I am not aware of. This was an excellent book and I would definitely recommend it.

I have been a fan of Ms. Graham since her first book! And in each subsequent endeavor, her writing has improved to create a story that grips you from start to finish. I so appreciate her highlighting Canadian history.
The Forgotten Home Child is her best writing yet! The story centered around 5 orphan children, draws you in slowly. The plot is carefully crafted to reveal unexpected events that keep the reader turning pages to reach a satisfying conclusion. I read this book in under 24 hours! The thorough character development and meticulous research shine as the plot develops around Winny, Mary, Jack, Edward and Cecil, all British Home Children brought to Canada under false pretenses. The trials and consequences of their situation are gripping and almost unfathomable. Then the reader remembers that the meticulously researched historical details are factual, horrifying and represented in the fictional characters.
This novel will ensure that these settlers of Canada and their place in Canadian history are not forgotten but rather discussed, reexamined and remembered. The Forgotten Home Child is sure to spark a conversation and bring closure to many families. I find myself haunted by the story, its characters and the adults survivors of the British Home Children. The Forgotten Home Child is one of my best reads of 2019.
Thank you, Ms. Graham, for bringing this to the world's attention. And thank you, Net Galley, for this e-ARC of this mesmerizing novel.