One of the best novels I have read this year, it takes your breath away.

The story follows four foster children and their foster family through many years. Jimmy, Zaida and her biological brother Jon, live with Louis and Deliah Moscatelli.. One day a new foster child, Agnes, who is part native american, arrives. Agnes is only supposed to be there temporarily but after a failed placement, she becomes part of this family. Little by little, the back story for each character is revealed. The writing is superb with sentences that won't let you go. I actually had to sit for several minutes after finishing the book and try to take it all in. .HIghly recommend this novel.

4.5 stars. Equal parts realistically brutal and passionately optimistic, this book delves into the life of a foster family during the late 1950-1960s, each member with their own baggage and obstacles. The story of Dahlia, Louie and their foster children Jimmy, Zaida, Jon and Agnes explores their strength, perseverance and love for one another as they each face their pasts and the darker parts of themselves over a period of ten years. It's hard to describe how much Patry Francis made me care about these characters. I felt like I got to see the kids grow up, feel hopeful when their lives made happy turns and equally crushed when things went wrong. As intense as their stories were, this book was about ultimately about overcoming the weight of the past, pushing forward and finding new dreams and goals, finding family and fighting for it. Not a light read, but very beautiful.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Spoiler Trigger Warnings:
Child abuse, discussion of attempted suicide, a survivor of a violent rape recalls her experience (it's not graphic in description, but in context its pretty brutal)

What a wonderful book! Touching, heartbreaking, and beautiful. It is the story of a family that takes in foster children, and the loving relationships that develop between them all. The character development is pitch perfect, all the characters interact with other in such a w0nderful way. I highly recommend this book, and thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

I just couldn’t connect with any of the characters in this book. I also found the writing style to be awkward. Good luck to the author, but I will not be recommending the book.

What a wonderful, heartwarming, heartwrenching story. This book tells the story of Dahlia and Louie and their life with foster children. But it is so much more than that. It tells of the successes and failures of the foster child programs and the author, Patry Francis, tells it well. She has great characters and she tells the story in such a way that makes you want to keep reading. This would make a great book group selection.

I was instantly drawn to this story because of my experience being a foster parent. There is a lot going on in this story. There is beautiful story telling done here. As someone who has been involved in foster care for a while, it is a very unrepresented story line that I wish more people knew about.

“All the Children are Home” does do some things really well. It shows the complications of being in foster care. At its core being in foster care means your family is broken. These kids in residential care just need above all love. This shows that in the weaving of it’s story.

I particularly loved the story line of Agnes. The author did such a good job of showing what it’s like to be a different race than your foster family. I enjoyed as a reader being able to watch her grow and thrive under the care of Ma.

Thank you so much Net Galley for this advanced copy, I enjoyed reading it!

5 huge stars!!! I read the description for All the Children Are Home and I knew I HAD to read it! Right off the bat, I can already say this novel will be in my top 3 novels for all of 2021! Patry Francis has created a tale that is equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming and will stay with you long after you’ve finished! This character driven storyline gripes you from the start and by the time I finished I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to read another novel for a couple of days because I still had this book swimming around in my mind! I know for absolute certainty that I will re-read All the Children Are Home again and again! I highly recommend this novel for your next book club selection, I could talk about this book for hours!!!