Cover Image: Salvation: A Novel Based on a True Story

Salvation: A Novel Based on a True Story

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Member Reviews

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Overall, I found this to be an entertaining read. I loved the time period, and the plot was interesting and thought provoking. Finishing the book, I was still of the opinion that Del knew exactly what she was doing when she accepted that envelope. It was only after she realized people would notice and want to know what happened to the girls that she got seller's remorse. Others may have a different opinion, but that was how this reader saw it! 

The one issue I had with this book was I just didn't connect with Glory or Willie June at all. I get siblings fight, and not every family is close to each other. However, there seemed to be zero love or compassion between them. Being an older sister myself, I just couldn't understand Willie June's complete lack of caring about what happened to Glory. And I get Glory was a pain in the a$$. But it seemed given half a chance Willie June would have happily left Glory there to save her own butt! 

So there were a couple of minor issues here and there, but overall I would definitely recommend this book.

**ARC Via NetGalley**⭐⭐⭐⭐

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I like movies and books based on true events but this book inspite of having all the good ingredients for a spectacular read fell short. I tried, I really did to like this but I couldnt. The characters were bland, the story wasn't captivating. The suspense wasn't good. I realise this is based on true events but the execution wasn't done right. Which is why I kept yawning and gravitating toward different books. I just simply didn't care.

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Thank you to Net Galley and Touchpoint Press for the chance to read and review this book. The opinions expressed are my own.
In 1971, ,mother Del Munro is trying very hard to make ends meet and take care of her four children. She is a religious woman and when Mother Franklin (an evangelist) comes to town she lets her two girls go with her. Del thinks they will be back in two weeks, but things do not goes as planned. What happened to Willie June and Glory and why haven't they come home? This is their story of what really happened. This is a well-written, heartbreaking story based on true facts. I liked the writing and the characters, but the story is quite haunting. I look forward to more books by this author.

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In Charlotte, North Carolina during the summer of 1971 Del loses one of her care taking jobs and is trying to feed four kids as a single mother. Then one day traveling evangelist "Mother" Franklin visits and offers to take her two oldest daughters with her on a religious tour. Money is exchanged but Del believes it is payment for letting "Mother" Franklin stay at her house. The girls believe they are going on vacation with the Franklin woman. The girls are in for a big surprise as they become maids and caretakers for the morbidly obese woman. They soon realize something is amiss, there are no beach visits and they are not treated tenderly. There stars Del's journey into finding her girls and the accusations against her for "selling" her daughters.

Oh my, this book! I love southern historical fiction and this was just perfect. I think the enjoyment increased because it is based on a true story and a heartbreaking one at that. My gosh what this family went through all at the hands of a "religious" woman. This book was riveting, I couldn't stop reading it. I loved Glory and Willie June so much, they were my favourite characters and so precocious, whip smart and they also had a strength within them...even though they are only seven and nine. I felt so bad for their mother, Del too. What she went through looking after four kids alone and then trying to get her missing girls back, then the accusations she faced. I am not at all religious and even though there is an aspect of religion in the story-line it isn't in your face, it's just really good story telling. I highly recommend this read.

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Knowing that this book is based on events that actually happened is a real draw for readership. Shedding light on the sometimes ugly facts of evangelism is often difficult to do, but readers can get a vivid picture of it through reading this book. The author explains, at the end, how it is she happened to hear this story and why she wrote it. The writing is solid and gritty. The experience of the two girls and the family feels genuinely authentic. Saying any more would ruin it for future readers, but I will say that you won't want to put it down until you come to the end and it will leave you wondering and considering if this is merely one odd event... or just one of many from our sordid past.

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This is a beautifully written heart-wrenching story made even more heart-wrenching by the fact that it’s grounded in events that really happened. I’ve been reading quite a bit of biographical fiction and found much of it wanting, lacking in depth, fixated on the author’s research, filled with stretched and inappropriate similes, and twisting timelines and facts. Salvation was a breath of fresh air which gave me hope for the genre. This is a well-written story with compelling characters, research that contributes to the story but does not intrude, and a deftly handled timeline. This book is a treasure. Everyone should read it. I look forward to other books by this author.

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