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The Home for Unwanted Girls #2
The Forgotten Daughter
12 hours. 57 minutes
For fans of Jojo Moyes, from the best-selling author of The Home for Unwanted Girls, comes another compulsively listenable story of love and friendship, following the lives of two women reckoning with their pasts and the choices that will define their futures.
Divided by their past, united by love.
1992: French-Canadian factions renew Quebec’s fight to gain independence, and wild, beautiful Véronique Fortin, daughter of a radical separatist convicted of kidnapping and murdering a prominent politician in 1970, has embraced her father’s cause. So it is a surprise when she falls for James Phénix, a journalist of French-Canadian heritage who opposes Quebec separatism. Their love affair is as passionate as it is turbulent, as they negotiate a constant struggle between love and morals.
At the same time, James’s older sister, Elodie Phénix, one of the Duplessis Orphans, becomes involved with a coalition demanding justice and reparations for their suffering in the 1950s when Quebec’s orphanages were converted to mental hospitals, a heinous political act of Premier Maurice Duplessis which affected 5,000 children.
Véronique is the only person Elodie can rely on as she fights for retribution, reliving her trauma, while Elodie becomes a sisterly presence for Véronique, who continues to struggle with her family’s legacy.
The Forgotten Daughter is a moving portrait of true love, familial bonds, and persistence in the face of injustice. As each character is pushed to their moral brink, they will discover exactly which lines they’ll cross—and just how far they’ll go for what they believe in.
For fans of Jojo Moyes, from the best-selling author of The Home for Unwanted Girls, comes another compulsively listenable story of love and friendship, following the lives of two women reckoning with their pasts and the choices that will define their futures.
Divided by their past, united by love.
1992: French-Canadian factions renew Quebec’s fight to gain independence, and wild, beautiful Véronique Fortin, daughter of a radical separatist convicted of kidnapping and murdering a prominent politician in 1970, has embraced her father’s cause. So it is a surprise when she falls for James Phénix, a journalist of French-Canadian heritage who opposes Quebec separatism. Their love affair is as passionate as it is turbulent, as they negotiate a constant struggle between love and morals.
At the same time, James’s older sister, Elodie Phénix, one of the Duplessis Orphans, becomes involved with a coalition demanding justice and reparations for their suffering in the 1950s when Quebec’s orphanages were converted to mental hospitals, a heinous political act of Premier Maurice Duplessis which affected 5,000 children.
Véronique is the only person Elodie can rely on as she fights for retribution, reliving her trauma, while Elodie becomes a sisterly presence for Véronique, who continues to struggle with her family’s legacy.
The Forgotten Daughter is a moving portrait of true love, familial bonds, and persistence in the face of injustice. As each character is pushed to their moral brink, they will discover exactly which lines they’ll cross—and just how far they’ll go for what they believe in.
13 pages, Audiobook
First published October 27, 2020
584 people are currently reading
13390 people want to read
About the author
Joanna Goodman
9 books1,306 followersJoanna Goodman’s #1 Bestselling Historical Fiction novel, The Home for Unwanted Girls was released April 17, 2018 to wide critical acclaim.
Joanna is the author of four previous novels, including The Finishing School, You Made Me Love You and Harmony. Her stories have appeared in The Fiddlehead, The Ottawa Citizen, B & A Fiction, Event, The New Quarterly, and White Wall Review.
Originally from Montreal, Joanna now lives in Toronto with her husband and two children, and is at work on her sixth novel. She is also the owner of a well-known Toronto linen store, Au Lit Fine Linens.
Joanna is the author of four previous novels, including The Finishing School, You Made Me Love You and Harmony. Her stories have appeared in The Fiddlehead, The Ottawa Citizen, B & A Fiction, Event, The New Quarterly, and White Wall Review.
Originally from Montreal, Joanna now lives in Toronto with her husband and two children, and is at work on her sixth novel. She is also the owner of a well-known Toronto linen store, Au Lit Fine Linens.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 770 reviews
January 15, 2021
A snapshot of a shameful time in Canadian history in the not too distant past is depicted Joanna Goodman’s The Home for Unwanted Girls. The harrowing story of the Duplessis Orphans, the money driven involvement of the Catholic Church in diagnosing healthy orphans as mentally deficient for payment by turning orphanages into insane asylums; the politics that influenced it and abetted it, and the impact on these innocent children and their families. Elodie, the young girl from the first book, lucky to have been reunited with her family, is now middle aged, thinking of joining the fight against the people who imprisoned her and 20,000 other children in this sequel. Locked up, abused, as a child, she wants justice, restitution, closure. Elodie mostly wants acknowledgement and apologies from those who did this to her and so many other children who were not as fortunate as she was.
The separatist movement in Quebec in the 1950’s and 1990’s with the passion of those on either side of the issue, the violence that occurred and the impact on families with different points of view is also the focus this story. It is through the character of Veronique, her relationship with her father, a convicted murderer in the separatist movement in Quebec in the 1950’s and with Jamie, her lover, who is an anti separatist during the 1992 fight for Quebec’s independence from Canada. Elodie and Veronique connect through James, who is Elodie’s brother.
The plot gets a little complicated, and very dangerous, but I was engaged, even with the detailed political issues. I was mostly impacted by the stories of these two characters each coming to terms with their past and their present. The novel is full of emotion - hate, grief, resentment, a lot of sadness, but also resilience and acceptance and love. An interesting and touching story.
I received a copy of this book from Harper through Edelweiss.
The separatist movement in Quebec in the 1950’s and 1990’s with the passion of those on either side of the issue, the violence that occurred and the impact on families with different points of view is also the focus this story. It is through the character of Veronique, her relationship with her father, a convicted murderer in the separatist movement in Quebec in the 1950’s and with Jamie, her lover, who is an anti separatist during the 1992 fight for Quebec’s independence from Canada. Elodie and Veronique connect through James, who is Elodie’s brother.
The plot gets a little complicated, and very dangerous, but I was engaged, even with the detailed political issues. I was mostly impacted by the stories of these two characters each coming to terms with their past and their present. The novel is full of emotion - hate, grief, resentment, a lot of sadness, but also resilience and acceptance and love. An interesting and touching story.
I received a copy of this book from Harper through Edelweiss.
January 1, 2024
Why I chose to read this book:
1. my sister highly recommended reading both books in this series (Thanks, Annette S.!) Since I just finished reading The Home for Unwanted Girls, I wanted to plunge into this one right away; and,
2. I've designated July 2022 as my "Canadian Authors Month"!
Praises:
1. in my opinion, the characterization was much stronger in this book! I was worried; however, that author Joanna Goodman would try to make certain characters sympathetic to the reader. I must admit, although they were very believable, I had an intense dislike for these characters and their violent, lawbreaking, self-righteous radical behaviors;
2. I love historical fiction set in Canada! I learned more about the "Duplessis Orphans" through Elodie's tragic but resilient character. I really liked the details of more recent historical events when Veronique's father, Leo Fortin, plays a fictional member of the Front de Liberation du Quebec (FLQ) and his role during the 1970 October Crisis. Even though I was too young to remember this actual event, two government officials were kidnapped and one was murdered by the FLQ, culminating with then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau stating "Just watch me!" as he invoked the War Measures Act. Many Canadians are aware of this frightening time in Canadian history, including myself. I do remember exactly what I was doing during Quebec's October 30, 1995 referendum when Quebeckers voted whether or not to separate from Canada. Goodman kept me riveted throughout all three historical storylines;
3. I'm not a fan of the romance genre, but the love interest between James and Veronique was essential to the storyline; and,
4. ending - I really wondered how Goodman would pull this off! I appreciated the pragmatic aftermath of Elodie's storyline and Veronique's realistic eye-opening epiphany about her lifestyle and her father's legacy, depicting growth in her character.
Niggle:
1. Although Veronique's character was fascinating, again, just like in The Home for Unwanted Girls, I would have liked to follow Elodie a little more; and,
2. I had to roll my eyes at all the product namedropping! Does it really matter that a character was chewing Clorets gum? I was beginning to think Goodman was being sponsored by all those companies and their products!
Overall Thoughts:
A story about honor, beliefs and misguided principles; it left me feeling intense emotions of fear, anger and frustration, in a good way!
Recommendation?
A well-researched historical fiction into a dark corner of Quebec's past. Although it could work as a standalone, I recommend reading The Home for Unwanted Girls prior to this book in order to get a stronger perception of Elodie's story as a Duplessis Orphan.
1. my sister highly recommended reading both books in this series (Thanks, Annette S.!) Since I just finished reading The Home for Unwanted Girls, I wanted to plunge into this one right away; and,
2. I've designated July 2022 as my "Canadian Authors Month"!
Praises:
1. in my opinion, the characterization was much stronger in this book! I was worried; however, that author Joanna Goodman would try to make certain characters sympathetic to the reader. I must admit, although they were very believable, I had an intense dislike for these characters and their violent, lawbreaking, self-righteous radical behaviors;
2. I love historical fiction set in Canada! I learned more about the "Duplessis Orphans" through Elodie's tragic but resilient character. I really liked the details of more recent historical events when Veronique's father, Leo Fortin, plays a fictional member of the Front de Liberation du Quebec (FLQ) and his role during the 1970 October Crisis. Even though I was too young to remember this actual event, two government officials were kidnapped and one was murdered by the FLQ, culminating with then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau stating "Just watch me!" as he invoked the War Measures Act. Many Canadians are aware of this frightening time in Canadian history, including myself. I do remember exactly what I was doing during Quebec's October 30, 1995 referendum when Quebeckers voted whether or not to separate from Canada. Goodman kept me riveted throughout all three historical storylines;
3. I'm not a fan of the romance genre, but the love interest between James and Veronique was essential to the storyline; and,
4. ending - I really wondered how Goodman would pull this off! I appreciated the pragmatic aftermath of Elodie's storyline and Veronique's realistic eye-opening epiphany about her lifestyle and her father's legacy, depicting growth in her character.
Niggle:
1. Although Veronique's character was fascinating, again, just like in The Home for Unwanted Girls, I would have liked to follow Elodie a little more; and,
2. I had to roll my eyes at all the product namedropping! Does it really matter that a character was chewing Clorets gum? I was beginning to think Goodman was being sponsored by all those companies and their products!
Overall Thoughts:
A story about honor, beliefs and misguided principles; it left me feeling intense emotions of fear, anger and frustration, in a good way!
Recommendation?
A well-researched historical fiction into a dark corner of Quebec's past. Although it could work as a standalone, I recommend reading The Home for Unwanted Girls prior to this book in order to get a stronger perception of Elodie's story as a Duplessis Orphan.
February 28, 2021
I surprisingly enjoyed this much more than I thought I would.
A shameful history of Quebec I was unaware of. It took place in the 1950’s when the French premier, Duplessis, had children from an orphanage moved into mental institutions to secure more federal funding. How horrifying.
This story focuses on 2 unique female characters. One a survivor of the institution. The other a daughter of a political separatist & murderer. Weaved in is a romance that is tested with conflicting political views.
Quebec vs the other provinces. Wanting to separate. The vote never succeeded and the disappointment resulted with some more enraged justifying revolt in aggressive ways.
Even today, the sense of rivalry still exists between provinces. One can see it in hockey - when the Toronto maple leafs take on the Montreal canadiens. Also in travelling to different parts of the province. Many don’t even speak English- Surprising when we are considered a bilingual country. My mom is French Canadian but I can’t speak it worth a damn although I suffered through it in school up to grade 10, as it was mandatory in school. C’est la vie -that is life.
I haven’t read The Home for Unwanted Girls just yet, but it is moving up my list.
4⭐️
A shameful history of Quebec I was unaware of. It took place in the 1950’s when the French premier, Duplessis, had children from an orphanage moved into mental institutions to secure more federal funding. How horrifying.
This story focuses on 2 unique female characters. One a survivor of the institution. The other a daughter of a political separatist & murderer. Weaved in is a romance that is tested with conflicting political views.
Quebec vs the other provinces. Wanting to separate. The vote never succeeded and the disappointment resulted with some more enraged justifying revolt in aggressive ways.
Even today, the sense of rivalry still exists between provinces. One can see it in hockey - when the Toronto maple leafs take on the Montreal canadiens. Also in travelling to different parts of the province. Many don’t even speak English- Surprising when we are considered a bilingual country. My mom is French Canadian but I can’t speak it worth a damn although I suffered through it in school up to grade 10, as it was mandatory in school. C’est la vie -that is life.
I haven’t read The Home for Unwanted Girls just yet, but it is moving up my list.
4⭐️
November 9, 2020
3.5 stars.
An informative, eye-opening look into French-Canadian history, the Duplessis Orphans and Quebec’s fight to gain independence.
1990’s: Veronique’s father is the infamous Leo Fortin, a notorious FLQ leader who spent a decade in jail for killing a prominent politician during a political standoff in the 1970’s. Vero has grown up in the shadow of her fathers extreme separatist image — always expected to follow in his footsteps. Vero meets and falls in love with James Phenix, a hard working journalist whose job is to follow the politics of Quebec separating from Canada which he strongly disagrees with. Though Vero and James have extreme opposing political views, their love is strong and passionate and they vow to not let politics stand in their way. James sister, Elodie, is one of the Duplessis Orphans who has reentered society after years of abuse and hardships while under the care of the nuns in the orphanage-turned-asylum.
In Goodman’s previous novel, Home For Unwanted Girls, she offers an intimate look into the Quebec governments decision to turn orphanages into mental institutions in order to gain more money per patient. This novel is somewhat of a continuation of that story (yet not a series) incorporating the long term struggles and suffering those innocent orphans faced while locked away and hardships once released into society with no education or training. I strongly recommend reading that novel before this one to give insight into the history of this time.
This was an informative, insightful novel that was heavy on political detail. It was an eye-opening look at this time in Canadian history which I appreciate learning more about. However, I found the depressing and somber tone of the storyline outweighed my personal investment and connection and I didn’t particularly “like” any of the characters. The dark and somber feeling made it feel more drawn out and lengthy. I found that there were several situations where characters were unrealistically forgiving. This took away from my investment in the story and kept me at a distance from the storyline.
A main takeaway for me from this story is the amount of extreme hatred that can be passed down through generations. This is so very upsetting and frustrating and unfortunately is still completely relevant in our present world.
Overall, this was a heavily detailed look into this time in our history which I was thankful to learn more about. It was more of an educational read rather than an enjoyable one.
Thank you to Edelweiss for my review copy!
An informative, eye-opening look into French-Canadian history, the Duplessis Orphans and Quebec’s fight to gain independence.
1990’s: Veronique’s father is the infamous Leo Fortin, a notorious FLQ leader who spent a decade in jail for killing a prominent politician during a political standoff in the 1970’s. Vero has grown up in the shadow of her fathers extreme separatist image — always expected to follow in his footsteps. Vero meets and falls in love with James Phenix, a hard working journalist whose job is to follow the politics of Quebec separating from Canada which he strongly disagrees with. Though Vero and James have extreme opposing political views, their love is strong and passionate and they vow to not let politics stand in their way. James sister, Elodie, is one of the Duplessis Orphans who has reentered society after years of abuse and hardships while under the care of the nuns in the orphanage-turned-asylum.
In Goodman’s previous novel, Home For Unwanted Girls, she offers an intimate look into the Quebec governments decision to turn orphanages into mental institutions in order to gain more money per patient. This novel is somewhat of a continuation of that story (yet not a series) incorporating the long term struggles and suffering those innocent orphans faced while locked away and hardships once released into society with no education or training. I strongly recommend reading that novel before this one to give insight into the history of this time.
This was an informative, insightful novel that was heavy on political detail. It was an eye-opening look at this time in Canadian history which I appreciate learning more about. However, I found the depressing and somber tone of the storyline outweighed my personal investment and connection and I didn’t particularly “like” any of the characters. The dark and somber feeling made it feel more drawn out and lengthy. I found that there were several situations where characters were unrealistically forgiving. This took away from my investment in the story and kept me at a distance from the storyline.
A main takeaway for me from this story is the amount of extreme hatred that can be passed down through generations. This is so very upsetting and frustrating and unfortunately is still completely relevant in our present world.
Overall, this was a heavily detailed look into this time in our history which I was thankful to learn more about. It was more of an educational read rather than an enjoyable one.
Thank you to Edelweiss for my review copy!
November 27, 2020
Just finished it. As an American ....I read this Historical fiction closely, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
It filled in holes of Canadian history for me, and the characters felt very real.
I could see this book as a movie.
I’ll write a fuller review sometime this weekend.
I’m back: it’s LONG.....( thank you ahead of time for those who read it)....
Always much appreciation if people read them - but nobody ever needs to. Sometimes I blabber on because I just need to get things out of my head for myself. This was one of those times....
I wrote this review more for my own completion - my own desire - with an interest of understanding aspects of Canadian political history. Joanna Goodman is a Canadian author known for writing historical fiction novels.
I’m an American. This book supplied me with what I was looking for.
I didn’t rush read it...
I enjoyed the FICTION aspects....and was thankful that ‘the fiction’ helped me learn the history. The fiction storytelling added the emotional experience.....
.....the history, itself, was deeply complicated and compelling.
YES....I TOOK A SIDE.....( one side being more moral than the other)....but the side I WASN’T on had some valid issues to digest.
I chose this as my first book to read by the author, ( but I do own a copy of “The Home for Unwanted Girls”) > even being aware of the fact that many readers didn’t enjoy this book as much as “The Home of Unwanted Girls”).
I understood their criticism so completely and thank many readers for their reviews....but it’s funny the criticism that I heard about this book was the exact reason why I chose it. (most of the other readers who found criticism were Canadian and perhaps knew more of this history than I did).
HISTORY- POLITICAL STRIFE?/!.....
....BRING IT ON > it’s what I needed. I just didn’t want to fall flat on my face being bombarded with DRY HISTORY...
NOTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK WAS DRY FOR ME. I was hungry for all the facts...( thankful for the flawed characters to round out my learning).
Some readers thought the political history was too overloaded ( but that’s what I was looking for).....so, it was a win for me.
Others said.... one of the characters ( Elodie), in this book was from the orphanage in “The Home for Unwanted Girls”.... and that this book didn’t cover as much details about the orphanage that turned into a mental institutions....( perfect!).....it wasn’t the prime theme I was looking for.
However...
I felt like I got two books and one— with more emphasis on the parts that I was looking for.
Here are a few details about the orphanage/turned mental institution —found in both books:
Elodie says:
“They told me I was mentally challenged. One day I was in school, an orphan. The next day, bars went up on the windows and mental patients were shipped in. That was it. From that day on, the nuns and the doctors spent the next two decades convincing me I was crazy”.
“In the fifties the Duplessis government made a shocking decision to convert the province’s orphanages into mental institutions to gain larger subsidies from the federal government. Seemingly overnight, thousands of Quebec orphans were reclassified as mental patients—“
“The Bedard Report of 1962 revealed that about one-third of the providence’s twenty thousand mental patients did not belong in the institutions, and it put an end to the monstrous practice. Many of the orphans who had reached adulthood were released from these institutions. Today they are grown up and they are angry. They call themselves the Duplessis Orphan Committee”.
A group of men and women were marching in front of Cardinal Turcotte’s office at the Archdiocese of Montreal. They wanted justice.
Louise Tremblay was sent to Mont Providence Hospital in 1950, when she was six years old”. Louise wants an apology and compensation. She’s on welfare, and she can’t read or write. She also can’t work because of a back injury from all the beatings she had endured.
The Duplessis orphans were rallying together and speaking up. They wanted to be heard. They were unwilling to be ignored anymore. They wanted everyone to know what was done to them and why.
So......I was familiar- enough - for now anyway - about the history of the ‘unwanted girls’......
Moving on......
with....
the.....
POLITICAL HISTORY of the FLO ( French de liberation du Quebec), and the REFERENDUM....
( a general vote by the electorate on a single political question that has been referred to them for a direct decision)....
BECAUSE.... I didn’t know enough about it or understand what the real issues were ....
And....
.....given that my own daughter lives in Canada has become quite an advocate for justice: Blacks and Ingenious, I wanted to learn as much history as I could. I’m proud of her studying Canadian history - protesting- holding meetings at her house - having valuable discussions regularly.
But......
I was hoping for a ‘story’ to go along with the ‘history’: which Joanna Goodman provide. ( I did a little of my own history searching as I read the historical facts in this book, too, just to round out my understanding.
THIS BOOK WAS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR....
The storytelling of the characters were just enough - not too much - but helped me visualize the complications and the divide between the French and English Canadians.
“After the British conquered the French in 1760, Quebec’s economy switched into the hands of the English. English became the language of business, with the Anglophones filling all the highest positions in the Providence— management, white-collar, civil service.
The French were completely marginalized, which is pretty much how it stay for the next two hundred years”.
Between 1995 to 1997....
“All I can remember thinking is how fragile life is”.
James Phenix is having a conversation with Leo Fortin who served 12 years in prison for a murder he committed in 1970 as part of the cause. James loves Leo’s daughter,Veronique Fortin....who was only a baby when her dad went to prison.
James sighs >>> thinking “Why doesn’t he just come clean? Either take credit for himself or set Veronique free of the burden she carries of having a murderer for a father. If he didn’t actually do it, why not exonerate himself? Why won’t any of them tell the truth after all this time?”
“It wasn’t an accident, Leo says. I can tell you that. The media thought maybe it was, or that’s the story they told to make us look incompetent. But we made a decision to kill him and we did. Sometimes I can’t believe we did it. I couldn’t believe it then, and I still can’t”.
“But it happened”.
“What what is that like? Watching another man die?”
“You’re numb. I was . . . It’s impossible to describe. It’s surreal. You have to shut a part of yourself down. You act on instinct. We just kept moving after we did it. We had to keep moving, stay busy, so we wouldn’t think about what we’d done. We weren’t violent guys”.
“James has to suppress his anger. He tries not to react, bites his tongue”.
Leo felt there was a reason for killing the politician - Pierre Laporate - a very tough decision but he acted on his convictions.
The only reason Leo was even talking about it with James was because he loved his daughter and she wanted to understand.
Leo felt that what he did was for his people—the workers—the exploited—the long-suffering French slaves in Quebec. He felt he killed for a cause.
Leo didn’t believe young people would ever understand what it was like for them ‘back then’.
Leo Fortin may have been an idealist— but he didn’t think he was misguided.
All the years that he spent in prison, were years that he wasn’t with his wife or daughter. He didn’t enjoy prison— stripped of dignity and his spirit— but the question continued to remain— wouldn’t he have rather watched his daughter grow up?
Leo said ... “ask me after the referendum”.
[Referendum: a general vote by the electorate on a single political question that has been referred to them for a direct decision]
Pierre Laporate ( 1921-1970)
was a French Canadian lawyer, journalist and politician who was Deputy Premier of the province of Quebec before being kidnapped by members of a group Front de liberation du Quebec (FLQ), during the October crisis. His body was found in the trunk of Paul Rose’s car.
Veronique was a passionate supporter of Quebec independence.
Her boyfriend James, wanted to know if her father would advocate violence for her if the outcome didn’t go her way?
“Not if it meant she would wind up in jail. Jail is the worst place on earth”.
Elodie, was the sister of James. She was swept up in the referendum fever— watching coverage on the news, discussing it with her friends. Everyone had an opinion. People worried about the economy if Quebec separated. They worry about their futures.
In 2006, the House of Commons passed a symbolic motion recognizing Québécois as a nation within a united Canada.
People found themselves swept up in a throne of patriots, waving their ‘NO’ banners and homemade signs.
“UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE GET OUT BUTTS KICKED. MY CANADA INCLUDES. MY CANADA INCLUDES QUEBEC. VOTE NO SO WE DON’T BECOME THE 51ST STATE! TORONTO LOVED QUEBEC! PLEASE DON’T GO!”
“STRONG, PROUD, & FREE in French and English”.
James, a journalist, was grappling with his own integrity— never being able to wrap his head around the fact that his girlfriend‘s father was a murderer.
He wrote a backstory that was good for his career but then lost his girlfriend, Veronique, over it.
Being the daughter of Leo Fortin, the infamous FLO (French de liberation du Quebec), sure wasn’t easy.
Did her father kill someone for his daughter, or with the simply a criminal?
Her father thought he did what he did so that his daughter would have a better life. But she didn’t have a better life.
She didn’t think it was fair to compare their situation in Quebec to slavery or Nazi Germany.
Veronique says to her father:
“Pierre Laporte was not at war with you. He never signed up for combat. He was just playing football outside his house”.
“Violence isn’t the way”, Veronique says.
The FLO was not the reason things improved in Quebec.
Things improved because of the Quiet Revolution, the PQ, Bill 101. . . Not because Veronique’s father, Leo blew up mailboxes and kidnapped a politicians.
Leo’s killing a politician, ( for a cause he felt), cost a relationship with his daughter for the first twelve years of her life.
Veronique asked her father if he felt any remorse?
Was he sorry for killing a politician?
Veronique always wanted to know her father’s answer.
“I’m sorry a man had to die, but—“
“He didn’t have to die, though”.
“I only ever wanted you to grow up in a world where you were in charge of your own destiny”.
“Stop laying his murder at my feet”.
I could really imagine the heavy burden Veronique carried around her entire because her father justified killing a man and her name.
Great book!!!
It filled in holes of Canadian history for me, and the characters felt very real.
I could see this book as a movie.
I’ll write a fuller review sometime this weekend.
I’m back: it’s LONG.....( thank you ahead of time for those who read it)....
Always much appreciation if people read them - but nobody ever needs to. Sometimes I blabber on because I just need to get things out of my head for myself. This was one of those times....
I wrote this review more for my own completion - my own desire - with an interest of understanding aspects of Canadian political history. Joanna Goodman is a Canadian author known for writing historical fiction novels.
I’m an American. This book supplied me with what I was looking for.
I didn’t rush read it...
I enjoyed the FICTION aspects....and was thankful that ‘the fiction’ helped me learn the history. The fiction storytelling added the emotional experience.....
.....the history, itself, was deeply complicated and compelling.
YES....I TOOK A SIDE.....( one side being more moral than the other)....but the side I WASN’T on had some valid issues to digest.
I chose this as my first book to read by the author, ( but I do own a copy of “The Home for Unwanted Girls”) > even being aware of the fact that many readers didn’t enjoy this book as much as “The Home of Unwanted Girls”).
I understood their criticism so completely and thank many readers for their reviews....but it’s funny the criticism that I heard about this book was the exact reason why I chose it. (most of the other readers who found criticism were Canadian and perhaps knew more of this history than I did).
HISTORY- POLITICAL STRIFE?/!.....
....BRING IT ON > it’s what I needed. I just didn’t want to fall flat on my face being bombarded with DRY HISTORY...
NOTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK WAS DRY FOR ME. I was hungry for all the facts...( thankful for the flawed characters to round out my learning).
Some readers thought the political history was too overloaded ( but that’s what I was looking for).....so, it was a win for me.
Others said.... one of the characters ( Elodie), in this book was from the orphanage in “The Home for Unwanted Girls”.... and that this book didn’t cover as much details about the orphanage that turned into a mental institutions....( perfect!).....it wasn’t the prime theme I was looking for.
However...
I felt like I got two books and one— with more emphasis on the parts that I was looking for.
Here are a few details about the orphanage/turned mental institution —found in both books:
Elodie says:
“They told me I was mentally challenged. One day I was in school, an orphan. The next day, bars went up on the windows and mental patients were shipped in. That was it. From that day on, the nuns and the doctors spent the next two decades convincing me I was crazy”.
“In the fifties the Duplessis government made a shocking decision to convert the province’s orphanages into mental institutions to gain larger subsidies from the federal government. Seemingly overnight, thousands of Quebec orphans were reclassified as mental patients—“
“The Bedard Report of 1962 revealed that about one-third of the providence’s twenty thousand mental patients did not belong in the institutions, and it put an end to the monstrous practice. Many of the orphans who had reached adulthood were released from these institutions. Today they are grown up and they are angry. They call themselves the Duplessis Orphan Committee”.
A group of men and women were marching in front of Cardinal Turcotte’s office at the Archdiocese of Montreal. They wanted justice.
Louise Tremblay was sent to Mont Providence Hospital in 1950, when she was six years old”. Louise wants an apology and compensation. She’s on welfare, and she can’t read or write. She also can’t work because of a back injury from all the beatings she had endured.
The Duplessis orphans were rallying together and speaking up. They wanted to be heard. They were unwilling to be ignored anymore. They wanted everyone to know what was done to them and why.
So......I was familiar- enough - for now anyway - about the history of the ‘unwanted girls’......
Moving on......
with....
the.....
POLITICAL HISTORY of the FLO ( French de liberation du Quebec), and the REFERENDUM....
( a general vote by the electorate on a single political question that has been referred to them for a direct decision)....
BECAUSE.... I didn’t know enough about it or understand what the real issues were ....
And....
.....given that my own daughter lives in Canada has become quite an advocate for justice: Blacks and Ingenious, I wanted to learn as much history as I could. I’m proud of her studying Canadian history - protesting- holding meetings at her house - having valuable discussions regularly.
But......
I was hoping for a ‘story’ to go along with the ‘history’: which Joanna Goodman provide. ( I did a little of my own history searching as I read the historical facts in this book, too, just to round out my understanding.
THIS BOOK WAS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR....
The storytelling of the characters were just enough - not too much - but helped me visualize the complications and the divide between the French and English Canadians.
“After the British conquered the French in 1760, Quebec’s economy switched into the hands of the English. English became the language of business, with the Anglophones filling all the highest positions in the Providence— management, white-collar, civil service.
The French were completely marginalized, which is pretty much how it stay for the next two hundred years”.
Between 1995 to 1997....
“All I can remember thinking is how fragile life is”.
James Phenix is having a conversation with Leo Fortin who served 12 years in prison for a murder he committed in 1970 as part of the cause. James loves Leo’s daughter,Veronique Fortin....who was only a baby when her dad went to prison.
James sighs >>> thinking “Why doesn’t he just come clean? Either take credit for himself or set Veronique free of the burden she carries of having a murderer for a father. If he didn’t actually do it, why not exonerate himself? Why won’t any of them tell the truth after all this time?”
“It wasn’t an accident, Leo says. I can tell you that. The media thought maybe it was, or that’s the story they told to make us look incompetent. But we made a decision to kill him and we did. Sometimes I can’t believe we did it. I couldn’t believe it then, and I still can’t”.
“But it happened”.
“What what is that like? Watching another man die?”
“You’re numb. I was . . . It’s impossible to describe. It’s surreal. You have to shut a part of yourself down. You act on instinct. We just kept moving after we did it. We had to keep moving, stay busy, so we wouldn’t think about what we’d done. We weren’t violent guys”.
“James has to suppress his anger. He tries not to react, bites his tongue”.
Leo felt there was a reason for killing the politician - Pierre Laporate - a very tough decision but he acted on his convictions.
The only reason Leo was even talking about it with James was because he loved his daughter and she wanted to understand.
Leo felt that what he did was for his people—the workers—the exploited—the long-suffering French slaves in Quebec. He felt he killed for a cause.
Leo didn’t believe young people would ever understand what it was like for them ‘back then’.
Leo Fortin may have been an idealist— but he didn’t think he was misguided.
All the years that he spent in prison, were years that he wasn’t with his wife or daughter. He didn’t enjoy prison— stripped of dignity and his spirit— but the question continued to remain— wouldn’t he have rather watched his daughter grow up?
Leo said ... “ask me after the referendum”.
[Referendum: a general vote by the electorate on a single political question that has been referred to them for a direct decision]
Pierre Laporate ( 1921-1970)
was a French Canadian lawyer, journalist and politician who was Deputy Premier of the province of Quebec before being kidnapped by members of a group Front de liberation du Quebec (FLQ), during the October crisis. His body was found in the trunk of Paul Rose’s car.
Veronique was a passionate supporter of Quebec independence.
Her boyfriend James, wanted to know if her father would advocate violence for her if the outcome didn’t go her way?
“Not if it meant she would wind up in jail. Jail is the worst place on earth”.
Elodie, was the sister of James. She was swept up in the referendum fever— watching coverage on the news, discussing it with her friends. Everyone had an opinion. People worried about the economy if Quebec separated. They worry about their futures.
In 2006, the House of Commons passed a symbolic motion recognizing Québécois as a nation within a united Canada.
People found themselves swept up in a throne of patriots, waving their ‘NO’ banners and homemade signs.
“UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE GET OUT BUTTS KICKED. MY CANADA INCLUDES. MY CANADA INCLUDES QUEBEC. VOTE NO SO WE DON’T BECOME THE 51ST STATE! TORONTO LOVED QUEBEC! PLEASE DON’T GO!”
“STRONG, PROUD, & FREE in French and English”.
James, a journalist, was grappling with his own integrity— never being able to wrap his head around the fact that his girlfriend‘s father was a murderer.
He wrote a backstory that was good for his career but then lost his girlfriend, Veronique, over it.
Being the daughter of Leo Fortin, the infamous FLO (French de liberation du Quebec), sure wasn’t easy.
Did her father kill someone for his daughter, or with the simply a criminal?
Her father thought he did what he did so that his daughter would have a better life. But she didn’t have a better life.
She didn’t think it was fair to compare their situation in Quebec to slavery or Nazi Germany.
Veronique says to her father:
“Pierre Laporte was not at war with you. He never signed up for combat. He was just playing football outside his house”.
“Violence isn’t the way”, Veronique says.
The FLO was not the reason things improved in Quebec.
Things improved because of the Quiet Revolution, the PQ, Bill 101. . . Not because Veronique’s father, Leo blew up mailboxes and kidnapped a politicians.
Leo’s killing a politician, ( for a cause he felt), cost a relationship with his daughter for the first twelve years of her life.
Veronique asked her father if he felt any remorse?
Was he sorry for killing a politician?
Veronique always wanted to know her father’s answer.
“I’m sorry a man had to die, but—“
“He didn’t have to die, though”.
“I only ever wanted you to grow up in a world where you were in charge of your own destiny”.
“Stop laying his murder at my feet”.
I could really imagine the heavy burden Veronique carried around her entire because her father justified killing a man and her name.
Great book!!!
October 27, 2020
The Forgotten Daughter is Joanna Goodman’s newest book, publishing October 27. I found out after I read it that it is a follow-up to Unwanted Girls, and while I typically like to read books in order, there was enough detail included that I felt I was reading a standalone story. That said, I definitely want to read the first book.
I found the historical backdrop for this book absolutely fascinating. I’m not sure I’ve read another book set in Quebec, especially during the time it was seeking independence. It’s also the story of the “Duplessis Orphans” seeking justice for Quebec turning its orphanages into mental hospitals, in the 1950s. Thousands of children were affected.
As I mentioned earlier, I was fascinated by the Quebec and Canadian history I knew little about. I still can’t wrap my head around what happened to those children. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this compelling story and will definitely be reading more from Joanna Goodman in the future.
I received a gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
I found the historical backdrop for this book absolutely fascinating. I’m not sure I’ve read another book set in Quebec, especially during the time it was seeking independence. It’s also the story of the “Duplessis Orphans” seeking justice for Quebec turning its orphanages into mental hospitals, in the 1950s. Thousands of children were affected.
As I mentioned earlier, I was fascinated by the Quebec and Canadian history I knew little about. I still can’t wrap my head around what happened to those children. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this compelling story and will definitely be reading more from Joanna Goodman in the future.
I received a gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
November 19, 2020
The Forgotten Daughter is loosely related to The Home for Unwanted Girls but can be read without reading it first. I do recommend reading The Home for Unwanted Girls first, and I enjoyed it a bit more than I did this one. It gives more insight and background into the story here with Elodie, who was one of the Duplessis orphans. The Duplessis orphans were children wrongly declared mentally ill in the 1940s and ’50s as part of a political corruption scheme.
The Forgotten Daughter explores the lives of two different women divided by their past, passionate about their causes and goals, and united by their love and friendship. This was the heart of the story for me, and I loved the dynamics between the characters. Veronique is the daughter of a radical separatist convicted of murdering a politician. She finds love with Elodie's brother James who opposes separatism. The story delves deep into the political side more than I expected. Even though I liked learning more about Quebec's history with separatism, it felt more like being told history rather than experiencing the conflicts with characters. I found it a bit overwhelming at times.
Joanna Goodman takes us to the streets of Montreal with the characters, and I enjoyed seeing the names of the neighborhoods and streets. It felt like I was pulled right into the story with the characters.
Things did wrap a little too easily for me in the end however, with the dark tone of the story, it was a brighter way to end the story that should appeal to many readers.
I received a copy from the publisher through Edelweiss.
The Forgotten Daughter explores the lives of two different women divided by their past, passionate about their causes and goals, and united by their love and friendship. This was the heart of the story for me, and I loved the dynamics between the characters. Veronique is the daughter of a radical separatist convicted of murdering a politician. She finds love with Elodie's brother James who opposes separatism. The story delves deep into the political side more than I expected. Even though I liked learning more about Quebec's history with separatism, it felt more like being told history rather than experiencing the conflicts with characters. I found it a bit overwhelming at times.
Joanna Goodman takes us to the streets of Montreal with the characters, and I enjoyed seeing the names of the neighborhoods and streets. It felt like I was pulled right into the story with the characters.
Things did wrap a little too easily for me in the end however, with the dark tone of the story, it was a brighter way to end the story that should appeal to many readers.
I received a copy from the publisher through Edelweiss.
December 6, 2025
“From this day forward … you are all mentally deficient.”
The historical underpinnings of Joanna Goodman’s first novel THE HOME FOR UNWANTED GIRLS bears repeating.
It is the heartbreaking, shocking, gripping, disgusting (and yet, somehow, still heartwarming and touching) tale of one woman’s search for the illegitimate daughter that she was forced by her parents, her society, her government and the misogynistic religious demands of her church to abandon to the ministrations of an orphanage system run by the nuns. And, if that wasn’t bad enough, Duplessis, during what is now called La Grande Noirceur (the Grand Darkness), arbitrarily designated these orphanages as homes for the mentally ill, locked down asylums if you will, in order to defraud the federal government of a higher level of per capita funding. For many children in these orphanages, that change simply meant the doors were locked, the key was thrown away and adoption was moved from a remote likelihood to an impossibility.
In THE FORGOTTEN DAUGHTER, Elodie Phénix, now an adult woman and a survivor of the horrific physical and mental abuse doled out every day by the doctors, nuns, and priests who staffed these houses of horror, seeks to bring the Catholic Church, the doctors, and the Quebec provincial government to task and to force them to offer an apology and financial retribution for their crimes. And make no mistake, these were definitely crimes. In the waning years of the 20th century, Elodie considered herself fortunate, “We’re lucky we’re alive … not like the ones who were killed and tossed down the incinerator, or out in the fields behind the hospitals. Apparently there’s a whole cemetery of dead orphans behind St Nazarius.”
Joanna Goodman also puts this heart-rending search for justice in the context of Quebec French-English head-butting and the second referendum engineered by the Parti Québecois and Les Separatistes that came within a hair’s breadth of breaking the country into two. James Phénix, Elodie’s younger brother is an English-speaking journalist working for the Canadian News Association. That the love of his life, Véronique Fortin, a career criminal, a smuggler of cigarettes, booze, stolen CDs, and ultimately drugs, is the daughter of Léo Fortin, a fictional fifth member of the team of FLQ terrorists who kidnapped and murdered Pierre Laporte, and herself an unrepentant rabid separatist is an absolutely brilliant piece of fictional literary licence that allows the story of the Duplessis orphans to come to its conclusion in a real Quebec, torn apart by Pierre Trudeau's implementation of the War Measures Act, the Charlottetown Accord, and the conflict between Hugh MacLennan’s TWO SOLITUDES.
I will repeat the conclusion with which I closed my review of THE HOME FOR UNWANTED GIRLS and that is to suggest that ANY person who attends a Roman Catholic Church and makes a contribution to their coffers via the collection plate must accept complicity in these ugly crimes. The Roman Catholic Church MUST be made to answer for them. If you are a Canadian who enjoys wonderfully well-written, absorbing historical fiction, you MUST read THE HOME FOR UNWANTED GIRLS and THE FORGOTTEN DAUGHTER. Brava to Joanna Goodman.
Paul Weiss
The historical underpinnings of Joanna Goodman’s first novel THE HOME FOR UNWANTED GIRLS bears repeating.
It is the heartbreaking, shocking, gripping, disgusting (and yet, somehow, still heartwarming and touching) tale of one woman’s search for the illegitimate daughter that she was forced by her parents, her society, her government and the misogynistic religious demands of her church to abandon to the ministrations of an orphanage system run by the nuns. And, if that wasn’t bad enough, Duplessis, during what is now called La Grande Noirceur (the Grand Darkness), arbitrarily designated these orphanages as homes for the mentally ill, locked down asylums if you will, in order to defraud the federal government of a higher level of per capita funding. For many children in these orphanages, that change simply meant the doors were locked, the key was thrown away and adoption was moved from a remote likelihood to an impossibility.
In THE FORGOTTEN DAUGHTER, Elodie Phénix, now an adult woman and a survivor of the horrific physical and mental abuse doled out every day by the doctors, nuns, and priests who staffed these houses of horror, seeks to bring the Catholic Church, the doctors, and the Quebec provincial government to task and to force them to offer an apology and financial retribution for their crimes. And make no mistake, these were definitely crimes. In the waning years of the 20th century, Elodie considered herself fortunate, “We’re lucky we’re alive … not like the ones who were killed and tossed down the incinerator, or out in the fields behind the hospitals. Apparently there’s a whole cemetery of dead orphans behind St Nazarius.”
Joanna Goodman also puts this heart-rending search for justice in the context of Quebec French-English head-butting and the second referendum engineered by the Parti Québecois and Les Separatistes that came within a hair’s breadth of breaking the country into two. James Phénix, Elodie’s younger brother is an English-speaking journalist working for the Canadian News Association. That the love of his life, Véronique Fortin, a career criminal, a smuggler of cigarettes, booze, stolen CDs, and ultimately drugs, is the daughter of Léo Fortin, a fictional fifth member of the team of FLQ terrorists who kidnapped and murdered Pierre Laporte, and herself an unrepentant rabid separatist is an absolutely brilliant piece of fictional literary licence that allows the story of the Duplessis orphans to come to its conclusion in a real Quebec, torn apart by Pierre Trudeau's implementation of the War Measures Act, the Charlottetown Accord, and the conflict between Hugh MacLennan’s TWO SOLITUDES.
I will repeat the conclusion with which I closed my review of THE HOME FOR UNWANTED GIRLS and that is to suggest that ANY person who attends a Roman Catholic Church and makes a contribution to their coffers via the collection plate must accept complicity in these ugly crimes. The Roman Catholic Church MUST be made to answer for them. If you are a Canadian who enjoys wonderfully well-written, absorbing historical fiction, you MUST read THE HOME FOR UNWANTED GIRLS and THE FORGOTTEN DAUGHTER. Brava to Joanna Goodman.
Paul Weiss
November 20, 2020
The author, it seems, could not decide what book to write.
This is supposed to be a follow-up to “The Home for Unwanted Girls”, but it turns out to be a French Canadian history lesson leaning heavily towards French Canadian politics.
It feels like two books mashed together and not in a good way.
The sub plots are many making the book twice as long as it needed to be.
Elodie from (“The Home for Unwanted Girls”) joins a group demanding compensation and justice for their suffering under the horrific Duplessis Orphans tragedy. It was nice to learn that Elodie got her life together after all she had suffered.
The new characters introduced are all unlikable. In particular the character of Véronique is so self destructive it’s impossible to warm up to her. Personally I couldn’t care less what happened to her.
If you are interested in French Canadian politics this is the book for you. It is not the character driven story I had expected.
My 2* is being generous.
This is supposed to be a follow-up to “The Home for Unwanted Girls”, but it turns out to be a French Canadian history lesson leaning heavily towards French Canadian politics.
It feels like two books mashed together and not in a good way.
The sub plots are many making the book twice as long as it needed to be.
Elodie from (“The Home for Unwanted Girls”) joins a group demanding compensation and justice for their suffering under the horrific Duplessis Orphans tragedy. It was nice to learn that Elodie got her life together after all she had suffered.
The new characters introduced are all unlikable. In particular the character of Véronique is so self destructive it’s impossible to warm up to her. Personally I couldn’t care less what happened to her.
If you are interested in French Canadian politics this is the book for you. It is not the character driven story I had expected.
My 2* is being generous.
January 19, 2021
When I saw this historical novel's description, I thought it would give an informative and interesting insight into social and political factors within recent Quebec history and its quest for separation. The story was told from the perspective of a couple, James and Veronica. I found their relationship so toxic it made for an unpleasant read. I thought it unlikely that they ever came together as a couple. It was a relationship based on physical attraction, sex, and mutual resentment. They believed they were in love, but this emotion never surfaced in the writing.
As a Canadian outside Quebec, I remember the FLQ Crisis, 1970, and the two later referendums regarding separation from Canada. I knew nothing about the additional story about the Duplessis Orphans in the 1950s. Before reading The Forgotten Daughter, I planned to give the French version to my daughter-in-law in Montreal, who would be too young to remember those troublesome times and reads only French books. Now have doubts.
Veronica(Vero) was the daughter of a man involved in the kidnapping and murder of Pierre Laporte, the Deputy Minister of Quebec. Her father was head of one of the violent FLQ terrorist groups (cells) in 1970. He spent 12 years in prison during Vero's childhood and was a hero to her. James Cross, a British diplomat was also kidnapped by another FLQ cell, but released through negotiations. There had also been bombings by the FLQ to get their separatist demands heard. This was called the October Crisis of 1970 and ended when P.M. Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act, ordering federal military troops into the streets of Montreal.
Vero grew up wanting to emulate her father for the separatist cause. She was earning a great deal of money smuggling cigarettes and stealing CDs. James was a reporter for an English newspaper and of French and English background. He tolerated Vero's criminal activity while trying to reform her and fearing for her life. Both were angry and frustrated with one another. He interviewed her former terrorist father for an article for his English newspaper. Although he reported her father's words factually with claims of participating in the murder and an absence of remorse, this ended in the dissolution of their relationship. The referendum of 1980 is mentioned, and again in 1995, another referendum was held which asked whether Quebec should separate.
Vero actively campaigned to influence the Yes vote and joined up with a young man with terrorist aspirations. She moved in with him and they started making firebombs to damage stores with English names or management. Her idea was to bomb the Canadian News Agency where James worked but only at 2 am so nobody would be hurt. While she stood ready with the bombs in her backpack, she saw James leaving the building. At that point, she realized she had been on the verge of committing murder like her father.
In shock, the distraught Vero takes refuge and comfort with James' older sister, Elodie. When Elodie was born, her 15-year-old mother was forced by the norms of society, religion, and her parents to place Elodie in a church orphanage run by nuns. Life in the orphanage was cruel but it became much worse. The Quebec Government and the Church could receive more financial grants by labeling the orphanages as mental asylums. Doctors went along with this scheme and thousands of orphans were designated mentally deficient or disturbed. These children received no education or social training, were not allowed to play, worked long hours cleaning the buildings, were harshly punished, and suffered abuse. Elodie had been campaigning for the now-adult group of orphans to receive compensation from the Government, Church, and Doctors. James had been writing a book about her miserable and lost childhood.
I felt this was a horrific and interesting part of history that was unknown to me, but it did not fit in with the struggle for separatism. I learned that Elodie's life in the orphanage/mental hospital was told in a previous book, and I am hoping to read that one soon.
As a Canadian outside Quebec, I remember the FLQ Crisis, 1970, and the two later referendums regarding separation from Canada. I knew nothing about the additional story about the Duplessis Orphans in the 1950s. Before reading The Forgotten Daughter, I planned to give the French version to my daughter-in-law in Montreal, who would be too young to remember those troublesome times and reads only French books. Now have doubts.
Veronica(Vero) was the daughter of a man involved in the kidnapping and murder of Pierre Laporte, the Deputy Minister of Quebec. Her father was head of one of the violent FLQ terrorist groups (cells) in 1970. He spent 12 years in prison during Vero's childhood and was a hero to her. James Cross, a British diplomat was also kidnapped by another FLQ cell, but released through negotiations. There had also been bombings by the FLQ to get their separatist demands heard. This was called the October Crisis of 1970 and ended when P.M. Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act, ordering federal military troops into the streets of Montreal.
Vero grew up wanting to emulate her father for the separatist cause. She was earning a great deal of money smuggling cigarettes and stealing CDs. James was a reporter for an English newspaper and of French and English background. He tolerated Vero's criminal activity while trying to reform her and fearing for her life. Both were angry and frustrated with one another. He interviewed her former terrorist father for an article for his English newspaper. Although he reported her father's words factually with claims of participating in the murder and an absence of remorse, this ended in the dissolution of their relationship. The referendum of 1980 is mentioned, and again in 1995, another referendum was held which asked whether Quebec should separate.
Vero actively campaigned to influence the Yes vote and joined up with a young man with terrorist aspirations. She moved in with him and they started making firebombs to damage stores with English names or management. Her idea was to bomb the Canadian News Agency where James worked but only at 2 am so nobody would be hurt. While she stood ready with the bombs in her backpack, she saw James leaving the building. At that point, she realized she had been on the verge of committing murder like her father.
In shock, the distraught Vero takes refuge and comfort with James' older sister, Elodie. When Elodie was born, her 15-year-old mother was forced by the norms of society, religion, and her parents to place Elodie in a church orphanage run by nuns. Life in the orphanage was cruel but it became much worse. The Quebec Government and the Church could receive more financial grants by labeling the orphanages as mental asylums. Doctors went along with this scheme and thousands of orphans were designated mentally deficient or disturbed. These children received no education or social training, were not allowed to play, worked long hours cleaning the buildings, were harshly punished, and suffered abuse. Elodie had been campaigning for the now-adult group of orphans to receive compensation from the Government, Church, and Doctors. James had been writing a book about her miserable and lost childhood.
I felt this was a horrific and interesting part of history that was unknown to me, but it did not fit in with the struggle for separatism. I learned that Elodie's life in the orphanage/mental hospital was told in a previous book, and I am hoping to read that one soon.
January 14, 2021
Another phenomenal book by Joanna Goodman! All the stars!
November 25, 2022
The Forgotten Daughter by Joanna Goodman is book 2 of The Home for Unwanted Girls. It is the story that continues to follow Elodie, her brother James and a new character Veronique, whose father was a FLQ Leader who killed a political figure and spent years in prison in the 1970s.
The story goes on about Elodie’s fight for justice. James fight for V. And V’s fight to follow in her father’s footsteps on the wrong side of the law.
Lots of detail in the book. You don’t have to read the first book but it would be helpful to do so first. The reader will not understand Elodie’s fight is they do not.
The story goes on about Elodie’s fight for justice. James fight for V. And V’s fight to follow in her father’s footsteps on the wrong side of the law.
Lots of detail in the book. You don’t have to read the first book but it would be helpful to do so first. The reader will not understand Elodie’s fight is they do not.
October 30, 2020
📚 Hello Book Friends! THE FORGOTTEN DAUGHTER by Joanna Goodman was a beautiful and yet exceedingly difficult read for me. Difficult because it brought back memories about a time when there were tense events in my childhood province. I was a child when the October Crisis took place in Québec. I remember it well and those memories are still giving me an unsettled feeling whenever I think about them. Although loosely based on the actual October Crisis events, this novel succeeds to emanate the tension of those times and up to the early 2000s. The book is about Véronique Fortin, daughter of Léo Fortin, an FLQ leader who was accused and found guilty of the kidnapping and murder of Pierre Laporte in 1970. Véronique idolizes her father and is determined to make her mark in life. She falls in love with James, an English journalist who does not share her ideologies. They are madly in love and have been able to overcome their political differences until James publishes an article about Véronique’s father. Will their love survive?
The book is also the continuation of Elodie’s tale. We discovered her story in Goodman’s novel entitled The Home for Unwanted Girls. Elodie was a Duplessis orphan. The orphans were wrongly certified as mentally ill by the provincial government of Québec and confined to psychiatric institutions in the 1940s and 1950s. The children were deliberately misdiagnosed to embezzle additional subsidies from the federal government. In the ’90s, these orphans united to find compensation to cover medical and psychological care that many of them needed suite to the abuse they received in these institutions. They also demanded a public apology from the Catholic church, the government of Québec, and the doctors who wrongly diagnosed them as mentally incompetent. Will Elodie find peace and emotional healing?
If you love historical novels with an element of truth, this one is for you. It shows many of the dark moments which took place in La Belle Province.
🙋🏼♀️ Thank you, HARPERCOLLINS CANADA for sending me an advanced copy of this beautiful book. THE FORGOTTEN DAUGHTER by Joanne Goodman is now available at your favourite bookstore.
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December 12, 2020
Not quite the follow up I was hoping it would be.
April 29, 2023
3 stars
I was not as enamored by this book as I was by it's predecessor The Home for Unwanted Girls written by this same author. But I have come to expect that sequels or second books just do not carry the same passion or gritty yearning as firsts do.
This book carried on the Phenix family, but centered more on the eldest daughter Elodie and her younger brother James and his fiancee, Veronique Fortin. Both Elodie and Veronique have a score to settle. Elodie embarks on revenge over her mental asylum enforcement, while Veronique has taken up her imprisoned fathers cause of government separatist.
That is not say that this isn't a good book, with passionate love, political force and settling of injustices. In it's own way this book speaks more to passion than it's predecessor did. I however liked the gentle love of the first generation of Phenix's a bit better. This book is well worth the read, but only after reading The Home for Unwanted Girls first.
I was not as enamored by this book as I was by it's predecessor The Home for Unwanted Girls written by this same author. But I have come to expect that sequels or second books just do not carry the same passion or gritty yearning as firsts do.
This book carried on the Phenix family, but centered more on the eldest daughter Elodie and her younger brother James and his fiancee, Veronique Fortin. Both Elodie and Veronique have a score to settle. Elodie embarks on revenge over her mental asylum enforcement, while Veronique has taken up her imprisoned fathers cause of government separatist.
That is not say that this isn't a good book, with passionate love, political force and settling of injustices. In it's own way this book speaks more to passion than it's predecessor did. I however liked the gentle love of the first generation of Phenix's a bit better. This book is well worth the read, but only after reading The Home for Unwanted Girls first.
August 24, 2020
This was a compelling story that taught me a lot of Canadian history. I’m a little embarrassed at my lack of knowledge regarding the Quebec independence referendums and the issues surrounding that. I wasn’t aware of the Duplessis orphans either, a heartbreaking and evil situation with some similarities to the Magdalene laundries in Ireland.
It probably would have been better to read the author’s previous novel, The Home for Unwanted Girls, first, since this book continues that story for a couple of characters. The author did a good job of filling in the backstory though.
Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways for the ARC.
It probably would have been better to read the author’s previous novel, The Home for Unwanted Girls, first, since this book continues that story for a couple of characters. The author did a good job of filling in the backstory though.
Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways for the ARC.
February 20, 2021
4.5* Well written and researched. First time I read about the FLQ in any novel. I hadn’t read the full preview, so I didn’t realize that it was also a continuation from her previous book. Loved it.
August 24, 2022
Good story telling here. It picks up 20 years after the end of The Home for Unwanted Girls (5 stars from me), continuing the story of Elodie (who suffered through a brutal childhood in a Quebec Catholic orphanage/mental asylum) and picking up the story of her much younger brother, James, as he lives the stories that he reports about Quebec separatism and the 1995 referendum that kept Quebec as part of Canada.
During the 10 year span of the novel, Elodie becomes an activist as she & her fellow survivors of the orphanages fight for an apology and reparations from the Church and the provincial Quebec government. James meets and loves Veronique, a passionate separatist who is under the influence of a father who was part of the radical FLQ cell who murdered a hostage when she was only a few months old. Veronique refuses to "conform" to society, she lives a life on the edge, involved in illegal but lucrative smuggling with her uncle and cousins. (This was one part I had trouble with, difficult for me to totally sympathize with her character.) A critical part of the story was the gradual working out of the anger in Vernonique's life.
This part of recent history was a revelation to me . . . I have very vague memories of the referendum vote but never knew any of the background on it. Author was a very young journalist covering the vote in Montreal so this part of the book pulls on her own experience; just as the earlier novel used her mother's experience of growing up half Anglo and half Francophone in the 1950s to make that time seem very real.
Good story. I think Elodie is the character that will stay in my memory. Lots of issues to think about from the lives of all the characters. I'd probably rate this one a 5 if I hadn't been a bit disappointed with the first half. 4.5, very glad I read both of these novels by Joanna Goodman.
During the 10 year span of the novel, Elodie becomes an activist as she & her fellow survivors of the orphanages fight for an apology and reparations from the Church and the provincial Quebec government. James meets and loves Veronique, a passionate separatist who is under the influence of a father who was part of the radical FLQ cell who murdered a hostage when she was only a few months old. Veronique refuses to "conform" to society, she lives a life on the edge, involved in illegal but lucrative smuggling with her uncle and cousins. (This was one part I had trouble with, difficult for me to totally sympathize with her character.) A critical part of the story was the gradual working out of the anger in Vernonique's life.
This part of recent history was a revelation to me . . . I have very vague memories of the referendum vote but never knew any of the background on it. Author was a very young journalist covering the vote in Montreal so this part of the book pulls on her own experience; just as the earlier novel used her mother's experience of growing up half Anglo and half Francophone in the 1950s to make that time seem very real.
Good story. I think Elodie is the character that will stay in my memory. Lots of issues to think about from the lives of all the characters. I'd probably rate this one a 5 if I hadn't been a bit disappointed with the first half. 4.5, very glad I read both of these novels by Joanna Goodman.
March 11, 2022
Tercer libro de Joanna Goodman y como siempre me ha pasado con esta autora, he disfrutado la historia de principio a fin.
En La hija olvidada tenemos la historia de Veronique quien ha vivido bajo el hecho de que su padre fue un terrorista convicto del Frente de Liberación de Quebec, Veronique creció escuchando el rechazo de su padre hacia el sistema y hacia los ingleses, por lo mismo, gran parte de las ideologías de su padre se han ido quedando con ella. Cuando conoce a James, un periodista de la Canadian New Association todo cambia, ya que el es todo lo que ella siempre ha rechazado.
James y Vero tienen una conexión muy intensa y son muy compatbiles en todos los sentidos, menos en sus ideologías políticas, y por lo mismo su relación se vuelve bastante tortuosa en algunos momentos, sobre todo cuando James antepone sus ambiciones a ella, ya que desde que conoce a Veronique su único gran objetivo es entrevistar a su padre.
También conoceremos que pasó con Elodie, un personaje que conocimos en “El hogar de las niñas indeseadas” Acá podemos ver el después de Elodie y conocer todo lo que ha tenido que pasar luego de vivir esos tormentosos años cuando los orfanatos de Quebec fueron convertidos en hospitales psiquiátricos.
Principalmente la historia se dedica a mostrarlos la vida y convicciones de estos tres personajes, y también contarnos los diferentes puntos de vista con respecto a la separación de Quebec, ya que nos encontramos con los que están a favor, los que están en contra y también aquellos que no se sienten cómodos tomando una postura ya sea porque no comprenden las motivaciones de cualquiera de las dos partes, o porque han tenido vivencias personales que los ha mantenido al margen de la disputa.
La historia es bastante profunda, pero la autora tiene una pluma muy liviana y sencilla, por lo cual no se siente una historia densa, sino que es muy amigable y fácil de comprender. La hija olvidada es una novela que se me hizo muy agradable, me encantó la forma en que la autora abordó la relación de Vero y James, y sobre todo el cierre maravilloso que tuvo la historia.
En La hija olvidada tenemos la historia de Veronique quien ha vivido bajo el hecho de que su padre fue un terrorista convicto del Frente de Liberación de Quebec, Veronique creció escuchando el rechazo de su padre hacia el sistema y hacia los ingleses, por lo mismo, gran parte de las ideologías de su padre se han ido quedando con ella. Cuando conoce a James, un periodista de la Canadian New Association todo cambia, ya que el es todo lo que ella siempre ha rechazado.
James y Vero tienen una conexión muy intensa y son muy compatbiles en todos los sentidos, menos en sus ideologías políticas, y por lo mismo su relación se vuelve bastante tortuosa en algunos momentos, sobre todo cuando James antepone sus ambiciones a ella, ya que desde que conoce a Veronique su único gran objetivo es entrevistar a su padre.
También conoceremos que pasó con Elodie, un personaje que conocimos en “El hogar de las niñas indeseadas” Acá podemos ver el después de Elodie y conocer todo lo que ha tenido que pasar luego de vivir esos tormentosos años cuando los orfanatos de Quebec fueron convertidos en hospitales psiquiátricos.
Principalmente la historia se dedica a mostrarlos la vida y convicciones de estos tres personajes, y también contarnos los diferentes puntos de vista con respecto a la separación de Quebec, ya que nos encontramos con los que están a favor, los que están en contra y también aquellos que no se sienten cómodos tomando una postura ya sea porque no comprenden las motivaciones de cualquiera de las dos partes, o porque han tenido vivencias personales que los ha mantenido al margen de la disputa.
La historia es bastante profunda, pero la autora tiene una pluma muy liviana y sencilla, por lo cual no se siente una historia densa, sino que es muy amigable y fácil de comprender. La hija olvidada es una novela que se me hizo muy agradable, me encantó la forma en que la autora abordó la relación de Vero y James, y sobre todo el cierre maravilloso que tuvo la historia.
October 24, 2020
I really cant review this book without reading the first book, what I can tell it's has love, family and mystery . I really want to read the first book so I can understand what happened to the children in the Mental Hospital, what I read was really good and kept me wanting to know happened in the hospital. Thank you Goodreads for the giveaway and the author (Joanna Goodman) for choosing me.
January 29, 2021
Even though the US and Canada share a border, Americans know little of the tumultuous history the Province of Quebec during the past 50 years. The Forgotten Daughter A novel heavily steeped in the history of the separatist movement highlights two generations who believed Quebec should become it’s own country and leave Canada. In addition, the novel exposes the Duplessis Orphans-these were orphans reclassified as mentally ill to generate more revenue.
Many reviewers have the opinion the novel was heavy, even too heavy on politics. I disagree. We need the explanations in order to throughly understand the separatists point of view. The characters are engaging if not totally likable. Each are heavily flawed but realistic.
The title could have been chosen with a bit more relevance to the story-however any title with the word Daughter seems to be on trend with publishers right now. There were actually two daughters of equal importance in the story and I would argue they were not forgotten. But hey, I picked it up from the library knowing nothing about the book-simply based on the title and the cover (picture of rear facing woman/girl-again on trend) so it works.
The tempo and pace of the novel is appropriate and the characters each have their own unique set of characteristics. They were well drawn. The story had a great ending and left the reader with answers.
I would highly recommend this novel both to individuals and book clubs. There is plenty for book clubs to discuss and I believe my book clubs would enjoy the story.
Many reviewers have the opinion the novel was heavy, even too heavy on politics. I disagree. We need the explanations in order to throughly understand the separatists point of view. The characters are engaging if not totally likable. Each are heavily flawed but realistic.
The title could have been chosen with a bit more relevance to the story-however any title with the word Daughter seems to be on trend with publishers right now. There were actually two daughters of equal importance in the story and I would argue they were not forgotten. But hey, I picked it up from the library knowing nothing about the book-simply based on the title and the cover (picture of rear facing woman/girl-again on trend) so it works.
The tempo and pace of the novel is appropriate and the characters each have their own unique set of characteristics. They were well drawn. The story had a great ending and left the reader with answers.
I would highly recommend this novel both to individuals and book clubs. There is plenty for book clubs to discuss and I believe my book clubs would enjoy the story.
December 20, 2021
https://wendyreadit.wordpress.com/202...
When I started listening to this story, thoughts of 'The Home for Unwanted Girls', Joanna Goodman's last book, came back to me and I had to look up the description. I am baffled by the fact that no where in this book's description does it say it is a sequel to her other book. While it's a stand alone book for sure, the reader should be aware that it is definitely a sequel to the above mentioned book. This story revolves around another family in the Quebec area but also involves Maggie and Gabriel from the first book and continues on with their daughter, Elodie, who was a Duplessis orphan, one of thousands of children who were deemed mentally incompetent and thrown into mental hospitals. So, where 'Home' is the story about Elodie and her childhood, this story is about a grown-up Elodie, her daughter, and her relationship with her birth mother, Maggie, and Maggie's family.
When I started listening to this story, thoughts of 'The Home for Unwanted Girls', Joanna Goodman's last book, came back to me and I had to look up the description. I am baffled by the fact that no where in this book's description does it say it is a sequel to her other book. While it's a stand alone book for sure, the reader should be aware that it is definitely a sequel to the above mentioned book. This story revolves around another family in the Quebec area but also involves Maggie and Gabriel from the first book and continues on with their daughter, Elodie, who was a Duplessis orphan, one of thousands of children who were deemed mentally incompetent and thrown into mental hospitals. So, where 'Home' is the story about Elodie and her childhood, this story is about a grown-up Elodie, her daughter, and her relationship with her birth mother, Maggie, and Maggie's family.
November 10, 2022
Title:
The Forgotten Daughter
Author: Joanna Goodman
SeiresL The Home for Unwanted Girls #2
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3.5
Pub Date: October 27, 2010
T H R E E • W O R D S
Triumphant • Detailed • Informative
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Véronique Fortin is the daughter of Léo Fortin, a radical separatist who was accused and found guilty of the kidnapping and murder of Pierre Laporte during the 1970 October Crisis. She grew up visiting her father in prison, yet she idolizes him and is determined to continue the fight for Quebec independence. When she falls in love with James, an English journalist, it is evident they stand on different sides of the political spectrum.
Meanwhile, Elodie Phénix, James' older sister and one of the Duplessis orphans, becomes involved with fighting for justice for their suffering during the 1950s. In the process, she will have to relive her trauma.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Ever since I read The Home for Unwanted Girls, which took me on such an emotional journey, I'd been meaning to read this follow up. The Forgotten Daughter is a continuation of that story, while also introducing an additional aspect of Quebec's history. Despite both plotlines being interesting, the two perspective didn't connect as much as I would have liked, and I think they could have easily been split into two separate books.
I was glad to get reacquainted with Elodie, and the continuation of her tale as she fights for justice for herself and the Duplessis Orphans. I preferred her POV, but it certainly felt like it took a backseat. Véronique's storyline, which is the main focus and is loosely based on the October Crisis and Quebec's fight to gain independence. I thought it had a ton of potential, however, it seemed overly detailed and political.
Overall, this novel didn't have the same emotional impact, and read more like historical nonfiction. What this book does very well is transmit the political tension of the time throughout Quebec (something that persists today). It's a reminder that there is so much important and interesting history that we don't learn or know about. Although this is marketed as historical fiction, as an anglophone (born and raised in Quebec), in all honesty it feels like not much has changed to this day.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers who liked The Home for Unwanted Girls
• Canadians
• historical fiction fans looking for a different perspective
⚠️ CW: forced institutionalization, child abuse, physical abuse, discrimination, violence, hate crime, hate speech, death, acculturation, drug trafficking
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"But maybe love is expansive enough to remember everything and still transcend it all."
Author: Joanna Goodman
SeiresL The Home for Unwanted Girls #2
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3.5
Pub Date: October 27, 2010
T H R E E • W O R D S
Triumphant • Detailed • Informative
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Véronique Fortin is the daughter of Léo Fortin, a radical separatist who was accused and found guilty of the kidnapping and murder of Pierre Laporte during the 1970 October Crisis. She grew up visiting her father in prison, yet she idolizes him and is determined to continue the fight for Quebec independence. When she falls in love with James, an English journalist, it is evident they stand on different sides of the political spectrum.
Meanwhile, Elodie Phénix, James' older sister and one of the Duplessis orphans, becomes involved with fighting for justice for their suffering during the 1950s. In the process, she will have to relive her trauma.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Ever since I read The Home for Unwanted Girls, which took me on such an emotional journey, I'd been meaning to read this follow up. The Forgotten Daughter is a continuation of that story, while also introducing an additional aspect of Quebec's history. Despite both plotlines being interesting, the two perspective didn't connect as much as I would have liked, and I think they could have easily been split into two separate books.
I was glad to get reacquainted with Elodie, and the continuation of her tale as she fights for justice for herself and the Duplessis Orphans. I preferred her POV, but it certainly felt like it took a backseat. Véronique's storyline, which is the main focus and is loosely based on the October Crisis and Quebec's fight to gain independence. I thought it had a ton of potential, however, it seemed overly detailed and political.
Overall, this novel didn't have the same emotional impact, and read more like historical nonfiction. What this book does very well is transmit the political tension of the time throughout Quebec (something that persists today). It's a reminder that there is so much important and interesting history that we don't learn or know about. Although this is marketed as historical fiction, as an anglophone (born and raised in Quebec), in all honesty it feels like not much has changed to this day.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers who liked The Home for Unwanted Girls
• Canadians
• historical fiction fans looking for a different perspective
⚠️ CW: forced institutionalization, child abuse, physical abuse, discrimination, violence, hate crime, hate speech, death, acculturation, drug trafficking
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"But maybe love is expansive enough to remember everything and still transcend it all."
February 15, 2021
When I read Joanna Goodman's previous book The Home for Unwanted Girls, I learned a lot about a dark part of Canadian history that I was never taught in school growing up in Ontario. Set in the beautiful city of Montréal, Goodman's latest book The Forgotten Daughter brings readers into a tumultuous time in Québec's history and an equally turbulent relationship between a radical separatist and a journalist who opposes Québec separatism.
This is an eye-opening look into French-Canadian history, this time focusing on the Separatist movement and the continued struggle of the thousands of Duplessis Orphans as they push to have their years of suffering acknowledged by the Catholic Church and the Québec government. Readers should be aware that this is a sequel of sorts to The Home For Unwanted Girls so while technically this book could be read as a standalone, I strongly recommend reading The Home for Unwanted Girls first to better understand the lingering issues facing Elodie and the other Duplessis orphans and why they were fighting so hard for an apology, closure and restitution for their decades of abuse and suffering.
The story is told in two different eras - the 1950's and the 1990's - from the POV of a few characters. Véronique, a stanch Separatist and the daughter of Léo Fortin, a radical separatist and FLQ member who was convicted of murder in the 1950's, Elodie, now in middle age and her struggles as a Duplessis Orphan and James, Elodie's younger brother, an anti-Separatist in the 1990's who falls in love with Véronique despite their vastly different beliefs for their province's future. Through these characters, Goodman brings both sides of the separatist issue and the resulting tension, emotions and sometimes violence into her story.
The Forgotten Daughter is a revealing look at Québec's fight for independence as well as the abuse of power and blatant corruption of the Québec government and the Catholic Church. As an Anglo-Canadian, I appreciate how Goodman brings the issues and emotions of Québec's Separatist issue into this story that is equally informative, emotional and inspiring.
October 19, 2022
An eye opening and shocking story about the horrific history of Quebec that involved the deceitful practice of changing orphanages into mental hospitals and having psychiatrists diagnose healthy children as mentally ill. This elaborate scheme involved the provincial government of the time, medical professionals and the catholic church and was done to collect more money since provinces were given more funding per person in mental hospitals than orphanages. The children who were victims of this crime, were not given any education and were severely abused. They were deemed "mentally ill" and exposed to barbaric practices that included straight jackets and lobotomies.
The narrative was phenomenal! I was pulled into the prose and story. What differentiated this account than the first book was that it focused on a survivor after leaving the orphanage/mental hospital and followed her on her journey of healing and retribution.
This book was actually like reading two separate stories. The second plot explored the FLQ and Quebec sovereignty in the 1990's. I actually recall the 1995 referendum to separate Quebec from the rest of Canada. I remember feeling overjoyed when the final vote was in favor to stay in Canada. However, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the history of French Canadians and their poor treatment and segregation from English speaking Canada in the past 200 years.
I was okay with the two disjointed plot arcs but I can see how some readers might not like it. An enlightening look at French Canadian history.
The narrative was phenomenal! I was pulled into the prose and story. What differentiated this account than the first book was that it focused on a survivor after leaving the orphanage/mental hospital and followed her on her journey of healing and retribution.
This book was actually like reading two separate stories. The second plot explored the FLQ and Quebec sovereignty in the 1990's. I actually recall the 1995 referendum to separate Quebec from the rest of Canada. I remember feeling overjoyed when the final vote was in favor to stay in Canada. However, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the history of French Canadians and their poor treatment and segregation from English speaking Canada in the past 200 years.
I was okay with the two disjointed plot arcs but I can see how some readers might not like it. An enlightening look at French Canadian history.
May 25, 2021
Goodreads needs to adjust its rating system so you can get half-star ratings because I would give this three and a half stars.
Following the events of Home for Unwanted Girls we follow Elodie adjusting to having her family in her life as well as her brother James as he navigates through his new relationship with Veronique the daughter of a political extremist.
Given the political unrest that's going on right now We could take some lessons from Canada...... on what not to do. going on in the background of the plot is the issue of Quebec separating from Canada an issue that greatly effects James and Veronique's relationship. Meanwhile Elodie has to come to terms with a ghost of her past as she and a group of other orphens seek reparations from the government that left them in deplorable care.
I was thoroughly enjoying this but unfortunately the climax seemed to drag in the home stretch. The ending didn't tug at the heart strings like the first book did, it just seems to end and that's it. Still though the book wasn't as disappointing as I thought it was going to be, I'm glad I was wrong that front.
NEXT
Following the events of Home for Unwanted Girls we follow Elodie adjusting to having her family in her life as well as her brother James as he navigates through his new relationship with Veronique the daughter of a political extremist.
Given the political unrest that's going on right now We could take some lessons from Canada...... on what not to do. going on in the background of the plot is the issue of Quebec separating from Canada an issue that greatly effects James and Veronique's relationship. Meanwhile Elodie has to come to terms with a ghost of her past as she and a group of other orphens seek reparations from the government that left them in deplorable care.
I was thoroughly enjoying this but unfortunately the climax seemed to drag in the home stretch. The ending didn't tug at the heart strings like the first book did, it just seems to end and that's it. Still though the book wasn't as disappointing as I thought it was going to be, I'm glad I was wrong that front.
NEXT
October 31, 2021
Me ha gustado muchísimo. Para mi es recomendable leer primero su anterior novela, ya que recupera la historia de los huérfanos de Duplessis y aunque puedas leer la novela, no llegarías a comprender el dolor que sufrieron en sus carnes y las injusticias que se veran en esta nueva novela.
El tema de la independencia de Quebeck de Canada me ha resultado muy interesante también y el ver las relaciones entre los separatistas y los que no, y en definitiva, las tonterias que se pueden llegar a hacer por politica cuando lo único que importa esnla propia vida.
El tema de la independencia de Quebeck de Canada me ha resultado muy interesante también y el ver las relaciones entre los separatistas y los que no, y en definitiva, las tonterias que se pueden llegar a hacer por politica cuando lo único que importa esnla propia vida.
December 24, 2020
Two stars is being generous. What a disappointment. The Home for Unwanted Girls was one of my favourite reads last year. Hard to believe it is the same author. Maybe one used a ghost writer. Each character’s part reads as a bullet-point, unemotional memoir. Ugh.
April 21, 2025
3.5 stars rounded down.
This is a sequel to the home for unwanted girls. This book tells of Elodie‘s life after she reunited with her family and her struggle, along with the other Duplessis orphans, to get justice and reparations from the Church, the government and the medical community for what they suffered when Quebec’s orphanages were converted to mental hospitals.
But more than Elodie’s story, this book is about Quebec‘s fight to gain independence from Canada. This part of the story focuses on the Fortin family, especially Veronique, who is an ardent separatist, and her father Leo, who was sent to prison for his involvement in a deadly separatist incident. His imprisonment emotionally scarred Veronique and affected her view of the relationship between Quebec and Canada. A major part of the story is Veronique’s relationship with a James Phenix, a journalist who tries to be objective, but who is opposed to the separatist movement. He is also Elodie’s younger brother. There are a lot of characters in the story and it is sometimes difficult to keep them all straight.
I liked Elodie and James, but did not like Veronique or her father. Veronique seemed to have no moral compass and made her living smuggling cigarettes, liquor, and weed from the nearby Indian reservation. Other than that she is beautiful and seemingly intelligent, I did not “get” the relationship between Veronique and James, since they were diametrically opposed regarding anything political, and that difference led to a lot of fights. Although well intentioned, James kept trying to get her out of her criminal enterprise and make her change her life. In some respects, their differences were a result of their 10 year age gap and Veronique was too immature and impulsive for James.
The narratives about the separatist movement are very dense and dragged for me. Although it is an important part of Canadian history, it felt like way too much time was spent on it and not enough time on Elodie‘s story. About 2/3 of the way through the book, the pace picks up and the story becomes more engaging. The ending is satisfying, but a bit contrived. I wanted to like this book as much as the first book, but it was an entirely different experience from the first book for me.
This is a sequel to the home for unwanted girls. This book tells of Elodie‘s life after she reunited with her family and her struggle, along with the other Duplessis orphans, to get justice and reparations from the Church, the government and the medical community for what they suffered when Quebec’s orphanages were converted to mental hospitals.
But more than Elodie’s story, this book is about Quebec‘s fight to gain independence from Canada. This part of the story focuses on the Fortin family, especially Veronique, who is an ardent separatist, and her father Leo, who was sent to prison for his involvement in a deadly separatist incident. His imprisonment emotionally scarred Veronique and affected her view of the relationship between Quebec and Canada. A major part of the story is Veronique’s relationship with a James Phenix, a journalist who tries to be objective, but who is opposed to the separatist movement. He is also Elodie’s younger brother. There are a lot of characters in the story and it is sometimes difficult to keep them all straight.
I liked Elodie and James, but did not like Veronique or her father. Veronique seemed to have no moral compass and made her living smuggling cigarettes, liquor, and weed from the nearby Indian reservation. Other than that she is beautiful and seemingly intelligent, I did not “get” the relationship between Veronique and James, since they were diametrically opposed regarding anything political, and that difference led to a lot of fights. Although well intentioned, James kept trying to get her out of her criminal enterprise and make her change her life. In some respects, their differences were a result of their 10 year age gap and Veronique was too immature and impulsive for James.
The narratives about the separatist movement are very dense and dragged for me. Although it is an important part of Canadian history, it felt like way too much time was spent on it and not enough time on Elodie‘s story. About 2/3 of the way through the book, the pace picks up and the story becomes more engaging. The ending is satisfying, but a bit contrived. I wanted to like this book as much as the first book, but it was an entirely different experience from the first book for me.
May 22, 2022
Surprise!
I really liked this book. I wish there was a different ending, but overall, fantastic book. If anyones looking to support a Canadian author, give this a shot.
I really liked this book. I wish there was a different ending, but overall, fantastic book. If anyones looking to support a Canadian author, give this a shot.
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