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The Lonely Nest: The Story of Two Women Whose Short Lives Will One Day Make a Difference in the World
“It would be some time until the steel encasement sealing my lonely nest cracked. Some might say I was too damaged to know any better, having lived with an abuser so long. The truth is hard to accept and far more egregious when I say, we learn to sacrifice the ones we love in order to survive.”
The secret you buried thirty years ago comes banging at your door. You refuse to open, as you have a new life and remain speechless whenever someone asks, “How did your mother and sister die?”
The events described in The Lonely Nest take place in a small New England town and reveal what hides behind time and shame. With a sense of urgency, Concetta Falcone-Codding takes the reader through her family history, narrating four decades of secrets, deadly betrayals, and harm that destroyed the women in her family. Written from the perspective of her child-self, Falcone-Codding’s sensitive prose exposes the translucent line between witnessing abuse and being complicit in it.
The Lonely Nest is a story of domestic violence, incest, childhood loss, and courage written for all whose stories have yet to be heard
The secret you buried thirty years ago comes banging at your door. You refuse to open, as you have a new life and remain speechless whenever someone asks, “How did your mother and sister die?”
The events described in The Lonely Nest take place in a small New England town and reveal what hides behind time and shame. With a sense of urgency, Concetta Falcone-Codding takes the reader through her family history, narrating four decades of secrets, deadly betrayals, and harm that destroyed the women in her family. Written from the perspective of her child-self, Falcone-Codding’s sensitive prose exposes the translucent line between witnessing abuse and being complicit in it.
The Lonely Nest is a story of domestic violence, incest, childhood loss, and courage written for all whose stories have yet to be heard
390 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 12, 2021
8 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 6, 2021
This was a bit painful to read. It seems like so many people in Janice down. I know times were different, but you would think that someone could have saved her from the hell that was her life and therefore save her mother Rose as well. Relatives knew yet did nothing to stop it, to save her, teachers, neighbors, friends knew but never made the effort. It makes me so sad think of someone with such promise treated the way she was by her own father. Hopefully this book makes others step out of their comfort zone and speak up to help save someone else's life. If this happens just one time, then Janice Falcone will not have died in vain.
February 18, 2022
Loved this local book
I grew up in Preston, CT so I saw it mentioned in a Norwich, CT group I'm in on Facebook so I got it and I'm glad I did. I feel like there's a more personal connection when you know where these roads are in real life as weird as that may sound. I did cry but I'm glad she told her story.
I grew up in Preston, CT so I saw it mentioned in a Norwich, CT group I'm in on Facebook so I got it and I'm glad I did. I feel like there's a more personal connection when you know where these roads are in real life as weird as that may sound. I did cry but I'm glad she told her story.
December 30, 2025
From the very start, anyone reading The Lonely Nest knows that she or he is in the hands of a gifted writer with a masterful ability to chronicle the events described in this no-hold’s-barred memoir with such specific details that the reader feels as if he or she is an intimate onlooker of the horrendous abuse suffered by the author, her sister, and her mother.
Fortunately, Ms. Falcone-Codding was able to survive her experiences and write this honest, straightforward account of the physical, sexual, verbal, and psychological abuse perpetrated by people close to her. She also makes clear that the silence cocooning such acts can—and did—feed the fear, confusion, chaos, and ever-present despair that permeated her life and the lives of others and contributed to the premature deaths of her sister and mother.
The Lonely Nest is a serious read—even a must read—for those who have suffered or have been a party to any or all of the violence chronicled in this memoir. Though disturbing, the account can also be therapeutic. Anyone who has survived abuse and endured the shame, guilt, terror, confusion, and pain caused by this once hushed-up situation can be reassured that he or she is not alone. Thanks to the brave efforts of this author and others, instances of such body, mind, and soul assaults can no longer be so easily ignored. This should offer comfort to those who have had to remain silent for fear of not being believed or ridiculed—to say nothing of having to live with the constant threat of retribution—and will be enlightening for anybody who seeks to learn more.
The title of the memoir is apt: living with such abuse can make a person feel alone, helpless, hopeless, and unprotected, with the only recourse being to try to find some solace—as did the author’s sister—by constructing and settling deeply into a self-made but lonely “nest.”
Fortunately, Ms. Falcone-Codding was able to survive her experiences and write this honest, straightforward account of the physical, sexual, verbal, and psychological abuse perpetrated by people close to her. She also makes clear that the silence cocooning such acts can—and did—feed the fear, confusion, chaos, and ever-present despair that permeated her life and the lives of others and contributed to the premature deaths of her sister and mother.
The Lonely Nest is a serious read—even a must read—for those who have suffered or have been a party to any or all of the violence chronicled in this memoir. Though disturbing, the account can also be therapeutic. Anyone who has survived abuse and endured the shame, guilt, terror, confusion, and pain caused by this once hushed-up situation can be reassured that he or she is not alone. Thanks to the brave efforts of this author and others, instances of such body, mind, and soul assaults can no longer be so easily ignored. This should offer comfort to those who have had to remain silent for fear of not being believed or ridiculed—to say nothing of having to live with the constant threat of retribution—and will be enlightening for anybody who seeks to learn more.
The title of the memoir is apt: living with such abuse can make a person feel alone, helpless, hopeless, and unprotected, with the only recourse being to try to find some solace—as did the author’s sister—by constructing and settling deeply into a self-made but lonely “nest.”
June 14, 2023
Eloquently written, Concetta Falcone-Codding brings to light what is done in the dark.
It’s apparent the Author poured the depths of her soul into this book and I’m not sure I am capable of writing a review that would give enough praise or recognition this book deserves.
My eyes are now wide open but my heart, shattered.
I reached out to Concetta after finishing to let her know I loved the book, a signed copy she had sent me, but wasn’t sure how to even write a worthy review that will shine a light to this masterpiece.
She says, “I wrote this so that my mom and sister could be loved, a love they never found in this life.”
What she brings to light is a true account of the devastating effects that incest, domestic abuse, and loss does to one’s life and those that witness it.
She survived but in a broken lonely nest.
I commend her with the highest of praise for the bravery it took to heal her life and tell her story.
She did what she set out to do….. She gave life back to her mom and sister by telling a powerful and compelling story.
To those that read this book and speak as loudly about it as she has her past, their untimely deaths as victims will make a difference in this world.
I highly recommend this book and giving it 5 stars is sorely underrating it. Thank you Concetta Falcone-Codding for reaching out to me, sending me a signed copy with a beautiful and heartfelt card but most importantly for captivating my heart through your story. Much love to you! ❤️
It’s apparent the Author poured the depths of her soul into this book and I’m not sure I am capable of writing a review that would give enough praise or recognition this book deserves.
My eyes are now wide open but my heart, shattered.
I reached out to Concetta after finishing to let her know I loved the book, a signed copy she had sent me, but wasn’t sure how to even write a worthy review that will shine a light to this masterpiece.
She says, “I wrote this so that my mom and sister could be loved, a love they never found in this life.”
What she brings to light is a true account of the devastating effects that incest, domestic abuse, and loss does to one’s life and those that witness it.
She survived but in a broken lonely nest.
I commend her with the highest of praise for the bravery it took to heal her life and tell her story.
She did what she set out to do….. She gave life back to her mom and sister by telling a powerful and compelling story.
To those that read this book and speak as loudly about it as she has her past, their untimely deaths as victims will make a difference in this world.
I highly recommend this book and giving it 5 stars is sorely underrating it. Thank you Concetta Falcone-Codding for reaching out to me, sending me a signed copy with a beautiful and heartfelt card but most importantly for captivating my heart through your story. Much love to you! ❤️
August 15, 2025
The Lonely Nest is a raw and unflinching memoir that pulls no punches in recounting the emotional toll of growing up in a household marked by abuse and dysfunction. Concetta writes with a straightforward honesty that makes her story all the more powerful—there’s no sugarcoating, no romanticizing, just the painful truth laid bare.
At the heart of the book is her relationship with her mother and sister, and the shadow cast by her abusive father. It feels like a necessary act of courage—one that invites readers not just to witness her pain, but to understand the complex dynamics of survival, silence, and resilience.
This isn’t an easy read, but it’s an important one. For anyone who has lived through abuse or grown up in a dysfunctional home, The Lonely Nest offers validation, clarity, and perhaps even a sense of solidarity. It’s a book that doesn’t just tell a story—it speaks to the quiet strength of those who endure.
At the heart of the book is her relationship with her mother and sister, and the shadow cast by her abusive father. It feels like a necessary act of courage—one that invites readers not just to witness her pain, but to understand the complex dynamics of survival, silence, and resilience.
This isn’t an easy read, but it’s an important one. For anyone who has lived through abuse or grown up in a dysfunctional home, The Lonely Nest offers validation, clarity, and perhaps even a sense of solidarity. It’s a book that doesn’t just tell a story—it speaks to the quiet strength of those who endure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2022
Heart wrenching but a story that needs to be told
I thought the history of this abuse was very told. It was hard to read the about the physical and emotional abuse. There was emotional and physical abuse in my family but nothing compared to this. Still I relate to keeping secrets and a mother who wouldn't leave to protect her children. More has to be done to educate the public on the dynamics of these homes, providing affordable counseling and assistance in obtaining protection. This story will really be an eye opener.
I thought the history of this abuse was very told. It was hard to read the about the physical and emotional abuse. There was emotional and physical abuse in my family but nothing compared to this. Still I relate to keeping secrets and a mother who wouldn't leave to protect her children. More has to be done to educate the public on the dynamics of these homes, providing affordable counseling and assistance in obtaining protection. This story will really be an eye opener.
January 26, 2025
Concetta is a world-class writer. Her words take readers back to a slower, simpler time—not a time without problems. Connie explores deep struggles and conflicts and beautifully navigates them in a way that shows there is a lesson in all things—no matter how tragic. The way she intertwines dark topics with powerful silver linings is a marvel and infuses the reader with the hope that no matter how bleak their own personal circumstances may be, there is always a light.
October 26, 2024
A well-written novel that screams to be used as a companion to any university humanities course. Ms. Falcone-Codding has given us a tool to discuss domestic violence in a non-threatening manner. She weaves in facts and "markers" that will help identify abusers and their victims. A must-read for everyone. You never know what goes on behind closed doors.
August 10, 2024
Harrowing
This book was certainly a page turner it was very well written and had me totally engrossed in the Authors life story so very sad at times but this book is well worth a read by all who enjoy true crime, memoirs, and those who like to be totally invested in the book as I was staying up reading until my eyes hurt because I literally could not put it down!
This book was certainly a page turner it was very well written and had me totally engrossed in the Authors life story so very sad at times but this book is well worth a read by all who enjoy true crime, memoirs, and those who like to be totally invested in the book as I was staying up reading until my eyes hurt because I literally could not put it down!
September 7, 2023
Very well written. Shocking the injustice & pain most of this family lived (not long) through. Excellent book but very sad.
August 19, 2024
Outstanding book. I couldn't put it down.
July 10, 2022
Haunting, Raw, Honest and Heartbreaking. Concetta invites us into her secrets without holding back. She is honest about her treatment of her sister and we are brought into her mind of a child learning to cope in a horrific environment. As a local story I found myself looking up the locations and trying to imagine life as it was for the Falcone family.
My heart broke over and over and hope by way of telling her story the author has made peace.
My heart broke over and over and hope by way of telling her story the author has made peace.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews