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A Home for the Lost
He got them when they were most vulnerable, when they were down and out, poor and alone and in trouble. He was kind to them when they needed kindness. He took their trust, and then robbed them of everything else. They don’t dare betray that trust.
A gripping and heartbreaking read, based on the true story of the Jonestown cult, one of the darkest chapters in American history.
When journalist Zoe Quint loses her husband and child in a tragic accident, she returns home to Guyana to grieve. But when she hears cries and music floating through the trees, her curiosity compels her to learn more about the Americans who have set up camp in a run-down village nearby. Their leader, Jim Jones, dark eyed and charismatic, claims to be a peaceful man who has promised his followers paradise.
But everything changes when Zoe meets one of his followers, a young woman called Lucy, in a ramshackle grocery store. Lucy grabs Zoe’s arm, raw terror in her eyes, and passes her a note with a phone number, begging her to call her mother in America.
Zoe is determined to help Lucy, but locals warn her to stay away from the camp, and as sirens and gunshots echo through the jungle at nightfall, she knows they are right. But she can’t shake the frightened woman’s face from her mind, and when she discovers that there are young children kept in the camp, she has to act fast.
Zoe’s only route to the lost people is to get close to their leader, Jim Jones. But if she is accepted, will she be able to persuade the frightened followers to risk their lives and embark on a perilous escape under the cover of darkness? And when Jim Jones hears of her plans, could she pay the highest price of all?
A powerful and unputdownable novel inspired by the true story of Jonestown, about a woman’s brave attempt to save people who were promised paradise but found only lies. Fans of Where the Crawdads Sing, Before We Were Yours and The Girls will be captivated by A Home for the Lost.
A gripping and heartbreaking read, based on the true story of the Jonestown cult, one of the darkest chapters in American history.
When journalist Zoe Quint loses her husband and child in a tragic accident, she returns home to Guyana to grieve. But when she hears cries and music floating through the trees, her curiosity compels her to learn more about the Americans who have set up camp in a run-down village nearby. Their leader, Jim Jones, dark eyed and charismatic, claims to be a peaceful man who has promised his followers paradise.
But everything changes when Zoe meets one of his followers, a young woman called Lucy, in a ramshackle grocery store. Lucy grabs Zoe’s arm, raw terror in her eyes, and passes her a note with a phone number, begging her to call her mother in America.
Zoe is determined to help Lucy, but locals warn her to stay away from the camp, and as sirens and gunshots echo through the jungle at nightfall, she knows they are right. But she can’t shake the frightened woman’s face from her mind, and when she discovers that there are young children kept in the camp, she has to act fast.
Zoe’s only route to the lost people is to get close to their leader, Jim Jones. But if she is accepted, will she be able to persuade the frightened followers to risk their lives and embark on a perilous escape under the cover of darkness? And when Jim Jones hears of her plans, could she pay the highest price of all?
A powerful and unputdownable novel inspired by the true story of Jonestown, about a woman’s brave attempt to save people who were promised paradise but found only lies. Fans of Where the Crawdads Sing, Before We Were Yours and The Girls will be captivated by A Home for the Lost.
453 pages, ebook
First published June 23, 2022
About the author
Sharon Maas
25 books342 followersSharon Maas was born in Georgetown, Guyana in 1951, and a sense of adventure has followed her around the world. In 1971 she spent a year backpacking around South America, followed by a few months with pioneering friends in the Guyana rainforest, followed by an overland trip to India, followed by a year in a Hindu Ashram.
She settled in Germany where she married, studied, worked, and raised children.
Officially retired, she continues to write from her new home in Ireland.
Her first novel was published by HarperCollins in 1999, followed by two more in 2001 and 2002. At present, she has 10 published works with the digital publisher Bookouture.
She has one self-published work, a retelling of the magnificent Indian epic Mahabharata: a project of love that took her over 30 years to "get right", written under the pen name S. Aruna.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
June 21, 2022
I enjoy books that are inspired by real life/true events. The Girl from Jonestown is inspired by the true events which occurred in Jonestown. Jonestown aka The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project in Guyana was a cult run by Jim Jones. It is where the followers drank the laced Kool aid and over 900 people died.
In this book, Zoe has returned to Guyana after losing her husband and child. She can't help but hear the sounds in the night. She is used to the sounds on the jungle, but not of hearing music and cries in the night. She is told about Jim Jones and the Americans living in the Jungle. After a chance encounter with one of his followers, Lucy who asks for help, Zoe does everything she can to help Lucy even when her family and the locals warn her not to.
I found this gripping book to be hard to put down. Most of us have heard about Jonestown and the tragedy that occurred there. The author does not make light of the atrocities that occurred at Jonestown; she shows them with care and with grace. Her research was remarkable, and her writing was suburb. Maas highlights the courage of one woman asking for help and of another who does everything she can to do just that - to help. Zoe is a great character and at times I rooted for her and at times I wanted to urge her to listen to the warnings. She is a smart, brave, and savvy character.
This was a captivating and thought provoking book as well. It had me pondering many things while reading it. Courage and what it means. How people turn blind eyes while others don't have it in them to ignore what they know to be wrong.
Fans of history fiction, history or books with cults will not be disappointed.
Gripping, powerful, hard to put down and captivating!
#AHomefortheLost #NetGalley
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
In this book, Zoe has returned to Guyana after losing her husband and child. She can't help but hear the sounds in the night. She is used to the sounds on the jungle, but not of hearing music and cries in the night. She is told about Jim Jones and the Americans living in the Jungle. After a chance encounter with one of his followers, Lucy who asks for help, Zoe does everything she can to help Lucy even when her family and the locals warn her not to.
I found this gripping book to be hard to put down. Most of us have heard about Jonestown and the tragedy that occurred there. The author does not make light of the atrocities that occurred at Jonestown; she shows them with care and with grace. Her research was remarkable, and her writing was suburb. Maas highlights the courage of one woman asking for help and of another who does everything she can to do just that - to help. Zoe is a great character and at times I rooted for her and at times I wanted to urge her to listen to the warnings. She is a smart, brave, and savvy character.
This was a captivating and thought provoking book as well. It had me pondering many things while reading it. Courage and what it means. How people turn blind eyes while others don't have it in them to ignore what they know to be wrong.
Fans of history fiction, history or books with cults will not be disappointed.
Gripping, powerful, hard to put down and captivating!
#AHomefortheLost #NetGalley
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
August 2, 2022
3.5 Stars
One Liner: Mixed feelings
The Girl from Jonestown is based on Jonestown or The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, where many innocents followed a maniac and committed mass suicide. Lucy realizes what she’s gotten into by joining the project. She is desperate for help and asks Zoe to help her.
Zoe Quint is a freelance journalist fighting demons of her own. She’s at her Uncle’s place in Guyana after traveling for three years. Lucy fires up Zoe’s instincts. Zoe starts to find out more despite people asking her not to bother. The more she digs, the murkier it gets.
Zoe knows she has to help Lucy and plans ways to enter Jonestown. But things aren’t as easy as they seem. Can Zoe save Lucy and many others trapped in Jonestown? Is Zoe going to be too late? Can she save herself, at least? After all, Jim Jones doesn’t like his plans being messed with.
The story comes from Zoe’s POV, with Lucy’s POV interwoven into the narrative.
My Observations:
I knew a little about Jim Jones and the mass suicide (massacre). This book caught my attention because I wanted to read fiction before I read non-fiction about the same.
I also expected a slow-paced story with loads of triggers and got it right. It is dark without being gory but is not an easy read.
The story took its own sweet time to unfold, and I did lose my patience with Zoe’s personal track taking up more space than the core theme. Still, it continued to be a compelling read.
The setting was vivid and easy to picturize. I could see Guyana, its people, and the forest.
I loved Lucy and Moria’s character arcs. They were on the opposite ends of the spectrum and had distinct personalities. I wished they had more to do in the story. This book has too much of Zoe and not enough of those from Jonestown.
Zoe was going strong until she did the most stupid thing at around 65% of the book. I immediately checked how many pages were left to understand why this had to happen. Yes, I know that certain elements cannot be changed as it was based on a true story. That doesn’t mean a character should go against her character development. This is also where the rating crashed from 4 to 3.5 stars.
The climax made up for the slow pace, and the final chapter answered the remaining questions, even if it was chunks of dialogue. Still, I liked how the story ended. It kept things rooted.
The author's note at the end provided what I wanted. She detailed what was real and what was fiction. The blend was very smooth though I wished the book didn’t focus so much on Zoe (pretty much a minority opinion).
To sum up, The Girl From Jonestown is a fictionized version of a dark and disturbing real-life incident. Pick this up when you’re in the right frame of mind (a bit of prior research would help).
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley
*****
P.S: The book was previously titled A Home for the Lost. I think it suits the story more. The Girl from Jonestown wouldn’t be that appropriate given Lucy’s share in the book. Oh, well.
One Liner: Mixed feelings
The Girl from Jonestown is based on Jonestown or The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, where many innocents followed a maniac and committed mass suicide. Lucy realizes what she’s gotten into by joining the project. She is desperate for help and asks Zoe to help her.
Zoe Quint is a freelance journalist fighting demons of her own. She’s at her Uncle’s place in Guyana after traveling for three years. Lucy fires up Zoe’s instincts. Zoe starts to find out more despite people asking her not to bother. The more she digs, the murkier it gets.
Zoe knows she has to help Lucy and plans ways to enter Jonestown. But things aren’t as easy as they seem. Can Zoe save Lucy and many others trapped in Jonestown? Is Zoe going to be too late? Can she save herself, at least? After all, Jim Jones doesn’t like his plans being messed with.
The story comes from Zoe’s POV, with Lucy’s POV interwoven into the narrative.
My Observations:
I knew a little about Jim Jones and the mass suicide (massacre). This book caught my attention because I wanted to read fiction before I read non-fiction about the same.
I also expected a slow-paced story with loads of triggers and got it right. It is dark without being gory but is not an easy read.
The story took its own sweet time to unfold, and I did lose my patience with Zoe’s personal track taking up more space than the core theme. Still, it continued to be a compelling read.
The setting was vivid and easy to picturize. I could see Guyana, its people, and the forest.
I loved Lucy and Moria’s character arcs. They were on the opposite ends of the spectrum and had distinct personalities. I wished they had more to do in the story. This book has too much of Zoe and not enough of those from Jonestown.
Zoe was going strong until she did the most stupid thing at around 65% of the book. I immediately checked how many pages were left to understand why this had to happen. Yes, I know that certain elements cannot be changed as it was based on a true story. That doesn’t mean a character should go against her character development. This is also where the rating crashed from 4 to 3.5 stars.
The climax made up for the slow pace, and the final chapter answered the remaining questions, even if it was chunks of dialogue. Still, I liked how the story ended. It kept things rooted.
The author's note at the end provided what I wanted. She detailed what was real and what was fiction. The blend was very smooth though I wished the book didn’t focus so much on Zoe (pretty much a minority opinion).
To sum up, The Girl From Jonestown is a fictionized version of a dark and disturbing real-life incident. Pick this up when you’re in the right frame of mind (a bit of prior research would help).
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley
*****
P.S: The book was previously titled A Home for the Lost. I think it suits the story more. The Girl from Jonestown wouldn’t be that appropriate given Lucy’s share in the book. Oh, well.
July 7, 2022
Zoe comes home to Guyana to finally try and heal after the loss of her husband and child, but her peace is interrupted by strange voices and chantings in the jungle. That is when she learns about the group of Americans living there. They are The People’s Temple, led by the charismatic Jim Jones, and seem to be there of their own accord. When Lucy, a terrified girl from this group, passes her a note, Zoe realizes everyone may not be present willingly. Determined to help, she decides to go inside “Jonestown” and try to help.
This powerful book takes a fresh look at Jonestown through the eyes of a Guyanese reporter, Zoe, and a Jonestown captive, Lucy. We look at the reality of Jonestown as not just a group of willing people who “drank Kool-aid,” but as prisoners, some of whom were killed before the mass suicide, and many who were poisoned against their will. We see desperate people trying to escape, and evil leaders determined to stop them. The jungle setting and its deadly beauty is brilliantly described by Sharon Maas, who is from Guyana and knows it inside and out. She does a masterful job of portraying the tactics of an evil and malicious cult and of putting faces on the victims and survivors through the character Lucy and others. The absolute crazy of Jim Jones flies off the page, but we learn that his was not the only malicious mind in the group, and we are shown more about those who helped him wield his iron fist. True crime meets Historical Thriller in this fictionalized story of the complete horror that was the People’s Temple.
I received a free copy of this book from Bookouture via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.
This powerful book takes a fresh look at Jonestown through the eyes of a Guyanese reporter, Zoe, and a Jonestown captive, Lucy. We look at the reality of Jonestown as not just a group of willing people who “drank Kool-aid,” but as prisoners, some of whom were killed before the mass suicide, and many who were poisoned against their will. We see desperate people trying to escape, and evil leaders determined to stop them. The jungle setting and its deadly beauty is brilliantly described by Sharon Maas, who is from Guyana and knows it inside and out. She does a masterful job of portraying the tactics of an evil and malicious cult and of putting faces on the victims and survivors through the character Lucy and others. The absolute crazy of Jim Jones flies off the page, but we learn that his was not the only malicious mind in the group, and we are shown more about those who helped him wield his iron fist. True crime meets Historical Thriller in this fictionalized story of the complete horror that was the People’s Temple.
I received a free copy of this book from Bookouture via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.
Read
May 2, 2022An engrossing and harrowing read!
March 2, 2026
Shedgirl’s Book Travels Blog: https://shedgirlsbooktravels.wordpres...
#ReadAroundTheWorld #Guyana
This fascinating book by Guyanese author Sharon Maas surrounds the tragic events at Jonestown (The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project) in Guyana in the 1970s.
Zoe Quint is a Guyanese journalist who has returned home after travelling and trying to escape the personal tragedy and grief that has touched her life. She finds her family happy to see her but concerned and afraid of the goings on in the jungle nearby where Americans have set up a mysterious and secretive settlement shut-off from the rest of the world, attempting to grow crops and feed its members. When Zoe meets Lucy, a clearly terrified woman in the shop who begs for her help to escape the settlement, Jonestown, she faces a dilemma. Her family warn her of the dangers of getting involved but Zoe cannot shake off the real and palpable fear she sensed in Lucy’s eyes. Zoe is determined she must find a way to enter Jonestown and find out the truth.
Along the way Zoe is pulled by the clear interest of the local doctor in her, and her own attraction to the American diplomat in Georgetown, who she approaches to help her gain admittance to Jonestown. Despite the concerns raised by families back in the US the party line is that this is a peaceful religious group seeking fulfillment and simplicity close to nature. The rumours about people trapped there wanting to leave, about the hair-raising events of the White Nights, and a catastrophe that is brewing, are hushed up and glossed over. Zoe is determined to find the ugly truth her journalistic instincts tell her lie beneath the façade.
I found the book gripping as it edges closer to the historical disaster of the 1978 mass suicide that occurred deep in the jungle of Guyana, driven by the fanatical but persuasive cult-leader Jim Jones. The upwards of 900 people who drank the poison and died (or had it injected into them) are the origin of the expression “drinking the Kool-Aid,” in reference to unquestioningly adopting a dangerous ideology, although in reality it was actually Flavor-Aid laced with cyanide and other chemicals. Jones had begun as a religious leader but evolved into an unhinged and paranoid megalomaniac, urging his followers to commit “revolutionary suicide” to escape the evils of American capitalism and its ideology. A total of 918 people died, including U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan and four others with him, all murdered that day when he visited the compound, and attempted to assist some members leave. For me this was a page-turning read, the only thing I wondered about was whether it would have been more impacting hearing the story from the perspective of Lucy or one of her friends, rather than that of a journalist mostly on the outside of the whole disastrous sequence of events.
#ReadAroundTheWorld #Guyana
This fascinating book by Guyanese author Sharon Maas surrounds the tragic events at Jonestown (The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project) in Guyana in the 1970s.
Zoe Quint is a Guyanese journalist who has returned home after travelling and trying to escape the personal tragedy and grief that has touched her life. She finds her family happy to see her but concerned and afraid of the goings on in the jungle nearby where Americans have set up a mysterious and secretive settlement shut-off from the rest of the world, attempting to grow crops and feed its members. When Zoe meets Lucy, a clearly terrified woman in the shop who begs for her help to escape the settlement, Jonestown, she faces a dilemma. Her family warn her of the dangers of getting involved but Zoe cannot shake off the real and palpable fear she sensed in Lucy’s eyes. Zoe is determined she must find a way to enter Jonestown and find out the truth.
Along the way Zoe is pulled by the clear interest of the local doctor in her, and her own attraction to the American diplomat in Georgetown, who she approaches to help her gain admittance to Jonestown. Despite the concerns raised by families back in the US the party line is that this is a peaceful religious group seeking fulfillment and simplicity close to nature. The rumours about people trapped there wanting to leave, about the hair-raising events of the White Nights, and a catastrophe that is brewing, are hushed up and glossed over. Zoe is determined to find the ugly truth her journalistic instincts tell her lie beneath the façade.
I found the book gripping as it edges closer to the historical disaster of the 1978 mass suicide that occurred deep in the jungle of Guyana, driven by the fanatical but persuasive cult-leader Jim Jones. The upwards of 900 people who drank the poison and died (or had it injected into them) are the origin of the expression “drinking the Kool-Aid,” in reference to unquestioningly adopting a dangerous ideology, although in reality it was actually Flavor-Aid laced with cyanide and other chemicals. Jones had begun as a religious leader but evolved into an unhinged and paranoid megalomaniac, urging his followers to commit “revolutionary suicide” to escape the evils of American capitalism and its ideology. A total of 918 people died, including U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan and four others with him, all murdered that day when he visited the compound, and attempted to assist some members leave. For me this was a page-turning read, the only thing I wondered about was whether it would have been more impacting hearing the story from the perspective of Lucy or one of her friends, rather than that of a journalist mostly on the outside of the whole disastrous sequence of events.
April 25, 2022
This book is based on the real life events that took place in 1978 in Guyana and about the infamous cult The Peoples Temple led by Jim Jones and it’s a superb piece of writing from starting beginning to end.
Of course at the very mention of cult in the overview made this book a must read for me I am fascinated by cults and had read about this one but I do admit I was apprehensive as to how a fiction book would deal with the horror’s that happened well I needn’t have worried at all it was a fascinating and wonderful read and all credit to Sharon Maas for being able to capture the events in such an excellent and sympathetic way.
The characters were so well crafted , the story was completely compelling it made it a book that I didn’t want to put down and I loved that it alternated between the two very different characters of Lucy and Zoe who were both believable and likeable.
So if like me you love cults and mystery thrillers then this is a must read book you don’t want to miss and for me a terrific 5 star read.
My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Of course at the very mention of cult in the overview made this book a must read for me I am fascinated by cults and had read about this one but I do admit I was apprehensive as to how a fiction book would deal with the horror’s that happened well I needn’t have worried at all it was a fascinating and wonderful read and all credit to Sharon Maas for being able to capture the events in such an excellent and sympathetic way.
The characters were so well crafted , the story was completely compelling it made it a book that I didn’t want to put down and I loved that it alternated between the two very different characters of Lucy and Zoe who were both believable and likeable.
So if like me you love cults and mystery thrillers then this is a must read book you don’t want to miss and for me a terrific 5 star read.
My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
June 23, 2022
I just reviewed the girl from Jonestown (formally a home for the lost) by Sharon Maas and here is my review.
Zoe had enough of the roaming and decided for some peace and quiet at the home of her aunt and uncle. That peace was to be short-lived when a petrified woman leaves her a note saying… HELP!!! Then: Mom. Followed by a number.
After the loss of her husband and their unborn child, Zoe traveled around writing her stories as a freelance journalist. Once she arrives at her aunt and uncle's house, she is confronted by the realities of a commune so barbaric she can’t ignore what is happening there.
Jim Jones has his followers quaking in their boots and a very real threat looming over them all.
After trying to get help from the government makes things worse for the girl who handed her the note, Zoe will stop at nothing to free the people trapped there before it's too late but in her quest to right the wrongs she may just put her faith in the wrong person and that may be the last thing she ever does.
I had no idea this was based on true events until after I was done reading it and now I want to know everything about Jim Jones. This book was very well researched and the story told by the author is one I will never forget.
Zoe was totally relatable and I loved her instantly. So smart and determined even after such loss. I loved watching her unfold the truth and heal herself in the process. Do not even get me started on Lucy. She is a firecracker and a half and i think even if Zoe hadn’t come to help she still would have found her way out. I loved the settings for the book, especially the parts in the jungle. I didn’t think I was going to enjoy this book half as much as I did. Once I was about 4 chapters in I couldn’t put it down.
The pace was fantastic and the writing was so superb I literally could feel the bats flapping at my feet.
Best historical fiction I have read in a long time. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fiction based on true events and is a fan of historical fiction in general. You will not be sorry.
5 stars!! Thank you netgalley and bookouture for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Zoe had enough of the roaming and decided for some peace and quiet at the home of her aunt and uncle. That peace was to be short-lived when a petrified woman leaves her a note saying… HELP!!! Then: Mom. Followed by a number.
After the loss of her husband and their unborn child, Zoe traveled around writing her stories as a freelance journalist. Once she arrives at her aunt and uncle's house, she is confronted by the realities of a commune so barbaric she can’t ignore what is happening there.
Jim Jones has his followers quaking in their boots and a very real threat looming over them all.
After trying to get help from the government makes things worse for the girl who handed her the note, Zoe will stop at nothing to free the people trapped there before it's too late but in her quest to right the wrongs she may just put her faith in the wrong person and that may be the last thing she ever does.
I had no idea this was based on true events until after I was done reading it and now I want to know everything about Jim Jones. This book was very well researched and the story told by the author is one I will never forget.
Zoe was totally relatable and I loved her instantly. So smart and determined even after such loss. I loved watching her unfold the truth and heal herself in the process. Do not even get me started on Lucy. She is a firecracker and a half and i think even if Zoe hadn’t come to help she still would have found her way out. I loved the settings for the book, especially the parts in the jungle. I didn’t think I was going to enjoy this book half as much as I did. Once I was about 4 chapters in I couldn’t put it down.
The pace was fantastic and the writing was so superb I literally could feel the bats flapping at my feet.
Best historical fiction I have read in a long time. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fiction based on true events and is a fan of historical fiction in general. You will not be sorry.
5 stars!! Thank you netgalley and bookouture for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.
April 21, 2022
What an amazing and engrossing story! A Home for the Lost is set in 1978 in Guyana, a country in South America.
We are given alternating points of view from two black women, native Zoe who has returned from traveling the world and is working on rebuilding her life and confidence following the tragic death of her husband and child and American Lucy, an inhabitant of the Cult who is trying desperately to escape.
Zoe and Lucy intersect by chance and Zoe becomes determined to help her, even though everyone around her cautions her to stay away. She decides that befriending the charismatic leader Jim Jones is the best way into the compound. She may feel like she has very little to lose, but little does she suspect Jim Jones' true plans.
Based on the infamous Jonestown massacre, this novel is riveting! Twists, turns, and true and complex characters will keep you engrossed as you root for both women to make it out of Jonestown alive. If you love books about cults, want to know more about Jonestown, or just enjoy a true thriller, A Home For the Lost is for you!
#Bookotoure #Netgalley #Netgalleyreads
We are given alternating points of view from two black women, native Zoe who has returned from traveling the world and is working on rebuilding her life and confidence following the tragic death of her husband and child and American Lucy, an inhabitant of the Cult who is trying desperately to escape.
Zoe and Lucy intersect by chance and Zoe becomes determined to help her, even though everyone around her cautions her to stay away. She decides that befriending the charismatic leader Jim Jones is the best way into the compound. She may feel like she has very little to lose, but little does she suspect Jim Jones' true plans.
Based on the infamous Jonestown massacre, this novel is riveting! Twists, turns, and true and complex characters will keep you engrossed as you root for both women to make it out of Jonestown alive. If you love books about cults, want to know more about Jonestown, or just enjoy a true thriller, A Home For the Lost is for you!
#Bookotoure #Netgalley #Netgalleyreads
July 3, 2022
HOLY S#$%, I was a young girl when the Jonestown massacre took place. This book and author, Sharon Maas does an excellent job of bringing this horror to light.
Jim Jones attracted the most vulnerable population to lead and he lead them right to their graves. So much to unpack from the moment these innocents joined Jones and drank the Kool-Aid.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this advanced readers copy. This book released on June 23, 2022.
Jim Jones attracted the most vulnerable population to lead and he lead them right to their graves. So much to unpack from the moment these innocents joined Jones and drank the Kool-Aid.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this advanced readers copy. This book released on June 23, 2022.
June 26, 2022
As soon as I read the title of this novel, I knew I needed to read this. I’m a big true crime consumer and I have read a lot about the tragedy of Jonestown. The Girl From Jonestown by Sharon Maas is based on the true events of Jonestown. Jim Jones was the leader of the cult who convinced 900+ followers to drink laced cool aid.
This is a poignant story that was difficult to put down. It is very well written and clearly researched. I love the author took the time to share this tragedy with grace and didn’t make light of it.
This is a story of courage. It had me thinking long after I’d finished reading. I enjoyed this quite a bit. The writing is captivating and Sharon Maas is a talented author. If you enjoy historical fiction this
Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for the review copy and the spot on the tour. All opinions are my own and unbiased.
This is a poignant story that was difficult to put down. It is very well written and clearly researched. I love the author took the time to share this tragedy with grace and didn’t make light of it.
This is a story of courage. It had me thinking long after I’d finished reading. I enjoyed this quite a bit. The writing is captivating and Sharon Maas is a talented author. If you enjoy historical fiction this
Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for the review copy and the spot on the tour. All opinions are my own and unbiased.
April 22, 2022
This was such a gripping read. I have read a few books about cults but this was the first about the jonestown cult that I have read. I really enjoyed it and I'll be honest I didn't know much about it before reading this book and after researching it more i am even more interested in it. I have heard the saying drink the koolaid before but didn't realise it was from this cult.
This book was so well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters. I couldn't put it down, I loved it.
This book was so well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters. I couldn't put it down, I loved it.
July 10, 2022
I remember seeing the front cover of Newsweek when I was a teenager at my school library, with all those people dead, huddled together in family groups, mostly. It made a very big impact on me, those images were seared into my brain. I actually borrowed that issue so I could read about Jonestown. It shocked me to the core. So, when I saw that this book was available to read, by a lady whose writing I enjoy, it was a bit of a no-brainer for me to read it. I particularly like books which are based on true events.
Zoe is a journalist, a native of Guyana, who has had a life-changing tragedy happen to her. She comes home and stays with her aunt and uncle, in a little shack on their land. She tries to write a book about her travels, but she is distracted by the noises that emanate from Jonestown, some of them very disturbing indeed. This piques her curiosity, and she tries to find out what is going on there. When she is passed a note from a frightened woman, Lucy, she knows she has to do something.
This is a work of fiction but there is plenty of history woven in with it, and there are facts about what happened at Jonestown and the response of the Americans, which gave me chills.
Very powerful book.
5 stars from me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.
Zoe is a journalist, a native of Guyana, who has had a life-changing tragedy happen to her. She comes home and stays with her aunt and uncle, in a little shack on their land. She tries to write a book about her travels, but she is distracted by the noises that emanate from Jonestown, some of them very disturbing indeed. This piques her curiosity, and she tries to find out what is going on there. When she is passed a note from a frightened woman, Lucy, she knows she has to do something.
This is a work of fiction but there is plenty of history woven in with it, and there are facts about what happened at Jonestown and the response of the Americans, which gave me chills.
Very powerful book.
5 stars from me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.
April 16, 2022
The Girl From Jonestown by Sharon Maas is a great historical fiction that highlights the horrid events surrounding the Jonestown cult that kept me glued to each page from beginning to end.
This is the first book I have read concerning the Jonestown cult, and subsequent events.
This book takes place in 1978. Alternating between Zoe and Lucy, we get to see two different women with two different experiences and viewpoints giving us a look at the group from outside and from within.
This book was full of suspense, mystery, twists and turns, and a few surprises as well. All of these elements made the narrative addictive and gripping. I definitely enjoyed it, and learned a bit in the process.
4/5 stars
Thank you NG and Bookouture for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 6/23/22.
Book Description:
The woman looked at me, anguish brimming in her eyes. I picked up the note she’d left and read the scrawl: HELP!!! Then: Mom. Followed by a number.
A gripping and heartbreaking read, based on the true story of the Jonestown cult, one of the darkest chapters in American history.
When journalist Zoe Quint loses her husband and child in a tragic accident, she returns home to Guyana to heal. But when she hears cries and music floating through the trees, her curiosity compels her to learn more about the Americans who have set up camp in a run-down village nearby. Their leader, Jim Jones, dark eyed and charismatic, claims to be a peaceful man who has promised his followers paradise.
But everything changes when Zoe meets one of his followers, a young woman called Lucy, in a ramshackle grocery store. Lucy grabs Zoe’s arm, raw terror in her eyes, and passes her a note with a phone number, begging her to call her mother in America.
Zoe is determined to help Lucy, but locals warn her to stay away from the camp, and as sirens and gunshots echo through the jungle at nightfall, she knows they are right. But she can’t shake the frightened woman’s face from her mind, and when she discovers that there are young children kept in the camp, she has to act fast.
Zoe’s only route to the lost people is to get close to their leader, Jim Jones. But if she is accepted, will she be able to persuade the frightened followers to risk their lives and embark on a perilous escape under the cover of darkness? And when Jim Jones hears of her plans, could she pay the highest price of all?
A powerful and unputdownable novel inspired by the true story of Jonestown, about a woman’s brave attempt to save people who were promised paradise but found only lies. Fans of Where the Crawdads Sing, Before We Were Yours and The Girls will be captivated by The Girl from Jonestown.
Author Bio:
Sharon Maas was born to politically active parents in Georgetown, Guyana, in 1951. She was educated in England, Guyana, and, later, Germany. After leaving school, she worked as a reporter with the Guyana Graphic in Georgetown and later wrote feature articles for the Sunday Chronicle as a staff journalist. Sharon has always had a great sense of adventure and curiosity about the world we live in, and Guyana could not hold her for long. In 1971 she set off on a year-long backpacking trip around South America, followed by an overland trek to South India, where she spent two years in an ashram. She lived in Germany for forty-three years and now lives in Ireland. She is the author of The Violin Maker’s Daughter, The Soldier’s Girl, Her Darkest Hour and many other novels.
https://www.sharonmaas.com/
https://www.instagram.com/sharonmaasw...
https://twitter.com/sharon_maas
Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Sharon Maas here: https://www.bookouture.com/sharon-maas/
Buy Link:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B09VTKKM2Vsocial
This is the first book I have read concerning the Jonestown cult, and subsequent events.
This book takes place in 1978. Alternating between Zoe and Lucy, we get to see two different women with two different experiences and viewpoints giving us a look at the group from outside and from within.
This book was full of suspense, mystery, twists and turns, and a few surprises as well. All of these elements made the narrative addictive and gripping. I definitely enjoyed it, and learned a bit in the process.
4/5 stars
Thank you NG and Bookouture for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 6/23/22.
Book Description:
The woman looked at me, anguish brimming in her eyes. I picked up the note she’d left and read the scrawl: HELP!!! Then: Mom. Followed by a number.
A gripping and heartbreaking read, based on the true story of the Jonestown cult, one of the darkest chapters in American history.
When journalist Zoe Quint loses her husband and child in a tragic accident, she returns home to Guyana to heal. But when she hears cries and music floating through the trees, her curiosity compels her to learn more about the Americans who have set up camp in a run-down village nearby. Their leader, Jim Jones, dark eyed and charismatic, claims to be a peaceful man who has promised his followers paradise.
But everything changes when Zoe meets one of his followers, a young woman called Lucy, in a ramshackle grocery store. Lucy grabs Zoe’s arm, raw terror in her eyes, and passes her a note with a phone number, begging her to call her mother in America.
Zoe is determined to help Lucy, but locals warn her to stay away from the camp, and as sirens and gunshots echo through the jungle at nightfall, she knows they are right. But she can’t shake the frightened woman’s face from her mind, and when she discovers that there are young children kept in the camp, she has to act fast.
Zoe’s only route to the lost people is to get close to their leader, Jim Jones. But if she is accepted, will she be able to persuade the frightened followers to risk their lives and embark on a perilous escape under the cover of darkness? And when Jim Jones hears of her plans, could she pay the highest price of all?
A powerful and unputdownable novel inspired by the true story of Jonestown, about a woman’s brave attempt to save people who were promised paradise but found only lies. Fans of Where the Crawdads Sing, Before We Were Yours and The Girls will be captivated by The Girl from Jonestown.
Author Bio:
Sharon Maas was born to politically active parents in Georgetown, Guyana, in 1951. She was educated in England, Guyana, and, later, Germany. After leaving school, she worked as a reporter with the Guyana Graphic in Georgetown and later wrote feature articles for the Sunday Chronicle as a staff journalist. Sharon has always had a great sense of adventure and curiosity about the world we live in, and Guyana could not hold her for long. In 1971 she set off on a year-long backpacking trip around South America, followed by an overland trek to South India, where she spent two years in an ashram. She lived in Germany for forty-three years and now lives in Ireland. She is the author of The Violin Maker’s Daughter, The Soldier’s Girl, Her Darkest Hour and many other novels.
https://www.sharonmaas.com/
https://www.instagram.com/sharonmaasw...
https://twitter.com/sharon_maas
Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Sharon Maas here: https://www.bookouture.com/sharon-maas/
Buy Link:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B09VTKKM2Vsocial
May 28, 2022
The author created a great story as she blended fiction with this piece of history about The Jonestown Massacre in Guyana, a horrible event where more than 900 members of the Peoples Temple ended up dyeing in a mass-suicide under direction of Jim Jones, their leader
The main person in this story is Zoe a young Guyanese woman who after losing her husband tragically, and having traveled for three years, to get over it, has returned to Guyana to write about her adventures in different parts of the world.
She ends up going to stay with her grandparents in the Northern part of Guyana where it would be quiet for her to writing. The spot where she was staying was close to Jonestown, and at night she would hear loud speakers, gun shot and different disturbances coming from the jungle. One day when she went to the small local store, she ran into a couple of people from Jonestown, buying supplies. One girl pleaded with her to please save her, to call her mother but not to trust people either.
This sparked an interest, and Zoe became obsessed with writing an article about the community.
There are so many details and people involved that I will let you read it. The story is very well put together and a lot of it will keep you on the edge of your seat in anxiety.
I have loved all of this authors books.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book.
The main person in this story is Zoe a young Guyanese woman who after losing her husband tragically, and having traveled for three years, to get over it, has returned to Guyana to write about her adventures in different parts of the world.
She ends up going to stay with her grandparents in the Northern part of Guyana where it would be quiet for her to writing. The spot where she was staying was close to Jonestown, and at night she would hear loud speakers, gun shot and different disturbances coming from the jungle. One day when she went to the small local store, she ran into a couple of people from Jonestown, buying supplies. One girl pleaded with her to please save her, to call her mother but not to trust people either.
This sparked an interest, and Zoe became obsessed with writing an article about the community.
There are so many details and people involved that I will let you read it. The story is very well put together and a lot of it will keep you on the edge of your seat in anxiety.
I have loved all of this authors books.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book.
July 12, 2022
White Night!
Help!!!Mom and a number . Those were the words that Zoe saw written on the piece of paper Lucy handed her. Zoe, a young journalist, was taking a break and relaxing in the jungle at her Aunt's house in Guyana, fall of 1978. She told herself to not get involved, let it go, you are here to rest, but the journalist in her could not let it go.
In her quest for the biggest scoop and story on the community called Jonestown created by the Reverend Jim Jones of the People's Temple Zoe uncovers secrets and truths of the evil of this founder and this community.
The story is told of Lucy a member of the community and of Zoe the journalist trying to rescue Lucy from the community and the danger in which she places Lucy and ultimately herself. The terrifying rituals and punishments put upon the residents of Jonestown and their terrifying story and ultimate sacrifice for the People's Temple.
It is a story of a moment in history that was ugly and terrifying. It could have been prevented but for greed and politics.
This story was filled with suspense and breath holding action. It was a great read and I would recommend it.
Thanks to Sharon Maas for writing a great historical fiction book, to Bookouture for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available for me to read and review.
Help!!!Mom and a number . Those were the words that Zoe saw written on the piece of paper Lucy handed her. Zoe, a young journalist, was taking a break and relaxing in the jungle at her Aunt's house in Guyana, fall of 1978. She told herself to not get involved, let it go, you are here to rest, but the journalist in her could not let it go.
In her quest for the biggest scoop and story on the community called Jonestown created by the Reverend Jim Jones of the People's Temple Zoe uncovers secrets and truths of the evil of this founder and this community.
The story is told of Lucy a member of the community and of Zoe the journalist trying to rescue Lucy from the community and the danger in which she places Lucy and ultimately herself. The terrifying rituals and punishments put upon the residents of Jonestown and their terrifying story and ultimate sacrifice for the People's Temple.
It is a story of a moment in history that was ugly and terrifying. It could have been prevented but for greed and politics.
This story was filled with suspense and breath holding action. It was a great read and I would recommend it.
Thanks to Sharon Maas for writing a great historical fiction book, to Bookouture for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available for me to read and review.
May 1, 2022
Trigger warning, this is a rough one. Literally all the triggers. Mads suicide, murder, plane crash, losing a spouse, losing a pregnancy, gun violence. The list goes on.
This one caught my eye as someone interested in true crime. I’ve watched documentaries and listened to podcast on this cult in the past. The Jonestown tragedy. The American cult “peoples temple” that moved to Guyana hoping for a better future. That dream came crashing down in November of 1978 when the white night occurred. Almost no one survived.
Most of the books content is fictional, but it’s really compelling storytelling. That a freelance journalist that managed to get into the town and tried to get people out of there. Loosely based on the writers life, she to was a journalist that traveled and lived in Guyana at one point. Even though Zoe’s been thru a lot she was brave, conquering her fears. I love a strong female MC.
There were a few men that came into Zoe’s life, however I liked the way that turned out. It felt real. The main complaint that I had was the ending. Just as I thought they were in the clear danger struck again. Like multiple times. It just felt a little to unrealistic.
Overall it’s a great read, if you can handle the triggers.
This one caught my eye as someone interested in true crime. I’ve watched documentaries and listened to podcast on this cult in the past. The Jonestown tragedy. The American cult “peoples temple” that moved to Guyana hoping for a better future. That dream came crashing down in November of 1978 when the white night occurred. Almost no one survived.
Most of the books content is fictional, but it’s really compelling storytelling. That a freelance journalist that managed to get into the town and tried to get people out of there. Loosely based on the writers life, she to was a journalist that traveled and lived in Guyana at one point. Even though Zoe’s been thru a lot she was brave, conquering her fears. I love a strong female MC.
There were a few men that came into Zoe’s life, however I liked the way that turned out. It felt real. The main complaint that I had was the ending. Just as I thought they were in the clear danger struck again. Like multiple times. It just felt a little to unrealistic.
Overall it’s a great read, if you can handle the triggers.
June 20, 2022
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, when Sharon Maas is writing about her home country of Guyana her writing really comes alive. Several of her latest books have been set in Europe during World War Two and although they were good stories, at times I felt there was a little disconnect between the author and the subject matter but The Girl from Jonestown returns to a familiar setting for the author and you can tell how much despite the horrors of the subject matter that she did enjoy writing this story and that she was on familiar territory and was confident with her subject matter and knew she could so the story justice
Guyana is a South American country that I had known virtually nothing about until I started reading books by this talented author. But you instantly feel at home in this tropical setting thanks to the vivid descriptions and brilliant use of imagery that help both the setting and the plot jump off the pages. The heat, the jungle, the primitive conditions, the unusual animals and the strange goings on all combine alongside the main thread of the plot to make for a very heightened, tense read that at times is very dark given the subject matter but it’s one that sucks you in little by little.
The book is based on a true story but of course the author has created her own characters and used some liberties in her retelling of the events that led to a mass suicide of over 900 people at the Jonestown compound deep in the Guyanan jungle. I didn’t know anything about this prior to starting this book. Before I delved too deep into the story I did some googling just to get some background information on what actually happened and why and it helped me with regard how to Sharon Maas wrote the story.
It’s September 1978 and Lucy Sparks is secretly writing an account of her time at Jonestown which is led by Jim Jones. To outsiders it’s a paradise providing shelter from the ravages of the world but dig a little deeper and all is not as it seems and the residents who are more like inmates are certainly not happy. Yet they can’t express this because the repercussions don’t bare thinking about. They were promised a paradise but instead they found themselves trapped in a world of rules and regulations and brainwashing. But Lucy can see through everyone especially Jim and his second in command Moira and she knows that the White Night is coming and what will occur on this night will be horrific and life changing. Lucy needs help to escape but who will believe her? Will she be reunited with her family?
There are chapters from Lucy’s point of view which recount her time in the camp and detail the point she is at now and these are informative and do push the story forward but to be honest despite Lucy’s situation as a character she didn’t capture my attention fully. Yes, what she was experiencing was awful and Jim Jones had a persona of someone doing good for the world and saving the ostracised in society from the evils they were enduring but really he was a cult leader who controlled, possessed and dominated people for his own power and pleasure. But it’s the other main female character Zoe Quint who I was fully engrossed in from the first moment we encounter her. I presume she is some relative to the Quint family that have featured in the author’s previous books but I’d have to go back and do a little digging to find out as specifics allude me at this time. But I thought Zoe was a fantastically written character from beginning to end and I couldn’t get enough of the chapters where she featured and her role become more dominant the further the story progressed.
Zoe returns to Guyana after having spent several years travelling the world following a great tragedy in her life which is slowly revealed to the reader. She wants to go back to nature, to peace and quiet and to wholesome things and hopefully get back to writing properly and publish a book about her travels. She had been a journalist for a national newspaper so she is always on the lookout for a story. She is inquisitive and like a dog with a bone when she gets her teeth into something. Once she gets a sniff of something untoward she is on the case and never rests on her laurels until she gets to the bottom of things. She needs to wash away the sorrow and soothe the wounds that refuse to heal and by travelling deep into the jungle where her Aunt and Uncle live she feels she will be away from all distractions and the hole that is deep in her heart may start to close. But as she lies in the hut in the farm grounds, each night she hears strange noises carried on the wind from upriver. She soon learns it’s an American settlement and the people in Jonestown are supposedly there because they want to be. When by pure chance she meets Lucy for a brief moment in the local shop, Lucy expresses her feelings in a rushed manner but Zoe certainly gets the message and she is determined to find out more about what goes behind the high fences that surround the settlement. Lucy wants out but can Zoe help her?
The settlement is a dark force that has coercion and manipulation at its centre and the evil is quickly gathering and intensifying and Lucy is determined to write an expose. The doors are shut in her face when she approaches the settlement but Zoe is strong and determined and she will fight for those downtrodden and oppressed. She asks the tough questions and tries to right so many wrongs but will it prove too much? Zoe and the reader are taken on a dark and dangerous yet exhilarating path and despite getting closer to Rex Bennett at the American embassy it’s like she is on a solo mission that by only completing herself will victory win out. Zoe knows in order to get to the heart of the story and to try and help Lucy and so many others, she needs to get to the centre of Jonestown and that is Jim Jones himself. She literally enters the lion’s den but in doing so is she just putting her own life in peril? Maybe there is no way to stop the forces at work which are gathering momentum the more paranoia regarding governments and the outside world that sets in.
The last quarter or so of the book moved along at a cracking pace. It was really edge of your seat stuff with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing right until the very last minute. The themes are murky and sombre with murder, massacre and mental manipulation at their core but at the same time there are elements of hope that shine through also. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed The Girl from Jonestown. To be honest I thought it was going to be really really heavy going and that it would plod along. Instead it was the opposite. Whilst reading this the book underwent a title change and the new title is definitely more apt. Sharon Maas has written an eye opening, shocking and gripping read that becomes very hard to put down.
Guyana is a South American country that I had known virtually nothing about until I started reading books by this talented author. But you instantly feel at home in this tropical setting thanks to the vivid descriptions and brilliant use of imagery that help both the setting and the plot jump off the pages. The heat, the jungle, the primitive conditions, the unusual animals and the strange goings on all combine alongside the main thread of the plot to make for a very heightened, tense read that at times is very dark given the subject matter but it’s one that sucks you in little by little.
The book is based on a true story but of course the author has created her own characters and used some liberties in her retelling of the events that led to a mass suicide of over 900 people at the Jonestown compound deep in the Guyanan jungle. I didn’t know anything about this prior to starting this book. Before I delved too deep into the story I did some googling just to get some background information on what actually happened and why and it helped me with regard how to Sharon Maas wrote the story.
It’s September 1978 and Lucy Sparks is secretly writing an account of her time at Jonestown which is led by Jim Jones. To outsiders it’s a paradise providing shelter from the ravages of the world but dig a little deeper and all is not as it seems and the residents who are more like inmates are certainly not happy. Yet they can’t express this because the repercussions don’t bare thinking about. They were promised a paradise but instead they found themselves trapped in a world of rules and regulations and brainwashing. But Lucy can see through everyone especially Jim and his second in command Moira and she knows that the White Night is coming and what will occur on this night will be horrific and life changing. Lucy needs help to escape but who will believe her? Will she be reunited with her family?
There are chapters from Lucy’s point of view which recount her time in the camp and detail the point she is at now and these are informative and do push the story forward but to be honest despite Lucy’s situation as a character she didn’t capture my attention fully. Yes, what she was experiencing was awful and Jim Jones had a persona of someone doing good for the world and saving the ostracised in society from the evils they were enduring but really he was a cult leader who controlled, possessed and dominated people for his own power and pleasure. But it’s the other main female character Zoe Quint who I was fully engrossed in from the first moment we encounter her. I presume she is some relative to the Quint family that have featured in the author’s previous books but I’d have to go back and do a little digging to find out as specifics allude me at this time. But I thought Zoe was a fantastically written character from beginning to end and I couldn’t get enough of the chapters where she featured and her role become more dominant the further the story progressed.
Zoe returns to Guyana after having spent several years travelling the world following a great tragedy in her life which is slowly revealed to the reader. She wants to go back to nature, to peace and quiet and to wholesome things and hopefully get back to writing properly and publish a book about her travels. She had been a journalist for a national newspaper so she is always on the lookout for a story. She is inquisitive and like a dog with a bone when she gets her teeth into something. Once she gets a sniff of something untoward she is on the case and never rests on her laurels until she gets to the bottom of things. She needs to wash away the sorrow and soothe the wounds that refuse to heal and by travelling deep into the jungle where her Aunt and Uncle live she feels she will be away from all distractions and the hole that is deep in her heart may start to close. But as she lies in the hut in the farm grounds, each night she hears strange noises carried on the wind from upriver. She soon learns it’s an American settlement and the people in Jonestown are supposedly there because they want to be. When by pure chance she meets Lucy for a brief moment in the local shop, Lucy expresses her feelings in a rushed manner but Zoe certainly gets the message and she is determined to find out more about what goes behind the high fences that surround the settlement. Lucy wants out but can Zoe help her?
The settlement is a dark force that has coercion and manipulation at its centre and the evil is quickly gathering and intensifying and Lucy is determined to write an expose. The doors are shut in her face when she approaches the settlement but Zoe is strong and determined and she will fight for those downtrodden and oppressed. She asks the tough questions and tries to right so many wrongs but will it prove too much? Zoe and the reader are taken on a dark and dangerous yet exhilarating path and despite getting closer to Rex Bennett at the American embassy it’s like she is on a solo mission that by only completing herself will victory win out. Zoe knows in order to get to the heart of the story and to try and help Lucy and so many others, she needs to get to the centre of Jonestown and that is Jim Jones himself. She literally enters the lion’s den but in doing so is she just putting her own life in peril? Maybe there is no way to stop the forces at work which are gathering momentum the more paranoia regarding governments and the outside world that sets in.
The last quarter or so of the book moved along at a cracking pace. It was really edge of your seat stuff with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing right until the very last minute. The themes are murky and sombre with murder, massacre and mental manipulation at their core but at the same time there are elements of hope that shine through also. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed The Girl from Jonestown. To be honest I thought it was going to be really really heavy going and that it would plod along. Instead it was the opposite. Whilst reading this the book underwent a title change and the new title is definitely more apt. Sharon Maas has written an eye opening, shocking and gripping read that becomes very hard to put down.
June 22, 2022
The Girl From Jonestown was one of those books I went into not knowing much about, but ended up being blown away by. Wow. I was hooked in quickly and finished in one day. The last few chapters had me all stressed out trying to read faster to find out what happens! Author Sharon Maas has beautiful descriptive writing that draws the reader in with all her details. You can vividly imagine the story, even the bugs and bats unfortunately! I really enjoyed this book and so happy is exceeded my initially expectations. Now I want to read more about the true events at Jonestown.
Zoe arrives At Parrot Creek Farm for a short stay with her Aunt Ada. Staying in the jungle with all the creatures feels normal to Zoe after all her travels abroad. All she wants is a little time to work on her book, heal from her heartbreak, and decide her future. The first night Zoe is woken by bats trying to get into the netting surrounding her cot, but then hears a loud speaker with a mans voice. She can’t quit make out all the words he’s saying but it sounds like he’s preaching. In the morning she asks Aunt Ada and learns that just beyond the marsh is Jonestown, a whole community of people. In town Zoe runs into a young girl who looks frightened and begs Zoe to help her. She passes her a note and asks her not to call the authorities but to call her mother. Zoe learns the group came to Guyana to live free from the government but word is that the people are trapped, held hostage, and resembles a cult more then a loving community. Zoe becomes obsessed with “Peoples Temple” and will stop at nothing to find out more information for an article she’d like to write. She can’t stop picturing the terror in Lucy’s eyes and wants to help however she can however her aunt and uncle have asked her to mind her own business. This is not her battle to fight and soon the governor will go to Jonestown to see for himself.
Unfortunately Zoe can’t leave well alone and starts using her contacts from the newspaper she works for to investigate the Peoples Temple leader Jim Jones. Some articles speak of “communal living” while others talk about White Night. Jones is like a God to these people and they have everything planned for a mass suicide if the government decides to come invade their community. They would rather die then conform. The question Zoe has is Lucy right and these people being kept against their will, or is this really a self-reliant community of like minded people? Against everyone’s advice Zoe accepts an invitation to spend the day in Jonestown and she’s hoping to find out the truth, but also to find Lucy and help her escape.
When Zoe steps through the locked gates and hears them close behind her she feels fear and excitement, these feelings will quickly change to pure terror……
Zoe arrives At Parrot Creek Farm for a short stay with her Aunt Ada. Staying in the jungle with all the creatures feels normal to Zoe after all her travels abroad. All she wants is a little time to work on her book, heal from her heartbreak, and decide her future. The first night Zoe is woken by bats trying to get into the netting surrounding her cot, but then hears a loud speaker with a mans voice. She can’t quit make out all the words he’s saying but it sounds like he’s preaching. In the morning she asks Aunt Ada and learns that just beyond the marsh is Jonestown, a whole community of people. In town Zoe runs into a young girl who looks frightened and begs Zoe to help her. She passes her a note and asks her not to call the authorities but to call her mother. Zoe learns the group came to Guyana to live free from the government but word is that the people are trapped, held hostage, and resembles a cult more then a loving community. Zoe becomes obsessed with “Peoples Temple” and will stop at nothing to find out more information for an article she’d like to write. She can’t stop picturing the terror in Lucy’s eyes and wants to help however she can however her aunt and uncle have asked her to mind her own business. This is not her battle to fight and soon the governor will go to Jonestown to see for himself.
Unfortunately Zoe can’t leave well alone and starts using her contacts from the newspaper she works for to investigate the Peoples Temple leader Jim Jones. Some articles speak of “communal living” while others talk about White Night. Jones is like a God to these people and they have everything planned for a mass suicide if the government decides to come invade their community. They would rather die then conform. The question Zoe has is Lucy right and these people being kept against their will, or is this really a self-reliant community of like minded people? Against everyone’s advice Zoe accepts an invitation to spend the day in Jonestown and she’s hoping to find out the truth, but also to find Lucy and help her escape.
When Zoe steps through the locked gates and hears them close behind her she feels fear and excitement, these feelings will quickly change to pure terror……
June 18, 2022
The Girl from Jonestown by Sharon Maas
Published: June 23, 2022
Bookouture
Pages: 416
Genre: Women’s Fiction
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.
Sharon Maas was born into a prominent political family in Georgetown, Guyana, in 1951. She was educated in England, Guyana, and, later, Germany. After leaving school, she worked as a trainee reporter with the Guyana Graphic in Georgetown and later wrote feature articles for the Sunday Chronicle as a staff journalist.
“My pen was the sword with which I’d conquer evil.”
Zoe has come home after traveling in an attempt to outrun her grief. And home is everything she longed for until she hears about the strange Americans who have set up a compound near her home. The recordings that play at all hours, running in time with the jaguars and mosquitos. The investigative journalist inside Zoe is interested, despite everyone telling her to stay away. That only fuels her curiosity. When Jonestown is your neighbor, how can you not want to know what’s happening?
I really enjoyed this novel. I loved the mix of historical facts with fiction, and found the story engaging and exciting.
I loved the complexity of the characters, and the emotional turmoil that surrounded the plot. I think the plot of this book was well done.
Taking a well known tragedy and making it the center of a fictional story was brilliant, and I enjoyed the story as it was unfolded.
The manic was captured beautifully, and the fear was well represented. Sharon Maas took the tragedy of Jonestown and added her own fictional spin to it, and it worked.
This was such a powerful novel, filled with fear, corruption, power, and hope. I found Maas taking facts, like Jim Jones being shot in the head, and working that into her story and giving characters that power well done.
This was a well researched, beautifully written book. The balance between fact and Fiction were choreographed and executed to well. This book mixed true crime and a dynamic plot to bring a beautifully devastating novel to life.
Published: June 23, 2022
Bookouture
Pages: 416
Genre: Women’s Fiction
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.
Sharon Maas was born into a prominent political family in Georgetown, Guyana, in 1951. She was educated in England, Guyana, and, later, Germany. After leaving school, she worked as a trainee reporter with the Guyana Graphic in Georgetown and later wrote feature articles for the Sunday Chronicle as a staff journalist.
“My pen was the sword with which I’d conquer evil.”
Zoe has come home after traveling in an attempt to outrun her grief. And home is everything she longed for until she hears about the strange Americans who have set up a compound near her home. The recordings that play at all hours, running in time with the jaguars and mosquitos. The investigative journalist inside Zoe is interested, despite everyone telling her to stay away. That only fuels her curiosity. When Jonestown is your neighbor, how can you not want to know what’s happening?
I really enjoyed this novel. I loved the mix of historical facts with fiction, and found the story engaging and exciting.
I loved the complexity of the characters, and the emotional turmoil that surrounded the plot. I think the plot of this book was well done.
Taking a well known tragedy and making it the center of a fictional story was brilliant, and I enjoyed the story as it was unfolded.
The manic was captured beautifully, and the fear was well represented. Sharon Maas took the tragedy of Jonestown and added her own fictional spin to it, and it worked.
This was such a powerful novel, filled with fear, corruption, power, and hope. I found Maas taking facts, like Jim Jones being shot in the head, and working that into her story and giving characters that power well done.
This was a well researched, beautifully written book. The balance between fact and Fiction were choreographed and executed to well. This book mixed true crime and a dynamic plot to bring a beautifully devastating novel to life.
June 20, 2022
I’m not sure whether I’ve been living under a rock for the last forty-odd years but I knew nothing about the Jonestown cult and the horrific things that went on there so when I read the synopsis for The Girl From Jonestown by Sharon Maas, I knew I needed to find out what had happened.
Inspired by actual events, Sharon Maas sympathetically retells the story of how the cult came about and what happened in the following few years. To say I was shocked to the core was an understatement. Few things shock me these days, but The Girl From Jonestown made me shudder and recoil and really just wonder how and why!
Our protagonist, Zoe, was determined to find out all about the noises she hears in the night. Other people just wanted to brush everything under the carpet and let people get on with their lives, regardless of right and wrong. I know this is true of people and places everywhere in the world, but looking the other way doesn’t always mean it’s the right thing to do.
Sharon Maas captures the entire story and tragic events brilliantly and with compassion. I was compelled to read as fast as my daily life would allow to discover an ending I sort of realised was going to happen, but not what happened to every character.
If you’ve got a strong stomach and you enjoy historical fiction based on facts, then I urge you to read The Girl From Jonestown. It’s a story that everyone should be aware of.
I am lucky enough to be a part of Books on Tour for this book, so thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The Girl From Jonestown by Sharon Maas.
Inspired by actual events, Sharon Maas sympathetically retells the story of how the cult came about and what happened in the following few years. To say I was shocked to the core was an understatement. Few things shock me these days, but The Girl From Jonestown made me shudder and recoil and really just wonder how and why!
Our protagonist, Zoe, was determined to find out all about the noises she hears in the night. Other people just wanted to brush everything under the carpet and let people get on with their lives, regardless of right and wrong. I know this is true of people and places everywhere in the world, but looking the other way doesn’t always mean it’s the right thing to do.
Sharon Maas captures the entire story and tragic events brilliantly and with compassion. I was compelled to read as fast as my daily life would allow to discover an ending I sort of realised was going to happen, but not what happened to every character.
If you’ve got a strong stomach and you enjoy historical fiction based on facts, then I urge you to read The Girl From Jonestown. It’s a story that everyone should be aware of.
I am lucky enough to be a part of Books on Tour for this book, so thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The Girl From Jonestown by Sharon Maas.
June 24, 2022
I have always been intrigued by the things that happened at Jonestown but, never read anything (non fiction or fiction) on it. Thank you to Bookouture and Sharon for the review copy!
We’ve all heard the stories, Jim Jones, Kool Aid laced with poison, a cult but, I’ve never heard the tales of people being held hostage. And even though this book was fiction, it was based on truth. This story felt real, it felt raw and it felt true.
It was an easy read, it kept me on the edge-eagerly pressing the button on my kindle to flip the page. You could truly feel the emotions of the story, the anticipation and the sadness, the cruelty. It was such a gut wrenching tragedy that didn’t have to happen. Yet, it did. So many things in this world happen and we ask afterwards, “Why?”
I enjoyed this read and I think if you enjoy historical fiction or even suspense, you’ll enjoy this as well. I’m giving it four stars! Really wonderful writing!
We’ve all heard the stories, Jim Jones, Kool Aid laced with poison, a cult but, I’ve never heard the tales of people being held hostage. And even though this book was fiction, it was based on truth. This story felt real, it felt raw and it felt true.
It was an easy read, it kept me on the edge-eagerly pressing the button on my kindle to flip the page. You could truly feel the emotions of the story, the anticipation and the sadness, the cruelty. It was such a gut wrenching tragedy that didn’t have to happen. Yet, it did. So many things in this world happen and we ask afterwards, “Why?”
I enjoyed this read and I think if you enjoy historical fiction or even suspense, you’ll enjoy this as well. I’m giving it four stars! Really wonderful writing!
June 23, 2022
I loved this utterly unique and compelling novel. I've never read such masterly crafted historical fiction. I know the story of Jim Jones and Jonestown and have watched a documentary of it, which was extremely beneficial (but not necessarily a prerequisite) to reading this novel. The author takes so many true facts and intertwines them seamlessly into Zoe's story. Not too often does a fictional book affect my heart and mind like this one did!
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-ARC!
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-ARC!
June 24, 2022
#netgalley #thegirlfromjonestown It took me a couple of chapters before I could get into this book but boy I am I glad I persisted. Once I got into it the pages turned themselves, I think the story is a little dark but that is what makes it brilliant. And I didn't realise until I finished it that it is based on a true story. A fantastic historical fiction book. 5/5 stars
June 7, 2022
Read his full review on Rosepoint Publishing.
The sixties were a time of cultural revolution in the United States. Disaffected people fled the country and joined a cult headed by Jim Jones called Jonestown in Guyana.
Reverend Jones had taken a thousand or more men, women and children to his ‘utopian stronghold” so that they might live the good life. The problem was that he was a megalomaniac who was out of touch with reality.
Zoe is a freelance investigative reporter who wants to go and report on the enclave. Zoe is assisted by a U.S. Congressman named Ryan. The US congressman named has been hearing rumors of a very different and frightening encampment in the jungle. What they find is far from the utopia promised!
The living conditions are adequate but one of the residents begs Zoe to help her escape Jamestown. Zoe’s adventures spread a bright light on a very despotic environment. The book shows the horrendous results of a planned utopian community gone very wrong.
This is a very dark exposé of a footnote in American history in the 1960’s. Read the book and weep over the nearly 700 that drink poisoned Kool-Aid to escape this troubled world. 4.5 stars – CE Williams
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.
The sixties were a time of cultural revolution in the United States. Disaffected people fled the country and joined a cult headed by Jim Jones called Jonestown in Guyana.
Reverend Jones had taken a thousand or more men, women and children to his ‘utopian stronghold” so that they might live the good life. The problem was that he was a megalomaniac who was out of touch with reality.
Zoe is a freelance investigative reporter who wants to go and report on the enclave. Zoe is assisted by a U.S. Congressman named Ryan. The US congressman named has been hearing rumors of a very different and frightening encampment in the jungle. What they find is far from the utopia promised!
The living conditions are adequate but one of the residents begs Zoe to help her escape Jamestown. Zoe’s adventures spread a bright light on a very despotic environment. The book shows the horrendous results of a planned utopian community gone very wrong.
This is a very dark exposé of a footnote in American history in the 1960’s. Read the book and weep over the nearly 700 that drink poisoned Kool-Aid to escape this troubled world. 4.5 stars – CE Williams
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.
May 27, 2022
Based on the horrendous Jonestown massacre, this novel is beautifully written through alternating points of view from two women, A freelance journalist Zoe (a native Guyanan who has returned from traveling the world and is still devastated by the tragic death of her husband and child) and a black American mother Lucy, a member of the Jonestown Cult who has seen the writing on the wall and is trying desperately to escape.
Zoe sees Lucy's desperation and pure fear in a brief chance meeting when she manages to slip her a note. Determined to help her, despite being repeately cautioned to stay away, she appeals for help at the American Embassy but, afraid that Congressman Ryan's promised delegation may be too late, she decides that by accessing Jonestown as a sympathetic journalist she may be able to rescue Lucy herself. A thrilling rollercoast read follows her actions to try to persuade people to leave and the terrifying escape attempt.
Be warned the author doesn't hold her punches when describing the horrors of the White Night (where the death toll exceeded 900, including some 300 children), the utter madness and self delusion of Jim Jones and the sheer thrall his followers held him in.
A powerful solid 4 star read recomended those who love books about cults, want to know more about Jonestown, or those who just love Historical Fiction/Thrillers.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Zoe sees Lucy's desperation and pure fear in a brief chance meeting when she manages to slip her a note. Determined to help her, despite being repeately cautioned to stay away, she appeals for help at the American Embassy but, afraid that Congressman Ryan's promised delegation may be too late, she decides that by accessing Jonestown as a sympathetic journalist she may be able to rescue Lucy herself. A thrilling rollercoast read follows her actions to try to persuade people to leave and the terrifying escape attempt.
Be warned the author doesn't hold her punches when describing the horrors of the White Night (where the death toll exceeded 900, including some 300 children), the utter madness and self delusion of Jim Jones and the sheer thrall his followers held him in.
A powerful solid 4 star read recomended those who love books about cults, want to know more about Jonestown, or those who just love Historical Fiction/Thrillers.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
July 4, 2022
A nuanced read that makes you think. This author is one of my top favourites and she is also one of the most versatile writers ever. She writes in multiple genres with a sensitivity and honesty that is rare and special. Her books are thought-provoking and tackle harrowing subjects with great delicacy and beauty. With this book, however she has raised the bar on perfection. Beautifully written, this is a literary masterpiece. One of my top reads ever. Just breathtaking.
April 29, 2022
I received an e-ARC version of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.
“A Home for the Lost” is a historical fiction book by Sharon Maas. This is one of the first historical fiction books I’ve read about Jonestown. About 30 years ago, I worked with a woman who, sadly, had a family member who was a member of The People’s Temple and a follower of Jim Jones. I can never forget her combination of anger and helplessness she felt toward her family member on many levels. If you wish to know more about Jonestown, I strongly recommend a site that Ms. Maas suggests visiting - Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & People’s Temple, sponsored by SDSU.
Anyway, the book … based upon what I was told 30 years ago, I was a bit leery about reading this book. I hoped that Ms. Maas treated the subject fairly but also didn’t gloss things over. She didn’t. Having two stories - a People’s Temple member and an outside journalist - I found a great way to tell this story. The reader gets their different viewpoints on what’s happening, but also a more rounded overall look at the whole situation. I did find some of one character’s backstory detracted from my enjoyment of the story (it created depth but I didn’t find it necessary). As the book moves closer to the day of the massacre, Ms. Maas uses excellent foreshadowing along with writing in a style that creates both tension and confusion in Jonestown itself. I did enjoy reading the Author’s Note where she explained how she got the idea and also the research she put into the book.
“A Home for the Lost” is a historical fiction book by Sharon Maas. This is one of the first historical fiction books I’ve read about Jonestown. About 30 years ago, I worked with a woman who, sadly, had a family member who was a member of The People’s Temple and a follower of Jim Jones. I can never forget her combination of anger and helplessness she felt toward her family member on many levels. If you wish to know more about Jonestown, I strongly recommend a site that Ms. Maas suggests visiting - Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & People’s Temple, sponsored by SDSU.
Anyway, the book … based upon what I was told 30 years ago, I was a bit leery about reading this book. I hoped that Ms. Maas treated the subject fairly but also didn’t gloss things over. She didn’t. Having two stories - a People’s Temple member and an outside journalist - I found a great way to tell this story. The reader gets their different viewpoints on what’s happening, but also a more rounded overall look at the whole situation. I did find some of one character’s backstory detracted from my enjoyment of the story (it created depth but I didn’t find it necessary). As the book moves closer to the day of the massacre, Ms. Maas uses excellent foreshadowing along with writing in a style that creates both tension and confusion in Jonestown itself. I did enjoy reading the Author’s Note where she explained how she got the idea and also the research she put into the book.
May 12, 2022
Based on the true Jonestown cult and the heart breaking events that took place, this book is engrossing and dark at the same time. As with many books based on true historical events, it inspired me to go and research The Peoples Temple cult and the horrific events that occurred there. A well written interesting book.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the e- advance review copy.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the e- advance review copy.
May 1, 2022
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of A Home for the Lost by Sharon Mass.
What an eye opening, truly chilling book. This tells the tale of two separate women whose paths cross in the horrific times of Jonestown. I have always been drawn to books about cults, but this one is the most terrifying one to me since it is based on the reality of the horrors of what happened at Jonestown. I simply could not put this one down. For those that are aware of how far some will go for their beliefs and the tragedy it can bring, you will love this one.
What an eye opening, truly chilling book. This tells the tale of two separate women whose paths cross in the horrific times of Jonestown. I have always been drawn to books about cults, but this one is the most terrifying one to me since it is based on the reality of the horrors of what happened at Jonestown. I simply could not put this one down. For those that are aware of how far some will go for their beliefs and the tragedy it can bring, you will love this one.
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