J-Dubs Book Review of Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

I needed to take a break from the real life dramas I have been reading lately.  Emotionally I was spent, crying my eyes out to where tears blurred the pages.  Ugly crying too, not just a little boo-hoo and a sniffle.  A cathartic release for sure but at what cost?  Rhetorical question.

My recent selection Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate is historical fiction to ease me into a change of scenery.   Here we have the real life drama I crave along with fantastic story telling and vivid characters.  Just like the Law and Order ripped from the headlines episodes, the historical piece is a composite of real life events vs. a documentary.  We learn about Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children’s Home Society, information is taken from research and woven into the story of the fictional Foss Family.

No spoilers here, just high level summary:  The story is told in alternating chapters Memphis in 1939 told by Rill Foss and Aiken, SC present day told by Avery Stafford.  The ‘flashback’ methodology seems to have become a predominant hook in the books I have read lately.  In this story, the flow works nicely.

Fate brings the Foss Family into connection with the Tennesee Children’s Home Society and lives of multiple generations are forever altered.  Age old questions of nuture vs. nature, family bloodline vs. family by choice, and secrets hidden vs. secrets exposed are explored.  Add politics, Alzheimer’s, adoption and elder care scandals into the mix for a vibrant story with lots of feels.  All and all a very good story, that made me cry only once.  The little sniffle cry at almost the very end.  You’ll just have to read this book and see if that same part gets to you too.

Overall rating 4.68 out of 5 stars.  

One of these days I will sit down and work on my rating methodology which is all over the map.  A recommended read for sure.  I will quote from the book to my blog over the next few days.  That may become my book review hook 🙂

As always, more to come. In this case, that more is Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton.  Getting ready for 8/30/17 book club y’all.  So excited, I just can’t wait!!