The Girl Behind the Gates, Brenda Davies
The Girl Behind the Gates, Brenda Davies
169 Rating(s)
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
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The Girl Behind the Gates
The gripping, heartbreaking historical bestseller based on a true story

Author: Brenda Davies

Narrator: Charlotte Strevens

Unabridged: 12 hr 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/01/2021

Synopsis

A raw, heart-breaking yet ultimately uplifting novel about a young woman cut down in her prime, and of the woman who brings her back to life.

***TOP TEN KINDLE BESTSELLER***

'Compelling. Poignant. Haunting. Heart wrenching. Just beautiful. Everyone needs to read this wonderful book.' - Renita D'Silva, bestselling author of The Forgotten Daughter

1939. Seventeen-year-old Nora Jennings has spent her life secure in the certainty of a bright, happy future - until one night of passion has more catastrophic consequences than she ever could have anticipated. Labelled a moral defective and sectioned under the Mental Deficiency Act, she is forced to endure years of unspeakable cruelty at the hands of those who are supposed to care for her.

1981. When psychiatrist Janet Humphreys comes across Nora, heavily institutionalised and still living in the hospital more than forty years after her incarceration, she knows that she must be the one to help Nora rediscover what it is to live. But as she works to help Nora overcome her past, Janet realises she must finally face her own.

Based on a true story, The Girl Behind the Gates is the raw, heart-breaking yet ultimately uplifting tale of a young woman cut down in her prime, and of the woman who finally brings her back to life, perfect for fans of The Girl in the Letter and Philomena.

(P) 2021 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd

Reviews

Goodreads review by Louise on May 31, 2020

1939: Nora Jennings is just seventeen when a ight of passion leads to more catastrophic consequences. Shes labelled a moral defective and sectioned under the Mental Health Deficiency Act. She spent years of unspeakable cruelty from the people who were supposed to care for her. 1981: Janet Humphreys......more

Goodreads review by Amanda on April 25, 2020

Nora Jenning’s parents Henry and Mildred are dismayed when they find out their daughter is pregnant at the age of seventeen. It’s 1939 and her family ship her off to a mental asylum. This is such a heart wrenching book as Nora’s treatment in the home is barbaric and they take away a large proportion......more

Goodreads review by Jessica on May 04, 2021

If I could give my rating to each of the halves of this book separately, the first half would be 5 stars and the second half would be a reluctant 2 stars. The first half tells Nora's story while it's happening. It's heart wrenching, brutal, but entirely engrossing and well written. It's so tragic to......more

Goodreads review by Catalina on January 29, 2021

More like 2.5* A very powerful start. Such rawness, so much heartbreak and full blown rage. It is unbelievable such things used to happen: perfectly healthy individuals locked up for nothing. And the treatment received once there..My gosh. My heart broke for Nora with every line of her story. But a r......more

Goodreads review by Renita on May 28, 2020

Compelling. Poignant. Haunting. Heart wrenching. An eye-opener of a story that will stay with you long after you've read the last page. Hard to believe this is a debut as the writing is assured and beautiful, the characters vividly brought to life on the page. I lived every minute of this harrowing......more

Quotes

Compelling. Poignant. Haunting. Heart wrenching. An eye-opener of a story that will stay with you long after you've read the last page. Hard to believe this is a debut as the writing is assured and beautiful, the characters vividly brought to life on the page. I lived every minute of this harrowing story that will resonate with everyone. Just beautiful. Everyone needs to read this wonderful book. Renita D'Silva, bestselling author of The Forgotten Daughter

The Girl behind the Gates absorbed me from the start and had me invested in Nora's story throughout. In this haunting debut novel, Brenda Davies takes us on a journey that is often uncomfortable, at times painful, but always told in beautiful prose and with great compassion and insight. Although horrified by the deplorable ways in which psychiatric patients were treated in the last century, I was also inspired and uplifted by the triumphant power of the human spirit and people's capacity to love and nurture others. A heart-wrenching but ultimately heart-warming novel that acts as a great advocate for the humane treatment of mental illness. Gill Thompson, bestselling author of The Oceans Between Us

The Girl Behind the Gates is a powerful, emotional novel - harrowing in parts but always authentic and full of insights and compassion. It's an important reminder of the abuse suffered by unmarried mothers - and many young women generally - only a matter of decades ago - and a sobering account of the best and worst of human nature. I was moved to tears by the ending and will certainly not hesitate to recommend it. Jill Childs, bestselling author of Gracie's Secret

A powerful story of trust, compassion, healing -- and the transforming power of love, that can give new life to a broken spirit. Sharon Maas, bestselling author of The Violin Maker's Daughter

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Girl Behind the Gates. It's a powerful true story written with such a light but sure touch - hauntingly beautiful and wonderfully uplifting. Karol Griffiths, Hollywood script consultant and author of THE ART OF SCRIPT EDITING

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