Title: The Lost Orphan
Author: Stacey Halls
Publication: April 7, 2020
Publisher: MIRA; Harper Collins
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Pages: 352
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
A mother’s love knows no bounds…
London, 1754. Six years after leaving her newborn, Clara, at London’s Foundling Hospital, young Bess Bright returns to reclaim the illegitimate daughter she has never really known. Dreading the worst—that Clara has died in care—the last thing she expects to hear is that her daughter has already been reclaimed. Her life is turned upside down as she tries to find out who has taken her little girl—and why.
Less than a mile from Bess’s lodgings in a quiet town house, a wealthy widow barely ventures outside. When her close friend—an ambitious doctor at the Foundling Hospital—persuades her to hire a nursemaid for her young daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home and her life. But her past is threatening to catch up with her—and will soon tear her carefully constructed world apart.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of Georgian London, The Lost Orphan explores families and secrets, class and power, and how the pull of motherhood cuts across them all.
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
A few weeks ago I received an email from Harlequin Books with a few books to review inside. I read the book descriptions and then hmmed and hawed a bit about whether I should do any or not. I decided against it ( My to-be-read stacks are astronomical) and deleted the email. I regretted my decision. Imagine my delight when my editor said she got an email from Harper Collins and that book was on the list for review. I couldn’t believe my delight. I promptly requested the book and couldn’t wait to read it.
Bess is an unwed mother who had a child out of wedlock. She gets pregnant in a one and done thing in an alleyway. After she finds out she is pregnant she searches for the father and finds out he died. After she gives birth she takes the child to the Foundling hospital that takes care of children until they are either reclaimed by their family or until they are of working age. That is Bess’s plan…..until that doesn’t happen for a very bizarre reason. This book was so good. I think I read it in roughly 3.5 days. It was a family mystery that kept me gasping each time something new happens. I couldn’t believe the lengths Bess went to try and find out what happened with her daughter.
The thing that struck me the most in this book was the fact that she saved for 6 YEARS and saved roughly two pounds. In the 1700s that was considered a lot of money. In this day and age that is hardly enough for a Venti Starbucks. The thing is she still didn’t have enough money to get her daughter back but the hospital was going to allow it because only a few family members come back ( I think the book says 1 in 100) for their children once their situations have improved. My heart was broken the whole time. As she tried to save to make a better life for her and get her daughter back (spoiler alert) just to find out that her daughter had been adopted. The efforts that she goes to, to find her daughter shows that she is a mother in every sense of the word. I really would love to read a follow-up story to this. I feel like their story is only just beginning. I would definitely read another book by the author.
STAR RATING: 4/5
Pick up your copy of The Lost Orphan by Stacey Halls on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and check your local bookstore. Also make sure to add it to your To Reads list on Goodreads and leave feedback from the author when you are finished. You can check out more from author Stacey Halls on her website HERE.
