Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Ireland, 1941: While war rages across the world, Kate struggles on her family farm by the wild Atlantic Ocean. Living off rations and looking after her sick father, she doesn’t dare dream of falling in love.
But when she meets American airman, Tony, whose blue eyes are as stormy as the sea, her life collides with the war in ways she never imagined… They fall madly in love, stealing kisses in the rolling fields, and Tony vows to make her his wife.
Their time is cut short when Tony leaves for war, promising to come back for her. Only then does Kate learn she is carrying his child––but when her family find out, she is shunned and banished to a Magdalen Laundry.
Imprisoned in the home for unmarried mothers, where the windows are covered in barbed wire, the girls survive on scraps and sleep in a crammed dormitory. Kate writes to Tony to tell him about their child, but she never hears back… Is he even still alive?
And when she gives birth to baby Eva, Kate’s worst nightmare comes true: her precious child is sold to a stranger. But she made a promise to her darling daughter, and she’ll never stop looking for her. Can Kate escape, save her child and reunite her family before it’s too late?
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of Stolen from her Mother to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
Rachel Wesson is a new author for me but after enjoying Stolen From Her Mother so much, despite the tough subject matter, I definitely will be reading more by this very talented author in the future. From the moment I began reading I felt that the author really knew her stuff especially when it came to the parts of the book set in Ireland. It was like she was writing from the heart as well as having done extensive research. Then I discovered the author had been born and raised in Ireland and it all made sense for there is no Irish women who does not know of the abuse and horrors that befell the countless women who ended up in the Magdalene laundries. We may not have always learnt about it in history class in school but certainly over the last number of years especially as horrific stories have been brought into the public arena and it’s only now we know what the Church did to so many innocent women who did not deserve what they went through. The fact the last laundry only closed here in Ireland in the 1990’s stuns me. No doubt about it the Church have an awful lot to answer for but sadly I don’t think the true extent of what went on will over come to the surface. So many women seek answers that they will never find and that just doesn’t bare thinking about.
The book opens in North Carolina in September 1941 as Carol Anderson is coming to terms with the repercussions from a recent car accident. The ability to conceive and carry her own child is no longer possible and she must try and come to terms with this whilst her husband is away as a fighter pilot as the Americans have recently entered into the war. Carol goes through much mental trauma and her supposed actions are frowned upon by her in-laws. They saw something and mistook it as being something else meaning adoption is now not possible also. At first, I wondered why was Carol featuring in the story and then it clicked pretty quickly with me although connections to the main plot of the book and Carol were not really established until towards the end. At various points in the story we move to a chapter from Carol’s viewpoint but to be honest it wasn’t her I wanted to be reading about, it was Kate and what she was going through. Carol didn’t hold my attention at all really not that the writing from her point was bad. It wasn’t at all. I knew why she needed to be there and it proved a solid all round viewpoint from which to form your opinion of the overall themes and topics in the book but Kate was such a brilliant, mesmerising and standout character that it was with her that I wanted to be all the time.
Galway December 1941 and we see how Kate lives a harsh existence on her family’s farm. Her brothers and sisters have all emigrated bar one, her father is ill, and her mother is just cruel with her sharp barbs and comments. Her mother is bitter, twisted and mean and is dominated by the rulings and teachings of the church. She has it set in her mind that Kate will become a nun but that’s so far removed from what Kate actually wants for herself. There was such a good understanding and explanation from the author of life in rural Ireland and how everyone knew each other’s business and were afraid to express themselves and step out of line when it came to anything to do with the church. Don’t get me wrong of course some priests were nice, compassionate and supportive as Kate did find out but those that weren’t certainly ruled with an iron fist.
Kate is a young woman who is loyal to her family despite the harsh treatment and judgement from her mother. She is sent away to the Curragh for the summer to help her Uncle Pat and cousin Mary’s pub. This is a turning point for Kate as she works hard but also experiences freedom from the harsh rules of her homeplace. Here is where she meets American pilot Tony who had been shot down and placed in an internment camp. I had never known there was an internment camp in the Curragh where both Germans and Americans were kept during the war. With Ireland being neutral the camp seemed pretty relaxed in its rules with the camp mates being allowed out and to go to the pub etc. A romance follows between Kate and Tony and it came across as being genuine and that it could be long lasting. Tony wishes to spend his life with Kate but when he is called away to serve, once again she is left devastated and with a lot more than she bargained for.
Overnight, Kate becomes a pariah once news of her pregnancy becomes public knowledge and the chapters that follow and dominate the book are at times very hard to read. You can’t comprehend or really process all that Kate goes through although no detail is spared. The reasoning behind a family abandoning their daughter to a convent and Magdalene laundry in order for her to atone for her sins is just incomprehensible in this day and age. Kate is a strong and proud women and she does not regret her actions one bit and nor should she. It just really highlights how backwards Ireland was at that time. The nuns view Kate as another slave who must pay for her wanton behaviour. The words spoken to her and the treatment meted out should never have been allowed to occur. Every young girl or woman that found themselves in a convent of this nature was given a new name and known as a penitent. There are so many awful things that occur and so many shocking scenes that leave you open mouthed in horror and with a tear in your eye that I would be here forever detailing them. Suffice to say Kate needs every bit of her strength and intelligence to fight a battle against pure evil. Some of the things that occurred you think to yourself ah god there is no way that could have occurred but it’s all sadly true and not fiction as you desperately hope it could be.
Kate is merely existing in the house of horrors when her worst nightmare comes true and her beloved baby is taken from her. Here the novel took on a different tone and the fighter in Kate came even further to the fore. The various characters that surround her, some not so good and some who would do anything for her really step up and a connection I had guessed at the beginning started to come to light. I found myself on even more of a journey with Kate and the sad thing is that this happened to so many women that there is not just one Kate out there but so many and it’s only in recent years that the true horrors of what occurred behind closed doors have come to light and it really makes you angry that people stood by and did nothing. I loved how Rachel Wesson brought Kate’s story full circle. It’s so well structured and cleverly plotted with a clear, beginning, middle and end demonstrates what a really good author can do with a serious topic that leaves you thinking about it long after you have turned the last page.
Rachel Wesson has written a fascinating, emotional and heartfelt story that will touch you deeply. Yes, it’s set during World War Two but it’s not a war novel. Rather it is taking place in the background and it provides the catalyst for Kate meeting Tony and then the focus is what went on once Kate’s life ventured in a direction she never thought possible. I’ll admit I found perhaps the first quarter quite slow as the scene was being set and characters introduced but then after that things really picked up and I couldn’t leave the book out of my hands. Rachel Wesson really does justice to the story of so many women and highlights a terrible wrong and misjustice that happened to so many women. She gives them a voice when at the time they had none and makes us not forget all who endured so much at the hands of a dominant force. If you have never read about what occurred in the laundries before and the reasons for the incarceration of so many women and what in turn happened to their babies then this will be a real thought provoking eye opener for you. You root for the main character the whole way through and wish nothing but the best for her but to see does Kate ever find the happy ending she most certainly deserves than I suggest you get your hands on a copy of Stolen From Her Mother as soon as you can. You won’t be disappointed by this powerful story.
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