The Pink Bonnet Book Review
About the Book
A Desperate Mother Searches for Her Child
Step into True Colors — a new series of Historical Stories of Romance and American Crime
Widowed in Memphis during 1932, Cecile Dowd is struggling to provide for her three-year-old daughter. Unwittingly trusting a neighbor puts little Millie Mae into the clutches of Georgia Tann, corrupt Memphis Tennessee Children’s Home Society director suspected of the disappearance of hundreds of children. With the help of a sympathetic lawyer, the search for Millie uncovers a deep level of corruption that threatens their very lives.
How far will a mother go to find out what happened to her child?
My Thoughts
Anyone who has read Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate knows the infamous history of Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. You’d have to be completely heartless not to be affected by the stories that resulted from this place’s dark history of black market adoptions and ruthless child kidnappings. Since I live in the area where this history took place, I am probably more fascinated with it than most. It’s not that I enjoy reading the horrors of this time (because they are atrocious), but I am thankful that this woman and her unethical practices were finally brought to an end.
I have slowly been making my way through the True Colors series by Barbour Publishing, but did not realize that one of the books featured a fictional story amidst the very real history of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. From the very first chapter, it is a heartbreaking tale, and as a mom, I know that if placed in the same situation, I would move heaven and earth to get my children back. Such is the case with Cecile Dowd. Due to her persistence and the help of legal assistant, Percy Vance, they are on a mission to find Cecile’s daughter and bring her home.
For those interested in separating fact from fiction, there are several mentions of actual Memphis landmarks and individuals that helped Georgia Tann continue her moneymaking scheme. There is also a very helpful author’s note at the end.
It’s also worth noting that this story is available as an audiobook. While I am normally a huge fan of this particular narrator, her accents and interpretation of the characters were a bit overdone for my tastes. Memphis is a Southern city, but we don’t all speak like a bunch of uneducated, backwoods hicks. There were a few instances where I got this impression from the narrator, and it tarnished my enjoyment of an otherwise great story.
4 Stars
Want to add this book to your TBR pile now? If so, here are just a few places you can find your own copy –
- Scribd – where I originally listened to the story, and it’s available in eBook and audiobook form. Scribd is a monthly book subscription, and they have SO MANY CHRISTIAN FICTION books to choose from in electronic and audio formats, plus magazines, podcasts, and more. I simply love it, and never have a shortage of new books to read. (Pretty sure that Scribd has the entire True Colors Series, for what it’s worth.) If you’d like to give Scribd a try, use my referral link, and you’ll get your first 60 days absolutely free!
- Amazon – Kindle version here.
**This post contains affiliate links.
