The Home for Unwanted Girls
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $31.46
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Saskia Maarleveld
-
Written by:
-
Joanna Goodman
About this listen
Philomena meets The Orphan Train in this suspenseful, provocative novel filled with love, secrets, and deceit - the story of a young unwed mother who is forcibly separated from her daughter at birth and the lengths to which they go to find each other.
In 1950s Quebec, French and English tolerate each other with precarious civility - much like Maggie Hughes' parents. Maggie's English-speaking father has ambitions for his daughter that don't include marriage to the poor French boy on the next farm over. But Maggie's heart is captured by Gabriel Phénix. When she becomes pregnant at 15, her parents force her to give baby Elodie up for adoption and get her life "back on track".
Elodie is raised in Quebec's impoverished orphanage system. It's a precarious enough existence that takes a tragic turn when Elodie, along with thousands of other orphans in Quebec, is declared mentally ill as the result of a new law that provides more funding to psychiatric hospitals than to orphanages. Bright and determined, Elodie withstands abysmal treatment at the nuns' hands, finally earning her freedom at 17, when she is thrust into an alien, often unnerving world.
Maggie, married to a businessman eager to start a family, cannot forget the daughter she was forced to abandon, and a chance reconnection with Gabriel spurs a wrenching choice. As time passes, the stories of Maggie and Elodie intertwine but never touch, until Maggie realizes she must take what she wants from life and go in search of her long-lost daughter, finally reclaiming the truth that has been denied them both.
©2018 Joanna Goodman (P)2018 HarperCollins PublishersYou may also enjoy...
-
The Forgotten Daughter
- The Triumphant Story of Two Women Divided by Their Past, but United by Friendship - Inspired by True Events
- Written by: Joanna Goodman
- Narrated by: Esther Thibault
- Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1992: French Canadian factions renew Quebec’s fight to gain independence, and wild, beautiful Véronique Fortin, daughter of a radical separatist convicted of kidnapping and murdering a prominent politician in 1970, has embraced her father’s cause. So it is a surprise when she falls for James Phénix, a journalist of French Canadian heritage who opposes Quebec separatism.
-
-
Canadiana Both Worlds
- By bdd48 on 2021-03-23
Written by: Joanna Goodman
-
The Midwife of Auschwitz
- Written by: Anna Stuart
- Narrated by: Sophie Aldred
- Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ana Kaminski is pushed through the iron gates of Auschwitz beside her frightened young friend Ester Pasternak. As they reach the front of the line, Ana steps forward and quietly declares herself a midwife--and Ester her assistant. Their arms are tattooed and they’re ordered to the maternity hut. Holding an innocent newborn baby, Ana knows the fate of so many are in her hands and vows to do everything she can to save them.
-
-
Well done
- By Amazon Customer on 2023-01-21
Written by: Anna Stuart
-
The Tattooist of Auschwitz
- A Novel
- Written by: Heather Morris
- Narrated by: Richard Armitage
- Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (German for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners. Imprisoned for more than two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism - but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive.
-
-
Excellent content w an obvious recording flaw
- By Jody on 2019-06-03
Written by: Heather Morris
-
The Forgotten Home Child
- Written by: Genevieve Graham
- Narrated by: Alana Kerr Collins, James Langton
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At 97 years old, Winnifred Ellis knows she doesn’t have much time left, and it is almost a relief to realize that once she is gone, the truth about her shameful past will die with her. But when her great-grandson Jamie, the spitting image of her dear late husband, asks about his family tree, Winnifred can’t lie any longer, even if it means breaking a promise she made so long ago....
-
-
Wow what a powerful story
- By Alexis Hester on 2021-01-30
Written by: Genevieve Graham
-
The Quintland Sisters
- A Novel
- Written by: Shelley Wood
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Reluctant midwife Emma Trimpany is just 17 when she assists at the harrowing birth of the Dionne quintuplets: five tiny miracles born to French farmers in hardscrabble Northern Ontario in 1934. Emma cares for them through their perilous first days, and when the government decides to remove the babies from their francophone parents, making them wards of the British king, Emma signs on as their nurse.
-
-
Beautiful
- By Anonymous User on 2019-03-21
Written by: Shelley Wood
-
The German Wife
- A Novel
- Written by: Kelly Rimmer
- Narrated by: Nancy Peterson, Ann Marie Gideon
- Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Berlin, 1930—When a wave of change sweeps a radical political party to power, Sofie von Meyer Rhodes’s academic husband benefits from the ambitions of its newly elected chancellor. Although Sofie and Jürgen do not share the social views growing popular in Hitler’s Germany, Jürgen’s position with its burgeoning rocket program changes their diminishing fortunes for the better. But as Sofie watches helplessly, her beloved Berlin begins to transform, forcing her to consider what they must sacrifice morally for their young family’s security, and what the price for their neutrality will be.
-
-
Spellbinding story which incites Empathy
- By Kathleen S on 2022-10-28
Written by: Kelly Rimmer
-
The Forgotten Daughter
- The Triumphant Story of Two Women Divided by Their Past, but United by Friendship - Inspired by True Events
- Written by: Joanna Goodman
- Narrated by: Esther Thibault
- Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1992: French Canadian factions renew Quebec’s fight to gain independence, and wild, beautiful Véronique Fortin, daughter of a radical separatist convicted of kidnapping and murdering a prominent politician in 1970, has embraced her father’s cause. So it is a surprise when she falls for James Phénix, a journalist of French Canadian heritage who opposes Quebec separatism.
-
-
Canadiana Both Worlds
- By bdd48 on 2021-03-23
Written by: Joanna Goodman
-
The Midwife of Auschwitz
- Written by: Anna Stuart
- Narrated by: Sophie Aldred
- Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ana Kaminski is pushed through the iron gates of Auschwitz beside her frightened young friend Ester Pasternak. As they reach the front of the line, Ana steps forward and quietly declares herself a midwife--and Ester her assistant. Their arms are tattooed and they’re ordered to the maternity hut. Holding an innocent newborn baby, Ana knows the fate of so many are in her hands and vows to do everything she can to save them.
-
-
Well done
- By Amazon Customer on 2023-01-21
Written by: Anna Stuart
-
The Tattooist of Auschwitz
- A Novel
- Written by: Heather Morris
- Narrated by: Richard Armitage
- Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (German for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners. Imprisoned for more than two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism - but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive.
-
-
Excellent content w an obvious recording flaw
- By Jody on 2019-06-03
Written by: Heather Morris
-
The Forgotten Home Child
- Written by: Genevieve Graham
- Narrated by: Alana Kerr Collins, James Langton
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At 97 years old, Winnifred Ellis knows she doesn’t have much time left, and it is almost a relief to realize that once she is gone, the truth about her shameful past will die with her. But when her great-grandson Jamie, the spitting image of her dear late husband, asks about his family tree, Winnifred can’t lie any longer, even if it means breaking a promise she made so long ago....
-
-
Wow what a powerful story
- By Alexis Hester on 2021-01-30
Written by: Genevieve Graham
-
The Quintland Sisters
- A Novel
- Written by: Shelley Wood
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Reluctant midwife Emma Trimpany is just 17 when she assists at the harrowing birth of the Dionne quintuplets: five tiny miracles born to French farmers in hardscrabble Northern Ontario in 1934. Emma cares for them through their perilous first days, and when the government decides to remove the babies from their francophone parents, making them wards of the British king, Emma signs on as their nurse.
-
-
Beautiful
- By Anonymous User on 2019-03-21
Written by: Shelley Wood
-
The German Wife
- A Novel
- Written by: Kelly Rimmer
- Narrated by: Nancy Peterson, Ann Marie Gideon
- Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Berlin, 1930—When a wave of change sweeps a radical political party to power, Sofie von Meyer Rhodes’s academic husband benefits from the ambitions of its newly elected chancellor. Although Sofie and Jürgen do not share the social views growing popular in Hitler’s Germany, Jürgen’s position with its burgeoning rocket program changes their diminishing fortunes for the better. But as Sofie watches helplessly, her beloved Berlin begins to transform, forcing her to consider what they must sacrifice morally for their young family’s security, and what the price for their neutrality will be.
-
-
Spellbinding story which incites Empathy
- By Kathleen S on 2022-10-28
Written by: Kelly Rimmer
-
The Throwaway Children
- Written by: Diney Costeloe
- Narrated by: Anne Dover
- Length: 17 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rita and Rosie Stevens are only nine and five years old when their widowed mother marries a violent bully called Jimmy Randall and has a baby boy by him. Under pressure from her new husband, she is persuaded to send the girls to an orphanage, not knowing that the papers she has signed will entitle them to do what they like with the children. And it is not long before the powers that be decide to send a consignment of orphans to their sister institution in Australia. Among them - without their family's consent or knowledge - are Rita and Rosie.
-
-
What stopped me from rating story as 5
- By Alison Anderson on 2019-04-28
Written by: Diney Costeloe
-
Daughter of the Reich
- A Novel
- Written by: Louise Fein
- Narrated by: Marisa Calin
- Length: 14 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the dutiful daughter of a high-ranking Nazi officer, Hetty Heinrich is keen to play her part in the glorious new Thousand Year Reich. But she never imagines that all she believes and knows about her world will come into stark conflict when she encounters Walter, a Jewish friend from the past, who stirs dangerous feelings in her. Confused and conflicted, Hetty doesn’t know whom she can trust and where she can turn to, especially when she discovers that someone has been watching her.
-
-
Daughter of the Reich
- By Amazon Customer on 2020-08-16
Written by: Louise Fein
-
The Finishing School
- A Novel
- Written by: Joanna Goodman
- Narrated by: Andi Arndt
- Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One spring night in 1998, the beautiful Cressida Strauss plunges from a fourth-floor balcony at the Lycée Internationale Suisse with catastrophic consequences. Loath to draw negative publicity to the school, a bastion of European wealth and glamour, officials quickly dismiss the incident as an accident, but questions remain. Was it a suicide attempt? Or was Cressida pushed? It was no secret that she had a selfish streak and had earned as many enemies as allies in her tenure at the school.
-
-
Somewhat disappointed.
- By Ann on 2018-09-27
Written by: Joanna Goodman
-
The Things We Cannot Say
- Written by: Kelly Rimmer
- Narrated by: Ann Marie Gideon, Nancy Peterson
- Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since she was nine years old, Alina Dziak knew she would marry her best friend, Tomasz. Now 15 and engaged, Alina is unconcerned by reports of Nazi soldiers at the Polish border, believing her neighbors that they pose no real threat, and dreams instead of the day Tomasz returns from college in Warsaw so they can be married. But little by little, injustice by brutal injustice, the Nazi occupation takes hold, and Alina’s tiny rural village, its families, are divided by fear and hate. Then, as the fabric of their lives is slowly picked apart, Tomasz disappears.
-
-
A well written, beautiful story about love, sacrifice and family
- By BriM on 2019-07-10
Written by: Kelly Rimmer
-
Night Road
- Written by: Kristin Hannah
- Narrated by: Kathleen McInerney
- Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For 18 years, Jude Farraday has put her children’s needs above her own, and it shows - her twins, Mia and Zach, are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close-knit community, no one is more welcoming than Jude. Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, quickly becomes Mia’s best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable. Jude does everything to keep her kids on track for college and out of harm’s way. It has always been easy - until senior year of high school. Suddenly she is at a loss.
-
-
Good until the end
- By Amazon Customer on 2019-09-24
Written by: Kristin Hannah
-
The Secrets Between Us
- A Novel
- Written by: Thrity Umrigar
- Narrated by: Sneha Mathan
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bhima, the unforgettable main character of Thrity Umrigar’s beloved national best seller, The Space Between Us, returns in this triumphant sequel - a poignant and compelling novel in which the former servant struggles against the circumstances of class and misfortune to forge a new path for herself and her granddaughter in modern India. Poor and illiterate, Bhima had faithfully worked for the Dubash family, an upper-middle-class Parsi household, for more than 20 years.
-
-
Extraordinary
- By Anonymous User on 2022-12-19
Written by: Thrity Umrigar
-
When No One Is Watching
- A Thriller
- Written by: Alyssa Cole
- Narrated by: Susan Dalian, Jay Aaseng
- Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sydney Green is Brooklyn born and raised, but her beloved neighborhood seems to change every time she blinks. Condos are sprouting like weeds, FOR SALE signs are popping up overnight, and the neighbors she’s known all her life are disappearing. To hold onto her community’s past and present, Sydney channels her frustration into a walking tour and finds an unlikely and unwanted assistant in one of the new arrivals to the block - her neighbor, Theo. But Sydney and Theo’s deep dive into history quickly becomes a dizzying descent into paranoia and fear.
-
-
A twist on gentrification!
- By Sam on 2020-09-24
Written by: Alyssa Cole
-
The Warsaw Orphan
- Written by: Kelly Rimmer
- Narrated by: Nancy Peterson, Charlie Thurston
- Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the spring of 1942, young Elzbieta Rabinek is aware of the swiftly growing discord just beyond the courtyard of her comfortable Warsaw home. She has no fondness for the Germans who patrol her streets and impose their curfews, but has never given much thought to what goes on behind the walls that contain her Jewish neighbors. She knows all too well about German brutality - and that it's the reason she must conceal her true identity. But in befriending Sara, Elzbieta makes a discovery that propels her into a dangerous world of deception and heroism.
-
-
great book
- By Shannon on 2021-08-10
Written by: Kelly Rimmer
-
The Rose Code
- A Novel
- Written by: Kate Quinn
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything - beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses - but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets.
-
-
One of the best Audible titles I have listened to!
- By Amazon Customer on 2021-04-22
Written by: Kate Quinn
-
A Rough Way to Go
- Written by: Sam Garonzik
- Narrated by: Victor Warren
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this all-consuming, suspenseful story, a stay-at-home father with something to prove finds a wealthy Wall Street investor's body washed up on the shore—and decides to take the investigation into his own hands…
-
-
Good story but some sections are way too rambling.
- By J. McHale on 2024-11-29
Written by: Sam Garonzik
-
Room for Rent
- Written by: Noelle West Ihli
- Narrated by: Lisa Cordileone
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The rundown rental house didn’t seem so bad at first. But now, someone is stealing her food. Rattling her bedroom doorknob. Digging through her belongings. Each night brings more disturbing incidents. And each night, Nya is more convinced that it’s not an intruder. She suspects the culprit is hiding in plain sight: her peculiar roommate-of-necessity, Sidney.
-
-
it was a decent read (listen)
- By Brianna on 2024-12-03
Written by: Noelle West Ihli
-
Ask for Andrea
- Written by: Noelle West Ihli
- Narrated by: Allison Delaney
- Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meghan, Brecia, and Skye have just one thing in common. They were all murdered by the same man. He hunted them online, masquerading as an eligible bachelor. Then he played the perfect gentleman, a thick layer of charm and a thousand-watt smile hiding the fact that his first dates end in shallow graves. He’s gotten away with murder three times now.
-
-
Emotion
- By Vanessa malone on 2024-12-16
Written by: Noelle West Ihli
What listeners say about The Home for Unwanted Girls
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- TJSilver
- 2020-11-27
A very good & moving story
I picked this book knowing I like the narrator and interested in the synopsis - very glad I did.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ryan Olson
- 2018-12-13
Good but a little rushed
Felt a few details were skipped over and the story rushed ahead but generally a good but tragic story. Makes you feel angry along side the daughter. would have liked to see the nuns get theirs! Can never tell if characters are supposed to be speaking French.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Alexis Azevedo
- 2018-11-27
Must read!!
This was ultimately the best book I have ever come across. Great story about love, regret, family and strength. Bravo Joanna Goodman!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Michelle Robert
- 2020-02-04
It really hits home being part French Canadian.
The characters in this story could be anyone of my Aunts or Uncles. There were so many hardships for the poor french canadians... And so many influences because of church and government.
My family is still trying to find each other and put back all the pieces.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- M.J. Smith
- 2020-06-18
Quebec in 1950's
As someone who lived in Quebec during this time, it reminded me of many girls who left school and we didn't know where they went.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Colombe Provencher
- 2020-01-15
want a good a listen this is the book
very Easy to listen to and follow A very touching story close to home, makes you feel lucky for all you have!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- kindle customer
- 2023-06-22
Probably the best audio book I heard
The story is amazing & truly enjoyed the narrative . I felt like it was told by the real characters.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- marketa
- 2019-05-03
Sad Story
This was a sad story, and it's amazing to me that these things occured in our recent history. This book was overall very good, however, I would have like the ending to be longer. It's easy to get emotionally attached to the characters in the book and the writer does a great job of sucking you into their lives. This book balances political and religious views with the effect that these two things have on every day people very well. I do think that Elodie could have had more parts in this book, the book is. after all, called "The Home for Unwanted Girls" yet you don't hear all that much about the actual home. Just bits and pieces throughout the book. All in all this is a story of a family, that goes through some of the hardest things one can imagine, and there is still a light at the end of the tunnel. The story is about fate and the everlasting bonds of family and blood.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Pamela
- 2019-12-12
I couldn't turn it off near the end.
Great book! Captivating story, with many twists and surprises. I loved it and couldn't *put it down*
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Joanna
- 2018-10-30
couldn't stop listening
loved this book full of fact and fiction. a powerful story about a quebecois family and duplessis' horrible decision to convert orphanages to asylums in the 50s.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!