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The Story of Beautiful Girl

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The Story of Beautiful Girl

By: Rachel Simon
Narrated by: Kate Reading
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About this listen

On a stormy night in small-town America, a couple, desperate and soaked to the skin, knock on a stranger's door. When Martha, a retired schoolteacher living a safe and conventional life, answers their knock, her world changes forever. For they are fugitives. Lynnie, a young woman with an intellectual disability, and Homan, a deaf man with only sign language to guide him, have escaped together from The School for the Incurable and Feebleminded, a brutal institution where people with disabilities are left to languish, shuttered away from the world. In a moment of despair, they reveal that Lynnie has a new-born baby. But, moments later, the police bang on the door. Homan escapes into the darkness, Lynnie is captured. But just before she is returned to The School, bound and tied, she utters two words to Martha: "Hide her."

And so begins the unforgettable story of Lynnie, Homan, Martha, and baby Julia - lives divided by seemingly insurmountable obstacles, yet drawn together by a secret pact and extraordinary love.

©2011 Rachel Simon (P)2012 Random House AudioGo Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Emotionally Gripping

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Critic reviews

"It’s a wonderful book." ( Book of the Week Woman’s Own)
"Simon combines love story and social accountability to great effect." ( Guardian)
"[A] glorious listen.." ( Kati Nicholl, Daily Express)
All stars
Most relevant  
A friend told me about this book and I started to read it, once I had begun I couldn't stop. The narrator read it perfectly and the author brought her characters to life brilliantly. I would be very interested to read more books by her.

A fantastic read

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an insightful story spanning decades and the lives of all the characters. captivating and educational

a book that will make you feel and think

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This is the best book I’ve ever read relating to disability as the author through this story, shows that people with disabilities are human beings with lives, hopes and dreams extremely well written, thoughtful and insightful

A beautiful, thoughtful book

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The Publishers Summery managed to made this novel sound like an intriguing thriller and would make me want to keep listening and I was under the impression that we would mostly follow the life of the baby and maybe discover how she came about, under these odd circumstances.

Sadly, I have been struggling to listen to this book while on my train commute to London. I keep finding that I will drift off and then have to rewind, only to find I haven't missed anything of great importance.

While I haven't yet finished the book, I am a chapter or so into the second part and I'm still not really enjoying it. I feel that this book could have been more, but it is slow paced and just a little bit dull.

Somewhat Lacking

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