{"product_id":"the-magdalen-girls-isbn-9781496706126","title":"The Magdalen Girls","description":"\u003cb\u003eTold with candor, compassion, and vivid historical detail, this masterfully written novel delves into the lives of women tarred with the scarlet letter of society’s censure and banished to workhouses. Readers of Kristin Hannah and Susan Wiggs won’t be able to put down this inspiring story of friendship, hope, and unyielding courage amid turbulent times.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A haunting novel...A real page-turner!” —Ellen Marie Wiseman, author of \u003ci\u003eWhat She Left Behind\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eDublin, 1962.\u003c\/i\u003e Within the gated grounds of the convent of The Sisters of the Holy Redemption lies one of the city’s Magdalen Laundries. Once places of refuge, the laundries have evolved into grim workhouses. Some inmates are “fallen” women—unwed mothers, prostitutes, or petty criminals. Most are ordinary girls whose only sin lies in being too pretty, too independent, or tempting the wrong man. Among them is sixteen-year-old Teagan Tiernan, sent by her family when her beauty provokes a lustful revelation from a young priest.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTeagan soon befriends Nora Craven, a new arrival who thought nothing could be worse than living in a squalid tenement flat. Stripped of their freedom and dignity, the girls are given new names and denied contact with the outside world. The Mother Superior, Sister Anne, who has secrets of her own, inflicts cruel, dehumanizing punishments—but always in the name of love. Finally, Nora and Teagan find an ally in the reclusive Lea, who helps them endure—and plot an escape. But as they will discover, the outside world has dangers too, especially for young women with soiled reputations.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFans of Barbara Davis and Ashley Hay will enjoy this tenderhearted story of sinners, saints, and redemption.” —\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for THE MAGDALEN GIRLS by V.S. Alexander\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Filled  with authentic details . . . Alexander methodically builds the details  of the dreary and demanding existence that has become daily life for  these girls who had dreams and ambitions like other 16-year-olds. As the  girls' friendship progresses and their desperation to escape grows, the  story quickens, racing toward an ending that is both incredibly sad and  hopeful. Because the novel is historically accurate (the last Magdalen  laundry closed in 1996), the events depicted are particularly  distressing, forcing readers to be engrossed and horrified by what the  Catholic Church and other secular and religious entities did to  rehabilitate \"fallen\" women, who needed the grace of God to be saved  from their sinful lives, no matter how true or untrue.” —ShelfAwareness\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Showcasing  hard-won victories and a terrible tragedy, this novel shines a light on  a dark period in twentieth-century Ireland. Alexander has done his  homework, peppering his novel with details of the convent lifestyle and  the shameful treatment of the Magdalen laundry girls. Fans of Barbara  Davis and Ashley Hay will enjoy this tenderhearted story of sinners,  saints, and redemption.” —\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Using the pen name  Alexander, author Michael Meeske has clearly done his homework. Chilling  in its realism, his work depicts the improprieties long abandoned by  the Catholic Church and only recently acknowledged. Fans of the book and  film \u003ci\u003ePhilomena\u003c\/i\u003e will want to read this.” —\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Set  in early 1960s Dublin, Alexander’s first novel chronicles the lives of  three teenagers who are sent to live indefinitely as penitents under the  watch of occasionally sadistic Catholic Nuns . . . The Magdalen  laundries where Teagan works were infamous for their severe conditions  and the inhuman way their girls were treated.” —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Powerful writing . . . a fine tribute.” —\u003ci\u003eSCENE Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e (Florida)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A  haunting novel that takes the reader into the cruel world of Ireland’s  Magdalene laundries and shines a light on yet another notorious  institution that somehow survived into the late twentieth century. A  real page-turner!” —Ellen Marie Wiseman, author of \u003ci\u003eWhat She Left Behind\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I  was completely moved by this historically-accurate, vivid accounting of  one of the most troublesome aspects of the Catholic Church; yet  ultimately, it’s a story of friendship, hope, and courage.” —Leslie  Lindsay, Reviewer and Blogger, Goodreads\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The author has a  magnificent eye for detail. He draws so vividly the laundry in  operation, the girls’ living quarters and garments, the architecture of  the convent and adjacent orphanage, the family dwellings and the  physical characteristics of the ample and fascinating cast of  characters” —\u003ci\u003eFlorida Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Alexander’s research of the  treatment within the convent is clear and true; the girls suffer, and  suffer in silence. Their personal narratives are told through wonderful  prose” —\u003ci\u003eHistorical Novels Society\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This is a tale of friendship, bravery, faith and forgiveness that transcends many of the books written on the subject.” —\u003ci\u003eRT Book Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “It’s exciting to see this (subject) being tackled in this new release.” —CulturedViltures.com, “6 Biggest Books of December”\u003cb\u003eV.S. Alexander\u003c\/b\u003e is an ardent student of history with a  strong interest in music and the visual arts. Some of V.S.’s writing  influences include Shirley Jackson, Oscar Wilde, Daphne du Maurier, or  any work by the exquisite Brontë sisters. V.S. lives in Florida and is  at work on a second historical novel for Kensington.","brand":"Kensington","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300798091493,"sku":"NP9781496706126","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781496706126.jpg?v=1767740356","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-magdalen-girls-isbn-9781496706126","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}