A heartbreaking story of love and loss, based on a true story

OVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD | THE NO.1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | WINNER OF GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS BEST HISTORICAL FICTION AWARD

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Memphis, Tennessee, 1939

Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family's Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge, until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents - but they quickly realize the dark truth...

Aiken, South Carolina, present day

Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family's long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation or to redemption.

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Based on one of America's most notorious real-life scandals, in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country, Before We Were Yours is a riveting, wrenching and ultimately uplifting global bestseller.

'A tale of enduring power' Paula McLain

'It is impossible not to get swept up in this near-perfect novel' Huffington Post

La levigata esistenza di Avery Stafford, procuratore federale nella Carolina del Sud, si circonda da sempre dei privilegi che appartengono alla ricchezza economica, alle eccellenti relazioni, alla soddisfazione che dà una professione prestigiosa. Il suo fidanzato presto le chiederà, per come sono messe le cose, di sposarla. Niente male. Ma l'incontro inatteso con una donna ricoverata, come la nonna, in un istituto, un incontro che una persona più superficiale di lei avrebbe relegato nel quaderno delle situazioni spiacevoli (da dimenticare prima possibile), le punge il cuore. Un piccolo dettaglio, un perturbamento che le rimane incollato addosso. Chi era quella donna? cosa voleva dirle? Perché ora Avery non riesce a togliersi quella sensazione di un mondo parallelo che lei non ha, o forse non ha voluto mai intuire. E qui è necessario fare un passo indietro.

Memphis, 1939. La dodicenne Rill Foss e i suoi quattro fratelli più piccoli vengono strappati alla loro vita magica a bordo di un battello sul Mississippi. È bastato che i genitori si allontanassero per una notte. Rapiti e condotti in un orfanotrofio del Tennessee, i bambini Foss sperano che i genitori vengano a salvarli ma la realtà è ben più cruda. La prospettiva è quella di essere venduti a ricche famiglie che non hanno figli e, tramite la crudele direttrice, così accadrà.

Come potrà succedere che questa drammatica vicenda trovi dolorosamente la sua strada verso la coscienza di Avery e, dopo più di mezzo secolo, le apra gli occhi su un segreto che la sua famiglia ha nascosto da lungo tempo? Il cuore non dimentica mai il luogo a cui apparteniamo e per trovare il coraggio di amare occorre intraprendere quel viaggio.

Nach »Libellenschwestern« endlich der neue bewegende Roman von SPIEGEL-Bestsellerautorin Lisa Wingate – inspiriert von einer wahren Begebenheit!

La quête bouleversante de trois jeunes filles que tout sépare dans le sud des États-Unis ravagé par la guerre de Sécession.

Louisiane, 1875 : Hannie, ancienne esclave, se retrouve malgré elle à faire la route avec Lavinia, son ancienne maîtresse, héritière ruinée d'une plantation, et Juneau Jane, la demi-sœur de Lavinia, fille d'une célèbre courtisane de La Nouvelle-Orléans. Chacune cherche le même homme, mais pour des raisons différentes. C'est au péril de leur vie qu'elles se lancent dans une épopée dangereuse à travers les États du Sud. Au bout du chemin, Hannie nourrit le secret espoir de retrouver les membres de sa famille dont elle a été séparée avant la fin de l'esclavage.


Louisiane, 1987 : Pour Benedetta Silva, devenir professeure dans un collège rural semble la meilleure idée pour rembourser ses prêts étudiants. Mais les habitants de la ville d'Augustine se méfient des intrus et Benny peine à trouver sa place.



Les Chemins de la libertédévoile des événements historiques méconnus : après la guerre de Sécession, les anciens esclaves ont fait paraître des avis de recherche dans les journaux des États du Sud pour retrouver les membres de leur famille.

The incredible and heart-breaking true stories of victims of a notorious adoption scandal - inspired by No.1 bestselling novel Before We Were Yours

From the 1920s to 1950, Georgia Tann ran a corrupt baby business at the Tennessee Children's Home Society in Memphis. She offered up more than 5,000 orphans tailored to the wish lists of eager parents - hiding the fact that many weren't orphans at all, but stolen sons and daughters of poor families, desperate single mothers, and women told in maternity wards that their babies had died.

In Before and After, many survivors set out to trace their roots and find their birth families. Before and AFter includes moving and shocking accounts of the ways in which adoptees were separated from their first families. Often raised as only children, many have joyfully reunited with siblings in the final decades of their lives. There are stories of first meetings that are all the sweeter and more intense for time missed, and of families from very different social backgrounds reaching out to embrace brothers, sisters, and cousins.

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BEFORE AND AFTER

'What a truly amazing book' *****

'Riveting' *****

'Captivating and emotional' *****

'A real tear-jerker' *****

From the million-copy bestselling author of Before We Were Yours comes a beautiful novel which will make you want to laugh and cry.

All her life, Epiphany Salerno has been tossed like a dandelion seed on the wind. Now, at sixteen, she must move to the low-rent side of Blue Sky Hill and work where she's not wanted: in an upscale home on The Hill.

J. Norman Alvord's daughter has hired a teenager to stay with him in the afternoons. Widowed and suffering from heart trouble, Norman wants to be left alone. But in Epie's presence, Norman discovers a mystery. Deep in his mind lie memories of another house, another life, and a woman who saved him.

As summer comes to Blue Sky Hill, two residents from different worlds will journey through a turbulent past, find that an unexpected road trip can bring a life-changing friendship ... and discover clues to a family secret hidden for a lifetime.

Perfect for fans of Kathryn Hughes and Santa Montefiore.

From the million-copy bestselling author of Before We Were Yours comes a novel about one summer like no other.

When Rebecca Macklin receives a long-distance call from the Dallas police to explain her aging father has been found repeatedly wandering the city streets alone, and his wife has suffered a serious illness and landed in a nursing home, it is not what she is expecting. Despite the demands of the busy LA legal practice Rebecca shares with her husband, she must put aside old resentments and return to her childhood home.

When Hanna Beth Parker hears about the arrival of her stepdaughter, Rebecca, who has stayed away for decades, she knows something is terribly wrong. Suddenly, the last person she'd ever turn to for help is the only one she can count on. But forging a relationship with Rebecca will require awakening old ghosts. In this moving story of separation and forgiveness, two women will unravel the betrayals of the past, examine the yearnings of the heart, and discover the truest meaning of family.

Perfect for fans of Kathryn Hughes and Santa Montefiore.

Un roman poignant sur l'amour fraternel et le poids des secrets trop longtemps gardés.

Peu importe les chemins empruntés, le coeur se souvient toujours d'où l'on vient.



Memphis, 1939. Par une nuit pluvieuse, Rill Foss, douze ans, et ses quatre frère et sœurs sont enlevés par des inconnus. Emmenés loin de la péniche familiale et des bords du Mississippi, jetés dans un orphelinat, les enfants réalisent bien vite qu'ils ne reverront plus leurs parents. La mystérieuse Société des foyers d'accueil du Tennessee vient de sceller leur sort à tout jamais.


Caroline du Sud, de nos jours. Avery Stafford, jeune avocate épanouie à qui tout semble sourire, est de retour dans la ville de son enfance. Lors d'une visite à sa grand-mère, cette dernière tient un discours étrange qui remet en cause toutes ses certitudes. Quelle est vraiment l'histoire de sa famille ? D'où vient-elle ? Troublée, Avery commence à enquêter...




" L'un des meilleurs livres de l'année. À ne pas manquer. "

The Huffington Post



Un des best-sellers de 2017 selonThe New York Times.