A Novel
by Rachel Simon
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published May 2011
352 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
It is 1968. Lynnie, a young white woman with a developmental disability, and Homan, an African American deaf man, are locked away in an institution, the School for the Incurable and Feebleminded, and have been left to languish, forgotten. Deeply in love, they escape and find refuge in the farmhouse of Martha, a retired schoolteacher and widow. But the couple is not alone - Lynnie has just given birth to a baby girl.
When the authorities catch up to them that same night, Homan escapes into the darkness, and Lynnie is caught. But before she is forced back into the institution, she whispers two words to Martha: "Hide her." And so begins the 40-year epic journey of Lynnie, Homan, Martha, and baby Julia - lives divided by seemingly insurmountable obstacles, yet drawn together by a secret pact and extraordinary love.
"[Simon] has written an enormously affecting read and provided sensitive insight into a complex world often dismissed by the 'abled.'" - Publishers Weekly
"Excellent, popular writer; poignant story; I'm betting on this one." - Library Journal
"Although Simon's writing is accessible and is beautifully descriptive at times, I'm afraid her story just didn't quite keep me turning the pages in the way I thought it would. At times it feels rather static... I would really only recommend this book if you have perhaps read Rachel Simon's earlier novels and enjoyed them." - The Book Bag (UK)
"I was profoundly impacted by this book. The relationships it showed - with partners, friends, family, and professionals - have rarely been portrayed as honestly and beautifully as they are here. As a person with a disability and an advocate, I think the world will be a better place if everyone reads The Story of Beautiful Girl." - Geri Jewell, TV and film actor (Deadwood, The Facts of LIfe, The Young and the Restless)
"Beautiful Girl is a wondrous love story with a horrific backdrop, and themes of hope, courage, friendship, and resilience. Rachel Simon casts the light on a dark period in American history that will resonate with all readers. One can't help being captivated." - Karen Flippo, Disability Educator, Institute for Community Inclusion, University of Massachusetts Boston
This information about The Story of Beautiful Girl was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Rachel Simon is an award-winning author and nationally known public speaker. She is best known for her critically acclaimed, bestselling memoir Riding The Bus with My Sister, which was adapted for a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie of the same name. The book has garnered numerous awards and is a frequent and much beloved selection of many book clubs, school reading programs, and city-wide reads throughout the country. You can visit her website at: www.rachelsimon.com/
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