(4 / 5)
Ah, Lilli De Jong. You are a fantastic book. So good that I almost gave you 5 stars.
This novel had everything I love in it. Strong, intelligent female protagonist, history, complicated family relationships, an impossible problem, and the will to do the right thing. I am so predictable, but I don’t care, I could read this stuff all day every day.
The story begins with our protagonist Lilli only a few short weeks away from giving birth. It’s the late 1800’s in Philadelphia and Lilli is unwed, abandoned by her lover, expelled from her Quaker community, with not much hope of a future. However, she is one of the lucky ones accepted to a charity maternity home for unwed mothers. Her story tells the brutal truths of life for a woman and the desperate love for a child. We watch as Lilli, an educated and religious woman, must descend to the bottom of the social ladder to fight for her baby and carve out a living for them despite crushing odds.
There were so many things to love about this book but among my favorite things are Lilli’s strength and how relatable she was. So many times I thought about what I would do had I found myself in her position and while not all of her choices are good they are all made out of the love of her child; and I can’t say I might not have done the same. Benton breaths life seemingly effortlessly into Lilli’s story, she is so thorough with her research and laying out each aspect of Lilli’s heartbreaking circumstance. As I often am when I read novels of this nature, I was dismayed by the lack of options, compassion, and the very real hopelessness of her life. Still Lilli powers on driven by her need to provide for her child. The bond between mother and baby is explored deeply in this novel. As a mother I appreciated the painstaking lengths Benton went to (many pages devoted to nursing, holding, rocking the baby) to make this aspect believable, without it the novel would have been much weaker. When Lilli takes a job as a wet nurse the reverse is also seen with the Mistress of the house and the baby she has chosen not to nurse or even interact with. Most everything was exceptionally done and it was a true joy to read (although to be honest the book is not very joyful).
One part of this book was jarring and uncomfortable enough for me that I had to leave one star off the overall rating. This is a scene near the end of the book where Lilli’s situation gets truly desperate and what ensues is a situation that I would not wish upon anyone. It is not a major part of the book but it was unsavory enough for me that it affected the overall rating. It is a scene that can easily be skipped if you have fair warning (consider this your warning). It is not out of place or unnecessary, quite the opposite actually, but it is uncomfortable.
This book is a treasure. I loved Lilli and admired her fortitude and strength. It is a book of a time gone by but important to be read in the here and now. Hers is a story of women that must not be forgotten. I readily recommend this one.
Violence: Medium Language: Low/Medium Adult Content: Medium/High