ISBN: 9781496741509
Publisher: Kensington Books
Publication Date: 07/29/2025
Format: Paperback
My Rating: TBR (ARC)
In rural 1930s Virginia, a young immigrant mother fights for her dignity and those she loves against America’s rising eugenics movement – when widespread support for policies of prejudice drove imprisonment and forced sterilizations based on class, race, disability, education, and country of origin – in this tragic and uplifting novel of social injustice, survival, and hope for readers of Susan Meissner, Kristin Hannah, and Christina Baker Kline.
When Lena Conti—a young, unwed mother—sees immigrant families being forcibly separated on Ellis Island, she vows not to let the officers take her two-year old daughter. But the inspection process is more rigorous than she imagined, and she is separated from her mother and teenage brother, who are labeled burdens to society, denied entry, and deported back to Germany. Now, alone but determined to give her daughter a better life after years of living in poverty and near starvation, she finds herself facing a future unlike anything she had envisioned.
Silas Wolfe, a widowed family relative, reluctantly brings Lena and her daughter to his weathered cabin in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains to care for his home and children. Though the hills around Wolfe Hollow remind Lena of her homeland, she struggles to adjust. Worse, she is stunned to learn the children in her care have been taught to hide when the sheriff comes around. As Lena meets their neighbors, she realizes the community is vibrant and tight knit, but also senses growing unease. The State of Virginia is scheming to paint them as ignorant, immoral, and backwards so they can evict them from their land, seize children from parents, and deal with those possessing “inferior genes.”
After a social worker from the Eugenics Office accuses Lena of promiscuity and feeblemindedness, her own worst fears come true. Sent to the Virginia State Colony for the Feebleminded and Epileptics, Lena face impossible choices in hopes of reuniting with her daughter—and protecting the people, and the land, she has grown to love.
Praise for Ellen Marie Wiseman
“A heartbreaking yet insightful read, this novel will open one's eyes to the evil in this world.”
—New York Journal of Bookson The Lost Girls of Willowbrook
“Wiseman shows how humans are capable of great cruelty but also great compassion in this ultimately uplifting, compelling read.”
—Shelf Awareness on The Orphan Collector
“Ellen Marie Wiseman’s powerful novel will bring awareness to a whole new audience… Grounded in historical fact, it ends like a fast-paced thriller.”
—Historical Novel Society on The Lost Girls of Willowbrook
“A portrait of Willowbrook State School that is unvarnished, painful and startlingly clear…Bringing the unquiet ghosts of Willowbrook to life is what this book does best, and if it didn’t do anything else, it would be worth your time…credit to Ellen Marie Wiseman for bringing Willowbrook back to the national consciousness.”
—Bookreporter.com on The Lost Girls of Willowbrook
“Readers will not be able to help making comparisons to the COVID 19 pandemic, and how little has changed since 1918. Wiseman has written a touching tale of loss, survival, and perseverance with some light fantastical elements.”
—Booklist on The Orphan Collector
“Wiseman’s writing is superb, and her descriptions of life during the Spanish Flu epidemic are chilling…Well researched and impossible to put down, this is an emotional tug of war played out brilliantly on the pages and in readers’ hearts.”
—The Historical Novels Review, EDITOR’S CHOICE for The Orphan Collector
“Wiseman chronicles the devastation the 1918 flu pandemic wrought on a German immigrant family in Philadelphia…Wiseman’s depiction of the horrifying spread of the Spanish flu is eerily reminiscent of the present day and resonates with realistic depictions of suffering, particularly among the poorer immigrant population. Historical fiction fans will appreciate Pia and her pluck and determination to survive.”
—Publishers Weekly(Boxed Review) for The Orphan Collector
“Wiseman’s novel raises relevant issues about what it means to be an American and about the forms that anti American sentiment can take in times of crisis…Reading the novel in the time of COVID 19 adds an even greater resonance, and horror, to the description of the fatal spread of that 1918 flu. The pathos inspired by the sheer scale and indiscriminate nature of pandemic death is almost overwhelming, especially given current events.”
—Kirkus Reviews on The Orphan Collector
“The author masterfully conveys empathy for the characters…an emotional roller coaster that was eerily similar to today’s events. I felt Pia’s strength, courage, guilt, and grief come through the pages clear as day.”
—The Seattle Book Reviewon The Orphan Collector
"Wiseman's blistering, moving and profound novel, set against the devastating backdrop of the 1918 Spanish flu, hones in on an extraordinary exploration of the plight of immigrants, as two very different women grapple with finding, keeping, and changing their place in the world. Absolutely amazing."
—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author on The Orphan Collector
"An immersive historical tale with chilling twists and turns. Set during the Spanish Flu epidemic in Philadelphia, this atmospheric novel explores the depravity to which some will sink in adversity, but it also illuminates the strength of family bonds and the resilience of the human heart. Beautifully told and richly imagined."
—Stephanie Dray, New York Times bestselling author on The Orphan Collector
"Switching back and forth in time and narration from Lilly to Julia, Wiseman has crafted a can't put it down novel of family secrets involving two young girls who only seek to be loved. Perfect for book clubs and readers who admired Sara Gruen's Like Water for Elephants." —Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW for The Life She Was Given
"The Life She was Given is a vibrant maze of desires. The sharp divide between expectations and painful truths, mothers and daughters, past and present, culminate in a sensational finale."
—ForeWord Reviews
"A powerful, poignant novel."
—In Touch, Grade A for The Life She Was Given
"Wiseman excels at creating an atmosphere...Her characters are all vividly drawn and complex…Fans of Karen White and Sara Gruen will be drawn in by the drama and mystery of Wiseman's novel."
—BookPageon The Life She Was Given
"Intense and heartbreaking at times, but full of hope. The author's impeccable research into this era makes for a spot on portrayal of a dark time in American history. Coal River [is] one of the most "unputdownable" books of 2015."
—The Historical Novels Review, Editor's Choice for The Plum Tree
“Wiseman eschews the genres usual military conflicts of daily life during wartime, lending an intimate and compelling poignancy to this intriguing debut.” —Publishers Weekly on The Plum Tree
“Ellen Marie Wiseman weaves a story of intrigue, terror, and love from a perspective not often seen in Holocaust novels.”
—Jewish Book World on The Plum Tree
“The meticulous hand crafted detail and emotional intensity of The Plum Tree immersed me in Germany during its darkest hours and the ordeals its citizens had to face. A must read for WWII Fiction aficionados—and any reader who loves a transporting story.”
—Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us on The Plum Tree
“The Plum Tree is a touching story of heroism and loss, a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the power of love to transcend the most unthinkable circumstances. Deft storytelling and rich characters make this a highly memorable read and a worthy addition to the narratives of the Holocaust and Second World War.”
—Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Ambassador's Daughter
About the Author
Ellen Marie Wiseman is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author known for the compassion, authenticity, and depth with which her novels explore real historical injustices. Born and raised in Three Mile Bay, a tiny hamlet in northern New York, she’s a first-generation German American who discovered her love of reading and writing while attending first grade in one of the last one-room schoolhouses in New York State. Since then, her novels have been published worldwide, translated into twenty languages, and sold more than one million copies in the United States alone. A mother of two, Ellen lives on the shores of Lake Ontario with her husband and dog. Visit her online at EllenMarieWiseman.com.
Check out my fun & fascinating #AuthorElevatorSeries Q&A ride with Ellen Marie Wiseman and THE LOST GIRLS OF WILLOWBROOK. Interview
