Book Review, Blog Tour, and Giveaway: "The Forgotten Girl" by Heather Chapman

About the Book

Genre:  Historical; Coming of Age; Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Publication date: February 13, 2018

It is 1906, and sixteen-year-old Stella’s life in Durliosy, Poland, is bleak. Her only hope of surviving is to travel to America, a land of freedom and opportunity, and reunite with her brother in Baltimore. There she’ll find new challenges, and perhaps, if she can put her painful past behind her, a new chance for love and lasting happiness.

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About the Author

Being the youngest of four sisters (and one very tolerant older brother), Heather grew up on a steady diet of chocolate, Anne of Green Gables, Audrey Hepburn, Jane Austen, and the other staples of female literature and moviedom. These stories inspired Heather to begin writing at an early age. After meeting and marrying her husband Mark, Heather graduated magna cum laude from Brigham Young University and finally settled down in a small farming community in southeastern Idaho with her husband and four children. In her spare time, Heather enjoys time spent with family, volleyball, piano, the outdoors, and almost anything creative.

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Author Interview

1. If you could go to tea with one of the characters in The Forgotten Girl, who would you pick and why?Definitely Stella. I would love to hear her actual story, feel of her strength, and ask her all the questions I wished I could ask her while I was writing this story.

2. In the story, who was the easiest character to write?  Who was the hardest?
I didn’t feel like any character was particularly easy to write. They all came with their own challenges, but I enjoyed creating Bronia’s character the most, perhaps making her the easiest emotionally to write. Stella was the most complex character I’ve ever attempted to create. She was strong and courageous, but she didn’t realize it. She was beautiful and influential, but she never saw that. It was difficult to show her good qualities to the reader while also hiding them from the MC.

3. If you were to travel back in time and visit your favorite time period, where would you go and why?
Probably regency England or ancient Egypt.

4. What top 5 books do you currently have on your TBR pile?1)Turtles all the way down by John Green; 2)Why not me by Mindy Kaling; 3)Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy; 4)Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy; and 5)What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

5. What is something unique about you that most of your readers don’t already know?My first job was working as a map folder for the government. Seriously. I took maps the size of ping pong tables and folded them to fit into binder sheet protectors.

Review

“The Forgotten Girl” is a historical fiction story based on the real life person, Stella Marzewska, the great-grandmother of the author. It was told in first person from Stella’s point of view. I found it incredible reading about the experiences that Stella faced and knowing that it was what actual immigrants faced when they first came to America. There is some mention of God and Him giving Stella her wishes, but I didn’t find it to have much of a spiritual thread. I found the book to be well written and I rooted for Stella to find her place in the world.

Giveaway

Enter the giveaway HERE.

Tour Schedule

April 2–Remembrancy 
April 3–Red Headed Book Lady
April 4–cherylbbookblog | Wishful Endings
April 5–Singing Librarian Books
April 6– Heidi Reads…. | Broken and Reclaimed
April 7–Blossoms and Blessings ​

I got a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and given voluntarily. No compensation was received for my review.