The Girls with No Names

By: Serena Burdick

Narrated by: Emily Lawrence, Nancy Peterson, Amy McFadden

Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Instant International Best Seller

A beautiful tale of hope, courage, and sisterhood - inspired by the real House of Mercy and the girls confined there for daring to break the rules.

Growing up in New York City in the 1910s, Luella and Effie Tildon realize that even as wealthy young women, their freedoms come with limits. But when the sisters discover a shocking secret about their father, Luella, the brazen elder sister, becomes emboldened to do as she pleases. Her rebellion comes with consequences, and one morning Luella is mysteriously gone.

Effie suspects her father has sent Luella to the House of Mercy and hatches a plan to get herself committed to save her sister. But she made a miscalculation, and with no one to believe her story, Effie’s own escape seems impossible - unless she can trust an enigmatic girl named Mable. As their fates entwine, Mable and Effie must rely on their tenuous friendship to survive.

Home for Unwanted Girls meets The Dollhouse in this atmospheric, heartwarming story that explores not only the historical House of Mercy, but the lives - and secrets - of the girls who stayed there.

“Burdick has spun a cautionary tale of struggle and survival, love and family - and above all, the strength of the heart, no matter how broken.” (New York Times Book Review)

“Burdick reveals the perils of being a woman in 1913 and exposes the truths of their varying social circles.” (Chicago Tribune)

©2020 Serena Burdick (P)2020 Harlequin Audio

Consumed this in a few days.....

From the characters, to the narration, this book is a must read.... Be prepared to do nothing else, but listen..... The thorough research paints a beautifully haunting picture of the gilded age. Told from the poorest and richest, in terms of money, it proves that money is just that. Happiness doesn’t come from wealth.

Good, but often frustrating

The story is a good listen, although the reader's voice is a touch too dramatic at times.

The story was so implausible, and several opportunities to render it less so were sadly missed by the author.

Another telling story

Books like this quite clearly, tell of a dark history. Given current events it is interesting to see the United States not reconcile it's ugly past. For a similar story read "Before We Were Yours."

Beautiful historic fiction

The main story is about privileged sisters growing up at the turn of the century. It takes a slight turn when the oldest sister becomes rebellious. This cause the younger sister to put her life in danger. A very entertaining story with several brilliant characters.

Narrative over Narrator

Several times I almost gave up on listening to this book. Effie’s voice was breathless and over dramatic and Jean’s accent struggled between Polish, Russian, and a French. Both narrations overpowered the story for me.
I am happy I stuck with it. At Book Two, Mable’s voice came in and saved the day.
I would (and will) highly recommend the print version of this book. In a day of Female Empowerment, stories like this do more for the cause than much attempted.

eye opening story!

really neat story told through chapters from each characters point of view. some history thrown into the story makes you thankful for the way things are today.

Couldn’t stop listening!

Great narration, characters and storyline. Definitely my fave book so far in 2020. Highly recommend!

A fascinating piece of history

Graphically depicted from the perspective of young girls who withstood so much.

I'm not crazy about the Effie narrator.

amazing book with amazing readers

This book is extremely well written, very interesting, and thought-provoking. The reader's do a great job!

Couldn’t put it down!

I never go as far as to write a review for a book but this one I will! I couldn’t put it down!!! At first I wasn’t so sure because it seemed to be jumping all over the place, you figure that problem out quickly. Then you’re hooked...
Enjoy this book!