The Roanoke Girls

A Novel

By: Amy Engel

Narrated by: Brittany Pressley

National best seller

“With more twists than a bag of pretzels, this compelling family saga may make you question what you think you know about your own relatives.” (Cosmopolitan)

"Roanoke girls never last long around here. In the end we either run or we die."

After her mother's suicide, 15-year-old Lane Roanoke came to live with her grandparents and fireball cousin, Allegra, on their vast estate in rural Kansas. Lane knew little of her mother's mysterious family, but she quickly embraced life as one of the rich and beautiful Roanoke girls. But when she discovered the dark truth at the heart of the family, she ran...fast and far away.

Eleven years later Lane is adrift in Los Angeles when her grandfather calls to tell her Allegra has gone missing. Did she run, too? Or something worse? Unable to resist his pleas, Lane returns to help search and to ease her guilt at having left Allegra behind. Her homecoming may mean a second chance with the boyfriend whose heart she broke that long ago summer. But it also means facing the devastating secret that made her flee, one she may not be strong enough to run from again.

As it weaves between Lane's first Roanoke summer and her return, The Roanoke Girls shocks and tantalizes, twisting its way through revelation after mesmerizing revelation, exploring the secrets families keep and the fierce and terrible love that both binds them together and rips them apart.

©2017 Amy Engel (P)2017 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"I was immediately drawn into The Roanoke Girls, a haunting and riveting look at one family's tangled legacy. You won't stop reading until you've unraveled the darkest of Roanoke's shocking secrets." (Laura McHugh, award-winning author of The Weight of Blood)

"This is a poised and haunting novel, whose enchanting prose belies its dark and intense subject matter. An evocative modern take on Southern Gothic, with a compelling twist which will remain with you long after the book's last sentence." (L. S. Hilton, author of Maestra)

"An emotionally compelling page turner, The Roanoke Girls takes you inside the dark world of a twisted family and one woman's fight to break free from the chains of her own history. This is family intrigue at its very best!" (Wendy Walker, author of All Is Not Forgotten)

I Had To Collect My Thoughts to Write This Review

The Roanoke Girls is a very odd book. Roanoke is a house or ranch in small town Kansas. There have been several Roanoke girls born through the marriage of the patriarch and his wife, but oddly enough they all ran away when they could. All of them were dead before age thirty.

Two of the daughters' offspring are forced to go live with their grandparents on the grand estate. Not knowing much about their background or their history, they soon learn that Roanoke isn't exactly the big, beautiful estate it seems. There are secrets in the walls, in the beds, and in their very DNA.

We learn about the secrets and the ways that family can show love, both harshly and inappropriately. We learn how, even though you might be surrounded by family, you can still be extremely lonely, confused and in the state of constant despair. We learn how the sickness of the father carries on to the daughters and the sons.

This book is depressing. It's told nonchalantly, like nothing should surprise the reader. It has that odd 'tug' that makes you want to hear more and listen, but it also repulses the listener and makes he or she hope the story will take a different turn.

I recommend it for a melancholy listen. It's written well and it's a great story.

Wendi

The Perfect Twisted Page Turner Full of Surprises

Couldn't stop listening. It contains all the right ingredients for an unbelievable tale about family, loyalty and lust.

Messed up

It was a great listen, a tragic story at it's best! Would recommend this one.

beautifully told story of intergenerational trauma

parts of this story were predictable but those is because abusers are predictable. this is the story of abuse of power, the power and limitations of women, and the connection built from trauma.

Loved this book!

While this book / subject may not be for everyone, I found it so interesting. Far fetched in some ways but not unbelievable. The story moves along quickly and every chapter is well done even the "then" ones. Narration is excellent. Might be the best book of the year for me!

Listener/Reader Discretion

This book is amazingly disturbing. But a tale that Unfortunately may be a truth for some people. It was brilliantly performed. Eye opening. If you are someone who has suffered from trauma- sexual or physical- as a child or adult- at the hands of a family member, this book may cause you extreme emotional distress. Read with caution.

Great Book

Never thought I would like listening to a book but I loved this one! I'm looking forward to the next book...

Twists

Twists, twists and more twists. Although the plot itself was disturbing, the author and performance were so great that I couldn't stop listening.

This book really has it all.

The author brings the characters vividly to life in your mind. You feel their dread and pain and struggle. All the way until the end smacks you in the face. I really enjoyed this book. First one I’ve read/listened to from the author. I am looking forward to the next one!

loved it

Great thriller and mystery love the narration kept me interested til the end could not wait to get in my car and find out what would be revealed next and how it would play out