Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Distressing Tale of Childhood Survival

The Only Girl in the World: a Memoir by Maude Julien
4 stars

This memoir is utterly heartbreaking yet ultimately hopeful.  Maude was born in France to an older father and his adopted daughter/wife.  She was raised harshly, without love and affection, to be a super-human.  Denied contact with any outsiders, she was subjected to a cruel schedule of hard work, study and music.  I was riveted while reading this but it was not easy.  Anyone sensitive to any kind of child or animal abuse should probably stay away.  Maude's story does have a happy ending and she is able to heal from her traumatic childhood, but after reading this I can't imagine it was an easy feat.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

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