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The Story of Beautiful Girl

(4.8 Rating)

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It is 1968. Lynnie, a young white woman with a developmental disability, and Homan, an African American deaf man, are locked away in an institution, the School for the Incurable and Feebleminded, and have been left to languish, forgotten. Deeply in love, they escape, and find refuge in the farmhouse of Martha, a retired schoolteacher and widow. But the couple is not alone-Lynnie has just given birth to a baby girl. When the authorities catch up to them that same night, Homan escapes into the darkness, and Lynnie is caught. But before she is forced back into the institution, she whispers two words to Martha: "Hide her." And so begins the 40-year epic journey of Lynnie, Homan, Martha, and baby Julia-lives divided by seemingly insurmountable obstacles, yet drawn together by a secret pact and extraordinary love.

The Story of Beautiful Girl was a New York Times Bestseller

"Heart-tugging."     -Oprah Magazine

"Truly stirring."  -Entertainment Weekly

"Improbably beautiful."  -Christian Science Monitor

 "One of the most powerful, heart-rending stories you will read this year.  -Lincoln Star Journal

"Beautifully written...captivating and excruciatingly bittersweet.   -Utah Daily Herald

 "This novel is the author's gift to those who never had a chance to speak for themselves. Readers are likely to emerge from "The Story of Beautiful Girl" with a new level of empathy for those who were once hidden away - and for all those living with a disability."  -Washington Post

"The Story of Beautiful Girl is a beautiful story, indeed. In its sweeping breadth and textured detail lies a finely crafted testament to the benevolence and brutality of our humanity. I dare you to read the first twenty pages and not keep going."-John Grogan,  New York Times bestselling author of Marley & Me