The Girl Behind the Gates: The gripping, heartbreaking historical bestseller based on a true story
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‘Wow! What a heartbreaking, breathtaking true story… oh my heart… Read it with tissues but an open heart’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I’m not sure how many times I had to set this book down because my crying eyes were useless for reading, but it was a lot… Ten very emotional stars! All the stars!’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘There are no words! I had a hard time putting this book down. I am blown away by this true story… Soooooooo wonderful!’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
1939. Seventeen-year-old Nora Jennings has spent her life secure in the certainty of a bright, happy future – until one night of passion has more catastrophic consequences than she ever could have anticipated. Labelled a moral defective and sectioned under the Mental Deficiency Act, she is forced to endure years of unspeakable cruelty at the hands of those who are supposed to care for her.
1981. When psychiatrist Janet Humphreys comes across Nora, heavily institutionalised and still living in the hospital more than forty years after her incarceration, she knows that she must be the one to help Nora rediscover what it is to live. But as she works to help Nora overcome her past, Janet realises she must finally face her own.
Based on a true story, this is a powerful novel of the strength of the human spirit, that will stay with you long after you turn the final page. Perfect for fans of The Girl in the Letter and Philomena.
Readers love The Girl Behind The Gates:
‘I have never been so emotionally touched by a book before and Nora you will stay in my heart long after finishing this story’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Wow is all I can say. This book is a tearjerker for sure. To know that it is based on a true story is even more heartbreaking… This is a beautiful story of healing… The characters are wonderful’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘It’s been a very long time since I read a book that I couldn’t put down. This was that book… I was hooked from the off… Would I recommend this book? A hundred times over’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A heartbreakingly emotional story with characters that grip you all through this book. I really felt for Nora and her life… Brilliant’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Beautifully and emotionally written it engages you from beginning to end. This is one if the best books I have read… The book everyone must read. It will stay with you forever’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This book was SO good… This was a beautiful, heartwarming story of a woman who was once lost, but found again’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘What an amazing story based in truth. I can’t believe things like this actually happened. This is the incredible story of how a woman overcame the most astonishing obstacles’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Praise for The Girl Behind The Gates:
‘Compelling. Poignant… Heart wrenching. Just beautiful. Everyone needs to read this wonderful book’ Renita D’Silva
‘A haunting, heart-wrenching but ultimately heart-warming novel’ Gill Thompson
‘A powerful, emotional novel. I was moved to tears by the ending and will certainly not hesitate to recommend it’ Jill Childs
‘A powerful story of trust, compassion, healing – and the transforming power of love, that can give new life to a broken spirit’ Sharon Maas
From the Publisher
ASIN : B0847KDV8W
Publisher : Hodder & Stoughton (May 28, 2020)
Publication date : May 28, 2020
Language : English
File size : 2345 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 291 pages
Customers say
Customers find the story compelling and heartbreaking. They describe the book as an interesting, thought-provoking read from start to finish. The inspirational content is described as uplifting, enlightening, and thought-provoking. Readers praise the writing quality as well-written and compassionate. They appreciate the strength and resilience of the human spirit shown through the characters’ journeys.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
‘Wow! What a heartbreaking, breathtaking true story… oh my heart… Read it with tissues but an open heart’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I’m not sure how many times I had to set this book down because my crying eyes were useless for reading, but it was a lot… Ten very emotional stars! All the stars!’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘There are no words! I had a hard time putting this book down. I am blown away by this true story… Soooooooo wonderful!’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
1939. Seventeen-year-old Nora Jennings has spent her life secure in the certainty of a bright, happy future – until one night of passion has more catastrophic consequences than she ever could have anticipated. Labelled a moral defective and sectioned under the Mental Deficiency Act, she is forced to endure years of unspeakable cruelty at the hands of those who are supposed to care for her.
1981. When psychiatrist Janet Humphreys comes across Nora, heavily institutionalised and still living in the hospital more than forty years after her incarceration, she knows that she must be the one to help Nora rediscover what it is to live. But as she works to help Nora overcome her past, Janet realises she must finally face her own.
Based on a true story, this is a powerful novel of the strength of the human spirit, that will stay with you long after you turn the final page. Perfect for fans of The Girl in the Letter and Philomena.
Readers love The Girl Behind The Gates:
‘I have never been so emotionally touched by a book before and Nora you will stay in my heart long after finishing this story’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Wow is all I can say. This book is a tearjerker for sure. To know that it is based on a true story is even more heartbreaking… This is a beautiful story of healing… The characters are wonderful’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘It’s been a very long time since I read a book that I couldn’t put down. This was that book… I was hooked from the off… Would I recommend this book? A hundred times over’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A heartbreakingly emotional story with characters that grip you all through this book. I really felt for Nora and her life… Brilliant’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Beautifully and emotionally written it engages you from beginning to end. This is one if the best books I have read… The book everyone must read. It will stay with you forever’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This book was SO good… This was a beautiful, heartwarming story of a woman who was once lost, but found again’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘What an amazing story based in truth. I can’t believe things like this actually happened. This is the incredible story of how a woman overcame the most astonishing obstacles’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Praise for The Girl Behind The Gates:
‘Compelling. Poignant… Heart wrenching. Just beautiful. Everyone needs to read this wonderful book’ Renita D’Silva
‘A haunting, heart-wrenching but ultimately heart-warming novel’ Gill Thompson
‘A powerful, emotional novel. I was moved to tears by the ending and will certainly not hesitate to recommend it’ Jill Childs
‘A powerful story of trust, compassion, healing – and the transforming power of love, that can give new life to a broken spirit’ Sharon Maas
From the Publisher
ASIN : B0847KDV8W
Publisher : Hodder & Stoughton (May 28, 2020)
Publication date : May 28, 2020
Language : English
File size : 2345 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 291 pages
by Gatita16
Girl without rights
This book tells us of powerful injustice carried out by the law and church! No one should have conflicted such horror on another human being . To think she came out of this with a sane mind is nothing short of a miracle! Well written and told of the pain and anguish that engulfed this beautiful woman!
by Jean S
Finally a good read
The story held me captive. Heartbreaking how asylums were operated and the laws of that time period were cruel. Nora was an amazing woman. Book two was a twist having the therapist have issues and the interplay back and forth between doctor and patient. I look forward to reading another one of Brenda Davisâ book.
by celticlass
Itâs not an easy read
I knew it wouldnât be but the undercurrent of hope and the ending truly blew me away. It was heartbreaking at Timâs, then hopeful and then restorative.
by Brenda S. Basey
The best book Iâve read in a long time!
What a story of heartbreak and an unimaginable tragedy that will grip you in your soul! Following the journey of Noraâs life and all of the people makes this book one that you will remember a long time. The fact that itâs a true story makes it all the more remarkable. Read it. You wonât regret it!
by Jamie simons
Heartfelt
This was just the book I was looking for but didn’t know it at the time. Such a beautiful story of heartbreak, healing and resilience. Great read
by P. Blevins
awesome
The Girl Behind the Gates is by Brenda Davies. Although this book is based on a true story, it is fiction. Nevertheless, the reader gets a full view of a lovely, yet unlucky young girl who because she got pregnant lived over fifty years of her life in a mental institution. How she managed to survive those years and come out as close to normal as she did is amazing. This book shows clearly the horror that a mental institution was during the 1930âs to the 1990âs in England. Although many psychiatrists and doctors tried their best to help people with mental illnesses, they simply did not have the medical knowledge that we do now. Many did their best to help, while others reveled in their power over the unfortunate. They believed that harsh discipline was what was needed to contain these individuals. They believed it was in their genes and therefore could not be cured.Nora was a fifteen-year-old shy and innocent young girl who got caught up in the passions and emotions of youth and made a mistake. This one-time mistake resulted in pregnancy. When her parents found out, they were devastated and angered. They turned to the Church for help and advice. The doctor who had delivered her came to examine her and found out that she had taken some quinine pills to try to abort the child and had also tried to cut her wrists. Nora, herself, was ashamed and upset that she had disappointed her parents. Since abortion and suicide were against the law, the Doctor had to report it. This could result in prison for Nora; but to avoid notoriety, her parents had her taken to a mental institution. Here she would stay and have her baby. The baby would then be adopted out. What would happen to Nora was never discussed in her presence.Nora was forcibly taken from her home and placed here with no explanations except everyone kept telling her she was bad and evil. None of the nurses or the doctors or aides at the institution would answer any of her questions. She was just told what to do and slaps helped her follow their directions. The head nurse, in particular, took a dislike to Nora and everything she did was wrong and under scrutiny. She went out of her way to be cruel and mean to Nora. Her punishments were very harsh where Nora was concerned. How could Nora survive here without family or friends?I certainly hope the mental institutes these days have none of the horrible attributes that these had. I certainly hope we have learned more about how to handle people with kindness. The questions that persist throughout the book and keep you reading to find the answer are: Who is the Father? Why didnât he try to help her? Why didnât her parents ever come visit or write?The book is good; but the content makes it difficult to read. Part of me wanted to read on until I was finished; but the content made me stop and take breaks. It is a very emotional book; but well worth the time it takes to read it.
by Amazon Customer
Beautiful Biography
This book was splendid. It was sad and heartbreaking but in the end it was heartwarming. I was kept on the edge of my seat the whole way through the book. I couldn’t put the book down and what a great one it was.
by Rhonda Lockhart
story is familiar but good reading
The story seems a bit too familiar, but will please fans of Nellie Blye and similar. Recommend for readers of all ages.
by Kindle Customer
This book struck me more than most. It crushed my soul, rippped it up and then like a magician put it all back together. The author hit all the right places, she put together a book that has the proper pace for such serious and riveting topics that are found throughout. The emotions this book evokes are get wrenching and joyful and is a must read.
by Amazon Customer
Wow! What a story! A must read!!! As much as I heartwarming novel as it is heartbreaking! Amazing writing & storytelling. It makes me so thankful that things have moved on so much in less than 100 years! That things like this happened to so many women is scary! Thank you for bringing this one story to life in such a beautiful way!
by HM Holten
The Girl Behind the Gates points to the fear of mental difficulties and what was deemed moral deficiency that affected everybody and often sent unwed and pregnant women to mental institutions. The law was clear and stayed unchanged until 1959. The perspective is shocking, and, in my opinion, it is important to remember that this happened less than seventy years ago.Nora Jennings is a seventeen-year-old who gets to feel the consequences of a single night of passion. Labelled as morally defective and incarcerated in the local mental hospital, she lives through years of brutal conditions.Sister Cummings, a proverbial Nurse Ratched (of Cuckooâs Nest fame), is the nemesis who knows how to make her patients, especially the young and hopeful, suffer.Janet Humphreys is a psychiatrist that arrives on the scene much later, but her insight and humanity bring hope to some patients.The blend of traumatic experiences, imperious nurses, horrifying treatments, and evolving friendships blend in a compelling document that will leave the reader pondering how easy it is to destroy the human spirit. Yet, Ms Davies manages to convey hope â even for institutionalised individuals.For me, the highlight was the deft use of the healing power of music. This is a book that will stay with you and make you think.
by Alice C
This is an incredibly sad book. I had to keep reading it just hoping things would get better, and eventually they did, in the end. The events were so hard to believe that I had to do my own research on the internet to verify that pregnant unwed mothear were really locked up in mental institutions in the U.K. in the 1940’s. Yes they were, under the policies of Winston Churchill! Generally these were poor women who came into the system through the workhouses. One would think that a well off, “loving” family would find a way around this such as keeping the pregnancy hidden and arranging a private adoption. However there is a doozy of a plot twist near the end of the book that makes the parents horrifying behaviour more plausible (without blaming the victim at all). It’s a well written book and worth knowing the truth about an aspect of the history of women’s rights that has been swept under the rug, as nobody’s life should ever be.
by Zak2Hartley
An amazing, sad, shocking and compelling story. I just couldn’t stop reading it. The amazing Nora demonstrates that you can overcome anything, if you have the right support and personal strength. From the most darkest places you can still survive and blossom.