Girl A
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-03-23 08:15:40
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Abigail Dean
- ISBN：0008389063
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Abigail Dean's GIRL A， narrated by a successful lawyer living in New York who is better known to the public as Girl A， the one who escaped from a childhood of abuse at the hands of religious fanatic parents， freeing her six siblings -- when her mother dies in prison and leaves her and her siblings the family home， she can't run from her past any longer， to Laura Tisdel at Viking， in a major deal， in a seven-figure deal， at auction， by Jenny Bent at The Bent Agency on behalf of Juliet Mushens （NA）， and to Julia Wisdom at Harper Fiction， with Phoebe Morgan editing， in a major deal， at auction， in a two-book deal， for publication in spring 2021。
Reviews
geena
，
It does an excellent job of weaving the present-and-past narrative together， making for effective storytelling。 But it loses some of the intensity in doing so， broadcasting one of the twists pretty clearly and failing to resolve some others。
ReRoRi
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WOWOWOWHarrowing and heart-wrenching novel about survival and siblings and aftermath of trauma。This is a read in one sitting kind of book， which is exactly what I did。Warning⚠️ : Unsettling。 I’ve definitely read books that are much more graphic and unsettling， but I want to warn anyway， because I’m about to really recommend the heck out of this book and it does include childhood abuse which is a really upsetting subject。After escaping the ‘house of horrors’ at 15 years old to save herself and h WOWOWOWHarrowing and heart-wrenching novel about survival and siblings and aftermath of trauma。This is a read in one sitting kind of book， which is exactly what I did。Warning⚠️ : Unsettling。 I’ve definitely read books that are much more graphic and unsettling， but I want to warn anyway， because I’m about to really recommend the heck out of this book and it does include childhood abuse which is a really upsetting subject。After escaping the ‘house of horrors’ at 15 years old to save herself and her siblings， Lex is now a lawyer and trying to forget her years there。 She tries not to think of her mother in jail and her dead father。 That is until， her mother dies in prison and she is left executer and must figure out what to do with the same house her and her six siblings grew up in and escaped from。 It isn’t one of those super fast paced thrillers， but it definitely did not drag either。 The story started off years after the trauma which gives it two storylines: what happened during their childhood and years later， the plans for the inherited house of horrors。Although this book is filled with many little psychological twists throughout， there isn’t any big reveal or plot twist at the end， which I was kind of expecting。 But I like it that way I think。 There is something so distinct about Dean’s style of writing。 Even with the point of view and the characters she created。I felt for the characters from the start of the book， especially Lex。 You just really want her to do well。 As for the other siblings， some of their stories were so unsettling and heart-wrenching and really sticks with you。 As for the point of view， even though the book is written in Lex’s perspective， every character’s story is told by Lex， which I don’t often find in novels， but love。 I love first person point of views， but also want to know what’s going on with characters when the protagonist is not around and Dean captured this perfectly and not unrealistically。 However， the going from past to present did take a little getting used to。 At times Lex would be talking about the past and seamlessly come back to the present in the next sentence， but honestly， with this kind of novel it makes it more captivating I think。 I don’t know maybe it’s just been a while since I read this genre of book， but oh my god， I just couldn’t put it down。 So crazy， so sad， it isn’t an easy read， but definitely a must read。 Also the back flap said Abigail Dean was working on her second novel， sooooo I can’t wait。 。。。more
Amanda
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I wouldn't consider this book "read" since I stopped reading almost a quarter of the way through。 I really wanted to like this book， but unfortunately， it wasn't for me。 The continuous time jumps were hard to keep up with， and I grew frustrated with the vagueness of the details and at not knowing who the characters were when they entered the story。 I wouldn't consider this book "read" since I stopped reading almost a quarter of the way through。 I really wanted to like this book， but unfortunately， it wasn't for me。 The continuous time jumps were hard to keep up with， and I grew frustrated with the vagueness of the details and at not knowing who the characters were when they entered the story。 。。。more
Michelle Hart
，
The subject matter is dark， of course， but it's the writing style that I most disliked。 The time jumps are jarring。 Perhaps that was to show Lex's jumbled mind？ Several times I had to go back a few paragraphs and reread because it was confusing。 The subject matter is dark， of course， but it's the writing style that I most disliked。 The time jumps are jarring。 Perhaps that was to show Lex's jumbled mind？ Several times I had to go back a few paragraphs and reread because it was confusing。 。。。more
Karen K - Ohio
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Bleak， dark and sad， but compelling。 Lex and her siblings survive a horrendous childhood with their strange mother and brutal， sadistic and probably mentally ill father。 Instead of centering only on their childhood the book leaps back and forth in time， covering the sibling’s recovery and their adult lives。 Detailing the different lives each of the siblings create from the wreckage。 How each copes with the abuse and deprivation they suffered。 How complicated their relationships were in adulthood Bleak， dark and sad， but compelling。 Lex and her siblings survive a horrendous childhood with their strange mother and brutal， sadistic and probably mentally ill father。 Instead of centering only on their childhood the book leaps back and forth in time， covering the sibling’s recovery and their adult lives。 Detailing the different lives each of the siblings create from the wreckage。 How each copes with the abuse and deprivation they suffered。 How complicated their relationships were in adulthood。 The author also does a good job of showing how slowly but surely Lex’s father becomes a monster creating his own warped world view and dragging his family with him。 The only weak character was the mother。 What was her mindset？ How could she not protect her children？ 。。。more
Cassidy
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3。5 stars
Bobbie Williams
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Lex Gracie doesn't want to think about her family。 She doesn't want to think about growing up in her parents' House of Horrors。 And she doesn't want to think about her identity as Girl A: the girl who escaped， the eldest sister who freed her older brother and four younger siblings。 Lex Gracie doesn't want to think about her family。 She doesn't want to think about growing up in her parents' House of Horrors。 And she doesn't want to think about her identity as Girl A: the girl who escaped， the eldest sister who freed her older brother and four younger siblings。 。。。more
Lindsay
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I probably could have pushed through but I have way too many other books I want to read。 I just found myself bored and re-reading paragraphs over and over so I gave up。 Not a terrible book， I just couldn’t get into it。
Becky Jones
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Compulsive， brilliantly written， don't want to give anything away but it is quite a disturbing book， although it's more about how it suggests to your imagination the horrific things that happened， rather than telling anything in detail。 I loved it。 Compulsive， brilliantly written， don't want to give anything away but it is quite a disturbing book， although it's more about how it suggests to your imagination the horrific things that happened， rather than telling anything in detail。 I loved it。 。。。more
Megan McBeath Hay
，
Wow！ This book just it took my breath away at times。 It reminded me a lot of Sharp Objects in following the point of view of a survivor of trauma who mostly seems to have gotten her stuff together in life， but yeah， that's not entirely the case either。 In part she feels an unreliable narrator， but it's easy to take her at her word。 At times this book can be hard to follow in that there are flashbacks and half stories and time jumps- but honestly all of those are masterfully blended together beca Wow！ This book just it took my breath away at times。 It reminded me a lot of Sharp Objects in following the point of view of a survivor of trauma who mostly seems to have gotten her stuff together in life， but yeah， that's not entirely the case either。 In part she feels an unreliable narrator， but it's easy to take her at her word。 At times this book can be hard to follow in that there are flashbacks and half stories and time jumps- but honestly all of those are masterfully blended together because you understand that's how Girl A kind of sees the world。 Everything she does is tainted or colored by that traumatic and tragic past and even while she has gotten to some degree of success as an adult， it will always be there。 One thing I did enjoy about this book is that even the ancillary characters feel very real （including her siblings and to an extent her tormentors）。 People aren't all good or all bad， and Dean shows （not tells！） that they have different motivations and inspirations。 。。。more
Kristina （book。bruja）
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DNF
Caroline O'Sullivan
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A harrowing， heartbreaking read。 What really struck me was the unwritten words， the severity and f what was implied or left out。
Candace
，
This was really interesting。 I was drawn to the subject matter， and I liked the idea of finding out what the lives of these children looked like after their traumatic childhoods。 I feel like maybe there was still a slight disconnect emotionally， between the narrator and the reader， but perhaps this was intentional because of all she had been through。 The writing style of going back and forth in time without very many identifiers was a little frustrating for me。 It still kept me interested nearly This was really interesting。 I was drawn to the subject matter， and I liked the idea of finding out what the lives of these children looked like after their traumatic childhoods。 I feel like maybe there was still a slight disconnect emotionally， between the narrator and the reader， but perhaps this was intentional because of all she had been through。 The writing style of going back and forth in time without very many identifiers was a little frustrating for me。 It still kept me interested nearly all the way through， though I might've liked a little more closure on what the main character's life was going to look like moving forward。 。。。more
Rach
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Lex Grace is the girl who escaped the house of horrors and is know as girl A。 She doesn't want to think about all this until her mother dies and she and her siblings are left the family home。 Lex and Evie want to turn the house into something good but before this happenings she must comes to terms with what happened in her past with her siblings。 This book takes into the past and present as each siblings tries to come to terms with their past。This book has had high praised but I found I struggle Lex Grace is the girl who escaped the house of horrors and is know as girl A。 She doesn't want to think about all this until her mother dies and she and her siblings are left the family home。 Lex and Evie want to turn the house into something good but before this happenings she must comes to terms with what happened in her past with her siblings。 This book takes into the past and present as each siblings tries to come to terms with their past。This book has had high praised but I found I struggle to get through it。 I found the pace really slow and was waiting for it to be pick up and I got confused at times whose thoughts and opinions we were reading。 Overall this book wasn't for me but other readers might enjoy。 I received a ARC from Netgalley and HarperCollins UK， HarperFiction for an objection review 。。。more
Francesca Munchow
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As beautiful as it is ugly， as breathtaking as it is confronting， as important as it is difficult。 This book shook me to my core。 Superb characterisation， incredible writing and a story that truly sticks with you。 What a read！
Candice
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I felt it was very slow and drawn out。 I only enjoyed the last 50 pages。
Cristina
，
Heartbreaking story。 It has a bit of a confusing timeline， but once you get used to the way the MC is telling her story， it's a harrowing tale totally worth reading Heartbreaking story。 It has a bit of a confusing timeline， but once you get used to the way the MC is telling her story， it's a harrowing tale totally worth reading 。。。more
Adrianna
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I was really excited to read this but it turned out to be a major disappointment。 The time jumps were confusing， especially the later ones。 This is marketed as a thriller but honestly it's not。 The concept had potential but the execution was not for me。 I didn't connect to any of the characters， all of the present day sequences were so boring and filled with unnecessary information。 I really wanted to like this but I just didn't。 I was really excited to read this but it turned out to be a major disappointment。 The time jumps were confusing， especially the later ones。 This is marketed as a thriller but honestly it's not。 The concept had potential but the execution was not for me。 I didn't connect to any of the characters， all of the present day sequences were so boring and filled with unnecessary information。 I really wanted to like this but I just didn't。 。。。more
Jessica
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Wow。 This book is not a thriller， like I thought it would be。 Instead， it was a deep dive into the story of Lex （Girl A）， who escaped the "House of Horrors" as a teenager to save her 6 siblings being held captive， abused， and neglected by their parents。 When her mother dies in prison many years later， Lex returns to her childhood home and her story unravels bit by bit。 There were some fascinating， beautiful， and heartbreaking moments in the many layers of this book， and I enjoyed it overall。 The Wow。 This book is not a thriller， like I thought it would be。 Instead， it was a deep dive into the story of Lex （Girl A）， who escaped the "House of Horrors" as a teenager to save her 6 siblings being held captive， abused， and neglected by their parents。 When her mother dies in prison many years later， Lex returns to her childhood home and her story unravels bit by bit。 There were some fascinating， beautiful， and heartbreaking moments in the many layers of this book， and I enjoyed it overall。 The author's style was interesting: she divided the book into chapters according to each child in the story。 However， she jumps back in forth in time within those long chapters， and that was a bit confusing and felt disjointed。 The middle was a bit slow。 There was a gut-wrenching， unexpected twist I didn't see coming at all。 However， I wanted to understand the characters a bit better， and I was left with some loose ends and unanswered questions。 。。。more
Jennifer
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3。5 rating。 After a rough start， this book turned out to be pretty good。 I don't care much for the author's writing style but it was a good story。 3。5 rating。 After a rough start， this book turned out to be pretty good。 I don't care much for the author's writing style but it was a good story。 。。。more
Margaret
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Outstanding debut novel。 Intense and difficult story。 Written from Girl A’s perspective as she offers insight and closure to the gripping history of her family。
Cathy
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Bloody hell， can you even imagine somebody doing this to someone？ Hard to believe but your own kids？ Unimaginable。 Although I liked the book， I sometimes lost the voice of who was telling the story and occasionally the jumping between timelines got a bit confusing。
Chelsea
，
TW: child abuse， attempted suicide， addiction， PTSD， and neglect。 ⠀⠀This book told though Girl A’s eyes was about 7 children who suffered horrific abuse and neglect before escaping from their childhood home。 ⠀⠀Pros:⠀- Life after abuse is shown differently through all of the children。 ⠀- Therapy is highlighted ⠀- Each chapter discusses each child （Girl A， Boy A， and so on）⠀⠀Cons:⠀- I got confused when switching between past and present sometimes。 ⠀- There was a lot of characters and it was hard t TW: child abuse， attempted suicide， addiction， PTSD， and neglect。 ⠀⠀This book told though Girl A’s eyes was about 7 children who suffered horrific abuse and neglect before escaping from their childhood home。 ⠀⠀Pros:⠀- Life after abuse is shown differently through all of the children。 ⠀- Therapy is highlighted ⠀- Each chapter discusses each child （Girl A， Boy A， and so on）⠀⠀Cons:⠀- I got confused when switching between past and present sometimes。 ⠀- There was a lot of characters and it was hard to keep track of。 ⠀- Chapters were VERY long。 ⠀⠀Overall， this is a heavy book， but the talk of abuse is less graphic than I would have thought。 The author mostly hinted at what happened and sometimes added explicit details。 。。。more
Dena
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I found this book a bit hard to follow。 It kept changing time frames and that made it difficult to keep track of if the characters were in the past or present。
Amanda
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I would give more of a 2。5。 I wouldn't consider it a thriller or mystery， but more of a family drama。 It's fine that it was more of a drama， but I felt like this book kinda went nowhere？ There's two storylines going on: one in the present that focuses on the kids after what happened and then goes into the past; the House of Horrors。 I don't mind when there's a change in the present/past in books， but this happened too much to the point that it felt incoherent。 Not only did the switch happen in e I would give more of a 2。5。 I wouldn't consider it a thriller or mystery， but more of a family drama。 It's fine that it was more of a drama， but I felt like this book kinda went nowhere？ There's two storylines going on: one in the present that focuses on the kids after what happened and then goes into the past; the House of Horrors。 I don't mind when there's a change in the present/past in books， but this happened too much to the point that it felt incoherent。 Not only did the switch happen in each chapter but it was WITHIN the chapter。 Overall， I thought it felt flat and that in the ending there really was no resolution or closure。 The book picked up in the last two chapters and something did happened that I didn't expect， but even that twist couldn't save the book for me。 。。。more
Bailey
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is a story about family， hopefully one far from the likes of your own。 I opened this book expecting a thriller， it was nothing of the sort。 While it centers around the traumatic early lives of the Gracie children who suffered unimaginable torture from their parents and oldest sibling， it mostly was a story of coming to grips with your past， recovering from loss and moving forward after living through an unrelatable version of hell。 I appreciated that the author separated the book into chapt This is a story about family， hopefully one far from the likes of your own。 I opened this book expecting a thriller， it was nothing of the sort。 While it centers around the traumatic early lives of the Gracie children who suffered unimaginable torture from their parents and oldest sibling， it mostly was a story of coming to grips with your past， recovering from loss and moving forward after living through an unrelatable version of hell。 I appreciated that the author separated the book into chapters based on Girl A’s experience with each sibling。 However， I found that even with the overwhelming length of these chapters， the characters were still largely underdeveloped。 Why was Ethan chosen to become the next abuser？ Why did he turn so swiftly away from Lex？ What really goes through Delilah’s head and what motivates her？ What was the parents relationship to each other？ With a book like this， it would have been so much more effective to be placed inside the mind of each sibling individually instead of seen through the lens of Lex， who in many ways did not suffer along with or in similar ways to her siblings。 。。。more
Sheila Mcmackin
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Oh myBest book I have read in months。 So complicated， beautifully written， heart wrenching。 Eloquent words that shaped such human tragedy。
K。C。 Wells
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I tore through this。 Kids are held in a “house of horrors。” The novel goes between past and present， and we get to see how they all survived their trauma。
Nene La Beet
，
I purchased this one on a whim and when I first started listening to it， I regretted it， because I thought it was run-of-the-mill horrific crime fiction about child molestation。But as it turned out， it was much better than that。 The subject matter is "the usual": terrible father terrorizes and tortures his large family for years and nobody "notices"。 But the story is about Girl A， the oldest girl， and we get to know her and her trauma throughout the book while also learning what happened to the I purchased this one on a whim and when I first started listening to it， I regretted it， because I thought it was run-of-the-mill horrific crime fiction about child molestation。But as it turned out， it was much better than that。 The subject matter is "the usual": terrible father terrorizes and tortures his large family for years and nobody "notices"。 But the story is about Girl A， the oldest girl， and we get to know her and her trauma throughout the book while also learning what happened to the other children。 It is sad， but not gory and very well told。Abigail Dean has a fine command of language and the narrator Holliday Grainger does a great job reading it。 。。。more
Rebecca
，
Long and boring。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Girl A
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Girl A&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Girl A&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0