Necessary Lies

By: Diane Chamberlain

Narrated by: Alison Elliott

Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Best-selling author Diane Chamberlain delivers a breakout book about a small southern town 50 years ago, and the darkest - and most hopeful - places in the human heart. After losing her parents, 15-year-old Ivy Hart is left to care for her grandmother, older sister, and nephew as tenants on a small tobacco farm. As she struggles with her grandmother’s aging, her sister’s mental illness, and her own epilepsy, she realizes they might need more than she can give.

When Jane Forrester takes a position as Grace County’s newest social worker, she doesn’t realize just how much her help is needed. She quickly becomes emotionally invested in her clients' lives, causing tension with her boss and her new husband. But as Jane is drawn in by the Hart women, she begins to discover the secrets of the small farm - secrets much darker than she would have guessed.

Soon, she must decide whether to take drastic action to help them, or risk losing the battle against everything she believes is wrong. Set in rural Grace County, North Carolina in a time of state mandated sterilizations and racial tension, Necessary Lies tells the story of these two young women, seemingly worlds apart, but both haunted by tragedy. Jane and Ivy are thrown together and must ask themselves: How can you know what you believe is right, when everyone is telling you it’s wrong?

©2013 Diane Chamberlain (P)2013 Macmillan Audio

Great story!

Great story and excellent narration! I really did not want it to end. Loved it!

Eye opening

Page turner. It’s hard to believe situations like this have occurred. Heartbreaking at so many levels.

Heart tugging story

I could not put it down. This sorry really
Touched my heart. Must read and highly recommend!

Great Story

Historical novel accurately conveying the 1960’s. I enjoyed it very much. The southern accents by the reader was very believable.

Compelling!

I live in North Carolina. I do home visits with people all over the socioeconomic spectrum. Even though it's 2017 and not 1960, this book resonated in many ways. I listened to the book while driving between home visits. Sometimes I hated to turn it off to enter a client's. Other times I had to stop the player as it was too intense to listen and drive simultaneously. Well written, compelling characters and plot. A lesson in history as well. Highly recommend!

Exelent Read!!!

I loved every minute of this book! I loved the narrator and it kept my interest. Read it completely without stopping.

Excellent read on a controversial topic

Best audible book I've heard in a while. Great book for book club discussions.
Excellent writing on a difficult and controversial topic

Better than expected

This was so much better than I expected ! The story was well done, personalizing the very disturbing practice of involuntary sterilization in the US, especially in the poorer rural areas of the South. Absolutely stellar narration by Alison Elliott. I truely believe her reading made the story as effective and heartfelt as it is.

Could not stop listening

I am a nanny for twin babies and listened while I was walking around with them. The week I listened to this book we were averaging 7 miles a day! Fabulous

unbelievable

This is something I knew nothing about. I am a social worker and had intense empathy for everyone in the story.