This book is not an easy read, it is very well written. A long time ago women who got pregnant unmarried were sent away to have their babies. This book covers the hard times of the mothers, the babies need to find their roots when they become adults. It shows how awful it was living in those times. I enjoyed the sensitive way it was explored.

I started to read The Paper Bracelet, the new novel from Rachael English, several months ago but things got in the way and I left it one side. But it’s thanks to Anne for organising and inviting me onto the blog tour that I finally came back to this book and what a read it was. Once I picked it up again it did not leave my hand until I had turned to the very last page and realised what a stunning, emotional and important read this is. Rachael is a journalist and broadcaster here in Ireland and several years whilst interviewing women who had suffered in the Magdalene laundries, so commonplace right up until not that long ago, she was inspired to write this story.

The Paper Bracelet is very well researched and written showing great empathy to the horrific situation that so many women were forced to endure. Women and young girls who had fallen pregnant out of wedlock, some because of the most appalling circumstances, were sent away and incarcerated all because of something which happened more often than not because of things way out of their control. The conditions in these homes were dreadful and harrowing and the girls felt like they were abandoned and forgotten about whilst made to work to atone for their ‘sins’.

Rachael has certainly done their story justice and soon the reader is drawn into the story of Katie and, at the same time for the most part, a strong supporting cast of characters get to share their journeys. What makes this even more of a difficult read, apart from the subject matter, is that up until several years ago this was still going on in ‘homes’ all around Ireland. There was even one in the city in which I live but the author has written a powerful story and given all those women, and those babies who were taken away from them, a voice and their story has been told and will not be forgotten or confined to the realms of history.

Katie Carroll has recently lost her husband and is still deep in the grieving process but there is something else eating away at her and it has been for many years. Now she feels the time is right to take a special box from her wardrobe and to set about a task in the hopes of righting some wrongs and aiding the reunification of relationships and to help those who have been lost to find themselves and their families again. When Katie was younger she worked as a nurse in Carrigbrack, a mother and baby home. I’m sure there is not one person who has not heard of these dire, awful and intimidating places where many girls were sent having fallen on bad times or so there families would have thought.

Becoming pregnant out of wedlock or through other circumstances was more than frowned upon in tight laced Catholic Ireland and the best solution was to pack said person away to an ‘Aunt’ until the situation resolved itself. Instead the realities were very different as innumerable unmarried mothers were sent to these homes and made to clean and work in laundries whilst awaiting the birth of their babies. At the same time they were made by the nuns to think about and repent for their sins. They had to learn that actions had consequences and made to feel like utter scum. To say they weren’t treated with kindness and love during this time would be an under statement and it’s only in recent years the true horrors of what went on behind closed doors have come to light thanks to books like this and news reports in the Irish media of women willing to share their story and experiences.

Now Katie in some small way wants to unlock doors and, in the box, she had kept the bracelets of as many babies born during her time working in the home. These bracelets contained details of their birth but the mother’s name is missing. She hopes to reunite mothers and children and enlists the help of her niece Beth to do so. An online forum is set up and soon messages and enquiries are flooding in. You can’t help but think throughout all this, is Katie only doing this to alleviate some of the guilt at what she saw during her time spent working in the home? Surely she was complacent with what was going on as she did nothing to stop it? But perhaps she is genuine in her intentions? You can tell the guilt and unease eats away at her. She knows religion treated the girls like criminals and imprisoned them at a time which should be the happiest in their lives. No support or comfort was given. In reality they were victims who had no opportunities to do the right thing as no care and guidance were given to them. It’s hard to imagine that women, as in the nuns, could have been so cruel and hardened towards other women but in fact what went on was often unspeakable as the nuns barely showed any human qualities at all.

Through Katie’s quest she comes to know many people but in particular three people Gary, Brandon and Ailish, each have bracelets in the box and want to know their past and to figure out where they came from. Reuniting with their birth mothers is the ultimate goal. Out of these characters I preferred Ailish’s story the most. It brought home another issue which many people experience today and it was very well written. You could see her pain, hurt, anger and frustration but she wasn’t always strong enough to do anything about it. As well as this she was so desperate to find her mother and learn of the circumstances of how she came to be born in Carrigbrack that perhaps Katie and co would give her the strength to break free and pursue her dream.

Gary was a sort of washed up musician who didn’t know what he wanted from life and I didn’t really connect with his story that much although it was good to read of a male perspective as it was when it came to Brandon. Similarly I couldn’t warm to Brandon at all. He seemed selfish and too caught up in himself to realise that he needed to connect with Katie and discover more about the bracelet otherwise his marriage was in danger of going down the drain. Don’t get me wrong the men’s stories were interesting but I felt it was the women who played the strongest role in this book and they were the ones whose stories I was drawn to the most.

Interspersed between the chapters told in the present day were chapters told from the viewpoint of Patricia. At first I wondered why was she being included, as to me there seemed to be no relevance to the modern day, but it soon became apparent that she was one of these young girls sent to Carrigbrack. This was a great way of helping the reader to understand even more why Katie in the present was so determined to reunite the bracelets with their owners. We read of Patricia’s story and it brings us back down to earth with a bang as we journey with her during her pregnancy and incarceration in Carrigbrack. No details are spared and nor should they be.

You feel a real affinity to Patricia and her plight, she feels abandoned by her family and that she was never listened to. Rather she was packed off and forgotten about as if she was a problem that could easily be solved by disappearing from family life. Patricia does her best to try and cope with the regimes and the brainwashing enforced by the nuns as they believed they were doing right for the good of the country. I really felt for Patricia but at the same time I thought there was this special spirit and courage deep within her that would see her through the difficult, onerous and painful times.Overall , Patricia’s story mixed very well with the story in the present day.

The Paper Bracelet is a heartbreaking read full of secrets that you will leave you very emotional when you finishing reading it. But you will also be angry at what so many were forced to tolerate and experience. Why wasn’t anything done at the time and why only now years later are the true horrors coming to light? The powers that be have an awful lot to answer for and Rachael English has done her bit writing a worthy book that deserves to be read by many to gain a deeper understanding and a great respect for all those women. This story is written with sensitivity and tact and is a compelling and essential read.

Given the subject of this book, saying I enjoyed it feels a bit odd. But, I did really enjoy this.

I loved Beth, and found her feistiness and humour the perfect offset to Katie's slight reserve. They're the perfect Odd Couple, and I really loved watching them reunite some families.

I had my reservations about Gary at the beginning, when we first met him, but I warmed to him rather quickly. The other prominent male character in this, Keith, did not garner such favour.

This book covers quite a dark period of Ireland's social history, and it's an area I . . . enjoy? . . .reading about. I liked the portrayal of the Mother and Baby home, its inhabitants and the nuns/nurses there. It was well portrayed, and Rachael's research into the topic, hard as it must have been, paid off tenfold.

I absolutely recommend this book, as I do all of Rachael's other works. She's fast becoming one of Ireland's finest fiction writers.

Following the death of her husband Johnny, Katie Carroll decides to deal with the box in her wardrobe. The box is from her days working in a mother & baby home in the west of Ireland. It homes a notebook with details of the young mothers and their babies along with tiny paper identity bracelets.
Katie enlists the help of her niece Beth and together they embark on a mission to reunite the bracelets with their owners, and in turn reunite mothers & babies. Along the way, they encounter heartache, family strife, resentment and pure joy. Is Katie ready to deal with her own past as well as those she's trying to help?
This book, inspired by events that occurred throughout Ireland for far too long is an emotional tale that cuts so close to the bone. To think what countless young women and girls went through is rage-inducing. Highly recommend this book.

‘It’s not every town that has a story. It’s every village. Every street... We’re your neighbour, your friend, your aunt, your mother. We’re the women who left and the ones who stayed. Some of us have been able to talk. Others may yet get the chance.’

Recently widowed Katie is grappling with a shameful secret. Over half a century ago, she worked as a nurse in one of Ireland’s infamous mother and baby homes. Then, she collected the identity bracelets of the babies taken from their mothers. Now, seeking to atone for her past, she sets out on a mission to reunite these bracelets with their rightful owners, and pass on the information she has about their mothers. But the past is a difficult place, and Katie may soon realise that some people feel that their secrets are best left hidden...

I've personally always been fascinated by the mother and baby homes in Ireland, and the complexities associated with them. I have a relative in my own family who had a similar experience but in England, and so it is always something that I find interested to read about, especially when a book utilises a different perspective. In this case, you hear from a multitude of voices, both past and present. These include: Katie in the present, Pauline in the past, and a few other present day characters who represent the titular bracelets, and are seeking Katie’s help in finding their birth mothers.

I loved how, by writing from the POV of multiple people seeking their birth mothers, you got a really varied insight into the possible outcomes that came about for those who were adopted in such a way. I also thought it was a real strength to write from the perspective of a character who worked in one of these homes, and to be able to make Katie a likeable and sympathetic character in spite of her role in past events shows truly skilled writing. Now I won't lie, there were times where this did feel a little slow. But personally I do not feel that is a weakness when considering a subject matter such as this one. Instead, it gives you times to reflect on what you've just read, and engage with what is soon to come. And I also felt that the lulls were very reflective of what it would actually be like to be searching for your biological mother, which I'm such is a journey that ebbs and flows.

All in all, I found this to be a very moving and important read, that reflects on an awful time in Irish history with clarity and grace. To read about the wrongs of the past is always a difficult experience, and I think for many readers who may have family members who went through such trauma this will be a very poignant and harrowing reading experience. But it is our duty to read about the sins of our fathers, to learn the lessons they did not and ensure that their mistakes are never again repeated.

This was my first time reading a book by Rachel English and boy was I not disappointed. I loved this book from start to finish and read it over the course of one day. English is a powerful story teller and her plot ran seamlesslessly from start to finish. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC

One of a number of books written about the treatment of young women in Irish mother and baby homes - we live in very different times now & it can be hard for some people to understand why this was allowed to happen, but it did & this book gives some idea about what it was like to be placed in one and how this has affected many generations. Although not an explicit part of the storyline, I do feel that we also get an insight into the mindsets of some of the nuns who were part of the regime - they were also doing what they felt was right given the teachings of the time.

The book is written in dual timelines & from a couple of perspectives.
In the modern day we have Katie, a seventy yr old widow who had worked as a nurse at the mother & baby home and who somehow kept the name bracelets of babies born during her time there. With the help of her niece Beth, she decides to attempt to reunite them with the "babies" they belonged to & let know something of their mothers where possible.
In the past, we have Patricia, a twenty year old girl who is sent to the home, lives the tough regime & ultimately gives birth to a son who is taken from her.

The book is fiction but there are aspects that are based on real stories & the author does well to weave these together

Overall the book took a little while to "get into", maybe this is because its not an "easy" read, but once I did, I needed to keep reading to find out what happened. It's a well paced book and there is a "twist" towards the end that is not quite what was expected yet isn't a complete surprise either. It works well in pulling the story together. Enjoyed isn't quite the right word, but I am very glad I read this book

Disclaimer: I received an advance reader copy of this book free via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Katie has kept this box for almost 50 years. It contains the bracelets belonging to babies during her time working as a nurse in one of the infamous Catholic Homes for Unmarried pregnant women, Carrigbrack. She enlists the help of her niece, Beth, to return them to those babies who are now grown adults. Almost all were adopted and most have no idea who their birth parents were. Alongside this modern day story we follow Patricia who is in Carrigbrack. We follow the last days of her pregnancy, the birth and the aftermath.
There have been various stories of a similar nature in recent years concentrating on the Irish Mother and Baby homes of the 50s, 60s and early 70s. Some of these are seriously thought provoking and emotional whilst other fall short of the mark. I would class this as slightly above average although it did not emotionally get under my skin as much as I expected. Although I sympathised and got cross on behalf of these mothers and their children, I did not get deeply emotionally involved. I was very much looking in from the outside as opposed to being part of the story. I was happy enough with this andgenerally enjoyed the story as a well written, well constructed book.
The characters in this book are generally very nice. Sometimes too nice. We follow Katie & Beth and a few of the children they are trying to reunite with their parents - Brandon in America, Gary Winters a famous rock start and Ailish a housewife from County Clare. There are aspects of these people and their lives which were quite unpleasant but that didn't come across as well as I would have liked. A bit more depth in the characters would have been good.
I enjoyed this book - it was well written and I do like books which run in two time scales. I didn't quite feel enough throughout this book so wished for a bit more emotional depth - or maybe it is just me!
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

This is a beautiful and well written story. Loved the theme of finding relatives and the connections that are made along the way. As I'm interested in genealogy and family research this was a big hit for me.

The characters are very likeable and engaging.

A recommended read.

Thank you Hachette Books and NetGalley.

This so not the kind of book I'd normally read, but I absolutely loved it. Having never known my birth father I could relate on one level. But how must have those young girls felt, having to go to an 'institution' until they'd given birth to their child, only to have in ripped away from them 😔

I really enjoyed this story about a nurse, Katie, who used to work in a mother and baby home in Ireland in the 1960s, when the single pregnant mothers were hidden away in shame to have their baby, and the babies were then taken away from them and adopted by 'proper' parents.

Whilst there Katie collected the paper bracelets they used for the babies wrists and made notes of the names of the girls and their babies.  Katie is in her 70s and her husband has recently died, and she now feels the time is right to try and help some of them be reunited.  So with the help of her niece she posts on an internet forum and things start getting really interesting with multiple people looking for their birth mothers.

There are plenty of surprises along the way, with some people happy and others not so happy, but it unearths plenty of stories along the way.  I really liked the way the story flicked back and forth between the 1960s and the present day and gave you a real feeling of how things used to be, very sad in parts.

There was plenty of will they/won't they find who they're looking for, and it is defintely a page-turner, you just want to know if they find who they are looking for and what the outcome will be.  There's also secrets being kept... which eventually come out towards the end of the book.

A really thought-provoking but fascinating book about how things used to, unfortunately, be for single pregnant mothers in Ireland.  A great read, with a really satisfying ending.

An absolutely beautiful yet heart wrenching read at the same time, this was beautifully written, the characters well developed and so lovely. This will stay with you long after you turn the last page,despite emotional tales it’s full of such hope too. Beautiful.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

A lovely and well written story, heart-wrenching and poignant.
i liked the storytelling, the realistic and interesting characters and the well crafted plot.
It's engrossing and moving, a good read that I recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Wow. This is my first Rachael English novel and it was fabulous. The telling of the stories of the women who suffered in the late 60's and 70's in Ireland, because they became unmarried and pregnant was done in a sensitive manner.

I loved this book, the story was amazing and the history behind it all and what happened in Ireland was eye opening. It’s had to imagine what life was like back in the 60s and 70s when women were pregnant and this gives you a good insight. Would highly recommend

A deeply moving book based on true events taken place in a mother a baby care home in Ireland where the young vulnerable girls went to have their babies and were forced to given them up for ask by The Catholic church. The tale is told by the now 60 year old nurse Kate , who is trying to track down the mothers to return their infants brackets from when they were born.in the hope of reuniting families.A really beautiful read that will resonate with many in Ireland and across the water, to lands they flocked to forget the
trauma they endured.

A very emotional book which is based on true events. It is beautifully written, sympathetic without being over sentimental. The main characters are all relatable and as the book unfolds you really care about what happens to them. I would strongly recommend this book.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I enjoyed this story very much and felt like I knew each character personally due to the description of them. I enjoyed the storyline. This is not my usual genre but in this instance I am extremely pleased and grateful for opening up my mind to something totally different. Thanks again.

"For almost fifty years, Katie has kept a box of secrets.
It dates from her time working as a nurse in a west of Ireland mother and baby home, and contains a notebook with details of the babies and young women she met there. It also holds many of the babies' identity bracelets."

This book was well written going backwards and forward between present day as theBabies from 50 years ago got in touch to find their Mothers, and the stories of the actual time in the mother and baby home. Some of the stories were heartbreaking. I found it a great read of a very sensitive subject.
The characters were well rounded and sympathetically

As one character says in describing the mothers
"She's tended to the of the women as one sad homogeneous group. That wasn't fair, Some had been gifted, some dull-witted, some hilarious, some kind. They'd been as gorgeous and glorious, as complex and difficult as any collection of young people"

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48662525-the-paper-bracelet

This is a brilliant book, you will love it!

The story of the treatment of young women in Irish mother and baby homes has been on the press in recent years and has always bewildered me as to how and why this was allowed to happen. Whilst this story does not provide those answers it does give insight and perspective as to what it was like to be placed in one and how this has affected generations of communities.

Told in dual timelines, we meet Katie who had worked as a Nurse at the fictional mother and baby home, Carrigbrack. Having kept the name bracelets of babies born under her care she decides to unite them with the children they belonged to with the help of her niece, Beth.

We also meet Patricia, hidden away by her family and forced to relinquish her son Paul. Within her narrative we meet others in the home and learn of the cruel treatment by those who claimed to be doing gods work.

I kept having to remind myself that this was based on real accounts as the encounters with the nuns and their treatment of women was so brutal. And whilst these tales were incredibly moving the book does ensure some happy endings.

I enjoyed (if that’s the right word) every single line written, and think The author has told these women’s story in a compassionate narrative that makes me want to read more of her books and more of the subject matter.