The Paper Bracelet is an emotional story inspired by true life events. I am sure many people are aware of mother and baby homes where young women, in years gone by, were sent to have their babies if they were pregnant and unmarried. Conditions were often harsh and babies were removed from women without their consent.

This book looks at the story from the point of view of Katie, a former nurse at the fictional mother and baby home Carrigbrack, in the west of Ireland. Katie has recently lost her husband and begins to take stock of her life. While Katie worked at the home as a young nurse, she tried to make life a little easier for the women there and kept a record of many of the babies who were born there. Completely against the rules, she kept the paper bracelets for each child which recorded very basic details about them. Now, with the help of her beloved niece Beth, she becomes determined to reunite the bracelets with the babies and ultimately their mothers.

As I mentioned at the beginning, what makes this book a very emotionally engaging read was the fact that any of these stories could be true as all these kind of events did take place. By focusing on a few particular cases, the author made me feel very connected to the characters and eager for them to find a resolution. As I'm sure happened in real life, we see that not all the stories have a happy ending. Some searches are unsuccessful, some mothers do not want reunited with their children having hidden their past from their families, sometimes it is too late and a reunion cannot happen because of a death. But there are some mothers who were desperate to hear from their children and overjoyed to have contact again and it was those particular stories which I found so poignant to read about.

The Paper Bracelet was a very moving story which at times was upsetting to read, particularly when reading about the treatment of the women in the home, but at other times was joyful. The author told this story with great sensitivity and in my opinion perfectly balances the heart-breaking strands of the story with the heart-warming aspects. I found The Paper Bracelet an engaging, thought-provoking and compelling read.

This is a great book from Rachael English where she takes the real life experience of unwed mothers in the Magdelen laundries and weaves a tale that brings it to life. Using two timelines, we follow the story of a girl in mid 20th Century Ireland, pregnant after an affair with a married man and an older woman in the present day with a hidden box of paper bracelets.

I think the author really engages the emotions with her tale of the young mothers in Carrigbrack, an institution for fallen women. Our main character admits her pregnancy to her parents and the parish priest is called in, he organises a place at the home and she is whisked away before she can bring shame on her family. Renamed Patricia by the nuns she is our eyes and ears inside the home. The author uses a lot of characters to give us a full breadth of experience. Some girls are young teenagers, unable to consent, so therefore victims of abuse and rape, further traumatised as they’re banished by their parents and put under a regime of work and prayer to atone for their ‘sin’. Older young women, so cowed by the church and their families they see this as the only way to manage what’s happened to them. Work can be in the gardens or the laundry, which is really back breaking or in the kitchens and house, but either way the girls are expected to work until they are in labour. Winnie really pulled at my heartstrings. So full of life and mischief, and beautiful with freckles and curly black hair. She is Patricia’s first friend, but has her hair hacked off for insubordination and tragically isn’t believed when she goes into labour while working in the laundry. Her story brought tears to my eyes.
In the present day, Katie and her niece Beth are just starting to live together in Dublin, after Katie’s husband dies. While tidying out the wardrobe, Katie finds an old box she’s kept for a long time. It has paper baby bracelets from her time as a nurse in Carrigbrack. Beth works as the current day’s eyes on what happened years before. She’s shocked and even disappointed with her aunt at varying points in the book and asks the questions the reader might be thinking. She can’t believe this was widespread, that whole families allowed the church to intervene in their lives and that a church so committed to the teachings of Christ could be so cruel. Their decision to try and help reunite people with their bracelet is Katie’s way of making amends. She may also be able to help some mothers and babies find each other again, because she has a little notebook where she jotted any details she could remember. They use the internet to place a post with the relevant dates and the author creates an interesting set of characters to respond. I did find myself struggling to follow various names back and forth at this point: the nuns change the names of the young women; often the babies are named by their birth mother, the nuns, their adoptive parents; nuns change their names as they enter and leave the order. However, it does bring a level of mystery to the novel and there is tension in trying to work out who belongs to who! I found this novel so respectful to the experience of this women, terribly sad but also incredibly hopeful.

My review will be completed and be part of the upcoming blog tour.

What a great read, interesting topic, actually taught me quite a lot as wasn’t aware of these issues. Main characters really pulled me into the story. Would recommend

Beautifully written book, based on true events at a mother and baby home in Ireland in the 1970’s..
A highly emotional read, which I enjoyed very much..

I have read several books about the unlawful adoptions in Ireland and have always found the subject matter deeply moving and emotional so I was eager to read The Paper Bracelet by Rachael English.
This is also my first book by this author.
Unfortunately I just did not connect with the characters or the storyline and was left feeling very unmoved and indifferent throughout. I found myself thinking about giving up several times but kept on going hoping something would change but it didn't.
Reading other people's reviews on this book makes me think this could be me and not the book and giving the strange new world we find ourselves in, perhaps I should put this down my emotions being affected by Lockdown.
I've given this a generous 3 stars because the book is well written but it just didn't work for me at all.

The story is set in Ireland, a midwife has delivered hundreds of babies. Brilliantly written. Keeps your emotions on a high.

Now I'm pretty sure the majority of people have heard of the Mother and Baby homes in Ireland in the 70's and the horrendous treatment those poor girls endured. I myself have previously read a couple of books based around these homes but never before have I read one written so beautifully.

Rachael English totally captures you within the first chapter and doesn't let you out of her grip. I was left wrung out emotionally by the last chapter, it broke my heart in places and had me smiling wildly in others.

Written in the past from the POV of Patricia and the present from the point of view of Katie, both stories interweave and grab you by your heart strings. I must admit I feel guilty by saying I really enjoyed Patricia's story, if enjoyed is the word? It wasn't enjoyable reading the diabolical treatment the girls were put through but there was something about Patricia's chapters that had a real hold on me.

Rachael has managed yo tell a truly heartbreaking story beautifully and with real grace and dignity as a reflection to the girls that would once have been basically imprisoned in these so called catholic homes, if that is the way that God has willed the Nuns to behave towards th poor girls than I hope they burn in hell (especially sister Sabina)

Rachael you have done those girls proud and once again written one hell of a book!

Huge thanks to netgalley and Headline for the ARC.

Outstanding it felt like I was reading someone’s memoirs or an autobiography I loved it the story was so accurate it could of been real I don’t see the twist comeing I was on the edge of my seat at every bracelet that was given back

Very poignant, fantastic book which to be shortlisted cleanliness, friendship and adaptation. I won't lie this book hasn't look had me very emotional at times, and I just hope that these stick with me during and beyond the boo.
Great

based in a fictional mother and baby home depicts the difficulties adopted chidren have trying to find their birth parents. The book delves into personal lives of the people involved . The author interweaves the stories past and present very well. There was a Couple of interesting twists along the way. Having read a previous book by Rachael English i looked forward to this - and it did not disappoint.

For almost fifty years, Katie Carroll has kept a box tucked away inside her wardrobe. It dates from her time working as a nurse in a west of Ireland mother and baby home in the 1960s. The box contains a notebook holding the details of the babies and young women she met there. It also holds many of the babies' identity bracelets.
Following the death of her husband, Katie makes a decision. The information she possesses could help reunite adopted people with their birth mothers, and she decides to post a message on an internet forum. Soon the replies are rolling in, and Katie finds herself returning many of the bracelets to their original owners. She encounters success and failure, heartbreak and joy. But is she prepared for old secrets to be uncovered in her own life?

The book was a great book. It kept my attention throughout the entire book. The author is a new author to me, but she reminded me of Diane Chamberlain, who is one of my favourite authors.

I did guess the twist at the end, but purely think this is because of the amount of thrillers and suspense novels that I read. I felt that the twist was a good twist.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for asking me to read and review.
This story was a wonderful read.
It is well written with some great characters and as a reader you feel you are right there with them. The plot draws you in and keeps you turning those pages.
A brilliant, heartwarming read.

This is a heartfelt and heartbreaking story about Katie, a nurse who worked for a while at an Irish mother and baby home and whilst there collected the paper bands the babies were given at birth. Years later she decides to try reunite the bands with the babies, and maybe the mothers with the help of her niece. I like the balance of viewpoints in this as although Katie is the main character we also get to follow the searches of some of the babies (now in their mid forties) as well as chapters detailing the experience of Patricia, a twenty year old who was sent there when her parents learnt of her pregnancy. It does a fantastic job of highlighting this tragic issue without being too hard hitting however it explains the problems facing both mothers and babies trying to trace each other extremely well. This is beautifully written and enjoyable despite the pain of the subject matter.

I loved this book. Despite the subject matter of the unfortunate girls who were incarcerated in a Mother and Baby home and forced to give up their babies the book is very uplifting. The main character Katie once a nurse in the home held onto babies bracelets and goes about helping mothers and the now grown up adoptees to find each and reunite. There are some great characters in the book and good side stories also. Theres a good twist towards the end which I had partially guessed at (I thought though it would be Margo!). I couldn't put the kindle down once I started reading this. The book is a terrific depiction of the dark side of the Catholic Church's hold over a poor meek Irish population with the collusion of the state. Because the book is set in the present it demonstrates vividly how all this happened not very long ago. Many thanks to the author and Netgalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, it tells the story of Katie, a nurse who worked in an Irish Convent back in the day when unwed mothers were sent there to have their babies who were then taken away for adoption, though the mothers often had to stay and work off their “keep”.

Katie kept a small box of keepsakes from her time there, all the paper bracelets she could of the babies born there to be able to return them to the children. Sat in the back of her wardrobe, after her husband’s death she teams up with her niece, Beth, to return them to their rightful owners.

This was a beautifully written story, uncovering some unknown truths and the horrors of the home. The Author has done a great job of describing the time period and attitudes towards unmarried mothers and the conditions of the home. She describes the impact this has on the lives of everyone involved and shows that while some of the children are keen to get in touch with their birth mothers and have a happy ending not all do and not all have a happy ending.

In order to give a full feedback my only negative was that her niece, Beth is LGBT which, although explained slightly her relationship issues with her mother, seemed a bit forced in, and a distraction and another storyline to follow but it’s not very well developed so doesn’t detract from the overall story.

A really well written story about a very sad time in our history, complete fiction but completely immersive.

This book was fab - it is very different to my usual "crime" reads I enjoy. It tells the story of Katie = a midwife working in Ireland in a convent, where girls got sent, when pregnant and were disgraced by their families. They would go there to give birth and hand over their babies for adoption. The story flits from past to present and looked through the eyes of Katie and Patricia, a young girl there to give up her baby when the time is right.. K atie has kept the little bracelets from the babies born and wants to get them back to there rightful owners. With the help of her niece she decides to do this - the stories are sad and shocking. Its an addictive read and you want to find out how it ends. Happily hopefully!

Kate worked as a nurse in a mother and baby home in the early 1970’s, she kept a shoebox filled with baby bracelets and a notebook of names to remind her of the girls and the children that were born there.
After the death of her husband Kate decides that she would like to help the mothers and babies who will now be in their forties to reconnect with each other.
A sad story about the way girls were treated in Ireland at that time, they were left with no choice but to give their babies away.
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

"For almost fifty years, Katie Carroll has kept a box tucked away inside her wardrobe. It dates from her time working as a nurse in a west of Ireland mother and baby home in the 1960s. The box contains a notebook holding the details of the babies and young women she met there. It also holds many of the babies' identity bracelets.

Following the death of her husband, Katie makes a decision. The information she possesses could help reunite adopted people with their birth mothers, and she decides to post a message on an internet forum. Soon the replies are rolling in, and Katie finds herself returning many of the bracelets to their original owners. But is she prepared for old secrets to be uncovered in her own life?"

This book reminded me of the book/film Philomena, and the Magdalene Sisters, so it was very easy to picture the story in my mind's eye from the hard work in the launderette to the unsympathetic and frankly cruel nuns who were looking after the young unmarried mothers. Rachael English, the Author, has done a marvellous job of describing that time period, with it's attitudes towards pregnant girls, feelings of shame and disgust from the families and life-long distress that the young mothers felt having had their babies snatched away from them and the feelings of injustice, cruelty and spitefulness that they received from the nuns, institutions and all those in charge.

Katie does a wonderful job of trying to reunite all the bracelets with the babies, and the babies with their mothers, with the help of her niece Beth, meanwhile carrying a shameful secret of her own. All the characters are well written and I warmed to most of the mothers and children, but I had a soft spot for Eddie and Eunice.

The ending comes together beautifully right back where we started and warmed my heart.

A really thoughtful and considered examination of one (fictionalised) mother and baby home in Ireland, and the long-lasting impact it had on the lives of so many. Katie, our main character, was a nurse in a mother and baby home in the seventies. She kept hold of many of the paper identity bracelets that the home placed around babies' wrists when they were born. Now, almost fifty years later, Katie is finally ready to share her secret. By helping the men and women who were born and adopted out of the home - sometimes secretly, sometimes falsifying documents, but always shrouded in an atmosphere of shame and paternalism - Katie hopes to gain something and to help these strangers discover their roots. The book proceeds to introduce us to several men and women who were adopted out of this mother and baby home, and their story of joy, heartbreak, triumph and loss will help Katie to heal from her own tragic past. But is she ready to share her own secrets, as she uncovers an era of secrecy and shame?

There are several intertwining narratives in this book. Primarily, we have Katie, our former nurse, who posts her message online and begins to help people find (and sometimes reunite with) their birth parents. Alongside this, we learn about several of the men and women who were adopted and are now seeking their birth story - Gary, an ageing rock star who needs to come to terms with the consequences of his lifestyle, Ailish, a mother of four whose overbearing husband is dead set against her seeking her earliest origins, and Brandon, whose American upbringing feels a million miles away from his beginning in Co Clare - but whose bracelet reveals secrets he might not be ready to hear. Alongside these stories is that of Beth, Katie's niece, who assists her in her search for the mothers and babies from the Carrigbrack home.
The mother and baby home portrayed in the book is fictional, but the stories, the shame, the secrecy of unmarried mothers is very real, and a not particularly distant element of Ireland's history. By juxtaposing Katie, who was deeply involved in the abuses which existed in the laundries against the baffled anger of younger characters such as Beth and Brandon, English manages to portray the heartbreak, the shame, and the all-pervading eye of the church that permeated Irish life with such brutal impacts. Mixing human interest stories with real statistics of Irish society - in 1967, for example, as the narrative states (and this is true), 97% of illegitimate babies were adopted. The difficulty and heartbreak of trying to trace your origins when paperwork has been lost (whether negligently or deliberately), names falsified, documents modified, and when everyone around is unwilling to even acknowledge the wrong that was done to these women is delicately but searingly portrayed. English doesn't hold back in acknowledging that this is one of the most shameful, terrible aspects of Irish history. But in doing so, this book isn't a diatribe against the tyranny of the Church. It's much more than that. It's a gentle, lyrical exploration of family and origin, belonging and meaning, and the bonds we form with those around us.
If I had any complaints, they were minor. I would have liked Beth's character to be a little more developed. I enjoyed that she was LGBT+, but the fact that it was a major point of conflict for her with her mother (when there was already so much else going on in the book!) felt like a needless addition which detracted from the story as a whole. That's minor, though, very minor.
Overall, this was a gripping and very well-written exploration of very human stories in the face of an utterly inhumane regime.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. What an emotional read about Kate who was a nurse in the 1960's, this book bought back lots of memories. Really enjoyed it.