Review: RUST & STARDUST by T. Greenwood

Thank you so much St. Martin’s Press for providing my free copy – all opinions are my own. 

Description: 

Camden, NJ, 1948. When 11 year-old Sally Horner steals a notebook from the local Woolworth’s, she has no way of knowing that 52 year-old Frank LaSalle, fresh out of prison, is watching her, preparing to make his move. Accosting her outside the store, Frank convinces Sally that he’s an FBI agent who can have her arrested in a minute―unless she does as he says.

My Review: 

This book is phenomenal, heart-wrenching, incredibly emotional, and almost poetic. It’s based on the real-life, 1940s case of Sally Horner which inspired Nabokov’s Lolita, and just like Lolita, this book shows how men are capable of being monsters. Eleven-year-old Sally was raised by a single mom and didn’t have many friends. So when a group of girls asked her to do a dare, such as steal a notebook from the drugstore in order to be part of their group, she accepted. After she successfully shoplifted the notebook, she was stopped right outside by a man claiming to be an FBI agent. Of course this man was no FBI agent, but a convicted sex offender named Frank La Salle. He talked Sally into meeting up with him again to avoid getting in trouble and this starts the worst years of this poor girl’s life.

This book does contain very difficult subject matter but I am well versed in the novel Lolita so I knew what to expect – and this particular novel exceeded all of my expectations. Greenwood is a very gifted writer and I was glued to every page. Told in alternating perspectives of Sally, her mother Ella, her sister Susan, and other various characters as the manhunt for Sally widens, I was entranced by this story. I highly recommend you read the author’s note at the end as it provides additional insight. What Sally endured is horrific, gruesome, and men like Frank are loathsome. Greenwood does a brilliant job making Sally’s voice heard, and at times I felt like I was right there with her. Seriously, RUST & STARDUST is such an amazing book and Greenwood deserves all the stars for this one.

My rating is 5 out of 5 stars! 

Click here to purchase on Amazon. 

Comments

5 responses to “Review: RUST & STARDUST by T. Greenwood”

  1. Janel - Keeper of Pages Avatar

    Hey Janelle, just checking in with my insta handle, @keeperofpages, although I’m pretty sure you know who I am, and that I follow you 😉😂 you should also know that I really want this book, but at the same time, I’m nervous to read it due to the subject matter.

  2. Alison Avatar

    My instagram is @ali_likes_to_read. I have been a little apprehensive about reading this book because I have been reading too many books with a similar subject matter lately and I think I am getting a little overwhelmed… but your review has encouraged me to keep this book on my tbr list.

  3. Heather Wisher Avatar

    Omg Yesss!!! This book was heartbreaking! It was so well written too!

  4. Erika H Avatar
    Erika H

    This was such a great book! I just finished reading it! So heartbreaking, but beautifully written! My IG handle is sweet_books_o_mine

  5. Nature.books.and.coffee Avatar

    My instagram is nature.books.and.coffee…sorry forgot to put it in my comment before!

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