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Necessary Lies [Kindle Edition]

Diane Chamberlain (Author)

4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (468 customer reviews)

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Length: 352 pages
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Product Description

Review

'We're big fans of Diane Chamberlain here at Bella and her latest novel doesn't disappoint ... This well-researched story is based on real events, which makes the sense of mounting unease all the more disturbing.' Bella 'It's an incredibly moving story very sensitively told, rich in character and atmosphere. I truly couldn't put it down.' Susan Lewis

Product Description

If you're a fan of Jodie Picoult, you'll love the latest novel by Diane Chamberlain, bestselling author of The Midwife’s Confession . . .

North Carolina, 1960. Newlywed Jane Forrester, fresh out of university, is seeking what most other women have shunned: a career.

But life as a social worker is far from what she expected. Out amongst the rural Tobacco fields of Grace County, Jane encounters a world of extreme poverty that is far removed from the middle-class life she has grown up with.

But worse is still to come. Working with the Hart family and their fifteen-year-old daughter Ivy, it’s not long before Jane uncovers a shocking secret, and is thrust into a moral dilemma that puts her career on the line, threatens to dissolve her marriage, and ultimately, determines the fate of Ivy and her family forever.

Soon Jane is forced to take drastic action, and before long, there is no turning back.

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Product details

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 2668 KB
Print Length: 352 pages
Publisher: Pan (1 Aug 2013)
Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.� r.l.
Language: English
ASIN: B00CRIWOA2
Text-to-Speech: Enabled

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Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (468 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #51 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #5 in Kindle Store > Books > Fiction > Romance > Contemporary
- #7 in Books > Fiction > Women Writers & Fiction
- #9 in Books > Fiction > Romance > Contemporary

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More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Diane Chamberlain Page

Award-winning author Diane Chamberlain, was born and raised in Plainfield, New Jersey, and attended Glassboro State University. She also lived for many years in both San Diego and northern Virginia, where she still resides.
Diane received her master's degree in clinical social work from San Diego State University.

Prior to her writing career, she was a medical social worker at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego and Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C. She also was a psychotherapist in private practice in Alexandria, Virginia., working primarily with adolescents. Diane's background in psychology and her work in hospitals has given her a keen interest in understanding the way people tick, as well as the background necessary to create real, living, breathing characters.

Several years ago, Diane was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, which has changed the way she works: she occasionally types using voice recognition software. She feels fortunate that her arthritis is not more severe and that she is able to enjoy everyday activities as well as keep up with a busy travel schedule.

When not writing, Diane enjoys fixing up her house, playing with her three-legged Bernese Mountain Dog, Bruin, getting together with her friends and grown stepdaughters, and singing with an interfaith gospel choir.

Diane is the author of the bestselling Midwife's Confession. Her new book Keeper of the Light is out in January 2012

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Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Read 8 Sep 2013

By Annette Bowstead

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was really looking forward to reading this book as I had read very good reviews. I wasn't disappointed. It is told from the perspective of the 2 main characters - Jane and Ivy. It is set in the 1960's in North Carolina. Jane is newly married and goes against her husband's wishes by wanting a career so becomes a social worker. Ivy is a young girl living with her family and working on a tobacco farm in abject poverty. Their two worlds meet and the result is a very powerful story. It makes for uncomfortable reading at times - mainly due to the fact of attitudes in 1960's America, but you are drawn into the story from the very first page. This is an excellent book and the fact that the Eugenics Programme actually happened makes for a fascinating read. Diane Chamberlain is an author who grips you from the word go and I would recommend this book wholeheartedly.

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24 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant and powerful, this is a must-read novel! 1 Aug 2013

By Zarina @ Page to Stage reviews

Format:Paperback

'Necessary Lies' centers on two young women, Jane Forrester and Ivy Hart. 22-year-old Jane recently married and is very much middle-class. Even though her husband Robert makes enough money as a pediatrician to support them both she's desperate to have her own job for a while, as she wants to help other people before she inevitably becomes pregnant and housebound. She manages to find a job as a social worker in the welfare department and when her boss has an accident Jane is thrown into the field much sooner than expected and quite unprepared she has to use her instincts to try to make the right decisions for the families in her care.

The Hart family is one of particular importance to Jane. Grandmother 'Nonnie' lives with her teenaged granddaughters Ivy and Mary Ella, and the latter's 2-year-old son Baby William, in a tiny little house on the land of the Gardiners. Ivy and Mary Ella's father was tragically killed in a farming accident when they were still little and Mr Gardiner feels responsible so lets them live in the house for free. In return, the Harts continue to work on his tobacco fields. Mary Ella is feeble minded and when she became pregnant aged just fourteen taking care of the family became Ivy's responsibility, despite her being two years her sister's junior. Now with Baby William roaming around looking for trouble around every corner and Nonnie becoming more ill and weaker by the day the strain is really getting to Ivy. The only thing she finds solace in is the secret nights spend with the Gardiners' son, Henry Allen, who is her boyfriend.

As Jane grows fond of the Hart family and uncovers some horrifying deep-buried secrets she has to decide whether she chooses to do what everyone says she should be doing, based solely on the fact that the Harts are living in extreme poverty and have a bleak future ahead of them, or what she thinks would be the right choice in their case - and Ivy in particular, a girl she sees a lot of potential in despite the discouraging circumstances.

Some months the majority of novels I read I can only classify as average at best and other months I read one amazing book after another; July definitely falls in the second category. I've been fortunate to receive some fantastic titles recently that while wildly different are all noteworthy, gripping and memorable. 'Necessary Lies' is all these things because it is an absolute eye-opener and a heartbreaking one at that. It's not only exceptionally well-written fiction but author Diane Chamberlain has also incorporated a piece of genuine history not often explored in commercial women's literature; the Eugenics Sterilization Program, which is something I'd associate with Nazi Germany not the swinging sixties.

In fact, the extreme poverty, racial segregation and general descriptions of rural North Carolina emit the feeling that the story is set in the late nineteenth century not the 1960s, as I can't imagine anyone living in these shocking conditions in the same period in the Netherlands which is when my parents were growing up. It is easy to get lost in long bygone days when reading the pages but then the mention of much more modern concepts, such as a television, pull the reader right back into the 20th century and the harsh realisation that these horrors happened really not all that long ago and perhaps behind closed doors may still be continuing.

Distressing and immensely sad yet also intriguing and educational, 'Necessary Lies' is a poignant and powerful must-read novel about family, exploitation and defying expectations based on wealth, race and social generalisations. Read more ›

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely social history based novel 18 Nov 2013

By Maz1

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

VERY GOOD BOOK!
Good story, good contextual historical setting, good style, all well connected and intriguing. It's easy to relate to the main characters and feel their dilemmas, pains and failings.
I am going to read more of Dianne Chamberlain, based on this experience.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping and emotional - I was blown away by this book! 9 Aug 2013

By Megan ReadingInTheSunshine TOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

I absolutely LOVE Diane Chamberlain's books, Every so often you find an author that makes you stop and think "WOW" and Diane Chamberlain is that for me, I first discovered her books many years ago and since then i have followed her and bought all of her novels. When I first heard about Necessary Lies, I was eagerly awaiting it among her many other loyal fans and I could not wait to get started!

In North Carolina in 1960, Jane Forrester is fresh out of university and soon to be married to a doctor. Whilst her husband to be is keen for her to be a housewife, having dinners on the table, joining the club of the other wives and concentrating on having children with him. But Jane has other ideas - she wants to be independent and pursue a career, and further to that, she wants to be in a career where she helps others. Much to the distaste of her husband, Jane starts working as a social worker, but the job is far from what Jane expected. She encounters a world of poverty unlike she's seen before, and whilst working with the Hart family, Jane uncovers a secret. But what can she do about it? What should her choices be? And at what risk?

Words cannot describe how much I LOVED this book. To say it is powerful is a big understatement. Diane's writing moved me in a way that I haven't been able to stop thinking about the story and the characters. Whilst I was cooking or even sleeping my mind was with Jane and the Hart family, and even after finishing, in my mind I'm already missing them and I feel like they have grown to become really good friends of mine.

The characters are PERFECTLY written. I liked Jane from the very beginning, she is your everyday hard-working girl who has the desire to have a career and help others. I warmed to her instantly and I became very emotionally involved with her, throughout the story I really got behind her and I was cheering her on as she made some huge decisions and went through with them. I was desperate to read on because I really wanted things to go well for her. I also loved Ivy, I won't say too much about her but I really liked her too and I felt I understood her, she was one of my favourite characters and I'm still thinking of her after finishing.

As is expected with a Diane Chamberlain, there are controversial topics explored and many moral dilemmas are brought up. This is what I love so much about Diane's books, she always makes you think and causes you to put yourself in the shoes of the characters involved. As i was reading I was constantly pondering my own views, would I have taken the same decisions? Would I have done something differently? How do I know what is right and what is wrong? I REALLY want to talk about it but I'm going to keep quiet because in this case it is best to go in without any outside influences, so that everything can unravel at the right tie and so you all can make up your own minds.

Above all, this is an extremely emotional novel. I couldn't concentrate on anything else whilst I was involved in this novel, and I even took to talking to my husband about the characters and their situations as though they were my best friends. I warn you: this is an emotional rollercoaster of a book! I laughed with them, I smiled at some scenes and my heart was touched by the beautiful writing and some of the actions of the characters, And at the same time there were some truly shocking moments that had me gasping for breath, I disliked certain characters with a passion and oh how I cried - I used up so many tissues sobbing.

Necessary Lies opens you up to a world of poverty, discrimination, and the harsh world that is sometimes around us. But in this novel there is also hope, strength courage and true determination. I was blown away by this novel, it is truly outstanding. Read more ›

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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars *** re previous post be ellalee *** 4 Aug 2013

By S. R. Johnson

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Previous post by ellalee relates to Her Mother's Shadow, not The latest book Necessary Lies, which is a standalone book, not part of a trilogy, as stated by this reviewer.

Can highly rate all of Diane Chamberlain's books, as I have read every one. Her depth of research is why her books are so well written and the storylines so gripping. Can't wait for the next!!

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10 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another amazing Diane Chamberlain book! 2 Sep 2013

By I'd-rather-read-a-book

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is possibly one of the most talented authors I have ever read. She never ceases to amaze me with her fantastic story-telling and the depth in which her research is done regarding the subject matter of her stories.

This book features the "Eugenics Program" heavily, which I had never heard of, but google it and you will find what an interesting and emotive format this is for a book.

Parts of this book, although shocking, are written sensitively and give a real insight into 1960's America, whilst telling a fictional story at the same time.

I wish that Diane could have continued the story a little longer, but only as I loved it so much. Amazing.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Lured in by The First Lie

Loved this book! I would recommend reading the prequel first 'The First Lie' just to get a bit of background in the main characters. The story is both heartbreaking and uplifting. Read more

Published 2 days ago by Mrs Julia Charles

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking

Fabulous read, action packed, humorous and thought provoking. Great to read and discuss at book club, our whole group enjoyed it. Highly recommend

Published 4 days ago by Mary T Hayes

4.0 out of 5 stars A page turner

Set in North Carolina, 1960, this is the story of Jane, a young social worker, and Ivy, a 15 year old who lives with her grandmother and older sister. Read more

Published 4 days ago by Julia Flyte

5.0 out of 5 stars vVery good book

Loved the.book. Some parts of the story were heartbreaking but so well written I could not put this book down once I had started to read.

Published 5 days ago by Archies mum

5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening and heartbreaking - one of those books everyone should...

I’m a big fan of Diane Chamberlain as it is, and for me this is her best yet. Necessary Lies is a wonderful book, it’s a brilliant and enlightening story wrapped up in her always... Read more

Published 6 days ago by StephanieIsReading

5.0 out of 5 stars Another brilliant book

As always an amazing book from Diane Chamberlain. Definitely worth reading , can't put down story which I recommend to all

Published 7 days ago by Sam

5.0 out of 5 stars well written

This book was as usual another well written book by Diane Chamberlain. I am quite a fan of hers and I was stunned that what happened to two of the characters in this book actually... Read more

Published 7 days ago by Smiglet

5.0 out of 5 stars Good

Love her books, try to read them all in order. Hope she writes lots more. They all have a true feel to them

Published 7 days ago by Mrs L Bowman

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing

Characters are really brought to life and the story line is amazing but also shocking. It made me more aware of the social injustices that happened for far too many years.

Published 8 days ago by Joan

5.0 out of 5 stars I looked forward to going to bed early to read this.

Hard to imagine these things happened not so very long ago. Would defo recommend this book.
Will check out the author

Published 10 days ago by Helen C.

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