What Happened To Polly

by Jennifer Hanning

Carmel Hamilton makes a selfish decision, resulting in the kidnapping of her little sister, Polly. The situation is further exacerbated when the girls' mother sustains dreadful injuries, following the reappearance of a man from her past.

The blame for the disintegration of the Hamilton family weighs heavily on Carmel's young shoulders. Shunned by her father and older sister, she plunges into the depths of guilt and misery, growing up believing she will never again be deserving of love. Instead, she pours her energy into building wealth, while using men for her own means.

Ellis Towers makes it his mission to break the chains that bind her heart. He finds the key to unlock the Hamiltons' deeply buried secrets – but what he discovers could further destroy Carmel's entire family.

Polly is closer than anyone imagines.

What Happened to Polly is a powerful story of love and despair, and of hope and redemption.

Genres: Mystery, Drama, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Thriller, Chick Lit

312 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 21, 2011

About the author

Hello. I am a New Zealander who has lived most of my life in Australia. I worked in the software development industry for over 20 years before leaving to take up yoga studies and indulge in my first passion, writing. These days I enjoy a perfect balance between teaching yoga/meditation classes and creating my stories.

Although my younger years were rather turbulent, I have no regrets about the unfortunate choices I made back then. In retrospect, my experiences colour the dark lessons I had to learn and give me a deeper understanding of a wide range of personalities.

Here are my current books.

Mystery/drama, What Happened to Polly http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006OU2NNM

Historical Romance/Spiritual, Moongolly http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0072Z5FGK

Flash Fiction Collection, Teatime Twists www.amazon.com/Teatime-Twists-ebook/d...

Enjoy :-)

Reviews

[Jonathan Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Polly is a small child who one day goes to the fair with her elder sister (also a child). She gets tied to a railing while the sister goes on a fairground ride. When she gets off the ride, Polly is gone. It's a frightening premise, and sadly a topical one too.

The author creates a very believable cast, especially the three sisters involved. They each have their own distinctive character and this is important as the reader jumps from character to character.

As we find out what happened to Polly, we watch the sister who tied her to the railing struggle with guilt and family secrets are unearthed. Relationships are pushed to breaking point. The fall out from the kidnapping is immense and fascinating to watch.

My only reservation is that one of the character's actions (I won't say which - no spoilers here!) slightly jar with their age at the time. I didn't quite believe that someone that young would behave in such a way. However, it's not too big an issue.

The book is a highly readable family drama / thriller and features characters I really cared for. By the time I finished the book (I read from 4 till 7 am this morning to help me get back to sleep but I ended up unable to stop reading!), I felt emotionally drained and it was something of a relief to leave the characters behind! But, it was all worth it and I highly recommend the book!

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book . About a child that was taken and many years later the truth comes out about how and what happened that day. Her sister felt it was her fault for many years. The whole family was divided apart . Can they all come together and make a life of the family that was back then. Surprise no one knew who the other one was since they havent seen or talked to each other for many years.

[Dorel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I read by Jennifer Hanning. It kept my interest from the beginning to the end. I found the book sad but some things in the book really shocked me as well. I really loved the ending. I would definitely read more books by this author.

[A.B. Shepherd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always been intrigued by the stories of the Beaumont children, and other children that go missing without a trace so I was intrigued to see how this author would handle a similar situation.

This was an interesting read, exploring how this tragic event (events) impacted a family.

[Liane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly good read, with lots of unexpected twists and turns. A very "hard to put down" book. Invoked so many different emotions, loved it.

[Karrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I found that i was kept in suspense all through the. Did not even guess the ending. Recommend this book to all my friends. Fantastic read

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.. The complexity of this family is unreal. The main character is so complex and is a joy to get to know.

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

very gripping mystery tale with very believable characters. definitely worth a read.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carmel makes a selfish decision as a child that haunts the rest of her life. While she is supposed to be watching her younger sister, Polly, she decides she wants to go on a carnival ride. She Tues her sister to the fence with a hair ribbon. When she gets off the ride, her sister is gone. After searching the carnival, she rushed home to find that her mother has sustained severe injuries caused by a man from her mother's past. Her mother is now in a catatonic state. Her father and older sister seem to blame her for her mother's situation as much as her sister's disappearance. Carmel grows up to be a woman who seems to have issues with having relationships until she meets Ellis. Over the years, Carmel has continued to visit her mother in the hospital. Ellis, a computer programmer, comes up with a program that helps her mother communicate. Meanwhile, after the death of the only person she has known as her father, Polly discovers the truth about what happened to her. She decides to find her biological family. At times the story goes slowly, but it really is an amazing story. I don't want to give away too much, but there is a bit of a twist as to what happened the day Polly disappeared and their mother was injured.

[B J Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those novels which is very hard to review without giving away important elements of the plot. The title might give the impression that this might be a gruesome account of the sufferings of a kidnap victim, but be reassured – it isn’t. It is a well-written, thought-provoking and involving account of the long-term aftermath of the snatching of a young child.
The characters are convincingly drawn. The plot twist at the end came as a complete surprise. Recommended.

[DianaAitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't expect to enjoy this book for some reason - maybe the cover pic! lol I got it as a freebee some weeks ago and kept putting off starting it, but once I did I found it riveting.

It's a real lesson in "don't judge a book by the cover"!!

I really enjoyed it

[Lillie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definitely not a predictable book following a typical genre plot. It's really the story of a dysfunctional family. Although it's not exactly a happy ever after ending, it's a satisfactory ending.

[Sabina D'agliano · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a page turner.... characters are well developed and story is strong. I think most peeps who love character driven books would enjoy the psychological twists this book gives you! Loved it!!!!

[Isabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bon livre aux personnages très attachants.
Ce n'est pas tant un thriller, qu'un drame familial à l'intrigue habillement tortueuse et dont la fin se révèle surprenante.

[Juniper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jennifer is a great storyteller. You can't go wrong with this book. A rollercoaster of emotions that you will love

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story ... liked the character development. Interesting journey with a good level of resolution at the end.

[Jax · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started reading this on Kindle on November 18th 2013. A story of guilt and family dynamics and a search for identity too. Definitely an intriguing read and a twist at the end.

[Connie Dial · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book and Designs on Daisy both very enjoyable. Waiting for the third book now . Read the second book first but it didnt spoil my enjoyment of both books.

[Margaret Boehm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mystery.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

Good

the story is one that shows how the hurtful words and treatment of families can damage a person mentally.the ending is a surprise.

[Angela Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

I. Really enjoyed reading the book. I can't wait to read the second book. I would recommend it to anyone

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story with a few twists. Highly recommend.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice read.

[bex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow initially but I guess 3*. Having read second before this might have made a difference.

[g evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

Not the best book I’ve ever read - that Centennial by Michener. But, a pleasant read none the less. An easy read

[Margaret P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the twists and turns of this and found I had to keep reading to find out how everything ended - Read it if you want to find out!

[S Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing story that kept me reading but it also left me unsatisfied. All the loose ends were tied up in the last couple of chapters but most of the characters lacked depth.

[Kim (Time4Reading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What Happened to Polly is a story about a woman, Carmel, who lives with the guilt of losing her three-year-old sister when she makes a selfish decision that results in the kidnapping of her sister. Although Carmel was only age ten at the time, she is shunned by her father, older sister and others in their community. To make matters worse, her mother is the victim of a terrible accident and sustains injuries that leave her in a vegetative state. Carmel is overcome with guilt and loneliness and she grows up believing that she is undeserving of love. She meets Ellis, a man who not only proves her wrong, but also finds a way to unlock family secrets that will change their lives forever.

I once lost my little brother in a store for several minutes. I can still remember the panic I felt as I raced through the store, searching each aisle, desperate to find him. I can remember the relief I felt when I did find him. If the outcome had been different, I can only imagine how devastated I would have felt. How would I forgive myself? I think Jennifer Hanning does an excellent job of exploring the different emotions and feelings of guilt one might feel under such tragic circumstances. The story starts off slow, but Hanning gradually draws you in with each chapter as it becomes clear that everything is not as it seems. I would not classify this novel as a mystery per se, but it has quite a few twists and turns in the last few chapters. I definitely would recommend this book.

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This probably would have easily merited 5 stars as I really enjoyed the story but it has too many daft mistakes peppered throughout which is a bloody shame.
One sister was taking care of her younger sibling when she's kidnapped. Years go by and she's always felt tremendous guilt and sadness and wondered just what did happen to Polly. I liked the whole tale a lot. We get to know just how affected the whole family was all their lives by one little transgression. Very interesting.
However, there were lost spaces and an excess of commas, misused or not used at all apostrophes. Polly's empty table was referred to which I'd imagine was meant to read chair, get was replaced by gete, twice born was used instead of borne and almost on the last page flare annoyingly replaced flair.
I am aware it's set in Australia but I don't think their spellings are that different from ours !!
I did find I laughed aloud at a few sentences and in one place it made me cry too so that was a mark of a good tale, I reckon.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

What Happened has a great idea for a story, but I felt it could have been executed better. The pacing of the novel was off. It started off well, but there were many times where a fast-forward button would have been great.