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April was here (leaving my mark): April was here
April was here, is a poignant and reveling true story of a young survivor. This book reads like an exciting novel. It will grab you, hold you and leave you wanting more. This book will stay with you forever. It should be listed as a thriller, or a suspense, or maybe a murder mystery. Set in the 1970's this story follows a young girl through all of the events in our lives that make us who we are as adults. Everyone's life is different, and this story is different. Watch for the sequel, coming soon. Touching, gripping, funny and sad, but completely entertaining.
406 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 9, 2012
I don't understand the one star review that said nothing about this book. I found it to be gripping, haunting and a real page turner. I want to read another of her books. This book is very moving and tells an unforgettable story of her young life and overcoming unbelievable odds to survive a life that was sad yet inspirational. I think many of us would find it honest and compelling even through the sad truths she allowed us as readers to experience with her. I did see a few grammatical errors but nothing that made me want to stop reading the story. It will stay with me forever. I loved it and think people would be surprised at how every page is better than the previous one. I am also intrigued that she painted the picture on the cover.
May 22, 2026
April Was Here, Leaving My Mark is a deeply personal and emotionally intense autobiography that explores survival through unimaginable hardship and loss.
April O'Brien shares a life story filled with heartbreak, resilience, love, trauma, and perseverance, creating a raw and unfiltered narrative that aims to leave a lasting emotional impact on readers.
The personal touch of the author painting the cover herself adds another layer of emotional connection to the work.
April O'Brien shares a life story filled with heartbreak, resilience, love, trauma, and perseverance, creating a raw and unfiltered narrative that aims to leave a lasting emotional impact on readers.
The personal touch of the author painting the cover herself adds another layer of emotional connection to the work.
August 3, 2017
Very good read.
Loved her very sad story. What a survivor. Brave girl. Couldn't put it down. Want to read about the new years.
Loved her very sad story. What a survivor. Brave girl. Couldn't put it down. Want to read about the new years.
February 19, 2017
Oh, my dear April! You have definitely left a mark on my heart.
I have never read a true life story that has left such a mark on my heart. The pain, both emotional and physical, is almost more than a person can comprehend, and to have gone through it all at such a young age is beyond comprehension. I was married for about three years to a man who could be abusive, but never to the extent that Albert abused you, and he never hit me, just threatened. I am so happy that you finally found someone to give you the love that you were denied for so long. You are so right in saying that the "American Dream" should be a stable family with a mother and father who love their kids. The sad thing is we have too many people like your mother, and your father, too who aren't stable themselves.
I am so deeply sorry that you lost that beautiful daughter. My daughter and son-in-law lost their daughter three and a half years ago and it has left a big hole in our heart. My deep sympathy to you and your husband. She was 28, and didn't have any children so as yet they don't have any grandchildren, though they do have a26 year old, Single, son. So we do have SOME hope there.
I want to commend you for being able to make a decent life for yourself with your husbands help and love. And I want you to know that all people who profess to be Christians are not like the Roloff bunch. Some of us are truly good, loving people. And we all are not hypocrites, we have good relationships with our children. I'm so glad you didn't let your mom have your daughter, and I'm sorry you didn't get to raise your son.
;I've rambled on enough, but you a d young people like you were will being my prayers from now on. (I can't stop the tears)
I have never read a true life story that has left such a mark on my heart. The pain, both emotional and physical, is almost more than a person can comprehend, and to have gone through it all at such a young age is beyond comprehension. I was married for about three years to a man who could be abusive, but never to the extent that Albert abused you, and he never hit me, just threatened. I am so happy that you finally found someone to give you the love that you were denied for so long. You are so right in saying that the "American Dream" should be a stable family with a mother and father who love their kids. The sad thing is we have too many people like your mother, and your father, too who aren't stable themselves.
I am so deeply sorry that you lost that beautiful daughter. My daughter and son-in-law lost their daughter three and a half years ago and it has left a big hole in our heart. My deep sympathy to you and your husband. She was 28, and didn't have any children so as yet they don't have any grandchildren, though they do have a26 year old, Single, son. So we do have SOME hope there.
I want to commend you for being able to make a decent life for yourself with your husbands help and love. And I want you to know that all people who profess to be Christians are not like the Roloff bunch. Some of us are truly good, loving people. And we all are not hypocrites, we have good relationships with our children. I'm so glad you didn't let your mom have your daughter, and I'm sorry you didn't get to raise your son.
;I've rambled on enough, but you a d young people like you were will being my prayers from now on. (I can't stop the tears)
May 31, 2016
There’s an old saying: “No one escapes childhood uninjured.”
If there was ever anyone tailor made for that saying, it’s April O’Brien.
Throughout the pages of her heartrending autobiography, April Was Here, O’Brien takes the reader through the tumultuous – and often tortuous – upbringing she was forced to endure. Essentially, you can pick any of the numerous books, TV shows, and movies over the years that have depicted child abuse and neglect, then multiply them by a power of 10, and you’ll have the nightmare that was April O’Brien’s childhood. From being abused at a “school for girls” to suffering through a violent marriage, O’Brien’s younger years were rife with tragedy, heartache, and near destruction; however, unlike many childhood victims, she endured and ultimately survived, continuing to improve to this day.
While the pervasive editing errors contained throughout April Was Here cannot be ignored, when you consider the lack of formal education and ongoing repression O’Brien was forced to endure, some leeway can be given to this self-published memoir with a powerful message to share. Anyone who’s suffered through such horrendous mistreatment will surely be able to relate.
Karyn Watts
Apex Reviews
If there was ever anyone tailor made for that saying, it’s April O’Brien.
Throughout the pages of her heartrending autobiography, April Was Here, O’Brien takes the reader through the tumultuous – and often tortuous – upbringing she was forced to endure. Essentially, you can pick any of the numerous books, TV shows, and movies over the years that have depicted child abuse and neglect, then multiply them by a power of 10, and you’ll have the nightmare that was April O’Brien’s childhood. From being abused at a “school for girls” to suffering through a violent marriage, O’Brien’s younger years were rife with tragedy, heartache, and near destruction; however, unlike many childhood victims, she endured and ultimately survived, continuing to improve to this day.
While the pervasive editing errors contained throughout April Was Here cannot be ignored, when you consider the lack of formal education and ongoing repression O’Brien was forced to endure, some leeway can be given to this self-published memoir with a powerful message to share. Anyone who’s suffered through such horrendous mistreatment will surely be able to relate.
Karyn Watts
Apex Reviews
July 9, 2012
This was the most shocking, interesting, captivating and memorable book I have ever read. It is hard to believe in places, because so much happened to this girl. Can all of this truly happen to one person? Yes, it can and did. You will experience every emotion humans have the ability to feel. This book never stops moving. Every Page is exciting, shocking, sad, funny, smart, dumb, honest and interesting. This is NOT a waste of time. Everyone who reads it will find something for them. The one thing everyone will say, "is I want more. Good thing. There will be a sequel due out this Christmas. I want the sequel to 'ENTER" too.
January 31, 2012
I was sitting in the casino, reading, and a stranger approached me. I think he worked in the kitchen at the casino. He said that he had observed that I was a "reader" and offered me a card that told of the several books that his wife had written. I thanked him and ordered 3 of the books. This is the first one I read. It is about the author's (his wife) life. It is terribly sad. However, I always learn more about myself from reading books, especially when I didn't pick the book out.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews