Letters to Sarah: A Child Lost Forever, A Mother's Grief and a Love That Will Never Die

by Sara Payne

'It has been seventeen years since you went missing, princess. It has been twenty-five years since you were born. There have been too many Christmases without you...'

In the summer of 2000, schoolgirl Sarah Payne went missing from a beach where she played with her siblings. The nation waited with her whole family as the search for the little girl touched the hearts of everyone in the country. After Sarah's body was found, abducted and murdered by convicted paedophile Roy Whiting, her mother, Sara, spoke of how she had survived those terrible times.

Now, seventeen years later, Sara wants to tell the full story of how she coped then, and how she has survived. Through a series of letters to her beloved daughter, she takes the reader on a heart-breaking but uplifting journey through every parent's worst nightmare in a moving account of the ultimate emotional survival. It is a story for the little girl who was taken, but a reminder to us all that hope never dies—and love never ends.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Ebooks

186 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 13, 2017

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to give this book such a low rating. But it was so repetitive the whole time that it kept me bored. I tried so many times to push through but then id have to take a break or a nap. There were times in the story that really had me intrigued during her time explaining all the other murders, and stories of families with missing children, and when she talked about her stroke. I flew through, but then it got back to her letter with Sarah and it was like reading the same letter over and over. Overall I do recommend this book if you want to open your eyes to something that many people do not want to discuss.

[Charmaine Saliba · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a remarkable woman, Sara Payne is. Her life and the lives of her family was torn apart when her eight-year-old daughter Sarah was kidnapped and murdered. Through the years she had fought to protect other children by fighting to approve a new law were all paedophiles in the area will be known to the parents, known as Sarah’s law. This book will remain with me forever.

[Deity World · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an emotional read of personal letters to her daughter RIP

[Jemimah · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a phenomenal woman Sara Payne is. This book was a rollercoaster of emotions and she is so strong to share her story with everyone. This book not only tells Sara's story of how losing her daughter has affected her throughout life but it also informs on the laws surrounding child protection. It also begins a conversation about acknowledging a child when they tell you something about someone that may be hurting them. We must begin to help children to be brave and speak up about something that may be happening to them behind their parents back. Sarah's law has established a foundation for the protection of all children since her murder. Through the loss of Sarah, her mother has f#
ought to keep as many children as safe as possible so that no one else will face the same fate as Sarah. This book is so powerful, emotional, beautifully written and really changes your mindset about how short life really is and that no matter what you, mustn't forget how to live and love.

[John Pickle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Mother's Grief Stricken Quest

A heart wrenching story every mother should read. The thought of your child suffering rips your heart and soul out

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well I'm not one for true life crime books but this intreged me. Everyone in my generation remembers the news coverage of this deverstating event. At first I thought the letters to sarah would be a bit more age appropriate considering Sarah died at aged 8. However, the way Sara talks about deverstating events that occur after Sarah's disappearance. She has been through a lot and she is a very strong willed woman. She did some amazing work within the government and seeing her battle this was empowering. She deserves to be happy even though the pain of the loss of Sarah will never go away. I hope her family are happy up in heaven watching over the rest of the family still living. This was moving even though it was quite repetative

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly heartbreaking read. Sara Payne is an amazing inspiring woman.

[Foxy ✨️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the story a harrowing one however, about halfway through, the story focused elsewhere and I'd almost lost interest towards the end.

[Chelsea May xxx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sad read 😢. Xxx

[Mrs S Ruck · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book never to be forgotten

Hauntingly honest a mother's story of how her life has been torn apart by the murder of her little girl. How she fought for other children and for families voices to be heard. Her own personal pain and that of her children as they fought to be recognised and the pain of het marriage breakup and her stroke. A lady full of determination and courage.

[Nicole Holt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hugely moving and emotional, and definitely not what I expected. Reading about the intricate emotions after losing a child was so devastating, but the book has so many positives about Sara’s achievements in loving memory of Sarah.

[Kellen Foord · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very emotional read about a little girl, taken far too soon. A mother who turned a tragedy in to something to help thousands of children, Sarah's Law is used nation wide to help keep our children safe, it all started with one little girl. Gone but never forgotten 👼

[Tracey Hewitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an amazing woman.

[teleri · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF.

i just couldn’t get on with the mothers writing style, it felt so bizarre.

[steph]

i don't even. how do I rate this i simply can't

[Hallie]

DNF at 27% - was actually quite good, was reading as we were learning about Sarah’s law in a level law so wanted to get some more backstory, was reading on my phone but never finished

[sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good haven’t read a book this quickly in a long while .

[Kayleigh Carey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very sad book about a little girl who should still be here and letters from her mum telling her what is happening. Very sad, was crying when reading this book.

[Siska · Rating 4 out of 5]

"You don't fall down just because bad stuff happens. Life is for living, and good stuff can happen too. The fog will lift. It will come back, but the gaps in between will get longer, slightly easier. It will never disappear, you never forget, but you do learn how to carry your burden in a way that makes it all a little more bearable. Prepare for the bad days because they will be back at some point, but build yourself up with love and laughter and joy whenever you can because, at the end of the day, what else is there? How else can we all get through this? You might have to wait a while, you might break even more as the years pass, but it's still worth it. It's worth it for the ones who had it all taken away. Living is a privilege." ~Sara Payne
A short but difficult read because of the emotions it evoked in me. Rest in peace, Sarah Payne.

[Caroline Foster-Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

To Sara (probs won't read this but still feels right to address this to you), Thank you for making such an impactful law out of one of the worst things that could happen to a family. Thank you for being so blunt and honest in this book it has opened my eyes even more to how people and myself need to learn to not pile our emotions and thoughts on to others. I am so sorry that people said things like 'you look like that Sara Payne woman' to you. Wtf did they think was going to come of that comment? The audacity and inability to realise the gravity of what they've said is just gobsmacking. Well done for looking after yourself in more recent years, it doesnt take away any of the hard work or love you have given and still give. I wish you and your family all the best in having that happiness and love you all deserve. Fingers crossed for safer and more aware world x

[Ceri Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s not a book I want to say I enjoyed as obviously it’s about a very sad subject but I did like the way it was written. As the title suggest it’s written in letter form to Sarah and each year since she died represents a new chapter. It’s beautifully written and you definitely get a lot of insight in to the way grief processes through time. The one and only thing I did not like was the references to the McCanns and the public reaction to them compared to the Payne’s situation as they were completely different situations. The Payne’s did everything humanly possible to help the investigation whereas the McCanns were the complete opposite, but that’s just my opinion

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nobody can forget the face of Sarah Payne, her mums letters to her are open, raw and honest covering each year until this year.
I couldn't put this down, reading about Sara's campaign from her perspective rather than the medias, reading about how she coped with day to day life, what she endured as the years passed, she is one strong woman which you can get a sense of as she writes of her reactions to the ongoings in her life year after year.

[Amy-grace Willis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate to give this book a bad review but it’s painfully repetitive and a laborious read. Is hypocritical from chapter to chapter and repeats itself every page and make Sara seem unlikeable as a person to me if I’m honest. I really wanted to like this book but had to force myself to finish it as I felt like I don’t like to stop reading halfway through.

[Geraldine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s an ok book but as with diaries, it’s a bit repetitive and there’s more of self therapy thank actual narrative… perhaps having read reviews prejudiced me. Still, Kudos to Sara for her work and for what she has been through.

[Jessica Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mothers love is never ending. A loving tribute to a beautiful little girl. R.I.P Sarah

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart rending and open. Thought-provoking.

[Kirsteen Gordon]

I didn`t want to mark this book with a rating instead I would just say it was a difficult, honest, book that made me think the mother was a better person than I.

[Louise Marshall-jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry for the low rating but I just couldn’t get into the book and found the writing style very repetitive and boring