The Missing Girl in Aussie Readers

Jul 03, 2021 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc, own-read, 5000-2021, 2021-release, reviewing-by-request, aussie-authors, sent-by-publisher, contemporary-fiction, mystery

When Meg Morrissey was sent the unwelcome summons from her elderly grandmother, she was tempted to ignore it. After all, they had been estranged for a lot of years. But she left her home in Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills and headed for Hunters Reach, the homestead she had grown up in with her unloving grandmother. Informed that Hunters Reach was to be sold as her grandmother was in a nursing home, and that Meg was tasked with cleaning out the home and getting it ready for sale, she was grateful When Meg Morrissey was sent the unwelcome summons from her elderly grandmother, she was tempted to ignore it. After all, they had been estranged for a lot of years. But she left her home in Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills and headed for Hunters Reach, the homestead she had grown up in with her unloving grandmother. Informed that Hunters Reach was to be sold as her grandmother was in a nursing home, and that Meg was tasked with cleaning out the home and getting it ready for sale, she was grateful when she saw her old friend and biggest supporter as a child, Betty from the nearby farm, appear in the doorway. Betty was happy to help Meg and so the two of them set to work.

Meg’s partner Phillip was a photographer and was currently overseas on a commission, so Meg let his boss know where she’d be. And when the old timer, Jake, appeared to work outside in the rundown and terribly overgrown gardens, Meg was happy to leave him to it. As Meg and Betty worked to bring the old place back to its gleaming best, Meg learned of secrets surrounding her parents, and of an aunt, her mother’s twin sister, whom she barely remembered. She learned of a missing girl, of hateful and damaging words, of a brutal grandfather – and the grandmother now in care who had never shown Meg any love. Would Meg find the answers she found she needed? Her grandmother certainly wouldn’t tell her.

The Missing Girl by Aussie author Kerry McGinnis is an exceptional tale of secrets, love denied, betrayal in the worst imaginable way, and hope. I felt great empathy for Meg, decided her grandmother was a witch, loved Betty’s character and completely admired Phillip. Jake was a typical stoic, hard worker with a heart of gold and a long memory. There were bushfires, the heat of the Australian summer, and the community’s caring nature – all set in the countryside not far from Adelaide in South Australia. Highly recommended.

With thanks to Penguin Random House for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
...more

39 likes · Like · see review

Jul 06, 2021 Helen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: review-copy-from-publisher

This is a page turner of a story, set in the Adelaide Hills, it tells the story of a family that has had terrible secrets kept for many years and when they are opened up some questions are answered for Meg, a must read story a lot of discoveries to be made.

Meg Morrissey is an only child and lives with her photographer partner Phillip in Hahndorf when a call comes through asking her to visit her elderly grandmother Elle Chapman, she has just moved from the family home Hunters Reach to a nursing h This is a page turner of a story, set in the Adelaide Hills, it tells the story of a family that has had terrible secrets kept for many years and when they are opened up some questions are answered for Meg, a must read story a lot of discoveries to be made.

Meg Morrissey is an only child and lives with her photographer partner Phillip in Hahndorf when a call comes through asking her to visit her elderly grandmother Elle Chapman, she has just moved from the family home Hunters Reach to a nursing home, although she would have rather ignored her order, but with Phillip away on an assignment and Meg just losing her job she makes the trek.

When Meg meets up with her grandmother she is tasked with cleaning up the old home ready for sale, this is going to be a big job and there is no love between Meg and Elle there never has been even though Elle bought Meg up from the age of nine. Meg will do it and is thrilled when her old friend and neighbour Betty arrives to help with the cleanup, the gardens are a mess and Meg organizes for someone to help with that and Jake Lynch is hired.

Phillip arrives back injured but there for her and Meg uncovers some photos and secret hiding places and makes her think even more about the question she has had since she was little why no one loves her and then discovers that there is a missing girl her mother’s twin sister and Jake steps up with information and an investigation is opened into the disappearance of Iris Chapman many years ago what they uncover goes a long way to answer some questions it is also heartbreaking.

This really is a fabulous story the characters are wonderful, Elle Chapman was a nasty lady, very and was giving nothing away, Betty, kind caring and there for Meg, Phillip a true hero I loved him and Jake he had been through so much because of The Chapmans but was still strong and then Meg what strength she showed through this unfurling of secrets and discoveries that changed a lot of things for her. This is a book that I would highly recommend I loved it from page one, so many twists.

My thanks to Penguin Random House for my ARC to read and review.
...more

10 likes · Like · see review

Jul 01, 2021 Bree T rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, australian, mystery, family-saga, aww2021

I really enjoyed this.

It’s set in 1990 and I am always surprised by how different books set in 1990 feel. Many things have evolved so much since then, particularly technology. 1990 is an entirely different time, before the commonality of mobile phones, before the internet.

Meg is in her mid-20s and has successfully escaped a life dominated by people who didn’t care about her: her parents were always much more interested in each other than they were in her, their only child, and life was a rotatio I really enjoyed this.

It’s set in 1990 and I am always surprised by how different books set in 1990 feel. Many things have evolved so much since then, particularly technology. 1990 is an entirely different time, before the commonality of mobile phones, before the internet.

Meg is in her mid-20s and has successfully escaped a life dominated by people who didn’t care about her: her parents were always much more interested in each other than they were in her, their only child, and life was a rotation of boarding school and being left with her cold grandmother on school holidays. Her parents died when she was still relatively young and that meant her grandmother became solely responsible for her care. She did the bare minumin: Meg was fed, clothed and educated but she was always aware that there was never any love there and her grandmother was such a difficult woman that when Meg was able to leave, she did so without ever looking back. Now however, her grandmother has summoned her back to prepare her large house for sale and having recently lost her job, Meg doesn’t have a reason to say no and she can’t bring herself to either. She’s always been rather frightened of her grandmother and seemingly anxious to please her, despite this never being possible.

I found myself really drawn into this from the very beginning. I loved the setting (regional South Australia during the summer) with Meg cleaning out the old house, arranging to sell some of the antique furniture, dispose of her grandmother’s belongings and getting the garden into shape. Being back there brings the one person who did care about her as a child, Betty, back into her life as well as a taciturn man arranged to bring the garden up to scratch. The old house is beautiful and even though it’s not been the source of good memories for Meg, it does present an opportunity for her to be able to delve into the past and perhaps learn the answers to questions she’s always been too scared to ask.

Meg’s grandmother really is an unpleasant, bitter person and it’s not difficult to see why Meg hasn’t been back. Perhaps if I were Meg, I wouldn’t have even bothered to come back at all but Meg does feel some duty and she’s not doing anything else – and her grandmother, who is very wealthy, is willing to pay her. She’ll never be able to return to her home after a fall she recently took (she’s close to 89) and Meg’s partner, photographer Phillip is away on an assignment in Papua New Guinea. When Meg has to contact him, she has no phone number for him so she has to ring his editor with a message for him to relay to Phillip when Phillip gets in contact with his editor. Phillip often travels to remote places and without a 24 hour news cycle, Meg tends to remain blissfully oblivious of potential hazards of Phillip’s job. After a natural disaster, Phillip does turn up at the house to convalesce – and help in his own way, providing the sort of stoic, unwavering support, kindness and love that few people have ever shown her in her life.

I admired Meg for going back there and for having the courage to dig into the past for answers when the entire family had never treated her very well. What she discovers is a big shock – but also goes a long way to explaining quite a lot of her treatment (although to be honest, not all of it). No one should ever have to experience the sort of upbringing that she did and Betty provided the only solace in what was a very lonely and miserable existence. Some of the twists I guessed, others I did not and I appreciated each reveal as it came. The tension in the novel grows with the threat of a looming bushfire and as with many people it’s not until the danger is right on top of them that they realise just how serious the situation is.

I was really invested in Meg learning the story of her origins and past and her getting all the answers she needed that might help give her some closure – to be able to move forward without her life being shadowed by her feelings of abandonment and emotional neglect. And it was very well done, I ended up reading this in a single sitting.

***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review*** ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jul 04, 2021 Janine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: for-review

I really enjoyed this story of Meg returning home as she has been summoned by her ailing Grandmother who wants to employ her to tidy and dispose of everything in her house and put it on the market. Meg lost her parents in a plane crash many years before and was brought up by her grandparents in what was not a happy childhood. As she had just lost her job the timing was great and it would help fill in her time.

What she discovers is that there are so many secrets and the finding of secret compartm ...more

Like · see review

Jun 16, 2021 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out marked it as to-read

Shelves: arc-are, provided-by-publisher, aussie-author, catch-up

Like

Feb 24, 2022 Kellie Schache marked it as to-read

Like

From the Bookshelf of Aussie Readers…

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

What Members Thought

Aussie Readers