The Vanishing of Margaret Small: An uplifting and page-turning mystery

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Margaret Small ist so eine liebenswürdige Person, die trotz ihrer schweren Vergangenheit eine Leichtigkeit in sich hat, die mich immer wieder in Erstaunen versetzt hat. She thinks it’s Cilla but who is the mysterious gift giver and why are they following her from a distance? Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives. I really enjoyed the way this is written, it was an easy read and quite the page turner, not only do we learn of Margaret’s life but we also have some mystery along the way. She said my red hair was the work of the Devil; that I was a changeling, swapped by the fairies, all for what my mother had done.

It speaks to the unfairness of life, while simultaneously being hopeful thanks in no small part to Margaret's naivety and positive outlook. The title and cover makes this debut novel appear light and easy-going, but it gets quite intense at times. This book will sneak up on you, steal your heart, give you a few chuckles and put a smile on your face.ABOUT 'THE VANISHING OF MARGARET SMALL': Meet Margaret Small: 75, plain spoken and a Cilla Black super fan. Neil Alexander has created that sense of fear and confusion perfectly, but balanced it carefully so as to not make the story too dark. Soon after Cilla' death, Margaret starts receiving letters signed 'C' with money and kind words for her. What won’t break your heart is the author's note at the end of the book where he shares his inspiration for writing this book. Based upon interviews with 'people with learning disabilities', the author has created a fictionalized tribute to those people, while also reminding us of the dire treatment of these individuals just a few short decades ago.

It’s 1947 and Margaret is only seven years old when she ‘vanishes’ to St Mary’s, a home for children with physical and learning disabilities. This book is a well-written dual timeline with just enough mystery to keep me reading to find out who is sending Margaret gifts in the mail.The Goodreads Libra Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. She is a fan of Cilla Black and after the death of her beloved entertainer, Margaret begins receiving letters signed with a "C. Each tragic episode chips away at her resolve– abandonment, assault, cruelty, loss and heartbreak – but in spite of it all, she never gives up hope. The audiobook, clocking at 8 hrs 41 min, is narrated mainly by Annie Aldington, with some chapters coming from another narrator.

When reading, the locations mentioned were very vivid to me – largely in part to the fact that just last week I binge-watched the second season of “Whitstable Pearl” on Netflix. Alexander weaves a most sensitive story, which made me laugh and smile, and on one occasion even cry, but not once does he descend into the saccharine or ever patronise his marvellous leading lady, Margaret. Though, the sad truth was that the grandmother's getting rid of Margaret as an unwelcome reminder of her daughter's transgressions seemed inevitable in a way. The mystery of the notes and letters was surprising and when all was said and done I hugged the book wishing it was Margaret herself. We are a group of dedicated readers who have joined forces to bring you the best reviews of current and classic novels.

To solve the mystery of her benefactor Margaret must go back in her memories almost 70 years, to the time when she was ‘vanished’ to a long-stay institution for children with learning disabilities. It is an emotionally charged novel about Margaret growing up in an institute for people with learning difficulties.

Told in two timelines, this story is an intensely emotional journey with top-notch characterizations. There is a small element of mystery that surrounds the present day by way of a number of letters, addressed to Margaret and signed, simply, ‘C’.Margaret Small ist fast 75 Jahre alt, kann weder rechnen, lesen noch schreiben und hat ein hartes Schicksal hinter sich. Many thanks first of all must go to Tracy Fenton who wrote such an intriguing and captivating review that I knew I just had to read The Vanishing of Margaret Small.