A Memoir with a Unique Format
- Vanessa Bettencourt
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
"For fans of stranger than truth stories, Sandy Schnakenburg is uncovering rattling and unprecedented revelations in this powerful memoir of love, secrets, and survival.
When Lee Metoyer is hired to be the new housekeeper, she has no idea that she’s about to become the anchor to a family in an abusive patriarch's home, setting a mystery in motion that will take decades to uncover. At the age of seventy-two, Lee falls ill and on her deathbed asks Sandy to write her story. The only problem is, Sandy doesn’t know the story.
Embarking on a quest to honor Lee’s final wishes, Sandy takes an emotional and thrilling journey, unveiling shocking truths not only about her beloved housekeeper but also her own upbringing. As she digs further, she learns that Lee came to her family’s sprawling estate in Barrington, IL, harboring a secret past. For decades, she’s been in hiding. But Lee is not the only one with secrets; Sandy’s quest forces her to grapple with her own family history as well, and to finally confront the effects of the psychological abuse she suffered as a child."
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My review
5 Plus
This book is a memoir, a promise made by a young girl to a person who was a second mother to her. It had a unique format because it was through the young girls' perspective. She was the 5th sibling in a catholic family who welcomed the housekeeper Lee as the Vontrapt Family welcomed Maria (like the author says). This young girl's perspective is going to insert a lot of sweetness, humor, and the right questions to hard issues. The book is divided into seasons and from Lee's arrival to her passing. We see how she is so educated with her love for words and books, how she knows how to deal with abusive men, and loves and educates the children well.
Years after passing, our main character (influenced by this amazing woman) finished college without the support of her father, after a miraculous recovery from a horrible accident. She is finally in a position where she can fulfill her promise and write the memoir of a woman who never answered her many questions.
She investigates using contemporary methods and discovers terrible secrets, and how this woman, who suffered so much, was a light in their lives.
Beautifully written, the last part is focused on Lee's life and a bit hard to read, so take your time, take breaks, because the author made us love Lee through 70%, and we can't accept how much she suffered. Thank you, author, for keeping your promise.
Thank you Book Publicity Services for connecting me with this book
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