We have updated our Privacy Policy Please take a moment to review it. By continuing to use this site, you agree to the terms of our updated Privacy Policy.
‘Wow! What a heartbreaking, breathtaking true story… oh my heart… Read it with tissues but an open heart’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I’m not sure how many times I had to set this book down because my crying eyes were useless for reading, but it was a lot… Ten very emotional stars! All the stars!’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘There are no words! I had a hard time putting this book down. I am blown away by this true story… Soooooooo wonderful!’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
1939. Seventeen-year-old Nora Jennings has spent her life secure in the certainty of a bright, happy future – until one night of passion has more catastrophic consequences than she ever could have anticipated. Labelled a moral defective and sectioned under the Mental Deficiency Act, she is forced to endure years of unspeakable cruelty at the hands of those who are supposed to care for her.
1981. When psychiatrist Janet Humphreys comes across Nora, heavily institutionalised and still living in the hospital more than forty years after her incarceration, she knows that she must be the one to help Nora rediscover what it is to live. But as she works to help Nora overcome her past, Janet realises she must finally face her own.
Based on a true story, this is a powerful novel of the strength of the human spirit, that will stay with you long after you turn the final page. Perfect for fans of The Girl in the Letter and Philomena.
Readers love The Girl Behind The Gates:
‘I have never been so emotionally touched by a book before and Nora you will stay in my heart long after finishing this story’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Wow is all I can say. This book is a tearjerker for sure. To know that it is based on a true story is even more heartbreaking… This is a beautiful story of healing… The characters are wonderful’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘It’s been a very long time since I read a book that I couldn’t put down. This was that book… I was hooked from the off… Would I recommend this book? A hundred times over‘ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A heartbreakingly emotional story with characters that grip you all through this book. I really felt for Nora and her life… Brilliant‘ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Beautifully and emotionally written it engages you from beginning to end. This is one if the best books I have read… The book everyone must read. It will stay with you forever‘ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This book was SO good… This was a beautiful, heartwarming story of a woman who was once lost, but found again’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘What an amazing story based in truth. I can’t believe things like this actually happened. This is the incredible story of how a woman overcame the most astonishing obstacles’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Praise for The Girl Behind The Gates:
‘Compelling. Poignant… Heart wrenching. Just beautiful. Everyone needs to read this wonderful book’ Renita D’Silva
‘A haunting, heart-wrenching but ultimately heart-warming novel’ Gill Thompson
‘A powerful, emotional novel. I was moved to tears by the ending and will certainly not hesitate to recommend it’ Jill Childs
‘A powerful story of trust, compassion, healing – and the transforming power of love, that can give new life to a broken spirit’ Sharon Maas
I’m not sure how many times I had to set this book down because my crying eyes were useless for reading, but it was a lot… Ten very emotional stars! All the stars!’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘There are no words! I had a hard time putting this book down. I am blown away by this true story… Soooooooo wonderful!’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
1939. Seventeen-year-old Nora Jennings has spent her life secure in the certainty of a bright, happy future – until one night of passion has more catastrophic consequences than she ever could have anticipated. Labelled a moral defective and sectioned under the Mental Deficiency Act, she is forced to endure years of unspeakable cruelty at the hands of those who are supposed to care for her.
1981. When psychiatrist Janet Humphreys comes across Nora, heavily institutionalised and still living in the hospital more than forty years after her incarceration, she knows that she must be the one to help Nora rediscover what it is to live. But as she works to help Nora overcome her past, Janet realises she must finally face her own.
Based on a true story, this is a powerful novel of the strength of the human spirit, that will stay with you long after you turn the final page. Perfect for fans of The Girl in the Letter and Philomena.
Readers love The Girl Behind The Gates:
‘I have never been so emotionally touched by a book before and Nora you will stay in my heart long after finishing this story’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Wow is all I can say. This book is a tearjerker for sure. To know that it is based on a true story is even more heartbreaking… This is a beautiful story of healing… The characters are wonderful’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘It’s been a very long time since I read a book that I couldn’t put down. This was that book… I was hooked from the off… Would I recommend this book? A hundred times over‘ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A heartbreakingly emotional story with characters that grip you all through this book. I really felt for Nora and her life… Brilliant‘ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Beautifully and emotionally written it engages you from beginning to end. This is one if the best books I have read… The book everyone must read. It will stay with you forever‘ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This book was SO good… This was a beautiful, heartwarming story of a woman who was once lost, but found again’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘What an amazing story based in truth. I can’t believe things like this actually happened. This is the incredible story of how a woman overcame the most astonishing obstacles’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Praise for The Girl Behind The Gates:
‘Compelling. Poignant… Heart wrenching. Just beautiful. Everyone needs to read this wonderful book’ Renita D’Silva
‘A haunting, heart-wrenching but ultimately heart-warming novel’ Gill Thompson
‘A powerful, emotional novel. I was moved to tears by the ending and will certainly not hesitate to recommend it’ Jill Childs
‘A powerful story of trust, compassion, healing – and the transforming power of love, that can give new life to a broken spirit’ Sharon Maas
Newsletter Signup
By clicking ‘Sign Up,’ I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Group’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Reviews
Compelling. Poignant. Haunting. Heart wrenching. An eye-opener of a story that will stay with you long after you've read the last page. Hard to believe this is a debut as the writing is assured and beautiful, the characters vividly brought to life on the page. I lived every minute of this harrowing story that will resonate with everyone. Just beautiful. Everyone needs to read this wonderful book.
The Girl behind the Gates absorbed me from the start and had me invested in Nora's story throughout. In this haunting debut novel, Brenda Davies takes us on a journey that is often uncomfortable, at times painful, but always told in beautiful prose and with great compassion and insight. Although horrified by the deplorable ways in which psychiatric patients were treated in the last century, I was also inspired and uplifted by the triumphant power of the human spirit and people's capacity to love and nurture others. A heart-wrenching but ultimately heart-warming novel that acts as a great advocate for the humane treatment of mental illness.
The Girl Behind the Gates is a powerful, emotional novel - harrowing in parts but always authentic and full of insights and compassion. It's an important reminder of the abuse suffered by unmarried mothers - and many young women generally - only a matter of decades ago - and a sobering account of the best and worst of human nature. I was moved to tears by the ending and will certainly not hesitate to recommend it.
A powerful story of trust, compassion, healing -- and the transforming power of love, that can give new life to a broken spirit.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Girl Behind the Gates. It's a powerful true story written with such a light but sure touch - hauntingly beautiful and wonderfully uplifting.