The Little Prisoner - Jane Elliott

[Tamba]

I have read this book this afternoon and was in floods of tears by the end. Has anyone else read it?

yes, and i hated myself for reading it.

Why was that stitch?

Although i sort of know what you mean, i read books for entertainment and in a strange way was getting entertainment from her horrific story.

So sad though

what happened to her was horrendous. unforgivable. words cant describe it. and it wasnt just the man who did this to her to blame, imo, it was all her family. the people the family knew. teachers, social workers. all of society basically.
and just when she is getting life back. literary voyeours . i think that is what i mean. you also say it well.

i feel that children under five are the responsibility of all of society. and it is all of our fault for allowing something like this to continue. to turn a blind eye to it all. what sort of sick society are we?

yes, horrific story.

cannot understand how some people can be so depraved and evil.

I saw this in Waitrose today and was kind of drawn to it but didn't buy it because I thought it would be too upsetting. I think this thread has confirmed that view. It's so hopeless to think of her own story and all the other children who may right now be in abusive situations.

I read this book last night and it made the hairs on the back of my neck rise. It is so awful that I found myself reading as though it were fiction rather than fact as you cant imagine any child or adult going through such an ordeal.

I hated this book so much that I took it back to the shop! I thought it was very poorly written and very disjointed. I know her attacker was successfully prosecuted but because of the way it was written I found I didn't believe her at all. Some of it just seemed too far-fetched and stupid to be true.

I too have just finished reading it,started it but after first 4 chapters didnt think i could read anymore..HOWEVER i re read where i left of 2days later and finished it that night....

It did seem a little far fetched but it does happen like that which is why sometimes it is so hard to belive an abused victim...Gladhe gotmaxsentance but as it says he stole 17 yrs of her life while he got 15,would prob be out in 8......Makes me open my eyes just that little bit wider ....

Can I just ask, and this is a genuine question - to those of you that have read this book, what exactly do you get out of it? Is it just a heightened awareness of the horrific things that can happen to a child? I am asking because I find books like this completely distressing and just wouldn't be able to read them. A friend lent me one once and I got so upset that I stopped reading fairly early on and gave it back to her. I can understand the author's need in this case to tell her story, I suppose it is cathartic, but to me it serves no purpose to read such a story apart from to depress yourself thoroughly and have nightmares. I don't mean to offend anyone, and I know everyone is entitled to read whatever they like, but there seem to be a lot of these types of books around, and I just don't know how a reader would get any satisfaction/entertainment/enjoyment from them.

This is a true story

Yes I know, that's why I said I understand her need to tell her story. Maybe I am just too sensitive, I just can't bear reading this sort of thing.

i've read it. and it made me feel sick and outraged. i cpunt my blessings that this happened to any of my family AFAIK.

She tells her story so that maybe other people out there that have been abused may feel that they can also come forward and do something about it. Sometimes with books like this the money that is made from the sales goes towards charities to help with abuse and therefore I would buy and read to support those charities. I am now reading MArtina Coles new book The Take which is full of gangster types and prostitution etc. Some of my friends hate her books but they are just fiction and I like her style of writing. Am I wrong to read these aswell?

Each to their own bsg, although personally I find Martina Cole's novels completely awful! Well, I can only comment on one, as I have only read one, it was a woman who was abused as a child by her father I think, then when she grew up and had his baby, he then abused that child aswell. I simply cannot see the point in writing a 'story' like that. And I will never in my life understand why anyone would enjoy reading it. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth to be honest. I do understand the difference between fact and fiction though, but from a general reader who hasn't been through a similar experience kind of angle, I don't see what enjoyment there is to reading it. I would far rather just donate to the charity in question. But I stress, this is just my opinion and I don't mean to sound rude.