The Magdalene Connection

Maddie Manning has learned that digging into family history uncovers as many shocks as it does rewards. She now knows that the man she thought was her uncle is in fact her father, and the man she used to call Dad-well, he's actually no blood relation at all. But she's also found a gem of a grandmother, Cecily, the woman who actually gave birth to her real dad at a Magdalene house in 1954.

Now it's time to unwrap the story of "the other mother," Bridie, a young Irish woman who was raped by the son of her employer and duped into entering the same Magdalene house, where she too would give birth to a son.

Following her fascinating first novel "Angel, Sinner, Mermaid, Saint," author Alice Lee Thornton continues her trilogy with "The Magdalene Connection," which explores the hidden link forged between Cecily and Bridie. And while it offers a more in-depth look into the harsh attitudes toward rape victims and unwed mothers in England and Ireland in the 1950s, this compelling story blossoms into a tale of love, forgiveness, and the true value of family.