This story is described as "A harrowing journey into the dark side of childhood" but I haven't read it so I don't know. I bought it especially for the decoy in the EU birthday sweepstakes.

Posting to the decoy in the EU Birthday sweepstakes. Enjoy!

Oh what a surprise!! Thank you Chremajora. Thanks also for the chokolade. I think I'll have a cup of tea and enjoy it this evening. What a lovely postcard you put in the parcel and how nice to be the decoy in the 8th EU Sweepstakes. And a book on my wishlist too.
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Covertext: From her secret perch at the top of the stairs, seven-year-old Gabriella watches the guests arrive at her parents´ lavish Manhattan home. The click, click, click of her mother's high heels strikes terror into her heart. Her world is a confusing blend of terror, betrayal and pain, and she knows that there is no safe for her to hide.
When her parents´marriage collapses, her mother abandons her to a convent, where Gabriella's battered body and soul begin to mend amid the quiet safety and hushed rituals of the nuns. And when she grows into womanhood, young Father Joe Conners comes into her life. Like Gabriella, Joe is haunted by the pain of his childhood, and with her he takes the first steps towards healing. But their relationship leads to disaster as Joe must choose between the priesthood and Gabriella. She struggles to survive on her own in New York, where she seeks escape through her writing, until eventually she is able to find forgiveness, freedom from guilt, and healing.

In this work of daring and compassion, Danielle Steel has created a vivid portrait of an abused child's broken world which shock and move you to your very soul.

Edit: My opinon: This book made my tears running multiple times. Gabriella is beaten hard by her mother and her father does nothing. This happens some children in real life. All do not survive the abuse that they suffer from relatives. The book is very good.

Edit: The book will be posted to a winner in a sweepstake

I'm the Birthday Sweepstakes winner, or at the very least the decoy!! Thank you for being so fast, gunmarga. And another thank you for the lovely stamps on the package, which I will clip off and send to my stamp collecting buddy in Hawaii!

*doing happy dance*

I can't believe it!! (I will wait for another package, however, before I post a message in the thread).

oh my... this turned up after all these years! It was hiding in a box that I had forgotten about.
I will release it somewhere in a few days.

In the bookshelf just outside the Coop
= = =
Hello Happy Reader!! I'm so glad you found the book that I released "in the wild." I hope you will make a journal entry to tell me where and when you found it.

You can choose to join Bookcrossing if you want. It's free and completely anonymous. Your name and email will never be given out to anyone.

Feel free to read and keep this book, to pass it on to a friend, or set it free for someone else to find as you did.

Happy reading!