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The Forgotten Ones  By  cover art

The Forgotten Ones

By: Steena Holmes
Narrated by: Angela Dawe,Arthur Morey
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Publisher's summary

A spellbinding novel about an unspeakable secret that could destroy a family, from the New York Times bestselling author of Finding Emma.

Elle is a survivor. She’s managed to piece together a solid life from a childhood of broken memories and fairy tales her mom told her to explain away bad dreams. But weekly visits to her mother still fill Elle with a paralyzing fear she can’t explain. It’s just another of so many unanswered questions she grew up with in a family estranged by silence and secrets.

Elle’s world turns upside down when she receives a deathbed request from her grandfather, a man she was told had died years ago. Racked by grief, regrets, and a haunted conscience, he has a tale of his own to tell Elle: about her mother, an imaginary friend, and two strangers who came to the house one night and never left.

As Elle’s past unfolds, so does the truth - if she can believe it. She must face the reasons for her inexplicable dread. As dark as they are, Elle must listen…before her grandfather’s death buries the family’s secrets forever.

©2018 Steena Holmes (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Steena Holmes has delivered a thought-provoking thriller that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat." --The Valley Voice News

"This is fine writing that deserves all the accolades bestowed on this fine artist. Steena Holmes knows her craft. Highly recommended." --The San Francisco Review of Books

"Buried secrets, a family mystery...The Forgotten Ones is a haunting tale of loyalty in the face of mental illness and the name of love. Heartbreaking, utterly compelling, the kind of book that grips you and will not let you go far beyond the last page." --Tosca Lee, bestselling author of the Descendants of the House of Bathory Series

What listeners say about The Forgotten Ones

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

LOVE the narration. The story had potential

This story has great potential, but it became arduous as it unfolded for one reason: it kept unfolding and unfolding at the speed of smell. The author spent way too much time over-describing unnecessary details, going on and on and on to the point that I took to clicking the forward :30 button... and I did not miss a thing. Hey... I love suspense, but suspense is like anything - there can be too much of it. This story was one long hook after another after another.... and while it has an ending, it was one of those stories I was glad to finish up. I'd prefer to be left wishing a book would go on... but this one needed to just stop.

I chose this book for two reasons. 1. The description of the story intrigued me. 2. I've heard this narrator, Angela Dawe before and she blew my socks off. This was my first experience listening to Arthur Morey, and I loved him, too. They could both read an owner's manual for a microwave and it'd be amazing.

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132 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Painful!

What could have been told in five or six chapters was dragged out to a long, tedious, repetitive, incredulous tale— All the while, the main character saying, “why is everyone keeping secrets from me?” I’m happy to suspend a bit of common sense to enjoy a good story, but this was ridiculous. I don’t understand the rave reviews. Skip it.

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94 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Exhasperating and drawn out

I really wanted to like this book but I found myself exhasperated and frustrated at the slow pace of the book and the lack of common sense in the characters.
The narrators did a good job but it was insufficient to make this an enjoyable experience

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53 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Touching and Heartbreaking!

I seldom gush over a book, but it’s different this time!!! I love both the story and narration! It’s so well told, and pulls at your heart strings for sure. The story is complicated, with the focus on mental illness within a family, and how trying to protect and keep secrets can end up hurting everyone. As for the performances, each of them is terrific, but the male narrator really blew me away!!! He definitely sounded like an elderly man on his death bed, wanting to finally speak his truth before passing. I needed to grab for the Kleenex at least a few times.. Please make sure to listen. It will pleasantly surprise you!😊👍🏼👍🏼f

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46 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing Story of Past Family Secrets

An old man lays dying in a hospital bed, and his only solace is his attentive and kind nurse. He is certain he will burn in hell when he dies, so as the cancer eats his body he savours the pain because he knows he's still alive.

Miraculously, his estranged granddaughter works at the hospital in which he is dying and he asks for a final last wish- which is to talk to her and tell her the story of her mother and grandmother. There is a strong and horrific history of depression in the family, but this particular old man, William, was in love with his wife no matter her state of mind.

As events unfold and the truth comes to light, a family heals and makes amends.

The story telling by the dying old man is done so very well. It personifies his characters and evokes empathy from the listener. I relished this book and although the subject matter wasn't always pleasant, and to be honest it was downright shocking at times, everything done in the past was done out of love and protection for family.

Excellent story telling by Steena Holmes!

5 solid stars

-Wendi

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42 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

the forgotten ones

Well written very involved story, but to me it was kind creepy and quite depressing

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29 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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You Will Solve It Over and Over Again

A young woman relies on her terminally ill grandfather to help unravel the tightly woven blanket of mysterious events that was her childhood.

Holmes delivers an original storyline that hosts a family of characters, all who are broken and tattered from their past. The mystery is slowly pealed off layer by layer, and with each layer, the reader is sure he has solved the mystery.

Narrator Angela Dawe is excellent, but it is Arthur Morey, (think George Guidall) who delivers most of the gut punches in an outstanding and memorable performance. This is a story of deceit that is propelled forward through the decades by love.

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25 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Awesome narrator

This was the best male narration i have ever listened too, The voice of Elle was also good but wow the voice of David was the best!!

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21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

WOW!! This book had me from the first page!!

This book had me from the first page and every time I thought I had it figured out, another curve ball and off track i would go and then just when I got my footing again and this goes on until the end! I could not put this down and read it all in o e day!!

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Slow as molasses

This is one of the slowest, most excruciatingly painful stories I've ever listened to. The author loves spending time on completely irrelevant details, even in the midst of what are supposed to be the big plot reveals.

For example, near the end when a character is speaking about a past event, the author goes out of her way to interrupt this story and write about how one of the listeners spills coffee and everyone is staring in shock. It just totally breaks the flow of what is supposed to be a very important and revelatory part of the story.

The characters can also sometimes be extremely stupid, which just adds to how painful this story is to listen to at times. It's hard to be engrossed in the story when you're too busy wondering why the character is the acting the way he is.

Overall, the story is interesting and the narration is great, but it just takes forever to get there.

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9 people found this helpful