Abandoned [Paperback]

Anya Peters (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 5, 2007

Separated from her real mother at birth, Anya grew up in terror of her drunken bullying uncle. Beaten, humiliated and sexually abused by him from the age of six, she thought her life couldn't get worse. But one day it did. "I was used to Daddy screaming 'whore's child' at me, over and over again. But I couldn't get used to what he made me do." Anya was too terrified to tell anybody about what her uncle did to her. But then he got careless and started abusing her in front of the other children. When her brothers started calling her a 'whore', Anya cracked and all her terrible secrets came pouring out. Anya had always coped because there was one woman who loved her deeply, her 'Mummy'. But this time love was not enough. One morning 'Mummy' just left. Determined to make a new life, Anya buried her feelings and tried to move on. But when she ended up homeless, living in her car, she knew she had to face her past if she was ever going to find happiness and security again. Top 10 Sunday Times Bestseller, Abandoned is Anya's inspirational story of her fight to find love, acceptance and a place to belong.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Truly Inspirational' The Sun 'An uplifting story of survival.' Elle magazine 'Hugely inspiring ! Anya's story gave me goose bumps.' Jane Elliott, author of The Little Prisoner 'A powerful and utterly compelling story of a child's staggering courage.' Judy Westwater, author of Street Kid 'A highly emotional story well told.' Evening Telegraph

About the Author

During a 9-month spell of homelessness, Anya started to describe her experiences by accessing the internet in her local library and writing an online journal. Her blog soon built up a regular readership and helped raise awareness of the issue of the 'hidden homeless'. Anya now lives in rented accommodation

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Harper Element (November 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0007245742
• ISBN-13: 978-0007245741
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,191,515 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Sad Story, October 27, 2007

By 

Iris (Perth, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Abandoned (Hardcover)

This is a very, very sad story. No human being should have to live their life like this girl/woman.

The book is in two parts: the first part is her life growing up, having been "abandoned" by her real mother because she was pregnant out of wedlock and to a married man. She was given to her mother's sister, whom she refers to as "Mummy". The man who lived with her, her uncle, constantly told her she was not wanted in the house, no one wants her, her mother is a "whore". Her uncle ended up sexally abusing her from the age of six.

The second part of the book is her life as an adult. With no money, no family who loved her, basically no one to turn to for help, she ended up living in her car for 18 months. Frightened, constantly hungry, longing for a shower to clean herself, she had too much pride to ask for help. She would often visit homeless shelters, but then ran away when it looked like they were about to help her. She thought she wasn't "good enough" for someone to help her, that there were other people worse off than her that needed help.

This is such a sad story - all Anya wanted was for someone to hold her as tell her she belongs. She never felt like she belonged anywhere. The fact that she had such a troubled childhood, made her into the person she is today. In her own words, she "is very lucky".

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars interesting, March 2, 2010

By 

Ellen Gouge "love to read" (Amarillo, Texas, US) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Abandoned (Hardcover)

This was a sad book but a happy ending.Found the book hard to put down.Really liked the book.Something that could happen to anyone.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wandering Scribe, January 30, 2010

By 

WildPelican "Wild Pelican" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Abandoned (Hardcover)

Great book! Shows how creative & resilient one can get when backed against a wall!
I was reading her blog as her life in the laneway was unfolding, (WanderingScribe.[...]) before she wrote the book.
The book fills in all the gaps, and Anya's writing style is so picturesque you are right there with her!
Be prepared to have a good long read because u will not want to put it down to go eat or work or even sleep!