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“A living testimony of resilience…An account as gripping as it is inspiring.”
— Elle
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“In the hierarchy of traumatic memoir, Maude Julien has something to write home about…But it is also proof that love is in our nature regardless of our nurture.”
— Vanity Fair
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“The year’s most harrowing memoir…That The Only Girl in the World exists as it does is a most persuasive argument for Julien’s remarkable willpower.”
— Entertainment Weekly
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“Fascinating, mystifying, and distressing.”
— New York Times
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“Maude Julien has every reason to be a terrible human being…Had it not been for her love of animals, literature, and the intervention of an unlikely savior, Maude’s tenuous grasp on sanity would very likely have been lost…It is a testament to the power of the human spirit to overcome extraordinary obstacles and proof that love, indeed, wins.”
— Amazon.com
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“A disturbing, engrossing memoir…[and] a startling testament of survival.”
— Kirkus Reviews
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"At oncefascinating, mystifying and distressing...The story takes on the energy of athriller, building on the reader's hectic desire for [Julien's] escape.
— New York Times Book Review
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A harrowing yet achingly beautiful tale of a girl imprisoned by her brutal, fanatic family, but whose yearning for wonder and love ultimately drives her toward the improbable light of the world. . . The Only Girl in the World is a story of resilience unlike any I have ever read.
— Mira Bartók, author of the National Book CriticsCircle Award Winner The Memory Palace
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In the hierarchy of traumatic memoir, Maude Julien has something to write home about. . . The Only Girl in the World is the haunting story of a girl whose survivalist parents locked her away and subjected her to 'training' starting at the age of three. But it is also proof that love is in our nature regardless of our nurture.
— Vanity Fair
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The author of this harrowing memoir describes a childhood trapped
in her family's grand house on the outskirts of a small French town in the
nineteen-sixties...Now working as a therapist specializing in cases of
psychological manipulation, she tells her story with the unflinching clarity of
someone who is no longer ruled by her trauma.
— The New Yorker
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One of the most original and compelling stories I've read. A tale of hope and profound courage, The Only Girl in the World illustrates how trusting ourselves and following our hearts can save us from the most oppressive and cruel conditions. Her brave spirit shines as a bright reminder that what lies within us is stronger and more powerful than our circumstances.
— RuthWariner, New York Times bestselling author of The Sound ofGravel
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A living testimony of resilience... An account as gripping as it is inspiring.
— Elle
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A disturbing,
engrossing memoir. . . A startling testament of survival.
— Kirkus
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Chilling.
— In Style
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This story is never maudlin-it is so absorbing that you have to remind yourself to breathe from time to time.
— Le Point
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A
harrowing, gripping memoir of abuse and psychopathy...Julien approaches the past
with fearless contemplation, veracity, and vivid portrayals of the brutality in
her early life.
— The AV Club