Book ~ "Liberty Street" (2026) Heather Marshall

From Goodreads ~ 1961: Emily Radcliffe works as an editorial assistant at Chatelaine magazine, surrounded by the best female reporters in the country, whose articles tackle the controversial topics no other women's publication dares to touch. When a bombshell letter from an inmate at the notorious Mercer Women's Prison lands on Emily's desk, she sees the scoop of a lifetime - one that could launch her career as a journalist. But after going undercover to investigate the inmate's shocking claims, Emily discovers that getting into the prison is the easy part; the real challenge will be getting back out.

1996: Unidentified female remains are discovered in an unmarked grave in a small-town Ontario cemetery and Detective Rachel Mackenzie is tasked with unraveling the mystery. But when the investigation leads her to the now-shuttered Mercer Women's Prison, the family trauma she's kept buried for years threatens to surface.

In 1961, Emily Radcliffe works as an editorial assistant at Chatelaine magazine in Toronto. After receiving a letter from an inmate at the Mercer Women’s Prison describing conditions inside, she arranges to go undercover in the institution to investigate. Her experience inside the prison is her story as she encounters the realities faced by the incarcerated women who were placed there because of criminal offences, "moral" offences, mental health issues or being "incorrible" (that's why she was admitted by her father).

In 1996, a separate storyline follows Rachel Mackenzie, a detective in rural Ontario assigned to investigate human remains discovered in an unmarked grave. Her investigation leads her to the now-closed Mercer Women’s Prison, possibly connecting her case to events from the earlier timeline. 

This book was interesting, not just the story but also the history, especially since I live just north of where Mercer Women's Prison used to be (it was closed and demolished in 1969 and there is a stadium there now). I knew some of its history and it was interesting to learn more (the author obviously did a lot of research). At the end of the book, the author includes historical info related to the treatment of women in institutional settings, including mental health and incarceration practices in mid-20th-century Canada. Some of the characters are real or based on real people.

It is written in third person perspective in Emily and Rachel's voices in their time periods (the chapters are labeled) and how the past and present are connect. The treatment of women in Mercer Women's Prison is heavy and not light reading. Though I did find it interesting, I found the book long and draggy at times. Emily and Rachel's stories were interesting but I could have done without Rachel's detailed backstory. I didn't think it impacted Emily's story, which to me was the point of the book, and could stand alone as its own book. As a head’s up, there is swearing and disturbing situations.

Book ~ "Looking For Jane" (2022) Heather Marshall

From Goodreads ~ Tell them you’re looking for Jane.

2017
When Angela Creighton discovers a mysterious letter containing a life-shattering confession in a stack of forgotten mail, she is determined to find the intended recipient. Her search takes her back to the 1970s when a group of daring women operated an illegal underground abortion network in Toronto known only by its whispered code name: Jane.

1971
As a teenager, Dr. Evelyn Taylor was sent to a home for “fallen” women where she was forced to give up her baby for adoption - a trauma she has never recovered from. Despite harrowing police raids and the constant threat of arrest, she joins the Jane Network as an abortion provider, determined to give other women the choice she never had.

1980
After discovering a shocking secret about her family history, twenty-year-old Nancy Mitchell begins to question everything she has ever known. When she unexpectedly becomes pregnant, she feels like she has no one to turn to for help. Grappling with her decision, she locates “Jane” and finds a place of her own alongside Dr. Taylor within the network’s ranks, but she can never escape the lies that haunt her.

Weaving together the lives of three women, Looking for Jane is an unforgettable debut about the devastating consequences that come from a lack of choice - and the enduring power of a mother’s love.

It’s 2017 and Angela and her wife, Tina, have been trying to get pregnant. It’s been a frustrating and expensive process for them. Angela manages an antique store and find some mail from 2010 stuffed in a drawer. There is a letter address to someone who used to live in the apartment upstairs. Angela reads the letter and discovers it’s from a mother on her deathbed, letting Nancy, her daughter, know that she was adopted from a Catholic home for unwed mothers, where babies were not given up willingly. Angela become determine to find out where Nancy is so she can deliver the letter so Nancy will know the truth about her birth.

In 1960, Evelyn, Maggie and others girls are in the home for unwed mothers, banished there by their families because they had gotten pregnant. The deal is they will have their babies there, the babies will be adopted out and the girls will earn their keep. It’s not a pleasant place to be as the nuns are very cruel and the girls are forced to give up their babies.

Because of her experience, Evelyn doesn’t want other girls to have to go through what she did. She becomes a doctor and part of the secret “Jane” network … if a girl needs or wants to have an abortion, she should have to go to a back alley abortionist or to a home for unwed mothers. She should be able to have the procedure done in a clean and supportive environment. In 1980 when Nancy finds herself pregnant, she goes a “Jane” doctor and eventually becomes a volunteer with Evelyn so she can help and support others.

This was an interesting book … not just the story, most of which happened in Toronto, but also the history. The author obviously did a lot of research. It’s amazing that girls and women who found themselves pregnant had very little options, even though it was their body. Happily things have changed. It is written in third person perspective in Angela, Evelyn and Nancy’s voices in the various time periods (the chapters are labeled). While a heavy topic and is not light reading, I liked this story. As a head’s up, there is swearing and disturbing situations.