Kindle
$9.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$25.99
Paperback
$10.26
Buy new:
-40% $10.26
FREE delivery Tuesday, May 14 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$10.26 with 40 percent savings
List Price: $16.99

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Tuesday, May 14 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 6 hrs 28 mins
In Stock
$$10.26 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$10.26
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$7.45
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
Pages and cover are intact. Used book in good and clean conditions. Limited notes marks and highlighting may be present. May show signs of normal shelf wear and bends on edges. Item may be missing CDs or access codes. Ships directly from Amazon. Pages and cover are intact. Used book in good and clean conditions. Limited notes marks and highlighting may be present. May show signs of normal shelf wear and bends on edges. Item may be missing CDs or access codes. Ships directly from Amazon. See less
FREE delivery Tuesday, May 14 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 6 hrs 28 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$10.26 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$10.26
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Serena Burdick
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Girls with No Names: A Novel Paperback – January 7, 2020

by Serena Burdick (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,095 ratings
See all formats and editions
on 1 when you buy 2 Shop items
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$10.26","priceAmount":10.26,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"10","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"26","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"oF8WpA99FGGrr4oqmgIciysf4l%2F0FwbgGOVEue4tkG32lyP9%2FXOTWQA8rzkWifqtkhV3xg5YY%2B8iUeFBrVlJlntYkT58rewjKViGivZofNtF%2FJ%2FYai2Kabqx2as1JrlYBVPBScb23kU98IWaeDVf7w%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$7.45","priceAmount":7.45,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"7","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"45","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"oF8WpA99FGGrr4oqmgIciysf4l%2F0FwbgugccCuYRnDqR6Pdt2Rl6n%2BXSsvqKrS3SmOTlllA15lsbol1hyVwku6dsc3FefpD5ULUWREcQ2AppzMCh%2BhImpKlqyUivOIYghtTTX6LUp%2BKIQj8m3dWS8aXsxmdqczmr%2F%2F%2BtG9DnGzztqps8U%2FxAQN2GnSTLbJaC","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

INSTANT INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

A beautiful tale of hope, courage, and sisterhood—inspired by the real House of Mercy and the girls confined there for daring to break the rules.

Growing up in New York City in the 1910s, Luella and Effie Tildon realize that even as wealthy young women, their freedoms come with limits. But when the sisters discover a shocking secret about their father, Luella, the brazen elder sister, becomes emboldened to do as she pleases. Her rebellion comes with consequences, and one morning Luella is mysteriously gone.

Effie suspects her father has sent Luella to the House of Mercy and hatches a plan to get herself committed to save her sister. But she made a miscalculation, and with no one to believe her story, Effie’s own escape seems impossible—unless she can trust an enigmatic girl named Mable. As their fates entwine, Mable and Effie must rely on their tenuous friendship to survive.

Home for Unwanted Girls meets The Dollhouse in this atmospheric, heartwarming story that explores not only the historical House of Mercy, but the lives—and secrets—of the girls who stayed there.

“Burdick has spun a cautionary tale of struggle and survival, love and family — and above all, the strength of the heart, no matter how broken.” — New York Times Book Review

“Burdick reveals the perils of being a woman in 1913 and exposes the truths of their varying social circles.” — Chicago Tribune
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    336 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Park Row
  4. Publication date
    January 7, 2020
  5. Dimensions
    5.94 x 0.79 x 8.9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0778308731
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0778308737
  8. See all details
Next page
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

The Girls with No Names: A Novel
$10.26
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
The Lost Girls of Willowbrook: A Heartbreaking Novel of Survival Based on True History
$10.24
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
The Orphan Collector: A Heroic Novel of Survival During the 1918 Influenza Pandemic
$9.95
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Choose items to buy together.

From the Publisher

The Girl with No Names by Serena Burdick
The Girl with No Names by Serena Burdick
The Girls with No Names by Serena Burdick Find Me in Havana by Serena Burdick The Stolen Book of Evelyn Aubrey by Serena Burdick
The Girls with No Names Find Me in Havana The Stolen Book of Evelyn Aubrey
See Details
See Details
See Details
Customer Reviews
4.5 out of 5 stars
3,095
4.3 out of 5 stars
187
4.3 out of 5 stars
478
Price $9.99 $14.99 $14.99
More from Serena Burdick ✓

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Burdick has spun a cautionary tale of struggle and survival, love and family — and above all, the strength of the heart, no matter how broken." — New York Times Book Review

"I'm shocked I'd never heard of The House of Mercy, the asylum for fallen women at the center of Serena Burdick's beautiful novel. Burdick expertly weaves together the stories of women affected by the asylum, telling a mesmerizing tale of strength, subterfuge, and the unbreakable bond between sisters." – Whitney Scharer, author of The Age of Light

"Filled with true historical details about life inside a work house for wayward girls in the 1910s, The Girls with No Names is a beautifully written, haunting novel. Burdick gorgeously portrays womanhood and coming-of-age set against the backdrop of the real House of Mercy, but above all, she weaves a stunning story of sisters, friendship, secrets, and ultimately survival. I fell in love with the courageous Effie and Mabel and will not soon forget their stories." – Jillian Cantor, USA Today bestselling author of The Lost Letter and In Another Time

“Burdick’s carefully researched narrative shines a light on the untold stories of countless real women, and fans of Joanna Goodman’s The Home for Unwanted Girls will be consumed by the fast-paced plot and well-characterized, sympathetic girls at the novel’s heart.” – Booklist


“The lives of women in early-20th-century New York spring to life through Burdick's deft sketching… As for the House of Mercy itself, Burdick shrewdly lets it loom in the background for a bit before pulling it to the foreground, like an urban legend suddenly brought to life. A spellbinding thriller for fans of Gilded Age fiction.” – Kirkus Reviews


“Burdick will break hearts with this exquisitely wrought, meticulously researched historical reflection on an American version of the infamous Magdalene laundries of Ireland… The narrative combines lush prose with a quick and riveting plot. Readers will be intensely moved by this historical.” – Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Serena Burdick Graduated from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in California before moving to New York City to pursue a degree in English Literature at Brooklyn College. Author of GIRL IN THE AFTERNOON, she lives in Western Massachusetts with her husband and two sons.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Park Row; Original edition (January 7, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0778308731
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0778308737
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.94 x 0.79 x 8.9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,095 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Serena Burdick

Serena Burdick

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

SERENA BURDICK is the Toronto Star, Publishers' Weekly and international bestselling author of THE GIRLS WITH NO NAMES. She is the author of the forthcoming novel FIND ME IN HAVANA (January 2021) and the 2017 International Book Award Winner for Historical Fiction for her novel GIRL IN THE AFTERNOON. She studied creative writing at Sarah Lawrence, holds a Bachelors of Arts from Brooklyn College in English literature and an Associates of Arts from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in theater. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two sons.

​

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
3,095 global ratings
Bad print
3 Stars
Bad print
I’ve started reading this book and 70 pages in I have discovered several blank pages. Disappointing
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

whiteft6
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly happy and sad at the same time
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2024
Verified Purchase
I enjoyed the characters throughout the story. I also found myself very upset with some of them.
It made me reflect on the life my great grandmother had lived since she would have been the same age as
Luella and Effie. I know of her hardships in life.
I hope others will read this and realize the ease and simplicity of our lives now as women or people in general.
Even as soon as 50 years after this story, medical improvements allowed for a neighbor boy of mine being able to have heart surgery to repair a hole in his heart.
Well written story and deserves to be read.
Helpful
 Report
Clyde J.
4.0 out of 5 stars As I read, my mind goes to the children caged at the border.
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2020
Verified Purchase
Life is not fair. More accurately, there are, always, laws, societal norms, religious teachings, treatment of the privileged that
negatively impact women and children, religious groups (Jews, Muslims, Mormans, etc), racial groups, disabled people, poor people, and others
This novel highlights the abused lives of women and girls at the hands of the NUNS who ran the ironically named House of Mercy. These females are at the institution as a result of questionable morals, supposed out of control behavior, and other perceived sins. They might even be left by a parent wanting to punish an uncooperative daughter. However Effie, the heroine, has UNbelievably conspired to get herself into the House of Mercy . . . using a partial alias, a phony story, and a strangers help. She believes that her father has left her sister, Luella, there. Effie is intent on finding her cherished Luella and accompanying her back to their nearby, upscale, home. But, Luella is not at the workhouse. Effie must join the other captive workers doing body, and spirit breaking, never ending piles of customer laundry, for which the proceeds are given over to the church.
A key bond develops between Effie and another girl, Mabel, at the institution. The relationship matters for a good portion of the book. Other relationships weave themselves expertly into the fabric of the story, and enhances the enjoyment of the written word.
10 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
cat lover
5.0 out of 5 stars Women surviving as best as they can in a society ruled by men in 1910s New York City...
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2020
Verified Purchase
Sometimes it seems that the passage of time changes nothing in the lives and conditions of women.
This story could have happened in medieval times.
This is an amazing story of resilience and courage in the face of poverty, illness and neglect.
The story is told from three important points of view: Effie (a sick teen with a grave heart condition, practically incurable at the turn of the century), Jeanne (her mother and a neglected wife) and Mable (a teen from a poor family who moves with her mother to the big city).
The story goes on to show us how one misstep, if you are a poor person or a woman (or both) can land you in the worst kind of nightmarish place- The house of Mercy, where mercy would be the last thing shown to you...
This book flows very quickly, and gives a complete and accurate view of New York City society in the 1910s, especially what was it for women back then.
This great work of historical fiction concerning incarceration of women is highly recommended.
If you like this book, I'd like to recommend two other amazing books I've read recently:
1. What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman.
2. The Ballroom by Anna Hope.
84 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Lisa
5.0 out of 5 stars Great shape
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2024
Verified Purchase
Although the book arrived when it was expected, and was in great shape...it is a rather slow read....just disappointed in the context.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Kimberly V
5.0 out of 5 stars Super good.
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2023
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed reading this book. The story of courage, suffering, friendship, betrayal, and most importantly, love. I would recommend to anyone.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Peggy M McAloon
4.0 out of 5 stars Conquering Nearly Impossible Odds
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2020
Verified Purchase
The House of Mercy is at the center of this compelling drama about young Effie Tildon and her sister Luella in the early part of the 20th Century. The girls are from an affluent family. But like all wealthy families of the time, their dirty secrets are to be kept buried at all costs.

One of the solutions back then was to transfer the unruly daughter to the House of Mercy. The women who ran the home believed the girls could repent of their foolish behavior. What if her father perpetrates the sin instead? How is a girl like Luella expected to look the other way when her father's indiscretion is so visible to her?

The Girls with No Names revolves around the viewpoints of Effie, her mother, and a young girl named Mabel. Effie meets Mabel at the House of Mercy. The two girls come from entirely different backgrounds, but circumstances bring them together in a desperate attempt to regain the lives they left behind. It is a story of dedication, compassion, and unbreakable bonds between sisters of the heart.

Growing up with a heart problem, I immediately became immersed in Effie's circumstances. I could see myself in her actions and decisions at every turn of the story. Your heart will bleed for young Effie as they force her to work in the infamous laundry at House of Mercy. The staff intended the punishments to break the healthiest of young women.

Effie is sure her father banished Luella to the House of Mercy. She manages to find a way to get herself admitted. Little did she know that the freedom and magic at the Romanian encampment near their home enticed Luella to escape into a different kind of lifestyle.

Once inside the House of Mercy, escape is virtually impossible, and the attempt may get Effie killed.

I loved the story because of the nearly impossible odds Effie managed to beat every step of her life's journey.
39 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Janina
5.0 out of 5 stars Could not put this down!
Reviewed in Canada on November 21, 2022
Verified Purchase
When I ordered this book I thought it would be a horror story. Was disappointed that it wasn't when I started to read it but not for long. This story drew me in from the start and found it hard to put down. Read it in 3 days. Excellent story and now I will look for more from this author.
Report
Elena
5.0 out of 5 stars La primera novela que me leí en inglés
Reviewed in Spain on June 7, 2023
Verified Purchase
Me encanta la forma de escribir de Serena Burdick. Me lo habían recomendado pero cuando quise leerlo todavía no estaba en castellano, por lo que dudé si intentarlo en inglés y estoy super contenta de haberlo leído, porque mereció la pena. ¿Mi pega?. Cambiaría el final. Me hizo llorar y hubiese preferido que terminase bien. Es mi opinión.
Report
M. Ross
4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic read
Reviewed in Canada on August 18, 2023
Verified Purchase
Book is amazing, kind of tough to get into without the beginning, but it keeps you going till the end
Report
Dianna Miller
5.0 out of 5 stars They did have names!
Reviewed in Canada on November 14, 2023
Verified Purchase
It was a good book...I passes it on...recommend if you're looking for a story to read
Report
Mary Gina Machado
5.0 out of 5 stars Should be read!
Reviewed in Canada on April 27, 2020
Verified Purchase
As one reviewer wrote that the book was too much about child abuse, well this happened and we should never forget this nasty history done by these righteous religious places. This was a well told story and very sad.
4 people found this helpful
 Report