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The Love Child
- Narrated by: Ana Clements
- Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins
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The Love Child
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Summary
The unmissable new novel from Rachel Hore, Sunday Times best-selling author of Last Letter Home, a 2018 Richard and Judy Book club pick.
London, 1917. When 19-year-old Alice Copeman becomes pregnant, she is forced by her father and stepmother to give up the baby.
She simply cannot be allowed to bring shame upon her family. But all Alice can think about is the small, kitten-like child she gave away, and she mourns the father, a young soldier, so beloved, who will never have the chance to know his daughter.
Edith and Philip Burns, a childless couple, yearn for a child of their own. When they secretly adopt a baby girl, Irene, their life together must surely be complete. Irene grows up knowing that she is different from other children, but no one will tell her the full truth.
Putting hopes of marriage and children behind her, Alice embarks upon a pioneering medical career, striving to make her way in a male-dominated world. Meanwhile, Irene struggles to define her own life, eventually leaving her Suffolk home to find work in London.
As two extraordinary stories intertwine across two decades, will secrets long buried at last come to light?
Brilliantly evoking the changing attitudes of the time, The Love Child is a novel about love, family, separation, despair and hope, full of tenderness and deep feeling.
Critic reviews
"A gorgeous and deeply absorbing story." (Tracy Rees)
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What listeners say about The Love Child
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Doodly Di
- 25-07-20
An intriguing story with weak moments
I don't always enjoy writing reviews which aren't glowing but it's bound to happen with the amount of books which are available. The main thing I was unhappy about wasn't Rachel's story, it was Ana's narration, particularly her very poor Irish accent. That weakness really affected my ability to focus on events and believe the characters.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Sigrin
- 20-06-20
Adoption Life story
Nice story, nothing taxing.
I needed a palate cleanser after doing the Tolstoy classics.
The story weaves between Irene the adopted child of Mr and Mrs Burns and Irenes birth mother Alice who fell pregnant to a soldier fighting in WW1, who unfortunately died shortly after their relationship started .
My only real criticism is the narrator, who read in what I can only describe as a jerky fashion. Her voice went very high and then low during sentences.
It’s something you get used to but was nonetheless irritating.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Charlie Watson
- 26-02-21
Love the story, ambivalent about the reader
Rachel Hore always turns out great stories, but this reader sounds as if she's about to burst into tears all the time. Occasionally, it may be useful, but not all the time.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- G
- 09-06-20
Lovely heartwarming story!
At first I didn’t think I could put up with the narrators high voice but I got used to it and it was ok. I enjoyed the story and the time it was set in. I think it was a bit different from Rachel Hore’s normal books but very good even so. Definitely well worth a credit and listen.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lara
- 04-04-20
Exquisite!
Charming story about love, loss, hurt, duty and the struggle between class and family dynamics all set beautifully in the troubled times between the First and Second World War.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Roz
- 11-04-24
Complex and engaging
I am a stern critic of adoption stories, being adopted myself. Most are inaccurate in the legalities and emotions. I dislike the term “real mother” preferring the modern “birth mother” but gritted my teeth as that was probably reflective of the times. Sometimes I felt I was reading about my own life: the ridiculous snobbery, the fear of bad blood and people ‘knowing your business’ all resonated with me. I loved the evolution of the characters and the period. Really good read and listen. Good narrator too.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Com Public Health Student 2010
- 20-07-23
Heartwarming story
A lovely story set between wars. The story captured restraints of the time and the difficulties women faced. The characters grew within the book, which changed your initial view of them, understanding their behaviours were a product of the social pressures faced. i enjoyed listening and would recommend to those that like love stories with a historical backdrop.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Janet Jones
- 28-05-22
A nice....
storyline with some nice characters in. The narrator was good at using different voices for the characters.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mary
- 02-03-22
Great book!
Really enjoyed this book. Gripping story and well narrated too. Have listened to it twice now and just as good second time round.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Daisy Day
- 17-07-21
Unputdownable!
Beautiful, simple story with surprising depth and layering of themes. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Had me shushing my children more than was fair to them!
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