The Scarlet Sisters
My nanna's story of secrets and heartache on the banks of the River Thames
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Narrated by:
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Annie Aldington
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By:
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Helen Batten
About this listen
‘Oh my goodness - another girl, Mrs Swain!'
Clara's normal iron composure broke, and she screamed, ‘No! That's not the bloody deal!' And that was how my nanna, Bertha Swain, entered the world.
When Helen Batten's marriage breaks down, she starts on a journey of discovery into her family's past and the mysteries surrounding her enigmatic nanna's early life.
What she unearths is a tale of five feisty redheads struggling to climb out of poverty and find love through two world wars. It's a story full of surprises and scandal - a death in a workhouse, a son kept in a box, a shameful war record, a clandestine marriage and children taken far too soon. It's as if there is a family curse.
But Helen also finds love, resilience and hope - crazy wagers, late-night Charlestons and stolen kisses. As she unravels the story of nanna and her scarlet sisters, Helen starts to break the spell of the past and sees a way she might herself find love again.
©2015 Helen Batten (P)2015 Random House AudioBooksWhat listeners say about The Scarlet Sisters
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 20-01-24
The Narrator
Loved everything. Bit confusing sometimes with the backwards and forwards of the stories . Past and present had to be listed to again in some chapters.
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- Frances
- 19-09-24
family ups and downs
lots of 'i didnt know that' or 'no one spoke about that' basically 21st vs early- mid 20th ordinary family ups and downs
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- moniecoco
- 04-09-21
touching
Told beautifully, it makes you laugh then makes you cry. I felt that I was living the life with them.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Alison Taylor
- 29-11-18
Totally Absorbing and somehow cathartic
I never imagined that from a story about a mother and her daughters I should learn so much about my own family, their actions and history. Thankyou Helen Batten, for removing the scales from my eyes and helping me understand my own family.
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- J. Batten
- 05-04-20
Good story, easy to listen to
Held my interest and I finished listening to it over three days. Fascinating insight into the lives of past generations, comparable to present day.
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-07-24
Scarlet sisters
Such a lovely book sadness in places but that's what life is a lovely memory for a family through the ages
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- Susan
- 02-04-17
best regards
loved it emotional yet funny in places excellent five stars narration to
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2 people found this helpful