Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • What Child Is This

  • By: Rhys Bowen
  • Narrated by: Gemma Dawson
  • Length: 1 hr and 26 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (228 ratings)

$0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
What Child Is This cover art

What Child Is This

By: Rhys Bowen
Narrated by: Gemma Dawson
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £6.99

Buy Now for £6.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
activate_primeday_promo_in_buybox_DT

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Girl from the Corner Shop cover art
Above the Bay of Angels cover art
The Harbour Master's Daughter cover art
The Paris Assignment cover art
The Victory Garden cover art
Where the Sky Begins cover art
Evans Above cover art
The Tuscan Child cover art
The Venice Sketchbook cover art
The Beekeeper’s War cover art
The Singing Trees cover art
Jeannie's War cover art
Goodnight, Vienna cover art
A filha italiana [The Italian Daughter] cover art
The Cypress Maze cover art
Miracle Creek Christmas cover art

Summary

Christmas during World War II is a time for small miracles in this bittersweet short story by the New York Times best-selling author of The Tuscan Child and In Farleigh Field.

Jack and Maggie Harris are adrift on ravaged streets during the London Blitz. Their home is gone. They have nowhere to go and nothing left to lose. With only the memories of their greatest loss - the death of their child during a Christmas years before - Jack and Maggie settle in a seemingly deserted mansion for the night.

Inside they find shelter, warmth, and a bit of cheer. They also discover a surprise. Now, in the darkest of times, the unexpected compassion of strangers will make this Christmas one to remember forever.

©2018 Janet Quin-Harkin, writing as Rhys Bowen (P)2019 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about What Child Is This

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    141
  • 4 Stars
    48
  • 3 Stars
    28
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    140
  • 4 Stars
    47
  • 3 Stars
    14
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    129
  • 4 Stars
    46
  • 3 Stars
    18
  • 2 Stars
    12
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Heart warming short story


Very twee, lots of clichés….. but overall it was a lovely story with nice well rounded characters.


Really nicely read by Gemma Dawson.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Surprises on every page

A fabulous story, heart wrenching, heart warming, lots of surprises, just lovely, wanted it to go on a lot, lot more.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Lovely Short Story

A rather sweet short story, narrated well.
it was a very enjoyable listen. And, as it was included in my membership, a sweet short story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Such heartwarming story

Those were so different times hard in many ways and people had to stick together. The war did not make any difference about peoples background or circumstances and if people did not help each other out and support each other it’d had been so much worse. We can only imagine haven’t had to experience these times but many people nowadays have. They are frightened, starving, hurting, injured. Many of them lost all they had or lost loved ones. We should have the same spirit our families had during their wars and plights. We should remember what empathy and support and community spirit means and that we are all inhabitants of the same planet and all human beings, capable of empathy and love and hope. Isn’t that what Christmas is about? And why can’t it be Christmas all the time? I’m collecting Christmas stories since more than 50 years from all over the world. Still on the search for the hope and love to carry into all our lives. The stories who let us feel warm and safe can help us carry that on and write / act our own Christmas stories. Every little bit helps.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

a wee story about hope

a reminder to us all to be helpful to one and all. you never know when it might u needing a hand

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Lovely

Really enjoyed this heart warming story. Would recommend it to everyone. Hope there’s more like it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Whose Child

A lovely heart warming story of an event during the Second World War. Sadness then joy.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

What Child Is This

A lovely sad 😢 little Christmas story of surfing during WW2 in London, with loss and hardship and the willingness of stranger's to help each other. Read with feeling by Gemma Dawson.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Lovely Christmas story

The atmosphere of wartime London captured in this short story. A reminder of the sacrifices of the war generation.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Pleasant

A good nostalgic story of struggle through adversity resulting in hope. An excellent narrator.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!