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  • Secrets of the Sewing Bee

  • By: Kate Thompson
  • Narrated by: Anne Dover
  • Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (206 ratings)
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Secrets of the Sewing Bee cover art

Secrets of the Sewing Bee

By: Kate Thompson
Narrated by: Anne Dover
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Summary

In 1940s London, each cobbled street is strewn with ghosts of soldiers past. And for the women, their battles are on the home front.

Flossy is embraced by the colourful mix of characters working at Trout's, who have turned their sewing expertise to war work. Dolly Doolaney, darling of the East End, helps Flossy settle into wartime life.

All of the sewing bees play their part in defending the front line, but as the Blitz hits London, can Dolly manage to contain the secret that binds them all?

©2016 Kate Thompson (P)2016 W F Howes Ltd

Critic reviews

"A poignant and moving story of the friendship of women during wartime Britain." (Val Wood on Secrets of the Singer Girls)
"Marvellous, full of gutsy characters I immediately empathised with." (Mararey Pemberton on Secrets of the Singer Girls)

What listeners say about Secrets of the Sewing Bee

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A heart warming East End WW2 story

For anyone who enjoys a happy ever after story based in wartime England, would certainly enjoy this East End fiction of women working in the rag trade during the Blitz and all that entails. A centre character of Flossie Brown who’s journey from shy foundling to young adult leads the way, along with her new friends and Dolly the tea lady who’s secrets tantalise the reader ‘til the end of the book. Anne Dover does a great narration of the various characters which draw you totally into the story. There are plenty of twists & turns along the way and several different angles of what went on during the earlier part of the war in the East End. Anyone with a knowledge of Bethnal Green may well find this book interesting too. I was hooked from the prologue and loved listening to it all. A great book to read either on a holiday or cosied up by the fire on a cold winter eve!

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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wonderful !

I loved this story and Anne Dover reads it wonderfully. you get lost in the story and feel you are really there xx

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great Escapism

I was a bit dubious when I saw another review commenting on the bad language.
Totally unjustified, minimal and entirely in keeping with the plot a feel.good wartime story

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Loved this book

I love learning about what happened in the ww2 .. This book is full of love sorrow and history would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good story

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Lovely story

Another great story by Kate Thompson I hope audible continue to have any of her future titles.
I liked the little connections to the other title by her that I had previously read. As some of the characters on the fringes of this book had featured before.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful read.

Where does Secrets of the Sewing Bee rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 5.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I actually really liked Peggy. She was able to get over her bitterness.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Would have loved to.

Any additional comments?

Wonderful story about the people who fought on the homefront.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

gripped me from the start

Would you listen to Secrets of the Sewing Bee again? Why?

not really as I enjoyed it so much that I bought the first book in this series straight away as soon as I had finished this one

Who was your favorite character and why?

dolly......a brave woman who made a difference

Which scene did you most enjoy?

enjoyed all of them immensely

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me laugh out loud in parts and feel sad in others and yes I did get impatient with some of the characters as times especially Flossie who I thought was a bit flaky and sorry for herself and even said out loud a few time "get over it Girl"

Any additional comments?

yes I enjoyed the narration very much

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Happy endings!

Lovely book. I always like a happy ending. This wasn’t a book filled with drama more one that just chugged along but it was a nice one to listen to.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good story

Really represented sewing factory girls and the banter that they give out. Really grabbed at the heart ❤️ in places.

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

Good listening

Love the story made to come to life by the brilliant Anne Dover five stars 🌟

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