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  • The Throwaway Children

  • By: Diney Costeloe
  • Narrated by: Anne Dover
  • Length: 17 hrs and 55 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (1,614 ratings)
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The Throwaway Children cover art

The Throwaway Children

By: Diney Costeloe
Narrated by: Anne Dover
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Summary

Rita and Rosie Stevens are only nine and five years old when their widowed mother marries a violent bully. Under pressure from her new husband, she is persuaded to send the girls to an orphanage.

It is not long before the powers that be decide to send a consignment of orphans to their sister institution in Australia. Among them, without their family's consent or knowledge, are Rita and Rosie, the throwaway children.

©2015 Diney Costeloe (P)2015 W F Howes Ltd

Critic reviews

"Diney Costeloe has tackled an important subject. We should never forget this terrible injustice!" (John Humphreys)

What listeners say about The Throwaway Children

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
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    1,325
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    218
  • 3 Stars
    47
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    9
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  • 3 Stars
    47
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A wonderful novel, beautifully narrated.

I enjoyed this book so much that I just could not stop reading and listening, even though I did not want it to end. I felt totally immersed in the lives of the characters, brought even more vividly to life by the excellent voices of the narrator. The harrowing parts are so powerfully and accurately depicted, but these moments are counterbalanced with heartwarming moments of love and hope. I loved all the twists and turns in the story. There were plenty of surprises and I enjoyed the moments of conjecture, when little clues hinted at what was to come.
I absolutely loved this book. I laughed, I cried and I gasped in amazement, totally transported by this amazing story.

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42 people found this helpful

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

A Gripping Book

Would you listen to The Throwaway Children again? Why?

No. The story is unforgettable so I would not want to listen again but I would listen to any other book written by this author.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Throwaway Children?

There are so many. I'm a happy ever after kind of lady so enjoyed Gran reading the letter from a grown up Rita.

Which character – as performed by Anne Dover – was your favourite?

Difficult to say. All the characters were performed really well. If I had to choose just one then it would be Daisy.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

How can children be treated so cruelly.

Any additional comments?

I was rivetted by this book which spanned the same years as my own childhood.

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25 people found this helpful

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

Diney Costeloe does it again!

After listening to, The Girl With No Name by Diney and loving it. I decided to give her, The Throwaway Children a go. I'm so glad I did, as it captivated me just as much.

Based around a shameful chapter in British history. The cruel and heartless deportation of our children then within the "Care System" to Australia.
Although a work of fictional characters. It surely brings to light the treatment and conditions, which many of those real children endured, from what I previously knew about this period.
This makes the story even more heartbreaking at times, knowing events mustn't have been far from the truth for many.

Wonderfully narrated by Anne Dover, as to be expected. How she didn't choke up at times during her narration, I don't know? Because I did! Not through over sentimentality either, I'm not that way inclined. But i imagine she had to do some retakes?

This so deserves to be made into a TV miniseries by the BBC. Period dramas are what they do best in my opinion.

This book is thoroughly recommended.

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21 people found this helpful

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

A real tearjerker!

I loved this right from beginning to end with a few tears along the way. So beautifully written I felt like I was really part of it.

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19 people found this helpful

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

Thought provoking and heartfelt but riveting easy listen. 17 hrs felt like 4 !

Just love Anne Dover narrating. I'm a sucker for a nostalgic by- gone - year tale. Within an entertaining, sad family drama spanning approx 3 decades comes tragedy, loss, hope and enduring love. Taking place post WWII some of the events in this book are based around truth and history is described through a riveting story.

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19 people found this helpful

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

thoroughly great listen

Not what I expected but thoroughly enjoyed. Despite the sadness that this story evokes.. I could not put it down. I found it very easy to follow the characters on their journey and did not want the book to end.

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17 people found this helpful

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

Gripping from start to finish

A heartbreaking story written and narrated beautifully. I can't remember the last time I cried this much during a story or being moved to the point of shouting at my device, at a couple of points I had to stop listening, reluctant to hear what happens next.

I would absolutely recommend this story but would advise you to have a tissue handy.

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16 people found this helpful

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

Unputdownable

A very well-researched book. A brilliant plot, well-drawn engaging characters.
It's a sobering thought that all the events in this story are taken from real life, and Diney spares us nothing in her unflinching descriptions.
The book could have been shorter without sacrificing the impact, and the characters more nuanced.
But I loved it!
Thank you Diney Costeloe for education and entertainment!

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14 people found this helpful

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

not quite thrownaway

A story with many truths. A sad inditement of the way children from poor sociology economic backgrounds have been historically treated.
The narrator sets the scenes and depicts the characters beautifully turning a sad tale into an enjoyable story..

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13 people found this helpful

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

Couldn't stop listening

A beautifully written story that I didn't want to end. Highly recommend but have some tissues handy.

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11 people found this helpful