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Christmas Is for Children
- Narrated by: Annie Aldington
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction
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Christmas Child
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It’s Christmas 1880 in London’s East End, and a dying Irish girl leaves her baby in the care of the Sisters of Clemency. The nuns raise little Ettie O’Reilly as their own. But the lives of the nuns and orphans are soon crushed by an unexpected turn of events. Ettie is at her lowest ebb when she is betrayed by the boy who has promised his undying love and loyalty. She is faced with the revelation of a heart-wrenching secret.
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heartwarming
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Overall
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Performance
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not keen
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London, 1943: Dot Hanson has never forgotten the thrill of seeing the beautiful Christmas displays at Liberty's department store as a young girl. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would one day work there or that she would fall in love with the store's manager, her childhood sweetheart, Edwin Button. But in spite of the life Dot has built for herself and the tight-knit community around her, she lives in the shadow of a terrible secret. And as the bombs continue to fall across Britain, there is more heartache still to come.
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Story good narrator terrible!
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England, 1943: Home is no longer safe for eight-year-old twins Molly and Jacob. Night after night, wailing bombs and screeching planes skim the rooftops overhead. They cradle each other, shivering in terror, not knowing if they'll live to see dawn. Their mother, Martha, has no choice but to evacuate them to the safety of the countryside. At the train station, Martha bites back tears as she says good-bye to her precious children. Knowing she might never see them again, she gives Jacob a letter, pressing the envelope into his hands and telling him to only read it if they are in danger.
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Narrated
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A Blackpool Christmas
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The war is over, but peace hasn't quite settled between newly reunited sisters Babs and Beth. Tilly and her daughters have encountered enough pain to last several lifetimes, but their struggles are far from over. Will they be able to put their past behind them and look forward to a happy future?
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Under the Mistletoe
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Liverpool, 1940. When war comes to Britain, Jessica Wilson and her friend Ruby seize the opportunity to leave behind the orphanage they grew up in and start new lives in the NAAFI. With only forged papers as identification, the girls expect to be turned away but are delighted with an offer of work. For the first time in their lives they experience real independence, and it isn't long before they're spending their evenings enjoying the delights of Liverpool.
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Another great listen
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Christmas with the Teashop Girls
- By: Elaine Everest
- Narrated by: Annie Aldington
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
It is late 1940, and the war feels closer to home than ever for Rose Neville and her staff at the Lyon’s Teashop in Margate. The worry of rationing hangs overhead as the Nippies do their best to provide a happy smile and a hot cup of tea for their customers. When a heavy bombing raid targets the Kent coastline, Lyon’s is badly hit, throwing the future of the cafe into jeopardy. The light in Rose’s life is her dashing fiancé, Capt. Ben Hargreaves, and planning their Christmas Eve wedding.
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A beautiful story
- By Jane Bryder on 01-01-21
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The District Nurses of Victory Walk
- The District Nurses, Book 1
- By: Annie Groves
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- Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Alice Lake has arrived in London from Liverpool to start her training as a District Nurse, but her journey has been far from easy. Her parents think that she should settle down and get married, but she has already had her heart broken once and isn’t about to make the same mistake again. Alice and her best friend, Edith, are based in the East End, but before they’ve even got their smart new uniforms on, war breaks out, and Hitler’s bombs are raining down on London.
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Beautifully written and read.
- By Emilia Hicks on 03-08-20
Summary
December 1930. With the Depression biting deeper, it looks like many children in the East End will wake up to nothing on Christmas morning.
Widower Robbie Graham earns just enough to put food on the table for his children, Ben and Ruthie. Local cake shop owner Flo Hawkins can't bear the thought of any child having nothing for Christmas. Along with her sister, Honour, she hatches a plan to bring some festive cheer to the community.
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What listeners say about Christmas Is for Children
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- John Marsden
- 11-12-20
Superb!
What a brilliant and heart warming read! I love most of Rosie Clarkes books and this is no exception, well written and emotional. It really brings home to the reader what it must have been like existing, i can't say living, in the slums and tenaments of East End London in the years between the First and Second world war. Thank god that their were people such as Flo, John and all the others in this story to try and make life more bearable. And as for the fantastic Annie Aldington... one of the best narrators ever who makes characters jump out of the story. It their was a 10 star rating for narration then Annie would be right up there. Highly recommended read.
2 people found this helpful
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- Sakazoke
- 05-12-20
Christmas is for children.
Absolutely fantastic! A truly heart warming story of love and hope for a brighter future. This was a story that I didn’t want to end. And can I say that at long last you choose a narrator such as Annie Aldington to brings each and every single character to life. Annie put a heart and soul into each and every single one. I hope you use her in the future. Merry Christmas and a happy new year.
1 person found this helpful