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  • The Scarlet Sisters

  • My nanna's story of secrets and heartache on the banks of the River Thames
  • By: Helen Batten
  • Narrated by: Annie Aldington
  • Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (93 ratings)
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The Scarlet Sisters cover art

The Scarlet Sisters

By: Helen Batten
Narrated by: Annie Aldington
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Summary

‘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 AudioBooks

What listeners say about The Scarlet Sisters

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best regards

loved it emotional yet funny in places excellent five stars narration to

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2 people found this helpful

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

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

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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