Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • The Children's Hour

  • By: Marcia Willett
  • Narrated by: June Barrie
  • Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (28 ratings)
Get this deal Try for £0.00
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
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.
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.
The Children's Hour cover art

The Children's Hour

By: Marcia Willett
Narrated by: June Barrie
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

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

Buy Now for £15.99

Buy Now for £15.99

Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
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.

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Learning to Dance cover art
One Moonlit Night cover art
The Winter Folly cover art
Act of Faith cover art
Coming Home to Island House cover art
The Song of the Skylark cover art
Thursdays in the Park cover art
Summer at the Lake cover art
The Bells of Burracombe cover art
The Love Note cover art

Summary

In the big old house overlooking the sea, five small children listened as their mother read them a story. Theirs was an idyllic childhood, as they played on the beach, in the gardens and the woods, before the war and other tragedies disrupted their lives. Now, many years later, Nest and Mina still live at their beautiful childhood home, surrounded by the glorious Devon country side. But, when their sister Georgie comes to stay at Ottercombe, memories of their past start to revisit them.
©2003 Marcia Willett Limited (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
Genre Fiction
Show More Show Less

Critic reviews

"June Barrie offers a warm performance; her voice is a velvety purr and her delivery appropriately lively. The setting, brimming with gardens and seascapes, comes alive with Willett's descriptions and Barrie's attention to the beauty of words. The Children's Hour offers a pleasant escape to the beach and a thoughtful exploration of the meaning of family." (AudioFile)

What listeners say about The Children's Hour

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    14
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    13
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

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

Audible.co.uk reviews

Amazon reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for I C Harding

such a comforting book

my second 'listening ' of this story and probably not my last. This beautifully written and comfortingly read novel is like a warm blanket wrapping g itself around you.

Report this

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for L. Ellis

Narration dreadful

This is a really good story but I'm afraid I won't be buying anything else narrated by June Barrie. I'm sure she's a perfectly lovely woman but she is so terribly, terribly 'posh'. Every single character is endowed with the same 'well-bred gels' accent it's like listening to a BBC drama from the 1940s. Shame as I really enjoyed the story but the narration really spoilt it for me.

Report this

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
Profile Image for Carolyn

A very good way to relax after a stressful day

I loved this story for it's easy listening style and many threads that eventually came together. I felt I knew the house and the characters well and didn't want to say goodbye to them. It is not a taxing tale in any way and may be too slow moving for many people, but brought to me cosy feelings of sitting around a fire with my family while someone read a book to us.

Report this

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful