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The Promise
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A really good story
- By Heidi on 13-03-14
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Excellent
- By jules on 22-04-15
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Ellie
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Ellie is a sweet-natured brunette, generous of heart with a sparkling smile and an accent that reveals her East End background. Bonny is beautiful and spoilt, with cascades of blond hair, the brightest pair of blue eyes and a mouth like Cupid's bow. The two girls meet in London at the end of the war when, seduced and abandoned by two American airmen, they pool their wits and resources and set off to make a living on the stage.
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Sad when it finished
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Never Look Back
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Sixteen-year-old Matilda is a poor Covent Garden flower girl until the day she saves the life of Tabitha, a minister's daughter. Welcomed into Tabitha's family, Matilda is offered the chance of a lifetime. She leaves behind London's slums and enters the darkest corners of New York. From there she travels across the plains to the Wild West, where San Francisco is in the grip of the gold rush. Streetwise and strong-willed, Matilda forges a new life for herself and Tabitha among pioneers like Captain James Russell - a man to whom she is deeply attracted. Yet a civil war will soon rip apart this new nation.
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I feel like I've been on a journey, an epic one
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Rosie
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Without a mother, Rosie is at the mercy of her father and thuggish brothers. Then one day a friend comes to the farm in the form of cockney housekeeper Heather Farley. But soon enough Heather vanishes, abandoning Rosie to her fate. Only when Thomas Farley comes to find his sister several years later does Rosie learn the terrible truth about Heather - and her family. Running away from home, she finds herself pursued by the man who brought ruin on her family. Is he out to get her, too? Or could he have some other reason for chasing her?
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Very addictive
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Engrossing story
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Survivor
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London, 1939: Eighteen-year-old Mari is defiant, strong-willed and selfish. She has craved independence her entire life and now, with the World on the brink of war, Mari has finally escaped the sleepy fishing village of her childhood in New Zealand. After passionately falling for Morgan, the cockney steward aboard ship on her voyage to England, she hastily dismisses him in favour of being taken out by handsome young pilots in the glamorous West end. But, without warning, the Blitz blows her new life apart. Now Mari has the chance to make a difference but can she learn from her mistakes in time?
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A really good story
- By Heidi on 13-03-14
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Belle
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- Length: 21 hrs and 24 mins
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
She witnessed a murder - and now her life is in danger. Fifteen year-old Belle, though raised in a London brothel, is an innocent. But when she witnesses one of the girls brutally strangled by a client, she is cast into a cruel, heartless world. Snatched from the streets and sold into prostitution, she is made a courtesan in New Orleans.
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Excellent
- By jules on 22-04-15
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Ellie
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Overall
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Ellie is a sweet-natured brunette, generous of heart with a sparkling smile and an accent that reveals her East End background. Bonny is beautiful and spoilt, with cascades of blond hair, the brightest pair of blue eyes and a mouth like Cupid's bow. The two girls meet in London at the end of the war when, seduced and abandoned by two American airmen, they pool their wits and resources and set off to make a living on the stage.
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Sad when it finished
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Never Look Back
- By: Lesley Pearse
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- Length: 29 hrs and 22 mins
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Sixteen-year-old Matilda is a poor Covent Garden flower girl until the day she saves the life of Tabitha, a minister's daughter. Welcomed into Tabitha's family, Matilda is offered the chance of a lifetime. She leaves behind London's slums and enters the darkest corners of New York. From there she travels across the plains to the Wild West, where San Francisco is in the grip of the gold rush. Streetwise and strong-willed, Matilda forges a new life for herself and Tabitha among pioneers like Captain James Russell - a man to whom she is deeply attracted. Yet a civil war will soon rip apart this new nation.
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I feel like I've been on a journey, an epic one
- By Helen on 13-10-18
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Rosie
- By: Lesley Pearse
- Narrated by: Gabrielle Glaister
- Length: 23 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Without a mother, Rosie is at the mercy of her father and thuggish brothers. Then one day a friend comes to the farm in the form of cockney housekeeper Heather Farley. But soon enough Heather vanishes, abandoning Rosie to her fate. Only when Thomas Farley comes to find his sister several years later does Rosie learn the terrible truth about Heather - and her family. Running away from home, she finds herself pursued by the man who brought ruin on her family. Is he out to get her, too? Or could he have some other reason for chasing her?
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Very addictive
- By Jess on 23-09-18
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Hope
- By: Lesley Pearse
- Narrated by: Lucy Brownhill
- Length: 20 hrs and 40 mins
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Baby Hope, the unfortunate proof of Lady Harvey's adultery, is smuggled out of a privileged aristocratic household to a nearby village. There, her true identity a secret, she grows up in the arms of the poor but loving Renton family. But the day comes when Hope must pay her way. What could be more natural than being taken into service by the Harveys? However, when she sees something she should not, she is threatened and blackmailed into leaving her beloved Rentons forever.
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Engrossing story
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Trust Me
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When their father tragically kills their mother, Dulcie and her sister are sent to an orphanage. Told that a 'better life' awaits them in another country, they are shipped off to Australia. But the promises made to the sisters turn out to be lies. And it seems to Dulcie that everyone who ever said 'trust me' somehow betrayed that trust. So when she meets Ross, another orphanage survivor, and finds he is a kindred spirit, hope swells in her heart. But can she ever get over the past betrayals and learn to trust again? And can she fight not only for herself but also for her sister?
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A must read. Everyone should know the truth...
- By Ajs on 15-10-18
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Charlie
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When 16-year-old Charlie witnesses a brutal attack on her mother by two strangers, she is shocked and terrified. But after talking to the police she realises that her father's business dealings can't be so innocent. With her father away, it is left to Charlie to protect her mother. And somehow she must find out who wants to hurt her family - and why - without losing faith in her beloved parents. Can she unravel the mysteries of the past that haunt her family? Or will the truth wreck everything she loves?
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Charlie
- By Beryl on 16-07-18
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Georgia
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When nine-year-old orphan Georgia James is unexpectedly fostered by the kindly Celia and her bank manager husband, she can hardly believe her luck. But then - on her 15th birthday - she suffers the cruellest betrayal of all at the hands of her foster father and is forced to run away, leaving everything she loves behind.
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A wonderful listen..
- By jane joensen on 23-07-14
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Charity
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Charity Stratton's bleak childhood is changed forever when both her parents are killed in a fire. Separated by the authorities from her younger brothers and sister, Charity is sent out to work as a skivvy in a boys' boarding school. Her loneliness and misery are eased when she falls deeply in love with the dashing but fickle sixth-former Hugh Mainwaring, but when she discovers she is pregnant with Hugh's baby, she soon realises just how alone she really is.
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A very good read
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Remember Me
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Story
In 1786 a fisherman's daughter from Cornwall called Mary Broad was sentenced to be hanged for theft. But her sentence was commuted, and she was transported to Australia, one of the first convicts to arrive there. How Mary escaped the harsh existence of the colony and found true love, and how she was captured and taken back to London in chains, only to be released after a trial where she was defended by no less than James Boswell, is one of the most gripping and moving stories of human endeavour (based on an amazing true story) you will ever listen to.
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Gripping
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Faith
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Scotland, 1995. On the hills of Cornton Vale Prison. She was convicted of killing her best friend.... Laura Brannigan has been put away for murder. She insists that she didn't kill Jackie. But her search for true justice seems futile. Then she receives a letter that takes her back to her youth and the memory of an old love, Stuart....
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Lovely story
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Secrets
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Twelve-year-old Adele is placed in a bleak, cruel children's home after a family tragedy drives her mother to madness. But when trust is betrayed Adele has no choice but to run away.... Alone and friendless, she heads for Sussex to seek out the grandmother she has never known. However the journey, without food or shelter, leaves her desperately ill. Surrounded by the beautiful Rye Marshes, Adele is nursed back to health. Can she now dream of a new life? But what will happen when her mother reappears bearing shocking family secrets?
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Awful narration
- By a.e.harvey on 13-10-18
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A Lesser Evil
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Following her heart, Fifi moves with Dan to London, where they rent a seedy flat in Dale Street, Kennington. Though Fifi must now become acquainted with squalor, she is soon drawn into the goings-on behind the shabby front doors of her new neighbours. But it is the Muckles, at number 11, who are the street's focus. Rumours of criminal depravity and shocking behaviour are rife. So when Fifi steps in to help their youngest child, she risks the wrath of this frightening family....
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Well read and engaging story
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Gypsy
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Fifteen-year-old Beth's dreams are shattered when she, her brother, Sam, and her baby sister, Molly, are orphaned. Sam believes that only in America can they make their fortunes, so, reluctantly leaving Molly with adoptive parents, brother and sister embark on the greatest adventure of their lives.
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Wonderful story .
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Forgive Me
- By: Lesley Pearse
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- Unabridged
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The unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Forgive Me, a compelling story of a daughter uncovering her mother’s secret past from the No. 1 bestselling author, Lesley Pearse. Read by the actress Alison Dowling. Cheltenham, 1991, when Eva Patterson returns home from work one day, a devastating scene awaits her.
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Good book, not for the depressed
- By Miss on 03-06-13
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Without a Trace
- By: Lesley Pearse
- Narrated by: Emma Powell
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Without a Trace. A compelling story of courage, friendship and love by international number-one best-selling author Lesley Pearse, read by Emma Powell. Coronation Day, 1953. In the Somerset village of Sawbridge, young shopkeeper Molly Heywood slips away from the celebrations to her friend's cottage and makes a shocking discovery: Cassie is dead, and her six-year-old daughter, Petal, has vanished without a trace.
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Good but not her best
- By Mike on 21-05-15
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Dead to Me
- By: Lesley Pearse
- Narrated by: Eve Webster
- Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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When Ruby and Verity met as girls, they came from different worlds. Verity was privately educated, living in a beautiful Hampstead home, while Ruby was being raised in extreme poverty. Nevertheless, they became firm friends. However, fortunes are not set in stone, and soon the girls find their situations reversed. As Ruby goes up in the world, Verity encounters more and more tragedy, but still the girls remain large parts of each other's lives.
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Reverting
- By Amazon Customer on 15-08-16
Summary
Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of The Promise from the bestselling author Lesley Pearse.
War threatens to take all she has loved and lived for. When Belle Reilly's husband Jimmy enlists and heads for the trenches of Northern France, she knows she cannot stand idly by awaiting his return. Volunteering to help the wounded, Belle is posted to France as a Red Cross ambulance driver. There, tragedy brings her face to face with Etienne, a man from her past who she'd never quite forgotten.
Torn between forbidden passion, loyalty and love, Belle is caught in an impossible situation. Will the brutality and carnage of war make the honorable path the hardest one to take? Or will fate intervene and finally lead her to lasting happiness?
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Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Mrs.G.Parr
- 24-02-15
Excellent
Although this book can be read independently it would be good to listen to Belle first as it adds to a very moving story.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
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- mollyeyre
- 11-05-15
Draining
Quite a good story, I do like the characters on the whole - but I have never known anyone to have such misfortune! As in the first book, Belle does really well, gets out of all manner of scrapes - them disaster happens - a bit over the top for me - I won't bother with anymore in the series
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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- agnes
- 06-04-15
Really enjoyed it!
Loved it, nice story didn't want it to end.
all great characters painted a good picture of all the scenes.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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- Lou Lou
- 08-12-14
Great Book & Audio
What made the experience of listening to The Promise the most enjoyable?
The narrators use of different accents to portray different characters. And the story was a brilliant one.
What other book might you compare The Promise to, and why?
Obviously to Belle as this is part 2 of Belle's story. Next I will definitely be looking out for the audiobook version of part 3!
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I believe the story and narration flowed so well that it always held my interest. I did feel deep emotion at the descriptions of the horrible conditions which soldiers had to endure throughout WWI.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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- Donna Maria Evans
- 08-10-18
Great follow up to Belle
Maybe not as gripping as the first - But a very enjoyable read
Can't wait for the next in the series
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- flc
- 30-08-18
Excellent.
Just as good as the first one. Some brilliant and harrowing reports on the war. Very well written, I highly recommend this book although once again, not for the faint hearted but written in such a way as not to be shocking.
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- Charlotte leah
- 22-05-18
Sherry Baines was a dream to listen to. Good story
Loved it! Every single moment was flawless and a real treat! I'm a real fan of Lesley Pearse books so I'm glad that I've finished the second book of the belle series.
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- osteo1
- south west
- 30-06-17
Excellent development from Belle
What did you like most about The Promise?
The way the characters develop, you can't predict what is going to happen and the twists and turns.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Ettienne. He is so être galant who you desperately wish has some good luck. His character is developed so that you keep wanting him to appear more and more.
Which scene did you most enjoy?
When Noah tracks Ettienne down to Marseille to help with finding Belle in Paris.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
When both Ettienne and belle knew they couldn't or didn't want to be departed but neither speaks up at the railway station.
Any additional comments?
Excellent book
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- Puddycats
- 17-02-17
Brilliant as always
Lesley never fails to produce a captivating story, I think this is the best one so far!
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- cll13
- 02-11-16
Enjoyable!
Great to find out what happens to Belle after listening to the first in the trilogy. A little predictable at times but a nice feel good love story.
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- Justine harpin
- 13-09-19
A lovely read
I always enjoy Lesley Pearse books and this was no exception. The story made the war so real and hesrtbeaking. The narrator for this book had your attention from start to finish.