very powerful

A hard read, it's very powerful. Good writing style, clear narration. i would definitely recommend

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Superb

superbly written and narrated. not what I would normally choose but so glad I did. these poor women endured such pain, suffering and deformity. unbelievable how it took so long, too long to get justice. this is an eye opener and story which so needed telling. Brave, brave women and such amazingly supportive husbands and families. Thank you for this insight.

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An excellent book

What a fabulous book. An horrific tragedy told so well. Both the writing and the narration are top notch. This has been my first introduction to this author but as a result I have now bought another of her titles on audible and I can't wait to listen. I love non-fiction with high quality research which this book most certainly is. It is then told in such a way that is both thrilling and evocative. A brilliant legacy for the girls affected and how their strength created such significant change for future generations of workers. And what a damning tale of corporations. Profit before people to the nth degree. Highly recommend.

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Powerful

I tried reading thja book and I couldn't due to the topic. Whoever, the audiobook was wonderful. It is a powerful one!

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Loved it

The reviews here nearly put me off but I’m so glad they didn’t. I really enjoyed this. The story is absolutely gripping. Harrowing but so human and compelling. The author’s delivery is a bit slow but I speeded her up: the wonder of audible! After a couple of hours, the girls were already falling sick and I wondered how on earth the tale could be stretched out for several more hours but the ensuing legal battles had me hooked. A great book!

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I had no idea

I had no idea the struggle these girls endured. thank you for writing this well written book! truly inspiring

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Shocking but excellent

I think this is the most shocking story I have heard for a long time. I learnt so much about radium poisoning and the terrible effects it had on those poor ladies. Written with tenderness and compassion and the excellent narration enhanced the listening experience enormously. The subject was a difficult one, however I wanted and needed to keep listening and even though I was brought to tears on more than one occasion I just had to keep on listening. If I could give more stars I would. I highly recommend this book.

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Horrific story of corporate lies and human suffering

All my life I accepted being able to read the time on watches in the dark without fully appreciating the history and science behind it. I am amazed and truly horrified at the story of its coming into being and perhaps my naivety at the way companies treat their employees with utter contempt, feeding them lies and deceit and covering up the truth at all cost. A very well researched and written book that I found ‘unputdownable’ though the content is often beyond belief.

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It left me in awe of those women.

I listened to this book in shock, awe and could hardly get over the way that these women were ignored.

Another example of the way that huge corporations lie to consumers and we the general public.

A lesson has to be learnt about not wholly trusting what we are told. Fortunately these days w have the wherewithal and the chance to research, research, research.

We had the tobacco industry doing the same thing, and in our present age, the Food and Pharmacy corporations.

As individuals, we have to make informed choices.

In the days of the Radium girls, they were totally at the mercy of these liars, but now, at least we can make some amount of choice.

We are the only individuals who can take care of what choices we make.

Of course we sometimes have to trust the people who are in authority, and we are still vulnerable to who we consider as those who know best. The question is, who are the ones to trust?

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Powerful Story Irritating Narration

This is a truly shocking story - I found myself gasping in disbelief at some of the genuinely jaw-dropping (pardon the expression) revelations - and it is its strength that kept me going to the end, in spite of the awful narration.

I can’t profess to be a fan of Kate Moore’s style of writing and. Certainly. Not. Of. Her. Strange. Staccato. Delivery. Terrible, theatrical, over-dramatised narration, which the story does not need; it is dramatic enough on its own (and how does a 30-something woman manage to sound like a 13-year old girl anyway?) I ashoom (sic) she was reading it how she was imagining it when she wrote it.

Some of her pronunciation would have been risible if it weren’t so irritating: ashooming, conshoomer, clappsed, clective, diptheria, becuzz, prehaps… (I could go on.) And while I understand that it was necessary to demonstrate that these were young, vibrant, attractive, fashionable women (I kept having to remind myself they were only in their early 20s) was it really necessary to be told of the physical attributes of (virtually) every person in the book? Was it relevant if a doctor had a bald head and glasses? I don’t think so. I found it really grating on me by about halfway through.

That being said, the account is totally engrossing. The shameless machinations of the companies in trying to protect their reputations and, more importantly, their profits, were staggering! I was entirely unaware of the struggles of these women and of their part both in changing industrial safety regulations and in the greater knowledge of radioactivity and its effects. A powerful story that needed to be told, but probably not by Kate Moore.

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5 people found this helpful