They Were Sisters

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They Were Sisters

By: Dorothy Whipple

Narrated by: Sara Poyzer

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About this listen

When three sisters marry very different men, the choices they make determine whether they will flourish, be tamed or be repressed. Set in 1930’s middle-class England, the classic domestic drama, They Were Sisters, is a compelling but harrowing novel by Dorothy Whipple.

Meet three women with contrasting partners: Lucy's husband is her beloved companion; Vera's husband bores her and she turns elsewhere; and Charlotte's husband is a horrifying bully who turns a high-spirited naive young girl into a deeply unhappy woman. This is the story of how those marriages shape the sister’s lives, the consequences of their decisions, and the sisterly love that hopes to save them from tragedy.

They Were Sisters is part of the Persephone Audiobook Collection, a series of forgotten classics that includes neglected fiction and non-fiction by women writers. This audiobook of a novel first published in 1943 breathes new life into Whipple's work; with a fascinating introduction by novelist Celia Brayfield.

Classics

Family Life

Genre Fiction

Literary Fiction

Marriage

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Critic reviews

It is the most extraordinary and brilliantly subtle but moving look at three sisters, and the interplay between them as they grow into adulthood . . . such a wonderful character study (Elizabeth Day)

Exerts a menacing tone from start to finish. I eavesdropped on the lives of Lucy, Charlotte and Vera, compelled to go on but with a sense of simmering dread (journalist Charlie Lee-Potter)

The sparkling achievements of this accomplished novelist, not the least of which is the ability - rarer today than it should be - is simply to entertain (novelist Sally Vickers)

Most relevant

Love this genre and and so pleased to have stumbled across this author. Very Elizabeth Jane Howard. Concentrating on women’s lives in the 40s. Cannot wait to read more from this author. This was consumed within a couple of days and adored the characters and the storyline.