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The Foundling
- Narrated by: Hattie Morahan, Laura Aikman
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
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The Foundling
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Summary
From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Familiars
Two women, bound by a child, and a secret that will change everything . . .
London, 1754. Six years after leaving her illegitimate daughter Clara at London's Foundling Hospital, Bess Bright returns to reclaim the child she has never known. Dreading the worst, that Clara has died in care, Bess is astonished to be told she has already claimed her. Her life is turned upside down as she tries to find out who has taken her little girl - and why.
Less than a mile from Bess's lodgings in the city, in a quiet, gloomy townhouse on the edge of London, a young widow has not left the house in a decade. When her close friend - an ambitious young doctor at the Foundling Hospital - persuades her to hire a nursemaid for her daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home and her life. But her past is threatening to catch up with her and tear her carefully constructed world apart.
From the bestselling author of The Familiars comes this captivating story of mothers and daughters, class and power, and love against the greatest of odds . . .
'The new Hilary Mantel' Cosmopolitan
Another gripping, immersive, intelligent work of historical fiction from the bestselling author of The Familiars' Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Mercies
'A gripping and moving read' Libby Page, bestselling author of The Lido
'Fantastic storytelling that grabbed me from the off' Good Housekeeping
*Sunday Times bestseller February and September 2020*
*Winner of Women's Prize for Fiction x Good Housekeeping Futures award - Good Housekeeping 14 Oct 2022*
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What listeners say about The Foundling
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Karen
- 12-03-20
The Foundling
Loved this book..the story, the characters, the narration.. I could not stop listening to it
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Sigrin
- 30-06-20
Beautiful descriptive prose.
This book immerses you deep within its soul, the characters came alive and I felt I knew them intimately:
The exceptional descriptive narrative gave me an impression of what London felt, looked and even smelt like.
The narrators did a fabulous job, although it was slow, so I sped it up to 1.2 and for me personally that was better.
The narrator who spoke the voice of the child Charlotte was so convincing I thought it as a child. So often you get a banshee screech for children’s voices.
I apologies for not elaborating more on the story , however the summary of the book says it all, so I would just be spoiling it for you.
If you like a marvelously written historical fiction, you will enjoy this immensely.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- papapownall
- 27-06-20
Beautifully crafted historical fiction
Having been captivated by The Gallows Pole by Ben Myers I have made it my mission to seek out the best in historical fiction. This book by Stacey Halls popped up when I was exploring on line and I am so pleased that it did. This is a beautifully crafted work telling the story of a Georgian London through the eyes of shrimp girl Beth and widow Alexandra. It is a story of class and motherhood and the simple but compelling story is told well and comes together nicely at the end as all good books should. I was interested to hear that there was a Foundling Hospital that took in abandoned children and there is a museum in London that tells its story. I will certainly make the effort to visit the next time I am in London. I will also check out Stacey Halls previous book The Familiars and look out for her in the future. Five stars.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sarah Perera
- 06-06-20
Beautiful Book
Even better than her first book. Beautifully written and ended in a satisfying way. I found the historical information interesting too. I will definitely keep an eye out for this author.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- lesley rollings
- 20-06-20
Brilliant story
Absolutely loved this book it's characters came to life and I wish it was a film. It was perfect for me I will read another of this authors tales
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- SJC
- 12-06-21
Fantastic narration
This is a fantastic joint narration of this well told story. Can highly recommend the wonderful voices and acting of Laura Aikman and Hattie Morahan. Will be seeking more of their work.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Brigid
- 09-09-21
A brilliant story
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The narration was excellent. I will be listening to more of her books in the future. Thank you
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- MjW
- 20-06-21
Excellent story telling!
The Foundling unravels a tale with many twists. Extremely well read, I was completely gripped by the story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- MandyD
- 26-09-21
Loved it …
Enjoyed the storyline and the voice of the reader . Good ending and has made me want to. Is it the Foundling museum now !
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Paul V.
- 25-01-22
Great voices!
often the narrators voice annoys me, their " female or male" impressions sound silly or they read too slow- but this was read by two females , their voices suiting the characters perfectly. pace of the book was a bit slow at first but before you know it you are absorbed and intrigued. this was a " bookclub " book, one I wouldn't normally choose, but it scored highly, down to the narrators.
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