The Scarlet Sisters cover art

The Scarlet Sisters

My nanna's story of secrets and heartache on the banks of the River Thames

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
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.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Scarlet Sisters

By: Helen Batten
Narrated by: Annie Aldington
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Confirm Purchase
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.
Cancel

About this listen

‘Oh my goodness - another girl, Mrs Swain!'

Clara's normal iron composure broke, and she screamed, ‘No! That's not the bloody deal!' And that was how my nanna, Bertha Swain, entered the world.

When Helen Batten's marriage breaks down, she starts on a journey of discovery into her family's past and the mysteries surrounding her enigmatic nanna's early life.

What she unearths is a tale of five feisty redheads struggling to climb out of poverty and find love through two world wars. It's a story full of surprises and scandal - a death in a workhouse, a son kept in a box, a shameful war record, a clandestine marriage and children taken far too soon. It's as if there is a family curse.

But Helen also finds love, resilience and hope - crazy wagers, late-night Charlestons and stolen kisses. As she unravels the story of nanna and her scarlet sisters, Helen starts to break the spell of the past and sees a way she might herself find love again.

©2015 Helen Batten (P)2015 Random House AudioBooks Europe Great Britain Historical Politicians Politics & Activism Women War England Marriage

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Nemesis cover art
Revenge cover art
Cheated cover art
Sisters of the East End cover art
A Mother's Secret cover art
Trusted cover art
The Missing Ones cover art
Hunted cover art
The Runaway Children cover art
A Daughter’s Ruin cover art
Voice of Reason cover art
Never Go Back cover art
Takeover cover art
A Mother's Sacrifice cover art
Christmas Past cover art
Under Dog cover art
All stars
Most relevant  
Loved everything. Bit confusing sometimes with the backwards and forwards of the stories . Past and present had to be listed to again in some chapters.

The Narrator

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
lots of 'i didnt know that' or 'no one spoke about that' basically 21st vs early- mid 20th ordinary family ups and downs

family ups and downs

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I never imagined that from a story about a mother and her daughters I should learn so much about my own family, their actions and history. Thankyou Helen Batten, for removing the scales from my eyes and helping me understand my own family.

Totally Absorbing and somehow cathartic

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Told beautifully, it makes you laugh then makes you cry. I felt that I was living the life with them.

touching

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Held my interest and I finished listening to it over three days. Fascinating insight into the lives of past generations, comparable to present day.

Good story, easy to listen to

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
All though I did find it a good story, it was the jumping back and forth that I found at times hard to keep up with ( and there was so many sisters and aunties) at times I had to go back at least two chapters because I was confused and lost, but finished the listen and it was interesting in the end, all in all a good story.

Bit hard to follow

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Such a lovely book sadness in places but that's what life is a lovely memory for a family through the ages

Scarlet sisters

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
loved it emotional yet funny in places excellent five stars narration to

best regards

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