Anne Dover has narrated 77 audiobooks on Listento.it by 39 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.7★ across 118 ratings. The most-rated is The Throwaway Children.
The Demon Lover
Summary
A story from Night in the Front Line, a collection of Second World War short stories. One of Elizabeth Bowen’s most well-known stories, The Demon Lover sees Mrs Drover return to her abandoned London home, her family having settled into evacuated life in the countryside, to find a letter waiting for her.
©1941 Elizabeth Bowen (P)2019 Soundings
The Glovemaker's Daughter
Summary
From the acclaimed author of The Last Pearl and Dancing at the Victory Cafe, this is a beautiful novel about dark family secrets, betrayal, love and redemption. 1666. A child is born in the farmhouse at Windebank, in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Named Rejoice (Joy) by her dying father, Joy grows up witness to the persecution of the farming community for following a banned faith. Defying the authority of the local priest, she joins a group of Yorkshire pioneers travelling to the New World to form a colony close to Philadelphia - a passionate, rebellious and courageous woman fighting against the constraints of the time. Will she find peace and love? 2014. A leather-bound book is found buried in the walls of the Meeting House in Good Hope, Pennsylvania. Its details trace the owner back to a Yorkshire farm in the Dales. And so a correspondence begins between Rachel Moorside and the man who found the journal, Sam Storer, as Rachel uncovers the tumultuous secrets of her family’s history.
©2016 Leah Fleming (P)2018 Simon & Schuster UK
The Cornish House
Summary
When artist Maddie inherits a house in Cornwall shortly after the death of her husband, she hopes it will be the fresh start she and her step-daughter, Hannah, desperately need. Trevenen is beautiful but neglected, a rambling house steeped in history. Maddie is enchanted by it and determined to learn as much as she can about its past. As she discovers the stories of generations of women who've lived there before, Maddie begins to feel her life is somehow intertwined within its walls. But Maddie's dream of a calm life in the countryside is far from the reality she faces. Still struggling with her grief and battling with Hannah, Maddie is unable to find inspiration for her painting and realises she may face the prospect of having to sell Trevenen, just as she is coming to love it. And as Maddie and Hannah pull at the seams of Trevenen's past, the house reveals secrets that have lain hidden for generations. This gorgeously sweeping debut from Liz Fenwick is touched with romance and mystery, a perfect summer listen. Read by Anne Dover. Anne Dover has recorded many audiobooks as well as appearing in TV and radio commercials and listeners in the northeast will remember her Saturday night record show for Metro Radio in the late 1970s. Her TV appearances include Emmerdale Farm, Book Tower, Brideshead Revisited and A Kind of Loving.
©2012 Liz Fenwick (P)2012 Isis Publishing and the Orion Publishing Group
The Sweetest Thing
Summary
Cornwall, 1960, and a whole new world for young Connie Vickers as she holidays with her brand-new fiance William. But a strange encounter with a beautiful blonde boy on the beach leads to a terrible tragedy, the consequences of which are to affect Connie and William for the rest of their lives.
©2010 Susan Sallis (P)2010 Soundings
First Love Last Love
Summary
It wasn't a privileged childhood, but it was a happy one. Sybil and Lizzie Cream, brought up in a fisherman's cottage on the edge of the cold North Sea, were content to leave privilege where it belonged: with their friends the Wintertons. Christina Winterton was the same age as Sybil, and the two girls were inseparable, but it was Lizzie whom Ralph Winterton, three years older, found irresistible. Then war came to East Anglia, and so did Manchester-born Fenn Kitzmann, now of the American Army Air Force. At their first meeting he is attracted by Sybil's subtle charm, but before he sees her again her own personal tragedy has struck, and he finds her changed almost out of recognition....
©2000 Judith Saxton (P)2020 Soundings
A Christmas Gift
Summary
Brought to you by Penguin. Cosy up with the gorgeous novel from Sunday Times number one best-selling author Katie Flynn. Liverpool, 1939: 16-year-old Lizzy Atherton is forced to flee her violent stepfather in the middle of the night and finds herself stranded on a station platform completely alone. Desperate to know what has become of her beloved mother, whom she had no choice but to leave behind, Lizzy returns the next day only to find her home deserted. Devastated, Lizzy joins forces with her old school friend Dolly and Clara, an escaped evacuee, and vows to find her mother whatever it takes. But the war rages on and demands on the home front take Lizzy’s life in a host of unexpected directions, and hopes of finding her mother gradually start to fade. If Lizzy can muster the strength to keep searching, she might just get her Christmas wish after all.
©2019 Katie Flynn (P)2019 Penguin Audio
Married Love
Summary
Married Love is a collection of short stories to treasure, a masterful new work from one of the UK's most accomplished storytellers. Lottie announces that she is getting married. The youngest daughter of a large and close-knit family, Lottie is 19 but looks five years younger. Her fiancé is Edgar Lennox, a lecturer at Lottie's university, 45 years her senior. We follow as Lottie's life unfolds; it is a story of romantic dreams and daily reality, family loyalties and the comedy and solace to be found in small moments.
©2012 Tessa Hadley (P)2012 W F Howes Ltd
The Munitions Girls
Summary
1943, Hampshire. Pixie Saunders is 19 and employed in the local armaments factory. Not for the first time, her mother has run off with a dodgy-looking bloke, leaving Pixie to pay the rent and fend for herself. Pixie, along with her best friend, Rita; Em, the factory overseer; and the rest of the girls are making the most of the war while trying to stay alive. The work is dangerous and the hours long, but in the evenings they take off their overalls and go to the pub or, better still, go dancing. Pixie meets American serviceman Cal and falls in love. But then Cal rejoins his ship. When Pixie falls pregnant, her life changes dramatically. Alone and unable to work, she has to rely on the kindness of friends to help her survive. Happiness seems like a thing of the past. Little does she know that there are plenty of surprises waiting for her - good ones at that. Love may be closer than she thinks.
©2015 June Hampson (P)2015 WF Howes Ltd
The Kissing Gate
Summary
Gussie, Ned, and Jannie are not quite siblings, but they share a fiercely close and affectionate family bond. In their bohemian Cornish home, with a famous and distinguished artist as their father figure, they glory in their unusual upbringing and their unconventional, loving family life.... Until one day a terrible tragedy destroys the foundations of that family, and they have to learn to cope on their own.
©2012 Susan Sallis (P)2012 Soundings
The Bomb Girl Brides
Summary
Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Bomb Girl Brides by Daisy Styles, read by Anne Dover. The life of a Bomb Girl isn't usually glamourous. But Maggie is getting married, so she is going to make sure her wedding day is - even if she does have to spend every other day slaving on the factory floor. This blasted factory was not what Julia had in mind either. She had always dreamed of attending Oxford University rather than getting her hands dirty, and the easy laughter of the other women intimidates her terribly. But they are all here together in this munitions factory in a Lancashire mill town, sharing firsts, pitching in and getting on. These Bomb Girls are going to do their best at work and in love.
©2018 Daisy Styles (P)2018 Penguin Books Ltd
Under the Mistletoe
Summary
Brought to you by Penguin. The second novel in the heart-warming new series from best-selling author Katie Flynn. Liverpool, 1940 When war comes to Britain, Jessica Wilson and her friend Ruby seize the opportunity to leave behind the orphanage they grew up in and start new lives in the NAAFI. With only forged papers as identification, the girls expect to be turned away but are delighted with an offer of work. For the first time in their lives they experience real independence, and it isn't long before they're spending their evenings enjoying the delights of Liverpool. When Jessica meets the handsome Tom, she feels as though her life is complete, but after a chance encounter with a friend, she soon learns that not everything is as it seems. As Jessica begins to uncover the truth, she unravels a web of lies, starting with the night of her birth....
©2020 Katie Flynn (P)2020 Penguin Audio
The Path to the Lake
Summary
Viv's marriage to David was not a conventional one, but when he died - in an accident for which she blamed herself - it was as if her whole world had collapsed around her. She escaped by running, mainly around the nearby lake, which was once a popular place of recreation but was now desolate and deserted. It became both her refuge and her dread. But through the misery, she made some unexpected friends: a couple in the village whose family needed her as much as she needed them. And gradually, as a new life opened up, she was able confront the terrible secrets that had haunted her and which could now be laid to rest.
©2009 Susan Sallis (P)2009 Soundings
The Division Bell Mystery
Summary
Through the double clamour of Big Ben and the shrill sound of the bell rang a revolver shot. A financier is found shot in the House of Commons. Suspecting foul play, Robert West, a parliamentary private secretary, takes on the role of amateur sleuth. Used to turning a blind eye to covert dealings, West must now uncover the shocking secret behind the man's demise, amid distractions from the press and the dead man's enigmatic daughter. Originally published in 1932, this was the only mystery novel to be written by Ellen Wilkinson, one of the first women to be elected to Parliament. Wilkinson offers a unique insider's perspective of political scandal, replete with sharp satire.
©2018 Rachel Reeves MP (P)2019 Soundings
A Sister's Wish
Summary
From Sunday Times best-selling author of The Nightingale Girls, Donna Douglas. Spring, 1941. The families of Jubilee Row are still reeling from the loss of one of their own, and as the Blitz on Hull intensifies, it seems as if there will be more tragedies to come. As the street braces itself, capable mum Ruby Maguire takes charge as usual, bolstering spirits and lending a hand, as well as keeping her flighty sister Pearl on the straight and narrow. But the unexpected appearance of a face from her past threatens Ruby's future far more than Hitler's bombs. Meanwhile, the other inhabitants of Jubilee Row are finding love - and hope - in the most unexpected places.... For fans of Dilly Court, Rosie Goodwin and Katie Flynn this is the second book in the Yorkshire Blitz Trilogy from the best-selling author of The Nightingale Girls.
©2021 Donna Douglas (P)2021 Orion Publishing Group
A Mother's Love
Summary
The George pub in the backstreets of Liverpool lost its landlord when he ran off with the barmaid. Now his wife Eve runs the pub with the help of her three daughters and together they face up to all that life can throw at them. Warm-hearted, full of nostalgic descriptions of life in an earlier era, Lyn Andrews' latest has all the ingredients that her many thousands of fans look for and find in each new novel.
©2004 Lyn Andrews (P)2012 Headline Digital
A Daughter's Price
Summary
She thought she was finally safe. But a roof over her head comes with a price to pay.... Laura Cannock is on the run. Suspected of killing her bullying husband, his family are on a merciless prowl for revenge. Fleeing from her beloved home of Bolton to Manchester, Laura seeks refuge with her coal merchant uncle. But it soon becomes clear that a roof over her head comes with a price - of the type so unbearable she must escape once more. Destitute and penniless, a stench-ridden housing court in the back streets of the factories is Laura’s only hope of a dwelling - a place where both the filth and the kindness of neighbours overwhelm. Here people stick together through the odds, leading Laura to true friendship, and possibly love. But with the threat of her past still hanging over her, there’s still one battle she must fight - and win - alone.... A gritty historical saga set in Northern England in the late 1800s, perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin.
©2020 Emma Hornby (P)2020 Penguin Audio
The House on Lonely Street
Summary
The slums of Dublin are a lonely place for Katherine Donovan. Her father is one of the most hated men in the district, notorious for his viciousness. Her one friend is eight-year-old Ceppi, as much an emotional orphan as 18-year-old Katherine. When her father is murdered in the unrest surrounding the docker's strike, Katherine, fearing for her life, flees to Liverpool with her father's money, taking Ceppi with her. She finds a refuge for herself and Ceppi with the Moore family, until the eldest Moore boy's unnatural interest in Ceppi convinces Katherine that they must move on. Using the last of her money to rent a ramshackle lodging house, she discovers to her horror that one of her tenants is not the respectable salesman he claims to be. She is harbouring an murderer, abortionist, and disgraced doctor, a man who is threatening her safety and that of the little girl she promised to protect....
©2001 Lyn Andrews (P)2012 Headline Digital
Secrets of the Singer Girls
Summary
1942. Sixteen-year-old Poppy Percival turns up at Trout's clothing factory to start work as a seamstress. Poppy harbours a secret - one from which she is still suffering. But she's not the only one with a secret. Each of her new friends at the factory is hiding something painful. The war will throw their lives into turmoil but also bring these women closer to each other than they could ever have imagined.
©2015 Kate Thompson (P)2015 W F Howes Ltd
One Special Village
Summary
The third book in beloved and best-selling Anna Jacobs' Lancashire-based Ellindale saga. Lancashire, 1932. Widower Harry Makepeace lives in Manchester with his sickly daughter, Cathie, scrimping and saving to get by. But after she suffers a violent asthma attack, the doctors say she must move to the clean, fresh air of the countryside to have any hope of survival. When Harry chances upon a patch of land for sale in Ellindale and an advert for a disused railway carriage that can be made into a home, he snaps both up quickly. Harry swiftly becomes part of the community in Ellindale, making friends with the locals, and soon finds himself attracted to Nina, another newcomer to the village. Finally, he's found somewhere he and Cathie can build a new home. But their problems are far from over. Times are hard in Ellindale - Harry is not the only one struggling to find work. Then there's his old boss, who will stop at nothing to punish him for daring to leave. And Harry's already made an enemy in Ellindale - someone who could make his life very difficult indeed....
©2018 Anna Jacobs (P)2018 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
A Wing and A Prayer
Summary
For Mary Callaghan, marriage has brought heartaches and disappointment. But with it have come joys, the greatest of which are her daughters. And what Mary wants most in the world for her girls is what she never had - a husband who will offer the security her own hard-drinking, free-spending, brash-talking Jack denied her. But when Daisy confesses she's pregnant, Mary knows the future looks grim, for the father's rough, pleasure-loving Sam O'Grady. As Nell watches her sister sink into bitter poverty, she begins to wonder if she could ever allow herself to fall in love, when her own mother and sister are suffering so much at the hands of men they once worshipped. As the world around her grows more uncertain and war more likely by the day, love seems to Nell an increasingly dangerous game. Especially when a marriage based on mutual respect and material security -as well as the prospect of the child for which she longs - appears to be presenting itself....
©2002 Lyn Andrews (P)2012 Headline Digital