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The Life She Was Given
- Narrated by: Lori Gardner
- Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins
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Publisher's Summary
From acclaimed author Ellen Marie Wiseman comes a vivid, daring novel about the devastating power of family secrets - beginning in the poignant, lurid world of a Depression-era traveling circus and coming full circle in the transformative 1950s.
On a summer evening in 1931, Lilly Blackwood glimpses circus lights from the grimy window of her attic bedroom. Lilly isn't allowed to explore the meadows around Blackwood Manor. She's never even ventured beyond her narrow room. Momma insists it's for Lilly's own protection, that people would be afraid if they saw her. But on this unforgettable night, Lilly is taken outside for the first time - and sold to the circus sideshow.
More than two decades later, 19-year-old Julia Blackwood has inherited her parents' estate and horse farm. For Julia, home was an unhappy place full of strict rules and forbidden rooms, and she hopes that returning might erase those painful memories. Instead, she becomes immersed in a mystery involving a hidden attic room and photos of circus scenes featuring a striking young girl.
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It will fall to Julia to learn the truth about Lilly's fate and her family's shocking betrayal and find a way to make Blackwood Manor into a place of healing at last. Moving between Julia's and Lilly's stories, Ellen Marie Wiseman portrays two extraordinary, very different women in a novel that, while tender and heartbreaking, offers moments of joy and indomitable hope.
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What listeners say about The Life She Was Given
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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- Anonymous User
- 18-04-2024
Great story idea , not executed very well.
worth listening but could have been better. some traumatizing characters and events, not really given enough context.
narration was ok , but a fair few malapropisms , quite off putting.
pretty sure that's not how it would have been written.
Worth a listen, some golden bits, but overall not cohesive
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