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Love as Always, Mum xxx
- The true and terrible story of surviving a childhood with Fred and Rose West
- Narrated by: Julia Barrie
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
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the convent
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Publisher's Summary
The true story of an abused childhood, of shocking brutality and life as the daughter of notorious serial killer and master manipulator Rose West.
You're 21 years old. Police arrive on the doorstep of your house, 25 Cromwell Street, with a warrant to search the garden for the remains of your older sister you didn't know was dead. Bones are found, and they are from more than one body. And so the nightmare begins. You are the daughter of Fred and Rose West.
'Mae, I mean this.... I'm not a good person, and I let all you children down....' (Rose West, HM Prison Durham)
It has taken over 20 years for Mae West to find the perspective and strength to tell her remarkable story: one of an abusive, violent childhood, of her serial killer parents and how she has rebuilt her life in the shadow of their terrible crimes.
Through her own memories, research and the letters her mother wrote to her from prison, Mae shares her emotionally powerful account of her life as a West. From a toddler locked in the deathly basement to a teen fighting off the sexual advances of her father, Mae's story is one of survival. It also answers the questions: how do you come to terms with knowing your childhood bedroom was a graveyard? How do you accept the fact your parents sexually tortured, murdered and dismembered young women? How do you become a mother yourself when you're haunted by the knowledge that your own mother was a monster? Why were you spared, and how do you escape the nightmare?
Read by Julia Barrie.
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What listeners say about Love as Always, Mum xxx
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Mandy
- 23-12-2020
Such courage
Fantastic read, although such terrible and unimaginable things to live through.
Mae you and your brothers and sisters are true survivors and i wish you all the love and healing life can give you from now on, thank you from one sexual assault survivor to another for you bravery.
Mandy from Australia 😊
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- Anonymous User
- 31-12-2022
Amazing, emotional and inspiring
The whole book from start to finish amazed me I’m so many ways. Just…incredible
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- Anonymous User
- 28-10-2022
Horrendous
This has been one of the most horrific true stories I’ve ever listened to. The narration was excellent. Overall the book was very well written and I couldn’t put it down.
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- Lynnette
- 27-06-2019
Not the Mae West I expected - but a must to read
I’m quite shocked to think that in the 1990 to 2000 decade there was no victim support for the children of serial killers/abusers, that those kids had to seek their own solace and be self psychologists.
What a horrific story and how amazing the children have all coped in their lives. I wish them all happiness and good fortune as they have shouldered way more than a fair share of perversion. A great reader and amazing story, that kept me awake some nights.
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- Samantha O'Meara
- 19-12-2021
Gripping yet heart wrenching
Loved this title, gripping details from within the home of monsters but the perspective of a child softens the way you see it all.
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- Natalie Hall
- 29-05-2022
Great read
Really good book snd very well narrated. Very sad story, but Mae's survival was a credit to her. well worth a listen.
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- Anonymous User
- 08-02-2021
I really liked this book
This book was interesting.I loved hearing her side of the story. I really liked it
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-06-2022
Interesting insight into an infamous family...
Not a bad book - Mae comes across as someone who, while evidently suffering damage from a hellish life, is quite sharp and insightful. In fact, there are times in the book where she somehow imbues the West house with a surprising sense of normalcy.
That said, there are some intense moments in the book in regards to descriptions of sexual violence and murder, so it's not for the feint-hearted.
I'm not sure what my take-away thoughts on this book are - certainly it is engrossing and gives you a peek into a world that's so dark it's impossible to imagine for most of us. On the flipside, the structure doesn't lend itself to much narrative tension, in that anyone who recalls the news knows what happened, and the book sort of gets to a point where the story is told, and goes out with a bit of a whimper.
Still - a pretty unique chance to get a truly inside look at a tragic story, so well worth a read/ listen.
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- Anonymous User
- 12-02-2023
Informative book
I found the book compelling. Hearing the account of a family member who survived an unimaginable childhood and was able to make good is uplifting. My only small critique would be it can be a bit repetitive.
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- Lisa Rowntree
- 19-02-2019
A riveting, thought compelling story.
I just want to give Mae West a hug. thank you for sharing your story
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1 person found this helpful