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  • Secret Slave

  • By: Anna Ruston
  • Narrated by: Faye Adele
  • Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (230 ratings)

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Secret Slave cover art

Secret Slave

By: Anna Ruston
Narrated by: Faye Adele
Free with 30-day trial

$16.45/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

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Publisher's Summary

You're not going home. You're not going anywhere. You're mine now.

Growing up in a deeply troubled family, 15-year-old Anna felt lost and alone in the world. So when a friendly taxi driver befriended her, Anna welcomed the attention, and agreed to go home with him to meet his family. She wouldn't escape for over a decade.

Held captive by a sadistic pedophile, Anna was subjected to despicable levels of sexual abuse and torture. The unrelenting violence and degradation resulted in numerous miscarriages, and the birth of four babies.... each one stolen away from Anna at birth.

Her salvation arrived 13 years too late, but despite her shattered mind and body, Anna finally managed to flee. This is her harrowing, yet uplifting, true story of survival.

Contains mature themes.

©2016 Anna Ruston (P)2018 Tantor

What listeners say about Secret Slave

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

This Story Has Never Been Corroborated

Firstly, if this story is indeed true, then I am very sorry for the author. But with that said, much of how this story is written seems fabricated.
I have read many auto/biographies dealing with this subject matter and there is something about this particular story that seems a bit off.
Because of my suspicions that at least part of this story is pure fantasy, a few chapters into this book I decided to do some further research.
There seems to be no available evidence that the author’s story has ever been corroborated by any independent witnesses and the author has never gone to the police.
I believe this novel may be a collage of other real victim’s experiences poorly written into a single story and sold as the author’s own.
This is just my opinion so please do your own research and come to your own conclusions.

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26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Warning: Graphic scenes of abuse

I couldn't get past the first few chapters. Absolutely terrible what this girl had to endure, but it should come with some sort of warning for how graphic it is. I've read a lot of harrowing things before, but this was just too much. Returning.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

heavy but well written

it's hard to rate a book that's based on such an horrific experience but in respect to the author, it was well written.
my rating is based on that and not the content.
the narrator did an amazing job separating characters as well.
not for anyone under 18 or anyone who suffers PTSD from similar trauma as this would be highly triggering.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Fiction which devalues real kidnapping stories

Honestly this is either the greatest story of survival and resilience ever told or a completely fabricated account which devalues the horrific stories of people who really have been kidnapped and treated terribly. No-one could survive 13 years of this treatment... you be the judge.

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5 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Horrible

Found this boring too much waffle and padding. I really feel for the author and the experience however I didn't enjoy this book.

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5 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Don’t fall for this story

I started listening to this audiobook, believing that it was based on a true story. However, after a few chapters of unrelenting lurid, graphic descriptions of perverted physical violence and sexual abuse , I could not listen to any more. The story was making me feel ill. I listened to the final chapters, the description of the “escape “ and amazing reunion with a lost acquaintance from the previous 13 years, when I realised that this sounded like a completely contrived story. The imprisonment was not reported to the police and there is no evidence of the woman’s claims, In short, is this a scam?

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Didn't ring true.

Spoilers Alert: I have to wonder how much of this is a real story and how much was a work of fiction. There is no record anywhere of these events being corraborated. There are also certain aspects of the storythat don't ring true. She was left alone in the hospital for a long time and not once told anyone. Her description of the noises the snake makes is odd. As a snake owner I know they are very quiet animals and are not activly running around their enclosures hissing. They also don't eat bits of cooked meat. they need whole prey.

She has so many horrific injuries and bushes with death. It's amazing she got out alive at all.

She has 4 children taken from her and yet continues to want to have more children. Not once does she seem to give any thought to the lives and trauma those children were going to be subjected to growing up in such an environment.

Then even after she decided she had to get out she was once again taken to the hospital and once again does nothing to escape while presented with another perfect opertunity.

Finally she manages to get someone to wait outside in a car based off a note she slips her. Then the door just happens to be unlocked despite this only ever happening once in the last 13 years. Nice coincidence.

I am well aware that in such situations people do not act rationally. I have read many similar accounts including knowing two people who escaped a similar horrific experience and this just didn't read like a real account. It seemed very focused on giving a lot of repetitive gore to the reader.

I fully believe that many of these horrific events have happened to a lot of women and it's utterly horrific. But this story read more like fiction than reality and passing it off as such is a little dodgy.

I imagine it could be based on someone from the Rochdale child sex abuse ring. That would fit, but I think it would be a loose association.

The ending too was all just a bit to Oh Jolly Jockey Stick. But I won't ruin everything for you if you still want to read it.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Unbelievable story

This was a story you will not soon forget filled with the most evil treatment of an innocent child at the hands of a disgusting excuse for a human being & his family who are equally as evil. No one should ever have to have lived these horrors. Please take the time and listen to Anna’s story. She is one incredible woman.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Slightly disappointed

It was almost as though I could hear a fish tank or some type of trickling water in the background throughout. At the risk of victim blaming, its frustrating at times throughout listening to the amount of missed opportunities, but I suppose no one could understand until they were in that position.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Sounds fake

I don't want to victim shame or deny anybodys truth in any way so I'm hesitant to comment but this story is very real and very painful for many people and this reads like fiction. I'm sorry in advance.

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2 people found this helpful

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