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The Girl Behind the Gates

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The Girl Behind the Gates

By: Brenda Davies
Narrated by: Charlotte Strevens
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About this listen

A raw, heart-breaking yet ultimately uplifting novel about a young woman cut down in her prime, and of the woman who brings her back to life.

Top 10 Kindle best seller

1939. Seventeen-year-old Nora Jennings has spent her life secure in the certainty of a bright, happy future - until one night of passion has more catastrophic consequences than she ever could have anticipated. Labelled a moral defective and sectioned under the Mental Deficiency Act, she is forced to endure years of unspeakable cruelty at the hands of those who are supposed to care for her.

1981. When psychiatrist Janet Humphreys comes across Nora, heavily institutionalised and still living in the hospital more than 40 years after her incarceration, she knows that she must be the one to help Nora rediscover what it is to live. But as she works to help Nora overcome her past, Janet realises she must finally face her own.

Based on a true story, The Girl Behind the Gates is the raw, heart-breaking yet ultimately uplifting tale of a young woman cut down in her prime, and of the woman who finally brings her back to life, perfect for fans of The Girl in the Letter and Philomena.

©2020 Brenda Davies (P)2020 Hodder & Stoughton Limited 20th Century Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Medical Women's Fiction Feel-Good Tear-jerking

Critic Reviews

"Compelling. Poignant. Haunting. Heart wrenching. Just beautiful. Everyone needs to read this wonderful book." (Renita D'Silva, best-selling author of The Forgotten Daughter)

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What a compelling story. How could this type of injustice happen. My eyes cannot stop crying from the sadness then to the joy that she was able to live her life thanks to Dr Janet 💕

How did this happen to Nora

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Enjoyed this narration, well read. Painful story during a painful era. Enjoyed this book alot. Nora truly an absolute inspirational soul.

Beautiful story of heartbreak and strength

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