• The Orphan's Secret

  • A Totally Gripping and Emotional World War 2 Historical Novel
  • By: Shirley Dickson
  • Narrated by: Katy Sobey
  • Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (82 ratings)

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The Orphan's Secret  By  cover art

The Orphan's Secret

By: Shirley Dickson
Narrated by: Katy Sobey
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Publisher's summary

The tear-jerking wartime tale of an orphaned baby who needs a home and the woman who risks everything to provide it. Fans of Before We Were Yours, Wives of War, and Diney Costeloe will be utterly swept away.

England, 1941: Life has always been cruel to Ethel. Raised in an orphanage by a merciless mistress, she never knew the meaning of love. And now she has fallen for the one man who is forbidden to her - Karl, a German held captive in the local prisoner-of-war camp. He might be the enemy, but he has her heart.

When Ethel discovers she’s pregnant, she is labelled a traitor and shunned by all. The love of her life is torn away from her, but she vows to protect their precious daughter. She gives birth as bombs rain down, to the sound of ear-splitting shrieks and explosions in the distance. But then the planes fly over the house, and the unthinkable happens....

A baby girl lies in the rubble, surrounded by broken glass and crumbled brick. The odds are against her, until a woman, Lily, picks up the child from the wreckage. Will she be saved from her mother’s fate, or will she forever be a helpless orphan?

©2021 Shirley Dickson (P)2021 Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

What listeners say about The Orphan's Secret

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Excellent

Wonderful story. Just so beautiful. Thank you so much for writing it. Highly recommended reading.

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

WWII

An enjoyable story about the complexities of wartime family life in Britain during WWII.
This is a gentle read that I can recommend.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

So tragically sorrowful at times!

This is definitely not my favorite book of Shirley Dickson. The story just seem to be a bit slow- as if you’re waiting for it to take off. It just never gripped me until towards the end. My advice is you just hang in there with this rally wi deregulation narrator! You realize that this was life during World War II. So many very sad stories. I don’t want to give anything away, but it doesn’t end on an down note. There is joy in the end.

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this book is excellent!

I enjoy most WW2 stories and this is no exception! It's about a fsmily and the things they went through during the war. It's a real tear jerker with a good ending. I highly recemmend it.

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