The Girl in the Letter Audiobook By Emily Gunnis cover art

The Girl in the Letter

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The Girl in the Letter

By: Emily Gunnis
Narrated by: Jane McDowell
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About this listen

Perfect for fans of Kate Morton and Kathryn Hughes, this gripping novel of long-buried secrets will stay with you for ever.

A heartbreaking letter. A girl locked away. A mystery to be solved.

1956. When Ivy Jenkins falls pregnant she is sent in disgrace to St Margaret's, a dark, brooding house for unmarried mothers. Her baby is adopted against her will. Ivy will never leave.

Present day. Samantha Harper is a journalist desperate for a break. When she stumbles on a letter from the past, the contents shock and move her. The letter is from a young mother, begging to be rescued from St Margaret's. Before it is too late.
Sam is pulled into the tragic story and discovers a spate of unexplained deaths surrounding the woman and her child. With St Margaret's set for demolition, Sam has only hours to piece together a sixty-year-old mystery before the truth, which lies disturbingly close to home, is lost for ever...

Remember her story...

©2018 Emily Gunnis (P)2018 Headline Publishing Group Ltd
Historical Fiction Mystery Fiction Suspense Scary
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Critic reviews

"A great book, truly hard to put down. Fast paced, brilliantly plotted and desperately sad at times - all hallmarks of a best seller." (Lesley Pearse)

"I was gripped by The Girl in the Letter. The story is compelling, twisty, heart-wrenching and thought-provoking. A novel that stays with you." (Sophie Kinsella)

What listeners say about The Girl in the Letter

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

had potential

I read this book in about two days. couldn't put it down. It starts well and the historical component is enthralling. but then it becomes a dramatic soap operaish horror story. I wish it had stayed basic and consistent. it is a beautiful story, but the author tries too hard to make it into something else that was not necessary.

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

Attention grabber

Completed in one week. It was something I woke up thinking about and we to sleep dreaming about. Very good story and the narrator was a pleasure to listen to.

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

Couldn’t put it down from start to finish

I never wanted this book to end. The characters seemed real, believable and easy to care about.
To think things like this really happened breaks my heart, yet I might read it a second time, the subject matter is that important

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

Amazing story!!!

Riveting and such great story telling. Audio narrative was very good as well. Would highly recommend reading it.

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

Started strong

But as the story came to a close , it became more and more hard to believe .
The author left a few unanswered questions as well.
Overall entertaining !

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Save the children

A fictional story that needs to suggest to the world these things do happen I know I was switched at birth JaneMcFaddenStephens born to one family left with another

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

Good story Narrator not so good

Story was great but the narrator made so many noises with her mouth and loud swallowing that I almost stopped reading it multiple times.

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

Complex story about real cruelty...too much!

i believe the cruelty that took place in homes like St Margaret's. The complex story kept me interested but so many twisted connections was confusing and too much at times. Narration was v good.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

desperately sad far too long

A critic wrote, about this novel, that the plot was well paced and it was “desperately sad at times - all hallmarks of a best seller”. Why would those traits be the hallmarks of a bestseller??

I am over half way through the book. There is a small plot that is far too slowly being unfolded for some of the time, but most of the time this story is so unrelentingly desperately sad it is a grueling task to keep listening.

There might well be a joyful ending to this Dickens-like tale but I sincerely do not understand why a writer would put their readers through such cruelty and brutality foisted upon young girls. What on earth does this teach us? One short description of how these poor girls, who were mostly impregnated in the 40s and 50s, were treated would suffice to let us know how hard it was back then. But why torture us for so many chapters with every tiny detail told over and over again?

That some of the girls were strong enough to survive is a good reminder of how resilient the human spirit can be. But alas I just don’t know if I can finish this book Perhaps I’ll take a break from it and then try it again later.

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4 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Sad to think this really happened

This story is based on a Catholic home for unwed mothers. To keep the Mother's under comtrol they use abuse and intimidation. This book is difficult to read as this home is Catholic and homes like these existed.There are so many twists and turns, you have a web of reality, of events that occured there, you have deaths, illigetimate burths and it sometimes gets hard to follow as people were tortured. It is a historical work of fiction. The storyline is interesting and sadly these home really existed. In fact sweatshops for pregnant teens existed in Ireland and UK.The narration by Jane McDowell is good. I cried while reading this book. I recommend this book.

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2 people found this helpful