The Hidden Child Audiobook By Louise Fein cover art

The Hidden Child

A Novel

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The Hidden Child

By: Louise Fein
Narrated by: Marisa Calin
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An international bestseller

“The Hidden Child is a heart-wrenching depiction of a golden couple in the 1920s…. Shocking, emotive, and compelling, but ultimately a story of hope. I loved it.” -- Deborah Carr, USA Today bestselling author of The Poppy Field

In this new historical novel by the author of Daughter of the Reich, Londoners Eleanor and Edward Hamilton have it all. But the 1929 financial crash is looming, and they’re harboring a shameful secret. How far are they willing to go to protect their charmed life?

Eleanor Hamilton is happily married and mother to a beautiful four-year-old girl, Mabel. Her husband, Edward, is a leading light in the burgeoning Eugenics movement, which is designing the very ideas that will soon be embraced by Hitler.

But when Mabel develops debilitating epileptic seizures and Eleanor discovers Edward has been keeping secrets, Eleanor's world fractures. In order to save her daughter, she takes matters into her own hands.

Vividly rendered and deeply affecting, The Hidden Child is a sweeping story and a richly drawn portrait of a family torn apart by shame, deceit, and dangerous ideals.

©2021 Louise Fein (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers 20th Century Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Romance Women's Fiction
Gripping Storyline • Excellent Character Development • Surprising Plot Twists • Rich Historical Context • Emotional Depth
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This book is enlightening about a man and his family and his involvement in the eugenics society in the early 1900s in Britain and the U.S. It incorporates war, PTSD, and one family’s life with a child with epilepsy. As hard as it is to hear/read about life with severe epilepsy, it is a real medical condition that still has stigmas and is still kept secret by many. It is interesting and heart breaking to learn more about life with epilepsy and the evolution of treatments. The author did a great job and the narrator is excellent!

Epilepsy

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I liked the characters but they didn’t converse very well with one another on their feeling.

The way epilepsy was understood at that time .

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Outdated content now but written with interesting, realistic characters and context. Relatable and interesting. Discussed the support of eugenics pre WWII worldwide

Good characters

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This is the second book I’ve listened to by this Author and she is now one of the most suggested to others by me. I love that you really get to know the characters ands care what happens to them. Again with this book, like the previous book, I kept thinking I knew where the story was headed but again I was wrong each turn, which I really like the surprise. The voice actress is now my favorite, I will be seeking out every book she narrates

Another great story by this lovely Author!

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Loved the story line. Fascinating. Disliked the accents. I had to pay extra close attention to what was being said

Thought provoking

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We should all aspire to be a Elenor. What a tragic story this could have been, had it not been for the love of a mother, the strength she found as a women up against all the odds, loss, violence, tragedy, to be loved, and found, keep in secrecy and lies, to find the courage and the strength that she found to take on the world cruelty against the disabled, to save her daughter and generations to come.  

Elenor, a hero to her daughter, and to all with disability

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At first, I wasn’t too happy about this book. I thought it was science fiction spiritual. I even tried to return it but wasn’t able to, so I reread the comments and people really liked the book so I kept going and I’m glad I did. It was a great story in a different and interesting topic. I definitely recommend this book.

Better Than Expected

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Writing and story was excellent the characters were very believable and fit the time period and history of the period

Very difficult subject

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Some say it’s sad, unfortunately lots of history was sad. But we’ve learned from it. And stories like this remind us of how far we’ve come as humans and how much further we need to go.

History

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Henry did the right thing...eventually. Mable lived happily ever after. Unusual topic of this story....epilepsy and eugenics.

Eugenics an unusual topic

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