The Secret Life of Dorothy Soames, Justine Cowan
The Secret Life of Dorothy Soames, Justine Cowan
2 Rating(s)
List: $23.99 | Sale: $16.79
Club: $11.99

The Secret Life of Dorothy Soames
A Memoir

Author: Justine Cowan

Narrator: Lisa Flanagan

Unabridged: 8 hr 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 01/12/2021

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

A riveting family drama evocative of Angela’s Ashes and The Glass Castle, about a woman who discovers the shocking secret at the center of her mother’s life.Justine had always been told that her mother came from royal blood. The proof could be found in her mother’s elegance, her uppercrust London accent—and in a cryptic letter hinting at her claim to a country estate. But beneath the polished veneer lay a fearsome, unpredictable temper that drove Justine from home the moment she was old enough to escape. Years later, when her mother sent her an envelope filled with secrets from the past, Justine buried it in the back of an old filing cabinet.Overcome with grief after her mother’s death, Justine found herself drawn back to that envelope. Its contents revealed a mystery that stretched back to the early years of World War II and beyond, into the dark corridors of the Hospital for the Maintenance and Education of Exposed and Deserted Young Children. Established in the eighteenth century to raise “bastard” children to clean chamber pots for England’s ruling class, the institution was tied to some of history’s most influential figures and events. From its role in the development of solitary confinement and human medical experimentation to the creation of the British Museum and the Royal Academy of Arts, its impact on Western culture continues to reverberate. It was also the environment that shaped a young girl known as Dorothy Soames, who bravely withstood years of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of a sadistic headmistress—a resilient child who dreamed of escape as German bombers rained death from the skies.Heartbreaking, surprising, and unforgettable, The Secret Life of Dorothy Soames is the true story of one woman’s quest to understand the secrets that had poisoned her mother’s mind, and her startling discovery that her family’s fate had been sealed centuries before.Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

About Justine Cowan

Justine Cowan was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Growing up wandering through California’s majestic redwood forests, she became a passionate environmentalist, and has spent most of her career working to protect our nation’s natural resources. Justine is grateful to her readers and enjoys interacting with them through book clubs and social media. Visit her website at www.justinecowan.com to learn more about how to schedule a virtual visit for your next book club gathering.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader on April 14, 2022

The Secret Life of Dorothy Soames was released in paperback earlier this month. Justine Cowan, the author, raised in a wealthy home with no idea her often times unstable mother had grown up in a “foundling hospital” in England. Talk about a secret to hold a lifetime. That in and of itself could have......more

Truly heartbreaking. Definitely not an uplifting or happy read if that is what you are looking for. To be honest I felt like something was off. The writing or the emotion behind the writting...I'm not sure. I had a strange feeling about it. Almost unsettled. Other people may really enjoy it.......more

Goodreads review by Basic B's Guide on January 15, 2021

The perfect blend of memoir and historical nonfiction, this book did not disappoint. One of my all time favorite books is The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls so when I saw it compared I have to admit I was intrigued. The last time I ventured into that comparison (Educated) it didn’t work out so well......more

Goodreads review by Amanda on March 30, 2021

I really don't know what to think of this book. The story of Dorothy Soames upbringing in the House for Foundlings is very sad, even though she is one of the 'lucky' ones who escaped. It was a truly horrible childhood, akin to some of the residential schools for Canadian First Nation children. My he......more

Goodreads review by Zoe on October 14, 2020

I was lucky enough to be a beta reader of this book. I read it in a matter of hours, then recently read an updated version. The history of foundlings and in particular, the experiences of the author's mother, are truly fascinating. Cowan does an excellent job of weaving together her difficult and tr......more