The Scarlet Sisters: My nanna’s story of secrets and heartache on the banks of the River Thames

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Helen Batten

The Scarlet Sisters

My nanna’s story of secrets and heartache on the banks of the River Thames

Helen Batten

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Paperback

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English

Ebury Press
15 August 2015

Biography: historical, political & military; British & Irish history; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; Social & cultural history

A granddaughter's search for her nanna's secret past - a story of love and loss, poverty and survival.

'Oh my goodness - another girl Mrs Swain!'

Clara's normal iron composure broke and she screamed, 'No! That's not the bloody deal!' And that is how my nanna, Bertha Swain, entered the world.

When Helen Batten's marriage breaks down, she starts on a journey of discovery into her family's past and the mysteries surrounding her enigmatic nanna's early life.

What she unearths is a tale of five feisty red heads struggling to climb out of poverty and find love through two world wars. It's a story full of surprises and scandal - a death in a workhouse, a son kept in a box, a shameful war record, a clandestine marriage and children taken far too soon. It's as if there is a family curse.

But Helen also finds love, resilience and hope - crazy wagers, late night Charlestons and stolen kisses. As she unravels the story of Nanna and her scarlet sisters, Helen starts to break the spell of the past, and sees a way she might herself find love again.

By: Helen Batten
Imprint: Ebury Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 126mm, Spine: 23mm
Weight: 260g
ISBN: 9780091959692
ISBN 10: 0091959691
Pages: 384
Publication Date: 15 August 2015
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Helen Batten is the Sunday Times bestselling author of Sisters of the East End. She studied history at Cambridge and then journalism at Cardiff University. She went on to become a producer and director at the BBC and now works as a writer and a psychotherapist. She lives in West London with her three daughters.

Reviews for The Scarlet Sisters: My nanna’s story of secrets and heartache on the banks of the River Thames

Fascinating ... a moving account of survival Yours Fascinating ... a moving account of survival Yours This fascinating delve into family history reveals the ways in which women's lives have - and haven't - changed Readers Digest