Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Love Child
    The Love Child
    The Love Child
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Love Child

    Written by Rachel Hore

    Narrated by Ana Clements

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The unmissable new novel from Rachel Hore, Sunday Times bestselling author of Last Letter Home, a 2018 Richard and Judy Book club pick.

    ‘A gorgeous and deeply absorbing story' TRACY REES

    London, 1917
    When nineteen-year-old Alice Copeman becomes pregnant, she is forced by her father and stepmother to give up the baby. She simply cannot be allowed to bring shame upon her family. But all Alice can think about is the small, kitten-like child she gave away, and she mourns the father, a young soldier, so beloved, who will never have the chance to know his daughter.

    Edith and Philip Burns, a childless couple, yearn for a child of their own. When they secretly adopt a baby girl, Irene, their life together must surely be complete. Irene grows up knowing that she is different from other children, but no one will tell her the full truth.

    Putting hopes of marriage and children behind her, Alice embarks upon a pioneering medical career, striving to make her way in a male-dominated world. Meanwhile, Irene struggles to define her own life, eventually leaving her Suffolk home to find work in London.

    As two extraordinary stories intertwine across two decades, will secrets long-buried at last come to light?

    Brilliantly evoking the changing attitudes of the time, The Love Child is a novel about love, family, separation, despair and hope, full of tenderness and deep feeling.

    'Simply stunning . . . I savoured every moment of this moving story of love, loss and, ultimately, forgiveness. The Love Child is an absolutely beautiful book and, in my view, Rachel's best so far' DINAH JEFFERIES

    'This tender account, spanning two generations, reveals how the loss affects mother and child across the years. A story that stirs the deepest emotions' WOMAN amp; HOME

    'A poignant story, rich in period detail' SUNDAY MIRROR

    ‘An emotive and thought-provoking read . . . My heart went out to both these two women as they faced such difficult personal decisions that would change their lives forever'
    ROSANNA LEY

    'Rachel's stories are always absorbing and intricately woven and The Love Child is no exception. This is a wonderfully moving tale of love and loss, hope and eventual reconciliation, and I very much enjoyed it' BARBARA ERSKINE

    'I found her writing warm, compassionate in this story about one girl's search for her true identity amidst the secrets and dynamics of her adopted family. It had a realism about the poignancy of illegitimacy in this prewar setting' LEAH FLEMING

    'The Love Child is a hugely compelling, poignant and moving read. Rachel has great skill as a storyteller and readers are sure to be engrossed and swept away by her clever double-stranded tale' JANE JOHNSON
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherW. F. Howes Ltd
    Release dateJan 9, 2020
    ISBN9781528891875
    The Love Child
    Author

    Rachel Hore

    Rachel Hore worked in London publishing for many years before moving with her family to Norwich, where she taught publishing and creative writing at the University of East Anglia until deciding to become a full-time writer. She is the Sunday Times (London) bestselling author of ten novels, including The Love Child. She is married to the writer D.J. Taylor and they have three sons. Visit her at RachelHore.co.uk and connect with her on Twitter @RachelHore.

    Related to The Love Child

    Related audiobooks

    Historical Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Sad Farewell

      Jul 2, 2021

      FOR readers there’s a real poignancy to seeing The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley at the top of the SA fiction bestseller list because it’s the last book that will be released by the much-loved Northern Irish author. Riley’s family recently announce

      1 min read

    • Article

      Grave Warning

      Sep 3, 2020

      Grave Warning
      5 min read

    • Article

      Best-sellers

      Feb 25, 2018

      Rankings for hard-cover books sold in Southern California, as reported by selected book stores: ___ Fiction 1."The Great Alone," by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin's: $28.99) A family discovers it is in peril after the father, a returning Vietnam War POW,

      1 min read

    • Article

      Perfect

      Nov 17, 2021

      Perfect
      6 min read

    • Article

      ALTERNATIVE Love Letters

      Sep 29, 2020

      ALTERNATIVE Love Letters
      6 min read

    • Article

      ALTERNATIVE Love Letters

      Mar 11, 2020

      ALTERNATIVE Love Letters
      6 min read

    • Article

      Alternative Love Letters

      Dec 29, 2020

      Alternative Love Letters
      6 min read

    • Article

      Lady with A LUTE

      Aug 3, 2022

      Lady with A LUTE
      9 min read

    • Article

      Lessons in Chemistry Chapter 2: Pine

      Apr 21, 2023

      Once a research chemist, Elizabeth Zott was a woman with flawless skin and an unmistakable demeanor of someone who was not average and never would be. She was, as all good stars are, discovered. Although in Elizabeth’s case, there was no malt shop, n

      5 min read

    • Article

      Little CHARMS

      Oct 19, 2022

      Little CHARMS
      6 min read

    • Article

      Reading Room

      Jul 17, 2019

      Described as Me Before You meets PS, I Love You, have a box of tissues at the ready as you read this and be prepared for your emotions to go through the wringer. Medical researcher Allie Culpepper discovers an intriguing photograph in her grandmother

      2 min read

    • Article

      Moving On

      Dec 22, 2019

      Moving On
      4 min read

    • Article

      Mrs Macarthur’s Secret Diary

      Jun 17, 2020

      Mrs Macarthur’s Secret Diary
      7 min read

    • Article

      Mrs Macarthur’s Secret Diary

      Jun 17, 2020

      Mrs Macarthur’s Secret Diary
      7 min read

    • Article

      Mr Fabulous

      Apr 5, 2022

      Mr Fabulous
      6 min read

    • Article

      Not Without My Son

      Apr 18, 2024

      Not Without My Son
      9 min read

    • Article

      Reading Corner

      Sep 25, 2023

      An antenatal group solves bumps in the night! Book of the week Hilarious and wildly improbable, there is so much to love about this novel. With a Midsomer Murders vibe, it’s a mashup of chick-lit and crime. The story follows a group of heavily pregn

      2 min read

    • Article

      Not Without My Son

      Apr 18, 2024

      Not Without My Son
      9 min read

    • Article

      A Quick Thrill

      May 20, 2021

      A Quick Thrill
      4 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Aug 20, 2021

      ‘Brood’ is such a multi-layered word: thinking deeply about something, a group of young animals, something to do with longed-for motherhood… and this beautiful, spare book is about all of those, and more. The protagonist (she’s never named) and her h

      4 min read

    • Article

      Dolly’s Star Turn

      Jul 12, 2023

      Dolly’s Star Turn
      7 min read

    • Article

      Lady with A LUTE

      Jul 27, 2022

      Lady with A LUTE
      9 min read

    • Article

      Taxidermist

      Dec 2, 2021

      Taxidermist
      7 min read

    • Article

      Stay and Fight

      Jul 9, 2019

      Stay and Fight
      16 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Love Child

    4.5/5

    19 ratings3 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Gives you the feeling everything is going to be alright! Just what you need in dramatic times.
    • 3/5
      It was ok, but I found it somehow lacking… I don’t know why. Eventhough Alice was forced to give her baby up for adoption, her life seemed to develop quite easily in spite of the obstacles of the time. I liked Irene better, I connected more with her, but the story was too neat for my taste. I’ve read other books by Rachel Hore that I’ve liked much better.
    • 5/5
      It was a beautiful story, and I love the voice of the narrator!