Bibliograph

The secret life of Dorothy Soames, a memoir, Justine Cowan

Type

Label

The secret life of Dorothy Soames, a memoir, Justine Cowan

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 299-304)

resource.biographical

autobiography

Illustrations

illustrationsplates

Index

no index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

The secret life of Dorothy Soames

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

1228823883

Responsibility statement

Justine Cowan

Sub title

a memoir

Summary

"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. 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."--, Provided by publisher

Table Of Contents

Dorothy Soames -- Ghosts -- Secrets -- Scrutiny -- Bastards -- Running -- Admission day -- Hope -- Fear -- Longing -- Healing -- War and isolation -- Sustenance -- Escape -- Mothers -- Belonging -- Reunions and reckonings -- Love

Classification

Creator