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The secret life of Dorothy Soames : a memoir  Cover Image Book Book

The secret life of Dorothy Soames : a memoir / Justine Cowan.

Cowan, Justine, (author.).

Summary:

Documents the author's investigation into her late mother's tragic experiences as an illegitimate orphan who endured an early life of discrimination, physical abuse and harsh labor serving England's ruling class at London's infamous Foundling Hospital.
Cowan had always been told that her mother came from royal blood. After her mother's death, she opened an envelope filled with secrets of her mother's past-- secrets that led into the dark corridors of the Hospital for the Maintenance and Education of Exposed and Deserted Young Children. Dorothy Soames' experiences there-- years of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of a sadistic headmistress-- created a resilient child who dreamed of escape. Here Cowan makes a startling discovery that her family's fate had been sealed centuries before. -- adapted from jacket

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780062991010
  • ISBN: 0062991019
  • Physical Description: 304 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm
  • Edition: First edition.
  • Publisher: New York, NY : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2021]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 299-304).
Formatted Contents Note:
Dorothy Soames -- Ghosts -- Secrets -- Scrutiny -- Bastards -- Running -- Admission day -- Hope -- Fear -- Longing -- Healing -- War and isolation -- Sustenance -- Escape -- Mothers -- Belonging -- Reunions and reckonings -- Love.
Subject: Cowan, Justine > Family.
Mothers and daughters > Biography.
Soames, Dorothy > Childhood and youth.
Orphans > England > Biography.
Abused children > England > Biography.
Girls > Institutional care > England.
Foundling Hospital (London, England) > History.
Genre: Autobiographies.
Biographies.

Available copies

  • 1 of 1 copy available at Indian Valley. (Show)
  • 1 of 1 copy available at Indian Valley Public Library.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Indian Valley Public Library 306.874 Cowan Relationships (Text) 39427103569323 Nonfiction Room: Adult Nonfiction Available -

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