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Ruskin Park  By  cover art

Ruskin Park

By: Rory Cellan-Jones
Narrated by: Rory Cellan-Jones
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Publisher's summary

Can we ever really know the truth about our parents?

'For Rory, to read and think about - in the hope it will help him to understand how it really was.'

Rory Cellan-Jones knew he was the child of a love affair between two BBC employees. But until his mother died and he found a file labelled 'For Rory' he knew little of its beginning or ending. Or why his peculiarly isolated childhood had so tested the bond between him and Sylvia as she single-parented two sons in a one-bedroom flat, while working full time, through the 1950s and 60s.

This is a compelling account of what Rory uncovered in the papers, letters and diaries; of a relationship between two romantics and the restrictive forces of post-war respectability and prejudice that ended it. It is also an evocation of the centrifugal force at the centre of all their lives - the BBC itself.

Both tender and troubling, the drama moves from wartime radio broadcasts to the golden era of TV drama. His father may have directed The Forsyte Saga and Rory may have watched him from afar, but he would never actually meet him until adulthood, when the damage to his mother's life had already been done.

©2023 Rory Cellan-Jones (P)2023 September Publishing

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Lovely Tribute to a Mother

TwitterX can be a cringey place but lovely things can still be found. A shy dog named Sophie from Romania showed up in my feed and I followed her "Dad"- the author of this book. I bought the audiobook on a whim and am glad I did. It is full of history, loss, regret and love. The cadence and delivery was pleasing and having only read the authors last name I can now pronounce it properly.

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A really interesting book - transports you back to fifties London. Both sad and heartwarming. Really recommend.

Really enjoyable to listen too and read so well by the author. I only found out about this book because I started following his twitter feed when they got Sophie from Romania. I have a very anxious rescue dog too. What an interesting life Rory and his family have had. Highly recommend.

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