The Forty Elephants

De: Erin Bledsoe

Narrado por: Hannah Curtis

Peaky Blinders meets Ocean’s 8 in The Forty Elephants, an epic novel set in Roaring Twenties London, based on the real-life, all-female gang of the same name who specialized in crime as high art, targeting posh department stores and elites.

London in the 1920s is no place for a woman with a mind of her own. Gang wars, violence, and an unforgiving world have left pickpocket Alice Diamond scrambling to survive in the Mint, the gritty neighborhood her family has run for generations. When her father goes to jail yet again and her scam artist brother finds himself in debt to the dangerous McDonald crime syndicate, Alice takes over. Fighting for power at every turn, she struggles to protect her father’s territory and keep the people she loves safe from some of London’s most dangerous criminals.

Recruited by the enigmatic Mary Carr, Alice boldly chooses to break her father’s edict against gangs and become part of a group of notorious lady shoplifters, the Forty Elephants. Leaving the Mint behind, she and the other girls steal from the area’s poshest department stores, and for the first time in her life, Alice Diamond tastes success. But it’s not long before she wants more—no matter the cost. And when her past and present collide, there’s no escaping the girl from the Mint.

©2022 Erin Bledsoe (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing

Gangs and more

Interesting story of women pushing for rights. Based on an all women gang in London 1920s.

Great story!

Fascinating story with intriguing characters from London i 1920. Well written and narrated. Highly recommended.

One of the best historical fiction novels

I didn’t realize until I finished the book that this was based on a true story. It was so all encapsulating and really takes you into the story. I was SO invested and absolutely bummed when it ended. I would love to see a sequel that follows down the road of the gang to see what happened later!

Strong Women

I love stories about strong, independent women standing up for themselves. The Forty Elephants had me cheering for Alice as she takes care of her family and leads the gang. The performance was excellent.

Love it!

The story catches you from the beginning thanks to the amazing performance of the narrator.

A neat change of pace- historical perspective, an underdog story.

The reader did a great job. The story was fun. The historical context interesting. Not too soppy, but realistic. A hero to root for. Well written and performed.

I liked it but ended weird

I do not like the abrupt end. I could have been done better. What happened to Mary? This is a pretty good story just needs more at the end. Is there another book to finish the story?

Fun storyline...

This book had me after the first chapter. Highly entertaining, well written, and well read. Great story! Enjoyed very much...

Well done overall

Enjoyed the reader nice voice and she did great with slight inflections for different characters. The writing was well done. Yet, towards the middle of the book the story felt a bit less interesting than when it started. I’d enjoy more on the story from this writer.

Girl boss

This takes place in London in the 1920s, there’s glitz and glamour but so many hardships. Alice Diamond is an inspiration, she’s very head strong and her ability to come up with solutions quickly is amazing.

The story follows Alice as she tries to be more than just a girl from the Mint, along with other women that wish to not be controlled by men. She’s incredibly tough and dangerous when she needs to be, which is quite often.

The all women gang was super interesting, it definitely gives peaky blinder vibes but with women and some theft. The characters are all super complex which made for an amazing read. That ending was phenomenal, Alice somehow becoming stronger was everything.