Daughters of Eden

By: Charlotte Bingham

Narrated by: Kim Hicks

Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's Summary

Daughters of Eden focuses on the lives and fortunes of four very different young women at the outbreak of the Second World War. Marjorie, left at a boarding school by her emigrating mother; plain Poppy, pushed into marriage with a mean-spirited aristocrat; Kate, despised by her father, but determined to prove herself; and man-mad Lily, who turns out to be the bravest of them all. That all of them are chosen to work undercover for the espionage unit at Eden Park is a surprise, not least to them.

©2004 Charlotte Bingham (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

An amazing book everyone should read.

An amazing book everyone should read. You will not be able to stop listening. It takes you into the personal lives of young women during WWII and how some of them became vital to the secret agencies that helped win the war. I only wish it would have contiued into their lives after the war.

Thoroughly enjoyable

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book and will no doubt listen again at some point in the future. The plot is very interesting and gives some helpful insights into some historical aspects of WWII in England. The story does not move exceptionally fast, yet it draws the reader in and keeps you wanting to hear more. I wanted it to keep going after I got to the end... I thought it was well-read and would definitely recommend it.

what there was was great

I am having trouble rating this book. I gave it a two because it appears to be incomplete. The premise holds your interest but several times during the story the author hints at additional information but then fails to deliver. Several of the things she noted by calling attention to them were unresolved at the conclusion of the book. It almost seems to be a very badly abridged book. If the author ever decides to try reconciling the questions we are left with I would love to "read" the book once again.

What it leaves you with at the conclusion is more or less a tooth ache of the mind. I am interested in the opinion of other readers and see if it is only me that is dissatisfied.

Is there a sequel?

What a great idea for a book. I wish the book was actually realized. What just happened and what will happen next? This could have been developed into a real classic, I think I got the kid's version. The reader was a little shrill at times, but mostly good.

masterfully interwoven

Those reviewers for whom this "fizzled" should probably stick to Dr. Seuss. This was very well written, and I was held by each individual's story and captivated by the weaving of the lives. I will look for other books by Ms. Bingham, as this was my first to enjoy.

Fizzled....

This book fizzled for me, too....I never finished it. The story lines just didn't pan out for me and I lost interest....

good potential, little followthrough

The idea for this book is great - WWII, female protagonists, several storylines that eventually come together. I really enjoyed the first half of the book, which set up the women's early lives and how they came to be involved in secret work for the British government. The second half left me a little unsatisfied. I would have liked to know so much more, but the author is trying to tell three different stories, plus small chapters about other characters. So the narrative came to be spread quite thin.
Overall, the writing and plot are very good. The reader was fantastic; she managed to have a different voice for each character (of which there were many, as I said).

Lovely Narrator

This book had promise, but in all the story lines fizzled out. I could imagine a different author taking the outline and really adding the impact it lacked. The narrator was very talented with multiple voices.

Not impressed at all.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Pick one heroine and build the story on that ONE.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

unknown

Which character – as performed by Kim Hicks – was your favorite?

Peony

Could you see Daughters of Eden being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

no. this would not make a good show.

Any additional comments?

I had hoped for more.

slow starter

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

It couldn't

What was most disappointing about Charlotte Bingham’s story?

Very slow starter I was bored and couldn't focus on the story.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Kim Hicks?

Kim was fine. It was the story

Thrills in WWII

Review by Simon's wife : This was the first book by Charlotte Bingham I had read/listened to. It was fascinating the way the girls' lives were so very different and how the author managed to weave them together. There isn't a lot of period detail- although the action is all WWII- but what makes it interesting is the way the characters are fleshed out and you feel sympathy for them all along, even the ones who aren't particularly nice! There are twists and turns along the way that surprise you ( I won't give the game away) and I hugely enjoyed listening. The story kept me going as I did all the boring preparations in the kitchen for Christmas and I am going to look out for more by this author.