The Lost Daughter

A Novel

By: Gill Paul

Narrated by: Helen Duff

Length: 14 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's Summary

If you loved I Am Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon, you won't want to miss this novel about her sister, Grand Duchess Maria. What really happened to this lost Romanov daughter? A new novel perfect for anyone curious about Anastasia, Maria, and the other lost Romanov daughters, by the author of THE SECRET WIFE.

1918: Pretty, vivacious Grand Duchess Maria Romanov, the 19-year-old daughter of the fallen Tsar Nicholas II, lives with her family in suffocating isolation, a far cry from their once-glittering royal household. Her days are a combination of endless boredom and paralyzing fear; her only respite are clandestine flirtations with a few of the guards imprisoning the family - never realizing her innocent actions could mean the difference between life and death. 

1973: When Val Doyle hears her father’s end-of-life confession, “I didn’t want to kill her”, she’s stunned. So, she begins a search for the truth - about his words and her past. The clues she discovers are baffling - a jewel-encrusted box that won’t open and a camera with its film intact. What she finds out pulls Val into one of the world’s greatest mysteries - what truly happened to the Grand Duchess Maria?

©2019 Gill Paul (P)2019 HarperAudio

Slow....Very Slow....

I had previously enjoyed books by Gill Paul and narration by Helen Duff ; unfortunately, however, this story and this narration are way off the mark. The first several hours of the book are excruciatingly slow. The reader has to suffer for hours while we wait for the Imperial family to be killed. There is absolutely no momentum and no real impetus to keep listening. Meanwhile Helen Duff narrates in a very hesitant manner throughout. She is too quiet or too understated. Listening to this book requires effort, and that is never a good thing.

phenomenal narrator!

although half the book takes place in Russia, Helen uses all the perfected accents of her native land to bring the story to life. you can detect Wales, Yorkshire, No. Ireland and a few others in her telling of the story. not to mention a perfect Sydney accent when the story moves to the 70s. Helen Duff, you are one of my favorites!

Gill Paul NEVER disappoints

I’ve waited for this new release since reading The Secret Wife 2 yrs ago. Not only is her literary skills perfect, her gift to intertwine real history and fictional characters is mind blowing. I’ve read all of Paul’s books and not one ever disappointed me! This one was just as amazing as her others! My only disappointment after reading/listening to novels is them ending and me having to wait on her next one! 😭

if only...

If only the narrator's voice hasn't been so sloooooow and almost disinterested. It sounded like she was telling a story she was bored of telling. BUT the story to me was so interesting that I was able to focus on the storyline and the narrator's voice soon vanished. The suspense, the rawness of all the trauma and loss kept me captivated.

Amazing story

This is a great listen! I love dual stories that are interwoven through generations and come together in the end. The narrator was fantastic! Very enjoyable; did not want it to end.

I loved it soooo much!!!

I smiled, I cried, I gasped... I loved every word. and the Narrator did great.

Fantastic!!

I have listened to many audible books and must say that this story was excellent, keeping me riveted to the end. The narration was perfect - with the right level of inflection and style. I could listen to her voice all day long.

Sooooo slow, I couldn't even finish it!

I have loved books from this author before, but this one was just so slow. I couldn't even make it half way through before I gave up. I see in other reviews that maybe it would have gotten better if I had just suffered through a little longer, but it wasn't worth taking the chance.

Good but Not Great..

Not a bad story and well performed, but overall it just fell flat for me.

Amazing author how have I been sleeping on this author?

This is my second novel this week I’ve listen to from this author. She’s an exceptional writer, the story polls you and instantly, and I’m about to listen to the third book of hers now