Keeping My Sisters' Secrets

by Beezy Marsh

The moving true story of three sisters born into poverty and their fight for survival.

Eva, Peggy and Kathleen were sisters born into a close-knit working class family, living in a tiny terraced house in a London street so rough the police would only walk down it in pairs. As they grew up between the wars, they dreamed of escaping their father's anger and the struggle of daily life in Waterloo.

Peggy was a studious and principled girl so appalled by conditions in the factories that she became a Communist. Beautiful Kathleen, with a voice like silk, experienced tragedy too young and was destined to have her heart broken time and time again. Feisty Eva became a child thief so she could help their mother put food on the table and never lost her rebellious streak, or her desire to protect her family by whatever means necessary.

Over the years the sisters stayed together, sharing each other's lives and supporting each other through hard times. Keeping My Sisters' Secrets is a rich, moving story of their fight to survive through decades of social upheaval, their love for each other the one constant in a changing world.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Memoir, History, War, Audiobook, Mental Health

346 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 27, 2017

About the author

Beezy Marsh is an international #1 and Sunday Times top-ten best-selling author who puts family and relationships at the heart of her writing. She believes that ordinary lives are extraordinary. She is also an award-winning journalist, who has spent more than 20 years making the headlines in newspapers including The Daily Mail and The Sunday Times. She began her career as a writer after graduating from Leeds University with a Joint Honours degree in English Literature and French. She was Women’s Editor on The Northern Echo in the North East, where she grew up, winning awards for her reporting before moving to the Daily Mail, where as Health Correspondent she was nominated for a National Press Award for her investigations. Her historical novels featuring the gritty lives of working class women in the first half of the twentieth century have spent six weeks in the Sunday Times best top ten bestseller list in the U.K. and nine weeks at the coveted #1 slot in Canada. She is married, with two sons, and lives in Oxfordshire with a never-ending pile of laundry.

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peggy, Kathleen and Eva lived with their parents and two brothers in a little terraced house nestling by the River Thames in Lambeth, London. If it sounds idyllic then it wasn't! This is the 1930's - and on a warm day the Thames was smelly and toxic, and their home, which was nothing more than a dilapidated slum, was also overshadowed by the railway clattering noisily by as it carried its passengers in and out of London. This was very much a working class area but also a crime ridden area where the 'coppers' would walk in pairs when daring to venture into these streets.

It's for this reason that the sisters dream of a different life, a better life, and a life that isn't ruled by their violent father.

Peggy is a quiet serious girl who develops communist tendencies, after hearing about the appalling conditions in the factories. Together with her boyfriend George she sets about trying to change things for the poor of her neighbourhood.

Kathleen is the prettiest sister, and she catches the attention of local boxer Albert. Being a boxer, he's pretty handy with his fists, as Kathleen ( to her cost ) is soon to discover.

Then there's Eva, the youngest of the sisters, but the one who always managed to stand up for herself. She's not afraid to speak her mind, and often felt her father's wrath because of it. A whole memoir could be written about Eva as she embarks upon a 'career' as a prolific shoplifter, joining the infamous 'Forty Thieves' gang, and becoming one of their most successful lifters! Initially she began thieving to help put food on the family table but it soon became a way of life that she enjoyed.

This is a true story that takes us from the early 1930's right through the Second World War, and it's just so enlightening to witness how the poor of this borough were affected by the political and social issues of that era.

From their humble beginnings, the girls lives take a very different path towards the end of this compelling memoir, but I'm not giving anything away. A really enjoyable look at a time and place in history that very much left its mark.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for my ARC for which I have given an honest review*

[Kelly Furniss · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fascinating but moving story following sisters growing up in poverty and their fight for survival from 1930's through the Second World War.
I really enjoyed the characterisation and how different the girls were portrayed.
At times the story could be quite harrowing but believable and action packed.
As a Catherine Cookson fan I felt could see similarities which I enjoyed and the story was very well written.
A tale I enjoyed very much and an author I will be reading more of.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley in providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

[Booklover BEV · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read

This book is amazing I just couldn't put it down. Set in the 30s and 40s in Lambeth London, the story follows three sisters Peggy Kathleen and eva all completely different to each other and what they want out of life. And then war struck times and troubles during the blitz. This book will have you entranced into it as you read I loved it

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

History in story format

New author for me and I am delighted to have found Beezy to read. Lovely style of writing and I couldn't stop reading. Loved the history of the war and can't imagine just how frightening it was for all and the loss of life.

[Brenda Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book.

[Leah Ison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ended up loving these sisters like my own. What lives they lived. I would actually love to see it played out on screen. I want more.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable, easy read, which didn't get 5 stars as some of the issues raised seemed to be airbrushed over and the plot at times felt very similar to other books, tv dramas and films of this era - with nothing new being exposed. However with gritty storytelling, showing the resourcefulness of people and the cohesive communities of 1930's and forties East End, the story gave you an interest in all the lives described and exposed the reader to the poverty and hardships faced by these communities. Another good point, was that all the characters had an ending, so we knew what happened to them in the next stages of their lives.

[Kathy McWhirter · Rating 5 out of 5]

To the very last word, I loved this story. It is filled with adventure, heartbreak, loyalty, hardship and love.

Set in London during the 2nd WW, three sisters somehow remain true to each other despite their different outlooks, choices, disasters & celebrations amid poverty. I laughed and cried with them as they grew into young women. Beautifully written.

[Patricia Jäger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know everybody seems to really love this book and it objectively is a good book. The writing is good the story is interesting and it's a perfectly nice book. It just failed to draw me in. I personally did not like the big jumps in time and there was just nothing that made it really special to me.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Might have been more interesting if it were better written. Seemed very much like it could have been written by a high school student (although of course the subject matter would not have been the same). And using phrases like 'Mom was cock-a-hoop ....' detracted. My grandmother used terms like this, and my mother-in-law too (0bviously from England), so I knew the meaning, but they were so odd today that they caused me to stop every time they came along. I had high hopes for this book, but it doesn't deliver. And what were the secrets of the title? Didn't notice any!

[Jude · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting because of the historical context, but the story was not particularly well developed and the style of writing was not very sophisticated. It was ok, but not gripping.

[Mary Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although all the reviews I read were wonderful, I just couldn’t get into this book.

[Claire Leathley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dreadfully written

Stilted awkward writing, as though the author had some facts or phrases from that era and needed to shoehorn them in

[Sophie Krol · Rating 1 out of 5]

Slow, not my style

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 2 out of 5]

Peggy, Kathleen and Eva are sisters (they also have two brothers) living in London between WWI and WWII. They are poor and barely getting by. Their father takes his frustration out on their mother by beating her. When Peggy is old enough, her family makes her leave school to get a job with the post office. The same with Kathleen ... she gets a job in a jam factory when she is old enough. Eva, though, became a thief at an early age and provides a lot for the family. The girls eventually fall in love, get married and start families of their own.

I found the book interesting at first ... but I found the characters unlikable. Kathleen was the beautiful one but, despite claiming she wouldn't make the same mistake her mother made, is desperate enough to marry an abusive man. Eva started stealing when she was about ten. Her mother knew but didn't do anything about it because she was benefiting from it.

The editing could have been tighter. There were typos. For example, it should have been " ... a friend of her brother, Frankie's" not "... a friend of her brother Frankies". And at one point, Kathleen leaves Albert's house where they have been living after they got married because she "did not want to die next to Albert's miserable mother-in-law". Albert's mother-in-law would have been her mother who she loves not HER mother-in-law who is a hag. There were many expressions I've never heard of before ... like cozzer, hoisting and whip-round.

What were the sisters' secrets anyway? I still don't know. Whatever they were, they couldn't have been that big of a deal.

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2019/12...

[Jovdb · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

A true story (?) based on the lives of three sisters born into a family living in the poor area of London in the late 1930’s.

Peggy, Kathleen and Eva are three of the children parented by Margaret and James. James was a bully who beat his wife and belted his children. We don’t hear too much about the boys in the family as the story is centred on the lives of the three girls and their last ins to each other.

Peggy, the oldest and smartest, leaves school and gets a job in the Post Office. She falls in line ve with a young boy from her school and the two of them follow the doctrine of the communist party. This is hardly surprising as the poor in Britain, at that this me, had no Health Service, very little government support and relied on helps no each other through tough times.

Kathleen, the pretty one, was very ill as a youngster. She wants to be on stage or a singer; a bit of a dreamer. She stayed with her abusive father once her mother dpfounf the courage to leave him.

Eva, the baby, but the fighter of the three. She joined a street gang of thieves in order to help her mother provide for the family.

The novel outlines how the characters of the girls dictate their lives during and after the war. In this time of great change, women were encouraged to work to help the war effort. After the war, women were expected to give up these jobs in favour of the men returning from battle. Well, we all know how well that turned out!

A bit of a simplistic look at life growing up in poor conditions in war torn Britain.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eva, Peggy and Kathleen were born sisters in a close-knit working-class family, living in the tiny terraced house in a street so rough the police would only walk down it in pairs. As they grew up between the wars, they dreamed of escaping their father's anger and the struggle of daily life in Waterloo.
Peggy was a studious and principled girl so appalled by conditions in the factories that she became a Communist. Beautiful Kathleen, with a voice like silk, experienced tragedy too young and was destined to have her heart broken time and time again. Feisty Eva became a thief as a child so she could help their mother put food on the table and never lost her rebellious streak.
As the years passed, the sisters stayed together sharing each other's lives, supporting each other through hard times and protecting each other by whatever means necessary.
This a rich, moving story of their fight to survive through decades of social upheaval and their love for each other the one constant in a changing world.

[Nancy Power · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read overall. I enjoyed the stories of the three sisters, both individually and how they intertwined. I liked how the chapters focused on one sister's story at a time. Described the grim realities of day-to-day life in a fascinating time period - whether marriage, or losing a job and having no money for food. Riveting.

That said, I am not a fan of the title of the book. Maybe I'm missing something, but I didn't really see how it related, and it didn't maximize the overall feel of the story, IMO. I bought the book based on the description. The description as well I found to be a little misleading - theirs was a tough neighborhood where police would only go two at a time. I didn't get a sense of this "toughness" in the book, as the kids seemed to be free to come and go and other than the book cover saying it was tough, I didn't really see evidence of it.

[Sarah Hearn · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, I’d really give this 3.5 stars. The story is good enough, just, and the characters are interesting enough, just. Three sisters, Peggy, Kathleen, and Eva, are poor and live in a very poor area of south London called Lambeth. The book covers the years 1930-1949, and follows each sister chalet-by-chapter through their growing up, marriages, and WWII. I was actually hoping for more than just the usual “poor London girls struggle through the Depression, and finally make good”. The description on the back cover is deceptive, implying that Kathleen is a singer but her life is full of tragedy, while Eva was a third only as a child. Frankly, I expected depth and an interesting story. As I said, the story was good enough for what it was but is nowhere as compelling as the description implies.

[Darla Ebert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A complete and thorough gem of a book, absorbing from start to finish. The interplay and inter-drama of the sisters is amazing and totally true. I was almost convinced it was made up but in my research to make SURE, I realized it is the true story (or stories) of the lives of three impoverished sister through the 1930's and into the War years. Riveting, intriguing and very personal. The author is NOT one of the sisters but her own attention to detail in recording the lives of the sisters meant she could be a storyteller of excellence.

[Bev Walkling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating story based on the lives of the three Fraser sisters who grew up in extreme poverty in a house where violence against their mother was the norm and corporal punishment for children was very common. It really painted a clear picture of just how hard life was for people in the "lower" class and why some would join the communist party while others looked to theft to keep their family in food. Regardless there was a strong bond of love between the three sisters that withstood the test of time, war, and all life could throw at them. It made for a very interesting read.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about three sisters who grew up in poverty in Lambeth, London. Although it's a true story, it's written more like fiction. Each sister picked a different path in life - one became a Communist, one was a shoplifter with the Forty Thieves, and the other led a fairly normal life. As they survived the war, they became closer. The author did a lot of research for this book. I found it fascinating.

[Kathleen McRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is unvarnished and tells the tale of women's lives before they could determine their own paths and the many ways they tried to break free of patriarchy in a world that was stacked against that happening.It has been a long journey and is not ended yet and I hope women keep writing books that describe the tyranny and lack of choices that poverty and inequality create.This is true especially for women but also for men as well.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second Beezy Marsh book I’ve read. They read more like a fiction story, but they are about true events and real people that the author has researched. In this book, Set in London, south of the Thames, the author paints a realistic picture of the streets and the times (1930s) and the characters. You can just imagine being there. I have really enjoyed the book, my favourite sister was Eva.

[Wayne Inkster · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started this book, I wasn't sure if I'd finish it. It seemed like an interesting tale, but I was about one-third of the way through before the tales of Peggy, Kathleen and Eva hooked me. Three sisters, so different from one another, yet so similar and supportive of each other while faced with poverty, sexism, the struggles during WWII and different personal struggles. Overall, a decent read.

[mois reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enthralled

This is the first of breezy marsh books I've read I was enthralled by it from start to finish a lovely family with the good and not so good but they all stuck together definitely worth 5 stars write some more of these books breezy everyone give it a read you won't be dissapointed

[LINDA HADDOCK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interestingly

I have this book interesting on how three sisters battle for survival during their young lives, how they livid in back to back housing and how they made such different choice's in the way their lives paned out. How they survived the war years, and the details of the war were very good indeed.

[Jill Robbertze · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely easy to read true account of 3 Sisters and their family who lived through the Depression, poverty and the 2 WW. Each found their own way to survive in very difficult times and through it all they supported each other. Well written and researched with interesting memorable characters. A tribute to family loyalty.

[Becky-Lynn Sturge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sisters and their bonds made and make for stories worth reading

Sisters stories and bonds are brought to life here. The circumstances given life with sight that leave a genuine peek inside that time and bond. Well written. Well researched. Recommend the book to all who would like a look inside of lives when war lives where a family does.

[Sue Seaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book tells the true story of 3 sisters living in London in the 30s and the poverty that surrounded them. Each taking different ways in life through marriage into the war years and finally end g their story in 1949. it was a really well written tale and made you feel you knew them yourself. makes a lovely change from fiction.