Her Father's Daughter

by Beezy Marsh

Two families. One Man's Secrets. A moving true story.

From the Sunday Times bestselling author comes a moving true story of two women fighting to survive scandal, poverty and war.

When Annie marries Harry after years of heartache in a London slum she believes she's found her happy ever after. But the horrors of the Blitz soon threaten everything they hold dear. The terrible sights Harry witnesses as an air raid warden bring back traumatic memories of his time during the First World War. Suddenly Annie finds herself struggling to cope not only with life in wartime and two little children, but also with a husband who seems like a stranger.

Kitty has always been protective of her little brother Harry. Hiding the scandal about their father from the world was the only way to survive as they were growing up in Newcastle. But when she discovers Harry too has a shocking secret, she is torn. Meanwhile Annie wonders why Harry refuses to discuss his life before their marriage and why she has never met his sister. Will the truth ever come to light?

From the bombed-out terraces of London to the docks of Newcastle, Her Father's Daughter is a moving and poignant true story about the unbreakable bonds of family, and the power of love to heal the worst wounds.

Genres: Nonfiction

352 pages, Paperback

Published July 25, 2019

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

[Booklover BEV · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving true story. Following on from All my mothers secrets, the story is set in both Newcastle upon Tyne and London. The book goes back and forth starting from the year 1911 WW1 and 1940 WW2. Brother and sister Kitty and Harry, and couple Harry and Annie. Annie is thirty five years old and having her first baby living in wartime London soap sud island known for the laundries,washer women. She and her family were worried about brother George out in France. Harry never spoke about his sister Kitty living up in Newcastle always making excuses it was to far to travel up. This book holds lots of families and friends secrets the author's research is to be amazed. Taking us right through both wars and the stories will touch your heart. I didn't want this book to end. Kitty is her father's daughter. All the characters have their own single story, that the author has so lovingly put together in this one book. Nothing more I can add, but just to ask you to pick it up and read for yourself, you won't be disappointed.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a Fabulous Book telling the story of Annie and Harry meeting and their Marriage as they struggle through the war with so many others.Harry suffers from the sights he see's as a Air Raid Warden that give him nightmares and he relives his own horror from the trenches of world war 1.I won't say any more as i don't want to spoil the book for others but i have loved this book and i give it 5* well done to Beezy Marsh a FABULOUS book.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my opinion it was just okay. The beginning of the book talks about another book which is the "first" book which I have not read so I dont know if that would change my review. The book was centered around war time but followed a story that just happened to be in that period of time. This book was just not what I expected. It was interesting enough but I didn't feel it was gripping enough or what I was looking for.

[mois reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harry ,kitty ,Annie

What a book from Newcastle to London this book has it all families ripped apart by war and one family ripped at the seams by there dad being in wrong place at the wrong time absolutely shattering to the family left behind this book is worth more than 5 STARS it's a true story of human nature love loyalty and mistakes .

[Shreenidhi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I have never been the one heading towards war fiction. I picked up this book with the hope the title arouse in me, but my dislike only grew stronger with every chapter. The book was so dull that I found it very hard to continue past the first few chapters. I kept waiting for the inciting incident that never occurred or if it did, unrecognizable from the rest of the story!

It was not very clear what the plot tries to convey to the readers. The book mostly speaks of how families suffered physically and mentally during war times which was in no way different from many other war books and movies. The sister character Kitty makes it sound and clear in the book that her father’s fate should not be carried forward through generations, but doesn’t induce the same empathy in the readers. Until the end, it was not evident why keeping of secrets is highlighted as the theme of the story. The title also did not represent the story as a whole.

The description of the war time household routine was extensive and painted vivid images in mind. The details were intricate enough to be disturbing. The book can be tried by those who are looking for nothing but understanding war time reality.

Highlights – War time research
Suggested read – Historic fiction
Overall rating – 2

[Mrs. Ruigrok · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true story. Although I originally had a hard time getting in to the book once I got interested and had some uninterrupted time to read I was quite fascinating by how this would turn out, what twist would come next and how the story would end for each character. It is a good reminder of the situations that many people were in during the war, unspoken situations and memories that affected everything in their lives.

[ileen lowery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow slow start but once I had time to read it I was fascinated
A story of turbulence and love and destruction not to mention survival
Times when you have no control of past or future with death and destruction at the forefront on the lives of two young children and how it controlled their lives.
Well worth a read adding historical facts to human factors

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this boom but its like I kept reading and waiting for the big reveal that was a minor mention at the end. And I know you can rewrite history but I thought the past and the events that took place would have a bigger impact on the future.

I also found it hard keeping up with all the story lines but that is mostly my fault for having to read it approximately 15 pages at a time.

[Justine Hodgson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audio book, I think if it had been the paper book I woukd have given 5/5.
Found it hard on audio with dates changing, but with book you can turn back easier.
Beautifully written and amazing story.

[vicki kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I loved reading about someone’s family during the war years. It opens your eyes to how people lived years ago. Very sad losses during and after the war but families helped them through just by being there.
Great writer.

[Bev Fournier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book. Interesting true story of secrets kept by a family and how WW1 and WW2 resulted in such enormous hardship and loss.

[Monica Kelloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read!!!

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story but I didn't feel part of it..

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book, definitely worth the read

[Elaine Dare · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book follows 3 women through World War 2 in England. Good read but did not keep me captivated to keep turning those pages. In the end did not like Annie's outcome

[Brina S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like Beezy's writing. This story isn't as good as Keeping My Mother's Secrets but still quite good!

[Emma Carlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

really liked this