"In Dorothy Whipple's High Wages, a determined young woman makes her way in the world against the looming backdrop of World War I. High Wages is more than a tale of savvy entrepreneurship: Jane's thoughts, feelings, adventures and disappointments in love and friendship are all laid bare.
Jane Carter sees an advertisement for a live-in shop assistant and jumps at the chance to leave her old life behind. After Chadwick the draper takes her on, Jane learns all there is to know about fabrics and dressmaking. She proves a talented saleswoman and befriends Maggie and Lily, the other employees.
The girls struggle under exploitative conditions: meagre pay; tiny portions of food; the boss cheating them out of commissions. When the young man Maggie is seeing falls in love with Jane, a bitter falling-out results in Maggie threatening to leave Chadwick's. Armed with initiative and ideas, Jane decides to set up her very own clothing shop, but it's not all plain sailing - far from it.
High Wages is part of the Persephone Audiobook Collection, a series of forgotten classics including neglected fiction and non-fiction by women writers. First published in 1930, this edition includes a new preface by author Jane Brocket."
"When three sisters marry very different men, the choices they make determine whether they will flourish, be tamed or be repressed. Set in 1930's middle-class England, the classic domestic drama, They Were Sisters, is a compelling but harrowing novel by Dorothy Whipple.
Meet three women with contrasting partners: Lucy's husband is her beloved companion; Vera's husband bores her and she turns elsewhere; and Charlotte's husband is a horrifying bully who turns a high-spirited naive young girl into a deeply unhappy woman. This is the story of how those marriages shape the sister's lives, the consequences of their decisions, and the sisterly love that hopes to save them from tragedy.
They Were Sisters is part of the Persephone Audiobook Collection, a series of forgotten classics that includes neglected fiction and non-fiction by women writers. This audiobook of a novel first published in 1943 breathes new life into Whipple's work; with a fascinating introduction by novelist Celia Brayfield."
"Someone at a Distance was Dorothy Whipple's last book, hailed by many as her best. The story charts the gradual breakdown of a marriage through the eyes of those involved. Whipple deftly and persuasively explores the minds of her characters, particularly the two women. This audio edition is read by Susan Wooldridge.
Ellen and Avery North share a stable and secure life. Everything is well looked after: their teenage children, their garden, and Avery's elderly mother who lives nearby. In time, old Mrs North decides she is in need of a live-in companion, and Louise Lanier arrives after responding to a newspaper advert. When Louise sets out to seduce Avery for the fun of it, her behaviour threatens to destroy Ellen and Avery's peaceful life together.
Someone at a Distance is part of the Persephone Audiobook Collection, a series of forgotten classics including neglected fiction and non-fiction by women writers. First published in 1953, this edition includes a preface by author Nina Bawden."
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