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The Misbegotten (Unabridged) [Audio Download]

by Katherine Webb (Author), Jacqueline King (Narrator)

4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (64 customer reviews)

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Read the customer ratings and reviews at Audible.co.uk for The Misbegotten (Unabridged) (audiobook).

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Product details

Audio Download
Listening Length: 17 hours and 58 minutes
Program Type: Audiobook
Version: Unabridged
Publisher: Orion Publishing Group
Audible.co.uk Release Date: 27 Mar 2014
Language: English
ASIN: B00IVDVV1K

Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (64 customer reviews)

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Product Description

Secrets and haunting mysteries.... A wonderfully powerful and poignant historical novel from the author of the TV Book Club best seller The Legacy.

Bath, 1821: Rachel Crofton escapes her unhappy employment as a governess by marrying a self-made businessman. But her new life soon takes an unexpected turn. Reclusive Jonathan Alleyn is a man tormented by the disappearance of his childhood sweetheart, Alice. Starling, foundling child and now servant, is convinced that Alice, the woman she loved as a sister, was stolen from her. Did Alice run away? Or did something altogether more sinister occur?

As Starling tries to expose the lies behind Bath's immaculate facades, others want only to forget, and will go to extreme lengths to do so. And the courage both Rachel and Starling need to bring these truths to light will come at a very high price.... Read by Jacqueline King.

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Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars an engrossing and atmospheric read 30 Sep 2013

By little bookworm

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

The year is 1821 and governess Rachel Crofton, afraid that this may be her last such opportunity, finds herself accepting an offer of marriage from charming wine merchant, Richard Weekes. Rachel finds herself settling into her new quarters in Bath, eager to make her marriage a success. Soon, she is introduced to the Alleyns, old acquaintances of her husband's where she becomes employed as companion to the troubled and reclusive Jonathan; a man tormented by his memories of war and by the disappearance of his childhood sweetheart Alice. Indeed Alice seems to haunt the entire household almost; Rachel too soon drawn into the mystery of what really happened to her.

With each coming book, Webb seems only to go from strength to strength as an author, and the Misbegotten has to be my favourite to date. Unlike in her previous works, there is no modern time frame this time; but the story does still flit back and forth from 1821 to the early 1800s where we are introduced to Alice, ward of Lord Faukes, who has been brought up in a small village by the elderly Bridget and who takes in a young girl found wandering by the house one day as her sister, Starling.

This is a story rich in atmosphere and mystery, with a dark, gothic feel and secrets that are slow to reveal themselves, but rather tease and taunt, turning first one way and then the other. Set in 1800s Bath, Webb recreates the setting and period quite beautifully; reminiscent in some parts of a Jane Austen novel, though the content is far more haunting, and much grittier. Indeed Webb doesn't shy away from painting some truly horrifying scenes of life as a soldier in the Peninsular war, where Jonathan Alleyn once served and has since been driven almost mad by all that he saw and took part of. Read more ›

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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read 26 Nov 2013

By Dr. D.D. Colin-Jones

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed this book, it had me hooked from the beginning and the twist and turns were brilliant. I didn't even guess the ending which is a small miracle for me.

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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Went a bit daft at the end! 30 Aug 2013

By Georgie Norton

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I thought this was a real page turner ....couldnt put it down...romping good holiday read but to be absolutely honest it went a bit loopy at the end...anyway having said this...still enjoyed it!

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27 of 35 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars AN ENGROSSING HISTORICAL MYSTERY 5 Aug 2013

By Essie Fox

Format:Hardcover

I must first admit that I know katherine Webb personally, and also that we share a publisher. But it is always my policy never to review a book that I have not loved, and having read The Misbegotten I can honestly say that I did love it.

Katherine often writes with two time frames - with contemporary and historical characters. The Misbegotten remains entirely grounded in the early 1800s. It is all the stronger for that. The story is enthralling. A gritty, beautiful, heart-breaking romance which has an almost Wuthering Heights sense of intensity to the passion between two of the characters - both of whom you will fall in love with too. But this novel is so much more than romance - it's about shame, and loss, and regret. At its centre is a secret that is almost too unbearable to share - and all the more satisfying for that.

It's been some time since I became entirely immersed in a novel. This is in no small way due to Katherine's wonderful story-telling gift. In The Misbegotten the characters are so well rounded, warts and all, that you cannot fail to think of them as real. Because of this, and also the twisting clues that are deftly laid in this mystery, I found myself yearning to get back to the novel every time I put it down.

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Hard Going 26 Jan 2014

By ozzie

Format:Kindle Edition

I seem to be in the minority but found this book really hard going especially after enjoying The Legacy so much. The main characters were really difficult to care about, the storyline was long and drawn out and in parts downright boring. I really struggled to finish the book and at times felt like giving up completely. It took me over a month to read it which must be an all time record for me.

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Convoluted Plot 22 Nov 2013

By Mrs. R. A. Sayer

Format:Paperback

'The Misbegotten' by Katherine Webb is a wonderful story, evocative of the early 19th century, in particular women's place in society at that time. Having said that I would add that the plot is convoluted and leads the reader in several different directions over far too many pages.
The books contains hints of Dickens, Tolstoy, Jane Austen and Catherine Cookson. The multitude of 'red herrings' belong to Agatha Christie.
The 'Alice' mystery is left with lots of questions in my mind, also disbelief at some points. 'Left up a river without a paddle' I would say.
I found this book very enjoyable and read to the end without looking to see the outcome. But, it is a very frustrating book with too many side roads. 'Do get on with it!' I wanted to scream.

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding! I was totally engrossed. 29 Aug 2013

By Lincs Reader TOP 100 REVIEWER VINE VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Historical fiction is not my favourite genre, but when I do read it I would always choose to read about ordinary people, I'm not a fan of novels based around the aristocracy or royalty. I was tempted to read Katherine Webb's fourth novel The Misbegotten by both the beautiful cover and the fascinating description of the story. I'm so very pleased that I did. It's a huge hardback, over 500 pages, but I've been completely engrossed by it over the past few days. It really is a wonderfully written novel, and one that I will recommend wholeheartedly.

The story is set in the city of Bath in the south of England and begins in 1803 when a small child is found walking alone from the nearby marshes. She is taken in by Alice, a young lady who has a secret past of her own. Alice names the girl Starling, and from that day on, the two are inseparable. The story then skips to 1821, and the wedding day of Rachel and Richard Weekes. Rachel is alone in the world, any fortune that her family had were lost by her father before his death, she is marrying beneath her class, but Richard Weekes appears to love her deeply and she has high hopes for their future together.

Rachel is introduced to her new husband's acquaintances, and it is through these that she meets the Alleyn family and is invited to become the companion of Jonathan Alleyn, a recluse who has suffered greatly since returning from the battlefields and finding that his beloved Alice has eloped with a secret suitor. There is a great mystery surrounding Alice's disappearance. Her faithful companion Starling believes that Jonathan is responsible for her disappearance and that Alice would never have left her behind. Read more ›

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reading.

Really enjoyed this book very much. Have shared it with friends and they agree. interesting story, well written. Highly recommended.

Published 1 day ago by Shirley Duff

4.0 out of 5 stars Dark Doings in Bath

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