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A Short Road to Longbrook
- Author
- Bethan Roberts
- Narrator
- Florence Howard
- Publisher
- Vintage Publishing
- Publish Date
- 5 March 2026
- Run Time
- 10 hours 22 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
Brought to you by Penguin.
A tender story of mothers, daughters and breaking family patterns, from the author of bestseller My Policeman which became the hit film starring Harry Styles
When Winnie is happy, Lillian is happy, too.
It’s the mid-1960s and Lillian Wells is a clever teenager with a daring pixie cut, tangerine mini-dress and new boyfriend, Jim, who works at the brewery. Even better, he lives across the road, so she’s never far from her bee-hived, high-heeled single mother Winnie, who is prone to attacks of the nerves. But Lillian harbours secret dreams of going to art school in London. When she gets in, how will she tell her mother – and Jim – that she’s leaving Abingdon – and them?
Forty years later, Lillian’s own daughter Rachel is heading off to university, but Lillian is not sure either of them are ready. She sees herself and Winnie in Rachel, who is ambitious and intelligent, but also prone to nervous habits. As Lillian tries to bite her tongue about Rachel’s symptoms, she is reminded of what everyone in Abingdon used to say: It’s a short road to Longbrook… the local institution for the mentally ill. Lillian knows this is all too true, but in a family where secrets run through generations like the rushing waters of the local river, can she bring herself to break the cycle and tell Rachel the truth about her past?
‘Roberts is an exceptionally tender and empathetic writer’ Grazia
© Bethan Roberts 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
Critics Review
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A beautifully woven story of mothers and daughters, secrets, mental health and the treatment of women in mental institutions in the past
Prima
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A tangled tale of maternal inheritance, the ties that bind and the queasy way psychiatry in the mid twentieth century seemed so much about crushing women's independence. A must, not just for the countless fans of My Policeman but for admirers of Tessa Hadley
PATRICK GALE, author of Notes from an Exhibition
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With her usual empathy and understanding, Bethan Roberts brilliantly evokes a time – not so long ago – when mental illness carried real stigma and shame
LYNNE TRUSS, author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves
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Profoundly moving and utterly compelling, a heartfelt story that spans generations and deftly weaves between the intimate lives of its characters. There’s a genuine sense of suspense here as secrets unfold, and revelations are made of love, loss and the psychopathology of everyday life. I was hooked from the beginning and absorbed right until the end
JAKE ARNOTT, author of The Long Firm
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Roberts vividly captures the claustrophobia and 1960s suburbia in an evocative, compassionate read
Mail on Sunday
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Bethan Roberts
- Narrator
- Florence Howard
- Duration
- 10 hours 22 minutes
- Release Date
- 5 March 2026
- ISBN
- 9781529989137
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Vintage Publishing
- Genre
- Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general, Family life fiction / Stories about family, Narrative theme: health and illness, Narrative theme: social issues / social problems, Fiction: dual or multiple timelines
Synopsis
Brought to you by Penguin.A tender story of mothers, daughters and breaking family patterns, from the author of bestseller My Policeman which became the hit film starring Harry StylesWhen Winnie is happy, Lillian is happy, too. It’s the mid-1960s and Lillian Wells is a clever teenager with a daring pixie cut, tangerine mini-dress and new boyfriend, Jim, who works at the brewery. Even better, he lives across the road, so she’s never far from her bee-hived, high-heeled single mother Winnie, who is prone to attacks of the nerves. But Lillian harbours secret dreams of going to art school in London. When she gets in, how will she tell her mother – and Jim – that she’s leaving Abingdon – and them?Forty years later, Lillian’s own daughter Rachel is heading off to university, but Lillian is not sure either of them are ready. She sees herself and Winnie in Rachel, who is ambitious and intelligent, but also prone to nervous habits. As Lillian tries to bite her tongue about Rachel’s symptoms, she is reminded of what everyone in Abingdon used to say: It’s a short road to Longbrook… the local institution for the mentally ill. Lillian knows this is all too true, but in a family where secrets run through generations like the rushing waters of the local river, can she bring herself to break the cycle and tell Rachel the truth about her past?‘Roberts is an exceptionally tender and empathetic writer’ Grazia© Bethan Roberts 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
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