Listen to a sample
The Throwaway Children
- Author
- Diney Costeloe
- Narrator
- Phyllida Nash
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Publish Date
- 25 November 2025
- Run Time
- 18 hours 39 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
Gritty, heartrending and unputdownable – the story of two sisters sent first to an English, then an Australian orphanage in the aftermath of World War II.
Rita and Rosie Stevens are only nine and five years old when their widowed mother marries a violent bully called Jimmy Randall and has a baby boy by him. Under pressure from her new husband, she is persuaded to send the girls to an orphanage – not knowing that the papers she has signed will entitle them to do what they like with the children.
And it is not long before the powers that be decide to send a consignment of orphans to their sister institution in Australia. Among them – without their family's consent or knowledge – are Rita and Rosie, the throwaway children.
What readers are saying about THE THROWAWAY CHILDREN:
'I haven't felt so immersed in a book in a very long time and have recommended to just about everyone'
'Heart wrenching'
'A truly powerful book'
Critics Review
-
The story is a compelling one and as a consequence, the book is very hard to put down... many a reader will inevitably find themselves heckling the characters from the sidelines, encouraging the good guys and booing the baddies'
The Bookbag
-
Enlightening, compelling and emotional
Living North
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Diney Costeloe
- Narrator
- Phyllida Nash
- Duration
- 18 hours 39 minutes
- Release Date
- 25 November 2025
- ISBN
- 9781035925582
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Genre
- Family life fiction / Stories about family, Historical fiction
Synopsis
Bloomsbury presents The Throwaway Children by Diney Costeloe, read by Phyllida Nash.Gritty, heartrending and unputdownable – the story of two sisters sent first to an English, then an Australian orphanage in the aftermath of World War II. Rita and Rosie Stevens are only nine and five years old when their widowed mother marries a violent bully called Jimmy Randall and has a baby boy by him. Under pressure from her new husband, she is persuaded to send the girls to an orphanage – not knowing that the papers she has signed will entitle them to do what they like with the children. And it is not long before the powers that be decide to send a consignment of orphans to their sister institution in Australia. Among them – without their family's consent or knowledge – are Rita and Rosie, the throwaway children. What readers are saying about THE THROWAWAY CHILDREN: 'I haven't felt so immersed in a book in a very long time and have recommended to just about everyone' 'Heart wrenching' 'A truly powerful book'
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