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A Respectable Trade

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A Respectable Trade

By: Philippa Gregory
Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
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About this listen

From the bestselling author of The Other Boleyn Girl.

Bristol in 1787 is booming, from its stinking docks to its elegant new houses. Josiah Cole, a small dockside trader, is prepared to gamble everything to join the big players of the city. But he needs ready cash and a well-connected wife.

An arranged marriage to Frances Scott is a mutually convenient solution. Trading her social contacts for Josiah’s protection, Frances enters the world of the Bristol merchants and finds her life and fortune dependent on the respectable trade of sugar, rum and slaves.

Once again Philippa Gregory brings her unique combination of a vivid sense of history and inimitable storytelling skills to illuminate a complex period of our past. Powerful, haunting, intensely disturbing, this is a novel of desire and shame, of individuals, of a society, and of a whole continent devastated by the greed of others.

©1995 Philippa Gregory (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Literary Fiction Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Women's Voices Romance Marriage Heartfelt Tear-jerking
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A truly gripping story of the personal lives of the people involved in and affected by the slave trade.Wonderful characters ,I was sad to finish it , definitely thoroughly enjoyable.

Brilliant story.

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A great story illustrating how the horrific realities of the slave trade became acceptable to the polite society of the 18th century by de-humanising the resource. The subjugation of the common traders by the aristocracy was brilliantly demonstrated. This is how history should be taught in schools.
The narrator was superb with all accents brilliantly tackled, bringing each character to life. Thoroughly enjoyed.

How history should be taught.

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When the UK continues to try to hide its real history, we need books like this to enlighten us. As the wife of a West African I recognise the research that must have gone into the way this book was written. Excellent read as are all of Philippa Gregory's novels.

An education!

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Adjoa Andoh’s narration is honestly incredible! She gives so many different accents, each individual, it makes listening so pleasurable and relaxing! I’m only 7 chapters in and enjoying it very much, largely due to Adjoa’s excellent narration

The Narrator is incredible

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Slaves from Africa, class & gender slavery too. Ignorance & fear enslaves every one of us

Harrowing slave trade

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