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The Talk of Pram Town

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The Talk of Pram Town

By: Joanna Nadin
Narrated by: Kelly Hotten
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£5.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST. Cancel monthly.

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For fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel, comes a story about mothers, daughters and second chances . . .

It’s 1981. Eleven-year-old Sadie adores her beautiful and vibrant mother, Connie, whose dreams of making it big as a singer fill their tiny house in Leeds. It’s always been just the two of them. Until the unthinkable happens.

Jean hasn’t seen her good-for-nothing daughter Connie since she ran away from the family home in Harlow – or Pram Town as its inhabitants affectionately call it – aged seventeen and pregnant.

But in the wake of the Royal Wedding, Jean gets a life-changing call: could she please come and collect the granddaughter she’s never met?

We all know how Charles and Diana turned out, and Jean and Sadie are hardly a match made in heaven – but is there hope of a happy ending for them?

Written in Joanna Nadin’s trademark dazzling prose, The Talk of Pram Town tells the story of three generations of Earnshaws and asks whether it always has to be like mother, like daughter . . .

 Coming of Age Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Women's Fiction
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Critic reviews

Another triumph . . . I absolutely loved it (Kate Eberlen, author of Miss You and Only You)
Fabulous on mothers and daughters, guilt and ambition and what it means to be alienated from the life you’ve always known
I adored The Talk Of Pram Town. A brilliantly written, emotional and honest novel set in Essex and Leeds about mothers and daughters, dreams and dark secrets. It pulled at my heartstrings and the characters stayed inside my head long after I had finished reading. Highly recommend this wonderful book. (Jenny Quintana, author of The Missing Girl and The Hiding Place)
An enchanting, heartfelt and nostalgic read (Prima, on The Queen of Bloody Everything)
All stars
Most relevant
I started listening to this book yesterday and couldn't stop! Great story, wonderful characters and very nostalgic

Addictive!

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Nadin’s characters spring to life in a compelling story that pulls you in from the first page and the switching POV gives you a wonderful omnipotent view to understand motivations. Wished it was longer, but it ended exactly where it should.
*Wonderfully read by Kelly Hotten.
Can’t recommend enough.

Can’t recommend enough - brilliant

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what a beautiful book. cried at the end. an absolutely amazing story. Best book I've listened to in a long time

OMG

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Joanna Nadin has a gift for capturing the messy, funny, and poignant realities of family life, and The Talk of Pram Town is no exception. This is the second of her novels I’ve listened to, the first being The Queen of Bloody Everything, and I was struck by the similarities between the two—not least the era they inhabit.

We meet Sadie, who is just 11 years old on the day of Princess Diana’s wedding, and through her eyes we’re drawn into a world that blends humour with the weight of serious family events. The assured writing balances laugh-out-loud moments with the bittersweet complexities of growing up, especially in the shadow of her mother and now living with her previously unknown grandmother, Jean.

What makes this story shine is the way it links three generations of females. Connie and her mother Jean are both fascinating, and each having strived to escape their origins. Meanwhile Sadie’s perspective is both innocent and sharp, and the backdrop of early 1980s Britain adds a nostalgic charm that fans of Joanna Nadin will recognize from The Queen of Bloody Everything.

The audiobook narration enhances the experience, bringing warmth and wit to the characters. It’s a funny, heartfelt listen that doesn’t shy away from the reality that family life can be tough, especially if there are secrets!

From Diana's Wedding to Family Secrets

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I loved this book, the narration was excellent and the story was poignant. I knew a few Jean types in the 70s and 80s! Loved the cultural references from the time, spot on.

Aye, great book ;)

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