
A Very Private School
A Memoir
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Narrated by:
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Charles Spencer
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By:
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Charles Spencer
About this listen
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
“A tour de force.” —The Washington Post
In this poignant memoir, Charles Spencer recounts the trauma of being sent away from home at age eight to attend boarding school.
A Very Private School offers a clear-eyed, first-hand account of a culture of cruelty at the school Charles Spencer attended in his youth and provides important insights into an antiquated boarding system. Drawing on the memories of many of his schoolboy contemporaries, as well as his own letters and diaries from the time, he reflects on the hopelessness and abandonment he felt at aged eight, viscerally describing the intense pain of homesickness and the appalling inescapability of it all. Exploring the long-lasting impact of his experiences, Spencer presents a candid reckoning with his past and a reclamation of his childhood.
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Using never before seen sources, Once a King is a fresh, revelatory and gripping insight into the Duke of Windsor - King Edward VIII - who gave up the throne to marry the woman he loved, twice divorced American Wallis Simpson. Considering Edward VIII's travels and interests as Prince of Wales as well as his relationship with Wallis Simpson and the course of events leading up to his abdication and subsequent exile, Once a King offers a previously unexplored lens through which we encounter two of the twentieth century's most iconic Royal figures: the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
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Highly Recommended
- By JT on 11-12-23
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The Other Side of the Coin
- The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe
- By: Angela Kelly
- Narrated by: Angela Kelly
- Length: 5 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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When Angela Kelly and The Queen are together, laughter echoes through the corridors of Buckingham Palace. Angela has worked with The Queen and walked the corridors of the Royal Household for 25 years, initially as Her Majesty’s Senior Dresser and then latterly as Her Majesty’s Personal Advisor, Curator, Wardrobe, and In-house Designer. As the first person in history to hold this title, she shares a uniquely close working relationship with The Queen.
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Read the book!
- By Mikal E. on 11-18-19
By: Angela Kelly
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The Making of a King
- King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy
- By: Robert Hardman
- Narrated by: Robert Hardman
- Length: 14 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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No British monarch has had a tougher act to follow. Now, after seventy years of waiting and preparation, King Charles III is not just the head of the most famous family in the world. He is the custodian of a thousand-year-old institution that must redefine its place in the digital age while others insist on rewriting the past. With unrivaled access to the king, the royal family, and the court, leading royal authority Robert Hardman brings us the inside story on the most pivotal and challenging year for the monarchy in living memory.
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Bitter and bothered!?
- By Cole Jr. Family on 02-25-24
By: Robert Hardman
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Revenge
- Meghan, Harry, and the War Between the Windsors
- By: Tom Bower
- Narrated by: Andrew Wincott
- Length: 16 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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After a childhood spent on Hollywood film sets, Meghan Markle fought hard for stardom. But even when she landed her breakthrough role on Suits, her dream of worldwide celebrity remained elusive until she met the man who would change her life—Prince Harry. Their whirlwind romance culminated with Meghan’s ultimate fairy tale ending: their 2018 wedding at Windsor Castle. Finally, the world was her stage. It seemed that the dizzying success of the wedding between the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex marked the beginning of a fresh era for the British Royal Family.
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THE Truth, Not “HER Truth”
- By Trump16 on 09-05-22
By: Tom Bower
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What Remains
- A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love
- By: Carole Radziwill
- Narrated by: Carole Radziwill
- Length: 5 hrs and 57 mins
- Abridged
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What Remains begins with loss and returns to loss. A small plane plunges into the ocean, carrying John Kennedy, Anthony's cousin, and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, Carole's closest friend. Three weeks later Anthony dies of cancer. The summer of the plane crash, the four friends were meant to be cherishing Anthony's last days. Instead, Carole and Anthony mourned John and Carolyn, even as Carole planned her husband's memorial.
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I just couldn’t finish this book
- By Cheryle Medeiros on 10-11-15
By: Carole Radziwill
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My Mother and I
- By: Ingrid Seward
- Narrated by: Julie Teal, Ingrid Seward
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the story of how King Charles was shaped and moulded by his heritage. His mother was the woman he always loved but could never be close to. As Queen she held the Pandora’s box of the crown and all he could do was wait and learn. In his mother’s old age, he finally received the affection and respect from her he had craved for so long. This book documents his life through many personal anecdotes from his family and his friends from the moment the guns saluted his birth until St. Edwards Crown was placed on his head and he was officially declared as the King at his Coronation.
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Most creditable biography of the modern Windors
- By Sarah P. on 04-20-24
By: Ingrid Seward
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Diana
- Her True Story - in Her Own Words
- By: Andrew Morton
- Narrated by: Michael Maloney, Caroline Langrishe
- Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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The sensational biography of Princess Diana, now revised to commemorate the 20th anniversary of her death. When Diana: Her True Story - in Her Own Words was first published in 1992, it forever changed the way the public viewed the British monarchy.
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Wonderful overall with one issue...
- By globewest on 07-02-17
By: Andrew Morton
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Come and Get It
- By: Kiley Reid
- Narrated by: Nicole Lewis
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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It's 2017 at the University of Arkansas. Millie Cousins, a senior resident assistant, wants to graduate, get a job, and buy a house. So when Agatha Paul, a visiting professor and writer, offers Millie an easy yet unusual opportunity, she jumps at the chance. But Millie's starry-eyed hustle becomes jeopardized by odd new friends, vengeful dorm pranks, and illicit intrigue.
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LGBT Propaganda on Overdrive
- By Gretchen on 02-16-24
By: Kiley Reid
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You Could Make This Place Beautiful
- A Memoir
- By: Maggie Smith
- Narrated by: Maggie Smith
- Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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In her memoir You Could Make This Place Beautiful, poet Maggie Smith explores the disintegration of her marriage and her renewed commitment to herself in lyrical vignettes that shine, hard and clear as jewels. The book begins with one woman’s personal, particular heartbreak, but its circles widen into a reckoning with contemporary womanhood, traditional gender roles, and the power dynamics that persist even in many progressive homes.
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Beautiful, relatable, profound
- By Betty Blue on 04-16-23
By: Maggie Smith
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The Friday Afternoon Club
- A Family Memoir
- By: Griffin Dunne
- Narrated by: Griffin Dunne
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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At nine, Sean Connery saved him from drowning. At thirteen, desperate to hook up with Janis Joplin, he attended his aunt Joan Didion and uncle John Gregory Dunne’s legendary LA launch party for Tom Wolfe’s The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. At sixteen, he got kicked out of boarding school, ending his institutional education for good.
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Griffiths phrasing made it easy to listen and absorb.
- By Nancie Keay on 06-17-24
By: Griffin Dunne
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Clear
- A Novel
- By: Carys Davies
- Narrated by: Russ Bain
- Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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John, an impoverished Scottish minister, has accepted a job evicting the lone remaining occupant of an island north of Scotland—Ivar, who has been living alone for decades, with only the animals and the sea for company. Though his wife, Mary, has serious misgivings about the errand, he decides to go anyway, setting in motion a chain of events that neither he nor Mary could have predicted.
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Yes, Another Island Book
- By Kate Juliff on 11-10-24
By: Carys Davies
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Kingmaker
- Pamela Harriman's Astonishing Life of Power, Seduction, and Intrigue
- By: Sonia Purnell
- Narrated by: Louise Brealey
- Length: 16 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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When Pamela Churchill Harriman died in 1997, the obituaries that followed were predictably scathing–and many were downright sexist. Written off as a mere courtesan and social climber, her true legacy was overshadowed by a glamorous social life and her infamous erotic adventures. Much of what she did behind the scenes–on both sides of the Atlantic–remained invisible and secret. That is, until now: with a wealth of fresh research, interviews and newly discovered sources, Sonia Purnell unveils for the first time the full, spectacular story of how she left an indelible mark on the world today.
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Pamela reigns! But.....
- By Lucy Johnson on 11-30-24
By: Sonia Purnell
What listeners say about A Very Private School
Highly rated for:
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- Lisa Zamm
- 03-24-24
Straight forward rational analysis of a systematic crime situation in an English boarding school
The nativity of these young boys were so easy to be taken advantage of. They emerged so different in ways the family could not imagine. The secretiveness of the school and the full reign parent gave to those unworthy guardians. At first I didn’t think I could bear the incidents but Lord Spencer has given an adult perspective back to his readers that helped me understand how they remained secretive and the ways to overcome. Although the content is hard to get through- it was a subject well addressed and the strength it took to overcome the feelings that remained.
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- Samantha
- 03-26-24
Brave, compelling, compassionate
This has helped me broaden my perspective about British boarding schools and have more compassion for those who have suffered.
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- Amazon Customer
- 09-07-24
wonderful but sad
my ❤️ went out to charles....I wish he had told someone even Diana.... Those poor children
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-27-24
Excellent!
Author did such a great job describing his feelings, the physical setting of boarding school, and each one of the characters that were a part of that time in his life. These stories can never be told to often, people need to understand trauma and abuse. Thank you Sir for sharing your story.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Charlie
- 05-13-24
Out of the past comes the future
Great narration! I want to say “great story” but that feels like a trivialization. This is a powerful recounting of a time and place hopefully arrested.
I fear events similar still continue all over this world. There is much to think about here.
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- Gregory Hall
- 11-19-24
Unbelievable cruelty!
The story is a sad one. These boys didn’t stand a chance. I wish Charles could’ve talked with one of the headmasters later in life to ask a simple question…why?
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- Mouse
- 03-20-24
Vulnerable and well-written.
Charles Spencer wrote a beautiful memoir about a dark period in his childhood at boarding school. Well-written and compelling, I finished it within days, unable to stop listening. His narration was excellent, and I would recommend it!
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- CL
- 03-19-24
Stunning
Spencer iss a survivor of childhood sexual, physical and emotional abuse. You could be surprised by how much you have in common with him.
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- Karen Buchko
- 04-03-24
The cruelty faced in the private school
Enjoyed the reading by the author. The story of his young life was interesting and tragic.
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- shelli
- 07-06-24
Excellent
I will never send any of my children to a boarding school after listening to this audible. Superb variator.
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