Behind Closed Doors [Paperback]

Jenny Tomlin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 13, 2006

Jenny grew up in a house where no-one was safe. Born one of five children in the East End, her childhood was spent in squalor and terror. Her father's violent beatings, humiliations, and sexual abuse were part of daily life; her mother - also his sexual victim and savagely beaten - was no source of help. Deprived of love and all comforts, the children would turn to each other for support and to the only adult they could trust, Auntie. This is the story of how Jenny, her sister Kim and brother Laurence, not only survived but ultimately transcended the unimaginable degradations heaped on them. With the power of love, cunning, the blackest of black humour and an indestructible self-belief, Jenny eventually broke free of her past.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'This woman is an inspiration and I am honoured to call her my mum' -- Martine McCutcheon 'I'm really proud of Jenny. She has put into words our terrible start in life and made me look openly at who I was and how far I have come. We managed to break free and build a life for oursleves. Now it's time to stop covering the subject in shame.' -- Kim Challoner, Jenny's sister

About the Author

Jenny Tomlin educated herself to A level standard and started writing a few years ago. She is now happily married and living in Essex where she is working on the second part of her extraordinary life journey. Her most fulfilling roles have been as loving wife to Alan and mother to her children - celebrated actress Martine McCutcheon and her son LJ - giving them the stability and love she never received herself.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Hodder Pb; New edition edition (February 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340837926
• ISBN-13: 978-0340837924
• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 0.8 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,357,054 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I'm probably a biography addict, October 5, 2006

By 

Meesha "I'm A Lonely Angel Stuck On The Slow ... (South Queensferry, Scotland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Behind Closed Doors (Hardcover)

I read quite a lot of biographies. Mainly celebrities, but a non-celebrity biography does tend to catch my eye. This author could actually be half a celebrity, as her daughter (although best known in the UK) is actually Martine McCutcheon (who has starred in EastEnders, and more worldwide, Love Actually). Following on from her daughter's biography, Jenny has given it a go, and she's got more of a life to talk about than her daughter did. (Yes I own that biography!)

Jenny has been through a hard life. Her dad regularly abused her and her two sisters, beat and abused his wife, and done things to his sons, which are never really touched upon. Her mother gets abused by her father, and gives birth to child after child, and they were never fed properly. The dad has since died, much to the delight of Jenny and her sister, although it is touched upon that the youngest sister had a relationship with the dad.

It's an awful book to try and read, although it's gripping at the same time. At least Jenny has something to talk about, unlike these Z list celebrities who release their first biography before they're out of their teens. It's a shocking book, but is a brilliant read, and well worth getting, if you want to read a decent biography.