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Joan

The True Story of Britain’s Most Notorious Diamond Thief

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Joan

By: Joan Hannington
Narrated by: Kim Taylforth
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Diamonds are a girl's best friend.

Joan Hannington was the most notorious female figure in London's criminal underworld during the 80s, earning her the nickname 'The Godmother'. With her stunning looks and glamorous wardrobe, Joan was constantly underestimated, but she used this to her advantage and became an undetected mastermind in high-stakes jewellery theft. Often transforming herself into different characters, Joan seamlessly got away with millions of pounds in diamonds.

Coming from a violent, loveless childhood, Joan learnt to trust no one but herself. At seventeen, she becomes a mother, but is trapped in a disastrous marriage with a brutal thug. When he goes on the run, Joan seizes the moment to leave her old life. Motivated by her desire to care for her daughter, Joan gets swept up in the exhilarating world of a life of crime and makes some heartbreaking decisions as she sets her sights on a better life.

Joan is the true story of her meteoric rise from petty offender to one of Britain's most accomplished diamond thieves, making a success of life by not playing by the rules when the odds seemed stacked against her.

©2024 Joan Hannington (P)2024 Penguin Audio
Murder True Crime
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What listeners say about Joan

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Great listen

Loved the pure honesty and couldn’t care less attitude about how she made her money and how she lived her life.

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Brilliant!

This autobiography is really excellent. What a life, so interesting, engaging, compelling even. The narration is also faultless. The TV drama is different and has clearly used lots of artistic licence. Both are very enjoyable. Highly recommend.

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what a woman!

Great read wanted to learn about the real Joan after the TV series and wasn't dissapointed. very well written very true to life and really enjoyed the book. would recommend

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Excellent novel

Amazing life - complete page turner. Couldn’t put the booking down. Fascinating story about a gritty upbringing

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The Joan of Arc

Loved it,Joan is an incredible lady.It was so upsetting how her father was,her family also,i'm so sorry.
What a fantastic listen,
shocking captivating,thank you for sharing!

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Bloody Brilliant

I liked the whole story and listened to it in one day I was so hooked and couldn't turn it off. I really admire Joan and wish her all the best for the rest of her life thanks for writing your book it was so informative and easy to listen to. Such a sad life in places but she remained positive. Hope she stays happy for the rest of her days 😘
Tracey

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So Much Better Than The TV Version

Brilliant book the tv version does not do the book justice. The excellent choice of narrator just put the cherry on top

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Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant

I have had the hardback version of this book for about 15years - it was originally called "I Am What I Am", but this has been updated due to the ITVX series, Joan. I just love people bouncing back from adversity and Joan is reflective on her upbringing and her time with her husband. Kim Taylforth really did the book justice. She would be a good alternative narrator for Martina Cole's books. I devoured it over a couple of days and loved the prologue as its lovely to find out how Joan and her family are doing in 2024. I'm off to listen from the start again.

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Honesty

I enjoyed it all quite gripping not my usual sort of read. Would recommend it.

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A hell of a life

A hell of a life, and a survivors story told with candour and a matter of fact attitude. The tv adaptation was very good, the actual story is so much better.

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