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Shop Girl by Mary Portas
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Shop Girl

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Narrator Mary Portas

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Length 6 hours 48 minutes
Language English
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Young Mary Newton, born into a large Irish family in a small Watford semi, is always getting into trouble. When she isn’t choking back fits of giggles at Holy Communion or eating Chappie dog food for a bet, she’s accidentally setting fire to the local school. Mary is a trouble magnet. And, unlike her brothers, somehow she always gets caught…

Britain in the 1970s is a world where R. White's lemonade is drunk in secret, curry comes in a box marked Vesta and beanz meanz Heinz. In Mary’s family, money is scarce. Clothes are hand-me-downs, holidays are a church day out to Hastings and meals are variations on a potato theme. But these are good times and everything revolves around the force of nature that is Theresa, Mary’s mum.

When tragedy unexpectedly blows this world apart, a new chapter in Mary’s life opens up. She takes to the camp and glamour of Harrods window dressing like a duck to water, and Mary, Queen of Shops is born…

Mary Portas is one of the UK's foremost authorities on retail and brand communication, and is credited with turning Harvey Nichols from a staid department store into a modern fashion powerhouse. She regularly travels around the world advising on retail strategy and frequently lectures on the theme of brands and retail.

Mary’s continued advocacy of our High Streets led to her receiving a commission from the British Government to lead an independent review. She delivered her report on the future of our High Streets to the Prime Minister, in December 2011. The Portas Review outlined 28 recommendations to rescue failing High Streets.The Government committed £10million to support the findings of her Review.

Having completed a weekly column for the Telegraph magazine over eight years, Mary regularly judges the Telegraph’s Best Shops in Britain awards. A frequent key note speaker on the global circuit for some of the world’s leading brands, Mary is also regularly featured on the Independent’s Twittersphere!

Mary Portas is one of the UK's foremost authorities on retail and brand communication, and is credited with turning Harvey Nichols from a staid department store into a modern fashion powerhouse. She regularly travels around the world advising on retail strategy and frequently lectures on the theme of brands and retail.

Mary’s continued advocacy of our High Streets led to her receiving a commission from the British Government to lead an independent review. She delivered her report on the future of our High Streets to the Prime Minister, in December 2011. The Portas Review outlined 28 recommendations to rescue failing High Streets.The Government committed £10million to support the findings of her Review.

Having completed a weekly column for the Telegraph magazine over eight years, Mary regularly judges the Telegraph’s Best Shops in Britain awards. A frequent key note speaker on the global circuit for some of the world’s leading brands, Mary is also regularly featured on the Independent’s Twittersphere!

Illustration of person sitting

Shop small, give big!

With credit bundles, you choose the number of credits and your recipient picks their audiobooks—all in support of local bookstores.

Start gifting
Phone showing make the switch message

Limited-time offer

Get two free audiobooks!

Now’s a great time to shop indie. When you start a new one credit per month membership supporting local bookstores with promo code SWITCH, we’ll give you two bonus audiobook credits at sign-up.

Sign up today

Reviews

Portas writes with wit and verve... The book has the narrative charm of Anita and Me or The Buddha of Suburbia; so when the darkness comes it's genuinely shocking. Shop Girl is a testament to survival. But most of all it is a love letter to her mother, Mary Flynn. Every joke, argument, cake baked, tenderness proffered, sings off the page. 'To my mum - How lucky was I getting you' is the book's dedication. And we are lucky to read it. Enormous fun, readable, nostalgic, poignant and authentic... Read it then give it to your daughter Absolutely fabulous... Colourful, camp and unexpectedly heart-rending, I loved it. Her school stories are hilarious... a nostalgia-fest Portas's memoir is witty, fascinating and, at times, sad but always compelling Expand reviews
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