Violet and Daisy
The Story of Vaudeville's Famous Conjoined Twins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Prime members: New to Audible?Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Violet and Daisy
Buy for $22.50
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Cassandra Campbell
-
By:
-
Sarah Miller
About this listen
From the author of The Miracle & Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets and The Borden Murders comes the absorbing and thoroughly enjoyable story of Violet and Daisy Hilton, conjoined twins who were the sensation of the US sideshow circuits in the 1920s and 1930s.
On February 5, 1908, Kate Skinner, a 21-year-old unmarried barmaid in Brighton, England, gave birth to twin girls. They each had 10 fingers and 10 toes, but were joined back to back at the base of the spine. Freaks, monsters - that's what they were called. Mary Hilton, Kate's employer and midwife, adopted Violet and Daisy and promptly began displaying the babies as "Brighton's United Twins". Exhibitions at street fairs, carnivals, and wax museums across England and Scotland followed. At eight years old, the girls came to the United States, eventually becoming the stars of sideshow, vaudeville, and burlesque circuits in the 1920s and 1930s. In a story loaded with questions about identity and exploitation, Sarah Miller delivers a completely compelling, empathetic portrait of two sisters whose bonds were so sacred that nothing - not even death - would compel Violet and Daisy to break them.
©2021 Sarah Miller (P)2021 Listening LibraryListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Girls with No Names
- By: Serena Burdick
- Narrated by: Emily Lawrence, Nancy Peterson, Amy McFadden
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7,610
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6,782
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6,739
Growing up in New York City in the 1910s, Luella and Effie Tildon realize that even as wealthy young women, their freedoms come with limits. But when the sisters discover a shocking secret about their father, Luella, the brazen elder sister, becomes emboldened to do as she pleases. Her rebellion comes with consequences, and one morning Luella is mysteriously gone.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent
- By Karl H. on 06-17-20
By: Serena Burdick
-
The Borden Murders
- Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century
- By: Sarah Miller
- Narrated by: André Santana
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 20
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 20
In a compelling, linear narrative, Miller takes listeners along as she investigates a brutal crime: the August 4, 1892, murders of wealthy and prominent Andrew and Abby Borden. The accused? Mild-mannered and highly respected Lizzie Borden, daughter of Andrew and stepdaughter of Abby. Most of what is known about Lizzie’s arrest and subsequent trial (and acquittal) comes from sensationalized newspaper reports; as Miller sorts fact from fiction, and as a legal battle gets under way, a gripping portrait of a woman and a town emerges.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting and pulls you in
- By Mercedes on 03-16-24
By: Sarah Miller
-
The Miracle & Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets
- By: Sarah Miller
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 66
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 59
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 59
When the Dionne Quintuplets were born on May 28, 1934, weighing a grand total of just over 13 pounds, no one expected them to live so much as an hour. Overnight, Yvonne, Annette, Cécile, Émilie, and Marie Dionne mesmerized the globe, defying medical history with every breath they took. In an effort to protect them from hucksters and showmen, the Ontario government took custody of the five identical babies, sequestering them in a private, custom-built hospital across the road from their family - and, in a stunning act of hypocrisy, proceeded to exploit them for the next nine years.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Yvonne, Annette, Cécile, Émilie, and marie
- By SciFi Nut on 12-05-19
By: Sarah Miller
-
Making It So
- A Memoir
- By: Patrick Stewart
- Narrated by: Patrick Stewart
- Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2,239
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,019
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2,019
From his acclaimed stage triumphs to his legendary onscreen work in the Star Trek and X-Men franchises, Sir Patrick Stewart has captivated audiences around the world and across multiple generations with his indelible command of stage and screen. Now, he presents his long-awaited memoir, Making It So, a revealing portrait of an artist whose astonishing life—from his humble beginnings in Yorkshire, England, to the heights of Hollywood and worldwide acclaim—proves a story as exuberant, definitive, and enduring as the author himself.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Incredible! So much more than a memoir
- By Jason on 10-04-23
By: Patrick Stewart
-
Secrets of the Sideshows
- By: Joe Nickell
- Narrated by: Scott Carrico
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 11
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 11
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 11
The carnival sideshows of the past have left behind a fascinating legacy of mystery and intrigue. The secrets behind such daring feats as fire-eating and sword swallowing and bizarre exhibitions of human oddities as "Alligator Boys" and "Gorilla Girls" still remain, only grudgingly if ever given up by performers and carnival professionals.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Very entertaining nostalgic book!
- By Dana on 02-19-16
By: Joe Nickell
-
Just as I Am
- A Memoir
- By: Cicely Tyson, Michelle Burford
- Narrated by: Cicely Tyson, Viola Davis, Robin Miles
- Length: 16 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 6,624
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 5,892
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 5,876
Just as I Am is my truth. It is me, plain and unvarnished, with the glitter and garland set aside. Here, I am indeed Cicely, the actress who has been blessed to grace the stage and screen for six decades. Yet I am also the church girl who once rarely spoke a word. I am the teenager who sought solace in the verses of the old hymn for which this book is named. I am a daughter and mother, a sister, and a friend. I am an observer of human nature and the dreamer of audacious dreams.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Legend and National Treasure
- By Mz Fabulous on 01-29-21
By: Cicely Tyson, and others
-
The Girls with No Names
- By: Serena Burdick
- Narrated by: Emily Lawrence, Nancy Peterson, Amy McFadden
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7,610
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6,782
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6,739
Growing up in New York City in the 1910s, Luella and Effie Tildon realize that even as wealthy young women, their freedoms come with limits. But when the sisters discover a shocking secret about their father, Luella, the brazen elder sister, becomes emboldened to do as she pleases. Her rebellion comes with consequences, and one morning Luella is mysteriously gone.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent
- By Karl H. on 06-17-20
By: Serena Burdick
-
The Borden Murders
- Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century
- By: Sarah Miller
- Narrated by: André Santana
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 20
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 20
In a compelling, linear narrative, Miller takes listeners along as she investigates a brutal crime: the August 4, 1892, murders of wealthy and prominent Andrew and Abby Borden. The accused? Mild-mannered and highly respected Lizzie Borden, daughter of Andrew and stepdaughter of Abby. Most of what is known about Lizzie’s arrest and subsequent trial (and acquittal) comes from sensationalized newspaper reports; as Miller sorts fact from fiction, and as a legal battle gets under way, a gripping portrait of a woman and a town emerges.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting and pulls you in
- By Mercedes on 03-16-24
By: Sarah Miller
-
The Miracle & Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets
- By: Sarah Miller
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 66
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 59
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 59
When the Dionne Quintuplets were born on May 28, 1934, weighing a grand total of just over 13 pounds, no one expected them to live so much as an hour. Overnight, Yvonne, Annette, Cécile, Émilie, and Marie Dionne mesmerized the globe, defying medical history with every breath they took. In an effort to protect them from hucksters and showmen, the Ontario government took custody of the five identical babies, sequestering them in a private, custom-built hospital across the road from their family - and, in a stunning act of hypocrisy, proceeded to exploit them for the next nine years.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Yvonne, Annette, Cécile, Émilie, and marie
- By SciFi Nut on 12-05-19
By: Sarah Miller
-
Making It So
- A Memoir
- By: Patrick Stewart
- Narrated by: Patrick Stewart
- Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2,239
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,019
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2,019
From his acclaimed stage triumphs to his legendary onscreen work in the Star Trek and X-Men franchises, Sir Patrick Stewart has captivated audiences around the world and across multiple generations with his indelible command of stage and screen. Now, he presents his long-awaited memoir, Making It So, a revealing portrait of an artist whose astonishing life—from his humble beginnings in Yorkshire, England, to the heights of Hollywood and worldwide acclaim—proves a story as exuberant, definitive, and enduring as the author himself.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Incredible! So much more than a memoir
- By Jason on 10-04-23
By: Patrick Stewart
-
Secrets of the Sideshows
- By: Joe Nickell
- Narrated by: Scott Carrico
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 11
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 11
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 11
The carnival sideshows of the past have left behind a fascinating legacy of mystery and intrigue. The secrets behind such daring feats as fire-eating and sword swallowing and bizarre exhibitions of human oddities as "Alligator Boys" and "Gorilla Girls" still remain, only grudgingly if ever given up by performers and carnival professionals.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Very entertaining nostalgic book!
- By Dana on 02-19-16
By: Joe Nickell
-
Just as I Am
- A Memoir
- By: Cicely Tyson, Michelle Burford
- Narrated by: Cicely Tyson, Viola Davis, Robin Miles
- Length: 16 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 6,624
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 5,892
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 5,876
Just as I Am is my truth. It is me, plain and unvarnished, with the glitter and garland set aside. Here, I am indeed Cicely, the actress who has been blessed to grace the stage and screen for six decades. Yet I am also the church girl who once rarely spoke a word. I am the teenager who sought solace in the verses of the old hymn for which this book is named. I am a daughter and mother, a sister, and a friend. I am an observer of human nature and the dreamer of audacious dreams.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Legend and National Treasure
- By Mz Fabulous on 01-29-21
By: Cicely Tyson, and others
-
Apropos of Nothing
- By: Woody Allen
- Narrated by: Woody Allen
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,617
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,350
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,339
In this candid and hilarious memoir, the celebrated director, comedian, writer, and actor offers a comprehensive, personal look at his tumultuous life. He revisits his entire 60-year-long career as a writer and director, from his classics Annie Hall, Manhattan, and Hannah and Her Sisters to his most recent films, including Midnight in Paris. He discusses his marriages, romances, and famous friendships, his jazz playing, and his books and plays. We learn about his demons, his mistakes, his successes, and those he loved, worked with, and learned from.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Totally Woody
- By Ronald R. Kubiak on 04-19-20
By: Woody Allen
-
Glamour Ghoul
- The Passions and Pain of the Real Vampira, Maila Nurmi
- By: Sandra Niemi
- Narrated by: Beth Stewart
- Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 44
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 37
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 37
Maila Nurmi, the beautiful and sheltered daughter of Finnish immigrants, stepped off the bus in 1941 Los Angeles intent on finding fame and fortune. She found men eager to take advantage of her innocence and beauty but was determined to find success and love. Her inspired design and portrayal of a vampire won a costume contest that led to a small role on the Red Skelton show, which grew into a persona that brought her the notoriety she desired yet trapped her in a character she could never truly escape.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Terroriffic!!!
- By christopher j rago on 08-15-21
By: Sandra Niemi
-
This Much Is True
- By: Miriam Margolyes
- Narrated by: Miriam Margolyes
- Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,106
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 976
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 969
Award-winning actor, creator of a myriad of memorable characters from Lady Whiteadder to Professor Sprout, Miriam Margolyes is a national treasure. Now, at last, at the age of 80, she has finally decided to tell her extraordinary life story. And it's far richer and stranger than any part she's played.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Simply Brilliant
- By Stuart Huddart on 09-21-21
By: Miriam Margolyes
-
Audrey Hepburn
- A Biography
- By: Warren G. Harris
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 215
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 190
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 189
Beginning with her harsh childhood in Nazi-occupied Holland, Warren Harris chronicles Audrey Hepburn's meteoric rise to Hollywood stardom: her chance encounter with Colette that led to the lead role in the Broadway version of Gigi, and her first starring role in Roman Holiday, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Hepburn played opposite the top leading men, worked for the best directors, and picked from a wide range of roles.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Disappointing
- By Lisa on 12-09-18
By: Warren G. Harris
-
Capote
- A Biography
- By: Gerald Clarke
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 25 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 93
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 72
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 72
First published in 1988 - just four years after Capote's death - Clarke paints a vivid behind-the-scenes picture of the author's life, based on hundreds of hours of in-depth interviews with the man himself and the people close to him. From the glittering heights of notoriety and parties with the rich and famous to his later struggles with addiction, Capote emerges as a richly multidimensional person - both brilliant and flawed.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
the brightest stars can self destruct
- By jennifer h. on 09-22-21
By: Gerald Clarke
-
Miss Kopp Investigates
- A Kopp Sisters Novel, Book 7
- By: Amy Stewart
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
- Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 113
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 93
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 93
Winter 1919: Norma is summoned home from France, Constance is called back from Washington, and Fleurette puts her own plans on hold as the sisters rally around their recently widowed sister-in-law and her children. How are four women going to support themselves? A chance encounter offers Fleurette a solution: clandestine legal work for a former colleague of Constance's.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great series
- By Mimi on 02-07-22
By: Amy Stewart
-
Get Happy
- The Life of Judy Garland
- By: Gerald Clarke
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 16 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 217
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 174
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 174
She lived at full throttle on stage, screen, and in real life, with highs that made history and lows that finally brought down the curtain at age 47. Judy Garland died over 30 years ago, but no biography has so completely captured her spirit - and demons - until now. From her tumultuous early years as a child performer to her tragic last days, Gerald Clarke reveals the authentic Judy in a biography rich in new detail and unprecedented revelations.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A good book, but...
- By Donna Deal on 08-27-21
By: Gerald Clarke
-
An American Beauty
- By: Shana Abe
- Narrated by: Gail Shalan
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 614
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 562
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 562
1867, Richmond, Virginia: Though she wears the same low-cut purple gown that is the uniform of all the girls who work at Worsham's gambling parlor, Arabella stands apart. It's not merely her statuesque beauty and practiced charm. Even at seventeen, Arabella possesses an unyielding grit, and a resolve to escape her background of struggle and poverty. Collis Huntington, railroad baron and self-made multimillionaire, is drawn to Arabella from their first meeting. Collis is married and 30 years her senior, yet they are well-matched in temperament, and flirtation rapidly escalates into an affair.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Loved everything about it
- By Leigh H. on 07-10-23
By: Shana Abe
-
The Contender
- The Story of Marlon Brando
- By: William J. Mann
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 21 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 142
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 123
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 123
The award-winning film biographer presents a deeply-textured, ambitious, and definitive portrait of the greatest movie actor of the 20th century, the elusive Marlon Brando, bringing his extraordinarily complex life into view as never before. The most influential movie actor of his era, Marlon Brando changed the way other actors perceived their craft. His approach was natural, honest, and deeply personal, resulting in performances - most notably in A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront - that are without parallel.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Psychobabble run amok
- By Dr. Susan Tice-Alicke on 06-07-20
By: William J. Mann
-
Possessed
- The Life of Joan Crawford
- By: Donald Spoto
- Narrated by: Christina Delaine
- Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 87
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 78
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 78
New York Times best-selling author Donald Spoto has brilliantly explored the lives and careers of numerous Hollywood stars and entertainment icons. In Possessed, his subject is the inimitable Joan Crawford, one of the most electrifying divas of the Golden Age of American film. A more thorough, revealing, and sympathetic portrait of the often maligned movie star - most notably lambasted, perhaps, in the scandalous best seller, Mommie Dearest - Possessed is a fascinating study of the real Joan Crawford, a remarkable actress, businesswoman, mother, and lover.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Waste of money
- By bkw74 on 07-19-21
By: Donald Spoto
-
Cary Grant
- A Brilliant Disguise
- By: Scott Eyman
- Narrated by: Angelo Di Loreto
- Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 187
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 160
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 160
Film historian and acclaimed New York Times best-selling biographer Scott Eyman has written the definitive, “captivating” (Associated Press) biography of Hollywood legend Cary Grant, one of the most accomplished — and beloved — actors of his generation, who remains as popular as ever today.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Disappointing...
- By Amazon Customer on 11-02-20
By: Scott Eyman
-
A Passion for Life
- The Biography of Elizabeth Taylor
- By: Donald Spoto
- Narrated by: C. M. Hébert
- Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 431
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 372
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 373
Born in England to socially ambitious parents, Elizabeth Taylor was catapulted into child stardom and molded by MGM into the great violet-eyed beauty of postwar America. Along the way, without training or counsel, she became an award-winning actress, dazzling audiences everywhere with spectacular performances.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Dull and repetitive
- By John on 02-12-13
By: Donald Spoto
Critic reviews
“Meticulously detailed.... This comprehensive biography also provides a healthy dose of social history, particularly as it relates to entertainment, gender roles, and disability.” (The Horn Book, starred review)
“This engaging, linear narrative transcends spectacle to portray their storied career with sensitivity.” (Publishers Weekly)
"Violet and Daisy’s story shines.” (Kirkus)
Incredible story
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
What a life these sisters lived!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.