The Secret Lives of Bessie Martin

Who was Bessie Martin? For many years her life remained a mystery, her name seldom spoken, her secrets hidden. The silence surrounding her life was rooted in shame. As a small girl growing up in Wellington, Bessie’s life was shattered by her father’s shocking death, destroying the family she knew. Her adoption by a couple in Masterton meant a heart-breaking separation from her four siblings and a new name: Bessie Bradford. Later her marriage to a handsome Scotsman transformed her life yet again. Finally settling in Auckland, Bessie Watt was a devoted wife and loving mother, but the birth of her sixth and final child resulted in a devastating illness, considered so shameful it remained a secret for almost a century. Using the verified facts obtained from historical records, her grandson tells Bessie’s extraordinary story in the form of a novel, allowing her to emerge from the shameful shadows.