Synopsis:
December, 1940. As German bombs fall on Southampton, the city’s residents flee to the surrounding villages. In Upton village, amid the chaos, newly-married Ellen Parr finds a girl sleeping, unclaimed at the back of an empty bus. Little Pamela, it seems, is entirely alone.
Ellen has always believed she does not want children, but when she takes Pamela into her home the child cracks open the past Ellen thought she had escaped and the future she and her husband Selwyn had dreamed for themselves. As the war rages on, love grows where it was least expected, surprising them all. But with the end of the fighting comes the realization that Pamela was never theirs to keep…
A story of courage and kindness, hardship and friendship, We Must be Brave explores the fierce love we feel for our children and the astonishing power of that love to endure.
My Review: 5/5 phenomenal stars
I finished We Must Be Brave by Frances Liardet a few days ago. All the emotions I had when I finished the book still lingered. The feelings of sadness, sorrow, hope and most of all the feeling of love still lingered days after I read this book.
This is a story set in England during WWII period and about a 4 year old girl Pamela being left behind on a bus and Ellen, the main character from the book, picked her up and bought her home herself so the little girl can stay safe. The story started from there and all the way to present time.
What I love most about this book is the breathtakingly beautiful, whimsical and lyrical writing. It is so tender that it captivates all my emotions. Small details like this from the book “When I reached William’s shed I leaned the bicycle against the wall and, at her insistence, lifted her down. She clung, briefly, like an infant monkey, and the shock of delight was accompanied, as always, by a white flare of pain in my lower back,” have moved me to tears countless time.
This is a beautifully crafted, profoundly moving story about the resilience of love. It touches me deeply and it speaks to my heart and my soul. The ending of the book has also taken me by surprise. I would have imagined it to be a big emotional scene, but the author has taken us on a different path a different route; it is quieter, calmer, more tender, which I absolutely adore. Because regardless what happens, regardless of sadness, tragedy, sorrow, and loss of time, life goes on. It is the people that we love and the people who love us propel us through difficulties, through loneliness and through life.
This book is one of my very favourite reads this year. It is coming out next February and you do not want to miss it.
Thank you so much 4th Estate books for sending me this advanced copy. I absolutely love this book and the story. What a privilege to have been able to read it now. Thank you so much.
Sissi Reads 