War fiction is my genre of choice and this book set in and around Southampton from 1939 onwards is an interesting addition to that genre . A young child is left on a bus of people escaping the Blitz. It's a story about her, the people who look after her and their circle of friends, relations and neighbours. It moves back and forward in time and finishes in present day. I found the writing to be quite gentle and the book to be an easy read, the 460 odd pages took me less than 24 hours. Interesting characters and relationships and, from the information gleaned from my parents who were 11 and 19 in 1939, the details about food and conditions during the war seemed pretty accurate. Four stars from me.

We Must be Brave is a sweet book which clips along at a cracking pace. It is written in three parts -the first is the most compelling and the story of Ellen who is a bride of 18 with an older husband during the latter part of WW2. She takes to her heart a young girl, Pamela, who has been evacuated from Southampton and abandoned on a bus. The second part of the book goes back to Ellen’s childhood and we learn of the hardships she has suffered and how she has come to be the person who brings such warmth to the pages. It is here, in my opinion, that the novel falters a bit and we are quickly brought right up to date - I found that this part jars slightly and seems quite rushed. However, Frances Liardet writes fluently and with real affection for her protagonists. The sacrifices and deprivations suffered by ordinary people during the war are cleverly described and the language is authentic. This isn’t the sort of novel I usually read but I really enjoyed it and would recommend it.

I really enjoyed this book, but felt it kind of lost its way halfway through. Up to that point I had read an absolutely impeccably written novel with lovely characterisation, of a young girl in 1940, Ellen, who had married an older man, Selwyn. They don't have children but Pamela comes into their lives during an air raid on Southampton. Written through several time-lines you learn of Ellen's childhood years and the hardships endured by her family, and her determined escape from poverty until she meets Selwyn, marries and now has a mill-house caring for several evacuees, plus now, Pamela. The detail with which this war-period and its hardships is described is, basically, heart-rending. "Family At War" is a good comparison to the atmosphere presented to us as readers in all its privations and 'make do and mend' attitude. An absolutely compelling read which momentarily brings in the connections through Selwyn and William and the WW1. However, without giving away spoilers (I hope) the story continues until Pamela leaves. This is where the writing goes rather awry I think. That for me was the end of "book 1". The rest should have been an addendum. Touching though it was, and able to bring together several outstanding strands from the earlier story, I found rather unsatisfactory.

A story of rural life during the war, when a young girl Pamela is found on a bus of evacuees with no sign of her mother. Ellen Parr takes her in and she fills a space in her life. I enjoyed the book although it isn't a page turner, rather a gentle read.

Sadly I found this book to be a bit twee for me. Having read Kate Atkinson and Lissa Evans set in this time period We Must be Brave was more Call the Midwife type of novel which I am sure many people will enjoy.

I found this book a joy to read. Poignant , sad but heartwarming. I could well imagine the village of Upton and the characters who lived there. I was almost sorry for the book to end.

I loved this book. What a beautiful story. It really touched me. Set in the 1930s and finishes in the 21st century.
Ellen marries Selwyn knowing that she will never have a family and her marriage won't be a 'normal ' one. However this is a true love story. During a bombing raid a young child loses her mother and Ellen takes her in and cares for her as her own for a few years. That's all i will say about the story line but read it yourself. It is beautifully written and had me in tears more than once.

My thanks to NetGalley for my free copy in exchange for this review.

A quite fascinating read. Ellen Parr find s a little girl sleeping, all alone, in the back of a bus. This is a story of the love Ellen grew to have for the little girl Pamela. Ellen who had recently married always said she didn't want children but little did she know the strength of the love she would have for Pamela who she realised was not her child and would one day have to be returned to her family. Although heartbreaking at times this was a truly wonderful story. A must read.

Pamela was left on a bus. It was 1940 and the bus had taken people away from the bombing in Southampton. No-one knows where her mother is?
Ellen takes her home - to her husband Selwyn and some boy evacuees. Ellen hasn't had the best start in life and is married to Selwyn, a much older Mill owner, who is unable to father children. She starts to look on Pamela as her daughter especially when the fate of her mother is known and pours her love into the little girl. but then her father turns up and Pamela is taken away to Ireland breaking everyone's hearts.
This is the story of Ellen, from her poor beginnings to how her life turns out.
This is a story that will make you smile and cry. It shows us love conquers all and how friendships are important all though our lives and how some people leave a lasting impression which defies everything.

We must be brave is an incredibly moving and beautifully written story. A story of an abandoned evacuee during the chaos of wartime, how it affected normal everyday people, and how fate can intervene in a person's life to change the direction of it for a lifetime. This book was well researched and gave a reality to wartime which can seem an alien subject for young people of today. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I enjoy a story which has a historical background and certainly the blurb for the book enticed me to give it a try. Unfortunately for me it just didn’t fulfil its potential. The writing was lacking a direction for me and took so long to get anywhere at times that I just lost interest. The story itself seemed to meander through the pages, never really getting there.

The characters had real potential but fell short by all being uninspiring and they didn’t have any stoicism. There was no one to relate to in a way that would make you be fighting their corner.

Overall the book had great potential but was let down by indecisive characters and dialogue.

A strange,sad story set in rural England. A story of poverty and friendships which last many years.Also a story of secrets kept and finally reunions.

A really lovely wartime story, it starts with how people pull together but gives you so much more than that!

I’ve always been interested in books about England during the First and Second World War, particularly the impact on women and families. This was beautifully written and was totally absorbing and thought provoking. The characters were realistic and well rounded and it so obvious that a great deal of research was undertaken to evoke the spirit of the times. I couldn’t get back to it quickly enough and the ending made perfect sense. Highly recommended.
I’d like to thank the author, publisher and netgalley for a gigital copybiv this book in return for my honest review.

A beautiful story that spans the life of Ellen, through her childhood to old age. Love, loss, heartbreak, this book has it all. I sat reading with tears rolling down my face. This will be a book I read over and over and still cry as though it’s the first time. It’s joined the list of my all time favourite books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

With thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for an advance copy in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
I expected a traditional type of wartime story when I started to read this, but it has turned out to be so much more. It’s a story full of feeling and emotion, there are times when the story hurts and the author transmits Ellen’s hurt so well in her words, my heart ached for her situation. It’s a story about love and family bonds, even when you’re not blood family, and how true love lasts for a lifetime.

It's 1940, and as bombs fall on Southampton, Ellen Parr finds a little girl seemingly abandoned on a bus. Bringing her home, she and her new husband, after a few false starts, raise her as their own. But why is Ellen so attached to Pamela and does Pamela really have no family in the world? As the war ends, Ellen's world comes crashing down but a mother's love for her child isn't one that's easily severed. Spanning decades, this is a powerful novel of love and loss and what family really means, even without blood ties.

I must admit the premise of this book isn't my usual type of read but I was intrigued and I like novels set during the second world war. I was very moved by We Must Be Brave - though it was a slow burner it really grew on me and its depictions of Britain - class, society, culture - over the decades was a wonderful read. I have to admit shedding a tear or two as well - one of a handful of books to make me cry this year.

I really enjoyed this novel and feel it might be on its way to a TV drama or film once published...

I adore Historical Fiction and this book does a fabulous job at looking at the spoils of war, most notably the terrible lives many children lived because of war. In this instance, the story revolves around a newly wed named Ellen who stumbles across an abandoned child named Pamela. They quickly form an unbreakable bond, and this is explored as the time period progresses alongside the war.

I liked Pamela and Ellen's relationship. It is clear that the author has dedicated a lot of thought to all of the relationships in this book in fact - particularly between Pamela and Ellen but also between other women Ellen encounters and their unique interactions, and most notably Ellen's relationship evolving with her husband.

There are some really beautiful moments in what is ostensibly a tragic book, but also some hard hitting messages about family and what it means to be part of the family that chose you, not necessarily the family you are born into and I adored this message.

Having said that, this book did have some problems for me and I think most of those lie at my feet rather than being a problem with the book. I really enjoy Historical Fiction and this book just didn't quite reach the high standards I've become used to from the genre (the likes of The Nightingale, for instance, which really stand out from a crowd). This book blends into an already genre. Equally, the writing style (which largely consists of dialogue) just didn't work for me - I prefer world building and sense of urgency within the writing, rather than within the conversations within it.

Nevertheless, an interesting take on the genre which beautifully captures what family really means.
ARC provided free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Although slow at times, "We Must Be Brave" is a delightful exploration of the life of a woman who rescues a lost child from the chaos of war, and realises that her life was missing something before that moment. It's a heart-warming tale of fulfilment, friendships, secrets and love in all its forms, with excellent period detail and a wonderful ending that'll bring a tear to your eye.

I liked the description of this book, but I found it didn't really live up to my expectations. Ellen Parr rescues a small girl who is on a bus out of Southampton after an air raid. When it transpires that her mother has been killed and there doesn't appear to be a father on the scene, the child lives with Ellen and her husband for the next few years. Eventually the child is reunited with her family. The rest of the book tells of Ellen's life up until then and after. I found it very long and quite frustrating, although the ending was satisfactory. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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