We hear a lot about children being evacuated from the cities to the British countryside during World War II, but not so much about those who were sent away to safety overseas. Hazel Gaynor’s new novel, The Last Lifeboat, explores this often overlooked aspect of the war, taking as its inspiration the real life tragedy of the SS City of Benares, a British evacuee ship which was torpedoed by a German U-boat in September 1940 with almost 100 children on board.

The novel follows the stories of two women: Alice King and Lily Nicholls. Lily, who lives in London, is a widow and the mother of two young children, Georgie and Arthur. All she wants is to keep her children safe, but as bombs begin to rain down on the city, Lily starts to fear for their lives and when she hears about a new government scheme to evacuate children to other countries, she has a difficult decision to make. Meanwhile, schoolteacher Alice King is looking for a way to ‘do her bit’ for the war effort and has signed up with CORB (the Children’s Overseas Reception Board) as a volunteer escort who will accompany a group of children on a ship sailing for Canada.

These two separate storylines connect when Lily entrusts Arthur and Georgie to Alice’s care as parents are not allowed to accompany their children overseas. The ship on which they set sail – the SS Carlisle – is part of a large convoy so everyone assumes they will be protected from the German U-boats, but once out in the Atlantic things go badly wrong. The ship is hit by a torpedo and begins to sink, leaving the passengers and crew to pile into the lifeboats. Some are rescued, others are thrown into the waves, but one lifeboat drifts out of range with Alice King on board. The days that follow will be a traumatic period for Alice, as she and the others in the boat find themselves lost at sea with little hope of rescue and limited supplies of food and water, but it will be equally traumatic for Lily as news of the disaster reaches London and she discovers that one of her children is missing.

I think this is the best of the three Hazel Gaynor books I’ve read so far (the others are The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter, about Grace Darling, and The Cottingley Secret, the story of the Cottingley fairies). I liked both Lily and Alice and found each of their stories very moving. Alice’s is more dramatic as the days go by and she and the other lifeboat passengers struggle to survive while adrift in the Atlantic, but I could also feel Lily’s heartbreak and anger as she waits for news of her lost child and makes the shocking discovery that the evacuee ships were not being escorted to Canada as promised but left to fend for themselves after passing a certain point. Knowing that the book is based on a true story and that real people did have to go through the things that Alice and Lily went through just makes it even more powerful.

A stunning read about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Written so beautifully that you felt you were with Alice in the lifeboat and with Lily at number 13.

Almost broke down in tears towards the end, at the hospital.. A very emotional book and a reminder of how difficult life was during the war.

Liverpool 1940. Alice King stands on the deck of SS Carlisle, waiting to escort a group of children to Canada as overseas evacuees. She is finally doing her bit for the war.
In London, as the Blitz bombs rain down and the threat of German invasion looms, Lily Nicholls anxiously counts the days for news of her son and daughter’s safe arrival.
But when disaster strikes in the Atlantic, Alice and Lily – one at sea, the other on land – will quickly become one another’s very best hope. The events of one night, and the eight unimaginable days that follow, will bind the two women together in unforgettable ways.
I’m finding it hard to describe this book, which is based on true events. It’s harrowing but it’s uplifting, it’s sad but it made me smile. Whilst I had to finish it, I also couldn’t devour it as I had to put it down at times – it made me too emotional. So in the end it took me a good week to read. A very well written emotional roller coaster, which took me on a plethora of emotions & a compelling read
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I loved this story based on real events in 1940 when children were being evacuated from London by sea to other countries. Seen through the eyes of Alice, one of the escorts for the seavacs and Lily, a mother of two children as well as insights into other roles of men in the war; it fully absorbed me. I hadn’t heard of this aspect of WW2 before and found it heartbreaking. I highly recommend to any historical fiction fans, many thanks to Netgalley and Harper Fiction for the ARC ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This was such a good read although very emotional at times. The author really brought to life how the characters must have felt. The story is told from the point of view of Alice King and Lily Nicholls. Alice is 28 years old, a schoolteacher and someone who wants to do more with her life. Lily is a mother of two and there is a mystery about her husband. I found the memories that Alice had whilst in the lifeboat were particularly moving. There are a number of interesting secondary characters and a very satisfying ending. I would really recommend this book. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Last Lifeboat is inspired by the true story of the sinking of the SS City of Benares, a ship carrying child evacuees from England to supposed safety in Canada in September 1940.

Opening with a dramatic scene in the aftermath of the torpedoing of the ship (named the SS Carlisle for the purposes of the novel) by a German U-boat, the book follows a small group of people, including a number of children, who find themselves adrift in a lifeboat. Amongst the group is Alice King, a young teacher acting as one of the escorts to the evacuees, and the lone woman in the lifeboat. Over the next few days, we follow them as they encounter storms, endure hunger and thirst, and are gradually weakened by exposure to the elements. The scenes are so vividly imagined that you really do feel you are experiencing it all alongside them. As their hopes of rescue begin to fade, their experience becomes one of grim endurance and a daily struggle to survive that takes a mental and physical toll.

For Alice, delivering the children entrusted to her care to safety becomes a personal mission, something to cling to during the dark times, and one for which she is prepared to sacrifice herself if necessary. ‘Buoyed by the bright morning, she gathers up the tattered fragments of hope the storm had torn from her in the night, and stitches them together into a patchwork of determination and belief; a blanket of courage big enough to cover them all.’

Alternating with the dramatic and absolutely gripping scenes aboard the lifeboat, we witness the anguish of the recently widowed Lily who made the difficult – and lonely – decision to place her son and daughter aboard the ship thinking this was the way to keep them safe from the increasingly heavy bombing raids on London. It turns out to be anything but. When news of the disaster is made public, she remains determined not to give up hope that her children may have survived or to stop pressing the authorities to continue the search for that last lifeboat.

Like the author’s earlier book, The Bird in the Bamboo Cage, The Last Lifeboat shines a spotlight on the courageous exploits of women in wartime. But it doesn’t ignore the ‘ordinary’ women, those women described as ‘the quiet essential backbone of the war on the home front’. There are some interesting male characters in the book and I liked the fact that they display a heroism that is rooted in moral principles.

There are emotional scenes towards the end of the book and if you can read them without reaching for the tissues then you must have a heart of stone. Personally, I would have been happy for the book to end at the final chapter with its moving last paragraph. However, the epilogue’s message that relationships formed in times of disaster may have enduring bonds is an uplifting one.

The Last Lifeboat is an utterly immersive story that is at times heartbreaking. It also demonstrates, as if we needed reminding, the horror of war and its indiscriminate nature. At one point a character asks, ‘What on earth are we doing to each other?’ But what also shines through is the resilience of the human spirit.

This is my first book to read by Hazel Gaynor and what a book!. Very moving and emotional but very well written. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

It was 1940 in London as the blitz was beginning, bombs were falling, shattering lives, homes and places of work, when the government came up with a scheme to evacuate children to Canada, Australia and other willing countries, for the duration of the war. Parents weren't allowed to go, but people were chosen who had the right references, to escort the children to safety. Alice King was a school teacher and librarian and longed to do something to help. When she heard of the evacuation process, she applied to be an escort of children, and was accepted. The day the SS Carlisle left the docks in London, Alice was on board with several children, two of them, Georgie and Arthur, were Lily Nicholls' children. Alice and Lily had met when she picked the children up, ready for the long voyage to Canada.

The Carlisle was being escorted by a flotilla of vessels, including Navy warships, and once they'd reached the limit of convoy escort, the warships peeled away, leaving Carlisle vulnerable. It was during the hours of darkness when a violent storm had hit, that the ship was torpedoed, the twelve lifeboats were cast into the sea with people tossed into the waves. The conditions were horrific, but surely they would be rescued soon, those survivors who'd managed to stay on the lifeboats? Once daylight arrived and the storm lessened, only one lifeboat was left, floating on the sea. What would happen to the people desperately clinging to life on that lonely lifeboat?

The Last Lifeboat is a phenomenal read by Hazel Gaynor, which I was completely involved in. Inspired by the true events of the SS City of Benares which took evacuated children to Canada, it was interesting to read the author's notes about part of the second world war which I wasn't aware of. So well written I felt I was part of the story. Emotional, heartbreaking but heartwarming, the trauma that everyone went through was horrific. I felt so close to little Billy Fortune, to Arthur, and the other children. An exceptional read, The Last Lifeboat is one I highly recomend.

With thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I loved reading this book which is based on real events.

I thought the characters were brilliant and it’s one book that’ll stay with me for a while.

I highly recommend reading this book.

Thanks to publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of this

This is truly a poignant story that readers will absolutely adore, it’s a real edge of your seat story

I first encountered Hazel Gaynor and her writing at a book festival , and I have been a fan ever since.
Based on a true story, Alice King leaves Liverpool at the beginning of WW11 on board the SS Carlisle, escorting evacuated children to Canada .
When disaster strikes, she and a few others are left in a lifeboat for eight days. Descriptions of the emotions felt by those in the lifeboat and those at home in Britain are upsetting at times but also tenderly written.
This is a story which will haunt you for a while but a very worthwhile book to read.

Alice King lives in Kent, the school she taught at was closed due to the war and she’s been volunteering at the local library. Alice likes to read, the only traveling and adventures she’s experienced have been found between the pages of books. After seeing a spitfire crash, Alice applies to be an “Auntie” or a chaperone for children being sent to Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Jamaica as part of the governments Children’s Overseas Reception Board. The CORB is planning to send twenty thousand children to safety and they need teachers, clergymen, and healthcare workers to accompany them on the sea voyage.

Lily Nichols is a widow, she lives in London and has two children Georgie and Arthur. When the blitz begins, Lily is terrified her children will being hurt or killed and she has to make an extremely difficult decision. Lily is notified that Georgie and Arthur application is successful and they will be going to Canada aboard the S.S. Carlisle. Crossing the Atlantic is dangerous, the German U-boats are patrolling the ocean and everyone is assured it’s safe because they are part of a large convoy.

Told from the points of view of the two main characters Alice and Lily and their lives will be connected by a terrible tragedy.

I received a copy of The Last Lifeboat from HarperCollins UK and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and Hazel Gaynor was inspired to write her latest book based on true facts and it looks at the Second World War from a different perspective. In 1940, the British government didn’t know if the German army could be stopped, they were poised to take the Channel Islands and England might be next. Parents had to make the tough decision to send their children overseas, they had no idea the ship the wasn’t going to be escorted the entire way to Canada and the British navy’s procedures if it was attacked.

Alice found herself aboard a cramped lifeboat for days, with six children, crew from the ship, the cook and a stowaway. A story about fighting to survive, being exposed to the elements and rough seas, having to limit food and water intake, keeping up morale, not knowing if they would be found and never giving up. The poor parents in England being notified that the S. S Carlisle had been sunk, they had no idea what had happened to their children and the situation was looking grim. Both the CORB program and the Mass-Observation record where everyday people wrote down their thoughts and experiences during World War Two in a diary, were two things I had never heard of prior to reading Ms. Gaynor's moving and heartening novel. Five stars from me, one of the best books I have read this year and you won't regret buying a copy.

Despite its storyline The Last Lifeboat is a lovely read, an alternative angle on how WWII affected the lives of everyday people. The authors notes at the end show her inspiration and also bring another perspective to it for the reader.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read The Last Lifeboat.

Courage in a WWII lifeboat. Alice wants to do her bit for the war effort, so she volunteers to accompany a party of children going to Canada for safety. What she doesn't expect to be left adrift at sea for days after the ship is torpedoed. Bravery, cowardice, terror and resignation are felt by the group as they try to survive against the odds. Meanwhile the children's relatives wait anxiously for news. A powerful story, based on real events.

Unfortunately this one was not for me. I did not enjoy it at all. War stories are difficult and unfortunately I did not like the subject matter nor the characters.

This is a book I was looking forward to reading. Hazel Gaynor is so good at historical research and so cleverly weaves a story around true history to create something which draws the reader right in to the event. I was fascinated to read (in the notes at the end of the book) that Hazel was sparked by letters which turned up on the Antiques Road Show. Amazing link!
In brief, this book is about some of the children and adults who took a boat during WW2 from Britain heading for the peace of Canada. It not giving much a way to say that they don't make it. Much of the book retells the days which a small group spend in a ship's lifeboat on the Atlantic. I found this quite harrowing. No doubt, the lifeboat was not equipped as we would expect today and this time is tough, not in the least for the children and the only woman aboard. We also here the back story of those waiting back at home. An interesting, although fictional part of the recount.
I will not forget reading this book and have saved it as one to recommend to friends and family. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction and real history too.

A fabulous 5star book and my first by this author but definitely not the last. Based on a true story a book of emotion, anger and love I couldn’t read it fast enough. Alice a young woman who wants to find how to do her bit during WW2 embarks on becoming an escort for children being evacuated via the sea to foreign countries. It reveals life for her, the children she escorts, their families in the UK and others met along the way. As in life and fiction there are many trials along the way. Whilst a work of fiction some aspects are based on true story which not many, including myself, knew about. Thanks to Hazel Gaynor and your publisher or telling this story. Thanks also to NetGalley.

Really enjoyed reading this even though it wasnt my normal type of read. Really moving and believable. Would recommend.

This is a fictional story based on true facts which will leave you in despair at times and anger.
1940 Liverpool and Alice has volunteered to escort children to Canada. These are mainly children escaping the London Blitz and from all backgrounds.
Disaster strikes and Alice will suffer 8 unimaginable days. Back on land Lily is going through torment as her daughter is alive but her son is missing.
These two women will never forget what happens.
Not ashamed to say this book made me cry.

What a wonderful yet harrowing book. I thoroughly enjoyed this, the characters were fabulous, all the more startling to know it's based on actual events. This book and the characters will stay with me for a while.