THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“A powerful story that proves how love itself requires courage.” –Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads SingSpanning World War II and the sweep of the twentieth century, We Must Be Brave explores the fierce love that we feel for our children and the power of that love to endure. Beyond distance, beyond time, beyond life itself.A woman. A war. The child who … itself.
A woman. A war. The child who changed everything.
December 1940. As German bombs fall on Southampton, England during World War II, the city’s residents flee to the surrounding villages. In Upton village, amid the chaos, newly married Ellen Parr finds a girl asleep, 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. Spanning the sweep of the twentieth century, We Must Be Brave explores the fierce love that we feel for our children and the power of that love to endure. Beyond distance, beyond time, beyond life itself.
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I love stories from this era, particularly England. Good story with many emotions
I found this hard to read. It didn’t flow well and I would have liked more character development for Selvwyn. The basic story was ok.
Realistic and tragic stories in this book.
I enjoyed this book but it made me cry. I would really like to change the last half of the story so I would feel happy about the end.
Wonderful book!
In World War II England the heroine endures privation and family losses. Marriage, helping victims of the German Blitzes, and the sometimes complicated relationships with friends and neighbors make it an interesting and sometimes heart-rending read. It is a story of survival and triumph over disappointment through service to others. This one left me in tears.
Hated the end, but it was different.
Very well written, complete view of lives during WW2 in UK countryside, full of interesting characters feels true life…
I was looking forward to reading We Must Be Brave as my preferred choice of genres is WW II historical fiction. First, I loved the cover! The book had the makings of a good read—an English woman , Ellen Parr, (no children) finds a little girl on the bus that has just arrived from Southampton. Southampton was bombed and people evacuated. This little girl arrived with no one. Both of these characters need each other. I thought this was a good premise for the story. There were moments that I liked, but it was just so slow. I think there needed to be some editing. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
We Must Be Brave opens in December 1940, in the small village of Upton, about 10 miles north of Southampton, England. Southampton has just been bombed, and chaos ensues as residents are evacuated from the war-torn city.
Several busloads of evacuees are sent to Upton. Ellen Parr, a newlywed woman who has resigned herself to never having children, discovers a little girl alone and asleep on the backseat of a bus. But where are her parents?
For the complete review, go to https://kindredconnection.wordpress.com/2019/02/16/we-must-be-brave.