This is a story that not only touched my heart it squeezed it dry. War stories are always tear jerkers and this one was no exception for me. It isn’t a front line story, this is a story of a childless woman and an abandoned three-year old girl wrapped in a blanket and left on a bus. But the story goes way past the end of the war.
Ellen was married and quite adamant that she did not want a family but the day she found Pamela she knew that she needed this little girl in her life as much as the little girl needed a family. The relationship that grows between the pair is as close as any mother and daughter with lovely tender moments. Three years later Ellen learns of a man looking for his daughter after he has returned from the war and she knows in her heart that he is Pamela’s real father.
The heart breaking scenes that follow really got to me and greatly impacted Pamela and Ellen. It really made me think deeper about the children that were sent to the countryside through the war years, not always to loving homes and how it must have affected the whole family. Then after the war the trauma of families being returned that were like strangers coming together. The loss felt by the families that had housed them too and friends that they had made.
The stories follow the lives of Ellen and Pamela and letters that made me cry. The emotions that were built up ready to explode and questions from a little girl now a woman. The end of this story is very, very emotional that had me sobbing. A truly amazing story.
I wish to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an e-copy of the book which I have reviewed honestly.

A beautifully heartbreaking novel, We Must Be Brave will surely leave you weepy, as I am now upon finishing it. If you fully immerse yourself in this world, and let it touch your heart, you will feel greatly enriched by it. It's a tender story of a woman who happens upon Pamela, a sleeping child, whilst helping WWII bombing refugees off a bus in the fictionalized village of Upton. We see what transpires after Pamela is found, reflect on Ellen's younger years of struggle and those that follow on to, nearly, current day.

The setting is in Hampshire, England. There is much mention of Southampton, which is not far from here. I can easily envisage the areas Ellen describes and the goings on of rural village life. I live in a similar village. The hardships they endure and the 'make due' attitude is brilliantly depicted and completely authentic. Yes, I know our Upton villagers hale from Hampshire but the voices, to me, feel very Dorset. The practicality of action and speech and the sweet country burr is so Dorset in my mind.

We Must Be Brave felt entirely earnest in the sweet relationship between Ellen and Pamela. Ellen loves her as a mother would her own child, maybe more so, and what happens to them is hard to bear. I had to pause for a good little cry but pressed on to see what would come of it. Much does and that is the magic of this yarn. The gentle appreciation of life and so many small things makes Ellen a well rounded, generously lovely person. She feels very much like your favourite aunt and you only want the very best for her.

I cannot recommend this novel strong enough. The gentle strength it delivers is the pure essence of British gumption and determination. The love conveyed throughout, not just of mother and daughter, but of friendship and all those relationships we hold dear, make this a powerful and stunning read that will stay with you for some time.

The story starts in WW2 when a bus bringing people from Southampton fleeing the bombs arrived in the little village of Upton and when everyone got off there was a six year old girl belonging to no-one still on there Ellen and her husband take her in. The girl called Pamela lost her mother in a raid and surprising herself Ellen becomes attached to her....... but does she have other family that might come and claim her?

An interesting story which also goes back in time to hear about Ellen's difficult childhood, a bit of a slow story but worth reading especially if you are interested in that era

Initially I found We Must Be Brave a struggle but I am glad I persevered with it. It is a story of a loss, the struggles of WWII and a mother's enduring love.
I really enjoyed this novel.

I love books set in this era and although I enjoyed the story I felt it went on for much too long. Also, if I didn’t know differently, I would’ve thought this book was actually written many years ago as I found the writing style really old fashioned.

Set during World War Two, this is the story of Pamela a small child who is found lost, her mother having been killed in an air raid. She is taken in by Ellen, a kindly woman and raised by her. Much of the book is reminisces of Ellen's own childhood.

I found this heavy going. Neither the writing nor the story fully engaged me. I usually love fiction set in this time period and so I was really sorry not to like this more.

In addition there was a problem with the formatting with capital letters being missed out etc and this made it quite difficult to read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

When Ellen Parr finds a small child wrapped in a dirty blanket on the back seat of a bus during the evacuation of Southampton in World War 2, it sets in motion a chain of events which will impact upon the rest of her life. Nobody knows to whom the child belongs and as it becomes clear that there isn’t anybody to claim her, Ellen and her husband Selwyn take her in. They don’t have children of their own and for Ellen, a woman who didn’t really want children, little Pamela reveals a maternal side she didn’t know she wanted.

I have been looking forward to reading this for ages as it is a historical novel which spans generations and a storyline which would tug on my heartstrings. Whilst I enjoyed it (I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads) and thought the writing was both beautiful and poetic I was left feeling a tad disappointed.

What should be an emotional story about the inability to have children and then the loss of a foster child was strangely, well, unemotional. There was a certain detachment in the writing, and Ellen, who is a character that I should have felt an affinity with felt very distant. That’s not to say she isn’t a great character, she is. She is, like all of the women in this book, strong, capable and brave, but I didn’t feel like I really knew her, despite the book being written in the first person. We are given an insight into her difficult early years which were quite frankly awful, but I remained unmoved. Perhaps the issue was with me? I wasn’t reading this book expecting to have a good old cry, but I did expect to be moved.

It is a story which develops slowly and is not a book of action or drama, despite the wartime setting, and I enjoyed this storytelling. It is great writing which is very poetic at times and there are some beautiful descriptions of the countryside, seasons and wildlife which transported me to the time period and location. There is also some powerful writing about how difficult life was during the war, particularly for those who were more rural with the scarcity of food and the blaze of bombs on the horizon. The echoes of the Great War ring loudly in the ears of the inhabitants of Ellen’s small village with the losses and absences felt keenly.

Overall this is a book about loss and stoicism. The men and boys who don’t return, the ones who want to escape, the children who come and go and the gradual creep of time taking people away. It is a melancholy read and has a quaintness to it which may be because it has a rural rather than city setting, but it is beautifully sad.

I did enjoy We Must Be Brave and read the last half in one sitting unable to put it down but there was something missing for me. Perhaps it was my expectations that were at fault, I was maybe expecting a more heart wrenching read. Despite that it is a great book which is beautifully written and examines a time of uncertainty and loss and I recommend it if historical fiction with great storytelling is your thing.

Set initially in wartime rural England, this is a charming read despite the theme of loss and missing out entwined in its pages. The setting is a village near Southampton and we first meet Ellen Parr meeting a bus full of people escaping the bombing in the city. 6 year old Pamela is fast asleep on the bus, with no adult accompanying her. Ellen takes Pamela to her home, where she and her husband, the older mill owner, Selwyn Parr already have three evacuated boys. Ellen becomes very attached to Pamela when they discover her mother has been killed in the bombing. The story is a snapshot of life in what now seems to be a bygone era. We learn how Ellen Calvert had a childhood of mixed fortunes, and how her strength of character pulled her through, how she met and married Selwyn and we share her joy and her heartaches. We get to see how Ellen's life pans out after Pamela's dad appears - I always feel I want to know what happens after a book finishes - with this one you do. This is a character driven novel, with Ellen's friends, Lucy Horne, Lady Althea Brock and William Kennet taking centre stage. The dynamics are interesting. It's a real village community who all look out for one another. #netgalley #wemustbebrave

A lovely heart moving story of the love between a girl and her guardian. Beautifully written and tracing easily through the years I was disappointed to reach the end

A really sweet story about life and war. A great read. The characters are so relatable and you are rooting for them. Great as a sunday afternoon, sit down with a book, read!

We Must Be Brave was slow-paced and unengaging. The protagonist was dull and even the flashbacks of her childhood were uninteresting.

We Must Be Brave is set in 1940’s Southampton as the German’s are dropping bombs and its residents are fleeing a young child is found alone on a bus.

Ellen Parr is the one to find Pamela and despite thinking she never wanted children she accepts Pamela into her home and stirs up memories from her past.

I normally enjoy historical fiction, but We Must Be Brave just didn’t capture my attention. I only made it to about 20% of the way through.

This is not a book I would choose to read again, and I felt like it was a bit of a waste of my time if I am honest.

Frances Liardet's, We Must Be Brave, is heartwarming at its best. I dare you to not fall in love with the characters.

A wonderful story about everlasting love.
It is basically the story of a mothers love and the lengths that one would go to protect their child.
.But this is no ordinary story of love because it is also filled with heart ache and loss.
Beautifully written it is one of those books you will never forget..

What a wonderful story this is. I read a lot of novels set domestically during WWII and, for me, this stands out as being truly different and all-encompassing.

We first meet Ellen Parr when the village of Upton finds itself receiving busload after busload of people who have run from the bombing in Southampton. From our first introduction, it's obvious that the young Mrs Parr is someone to rely upon in a crisis. As the book progresses, we find out what has made Ellen this way, and where life takes her.

This is a really poignant tale, and one which does not shy away from the harsh realities of war on the home front; the shortages, the evacuation and the prevailing attitude of making the best of what life throws in your path. Ellen Parr, like most, just keeps going, doing what needs to be done and in the best way she can manage. The disclosure of  how Ellen's childhood years were spent is, at times, quite harrowing and I freely admit to shedding a tear throughout this book. It's one that really gets under your skin, and is a truly magnificent tale. Such a well-crafted story with beautiful prose is such a delight to read, tears included. It's my introduction to this author's work, and I really hope to experience more in future. There is no doubt that this deserves a full five golden stars!

My thanks to publisher Harper Collins UK for my copy via NetGalley. I chose to read this, and the opinions given here are entirely my own.

Apologies but this book just wasn't for me. I read until about 25% in then didn't any further.
Normally I love historical fiction but not this particular read. The writing was good. Must point out the formatting at the beginning too, was quite tricky read which didn't make for a pleasant reading experience.

Thanks for sending me a copy.

Not for me I am afraid, it could have done with some editing in my opinion and then it mightn’t feel so long winded.
But if you want to be in it for the long haul, and you can handle all the jolly spirit much like Mrs Bird then I am sure this one can be enjoyed, just not by me at this moment.

I love stories from this period. And I opened this book expecting to read the usual war time struggles and life but instead it was a story of pure love. How one awful night of bombings in Southampton would change Ellen's life. The love for a child that Ellen would never have. And how even later in life it affected her. Wonderfully written

I've just finished we must be brave and I really tried to like it but there was something missing, I found it very disjointed especially the way it jumped around I also found it hard to engage with the characters. The story is a beautiful idea but sadly didn't work for me.

This is not my usual genre, I am so glad to have the opportunity to read this book.
I was expecting a traditional war time story but this tale is so much more. It is poignant, emotional and at times heartbreaking. This is a tale of a mother's love and family, even if they are not blood. This book is beautifully written and I was easily transported back into this period of time. A heart warming and emotional tale of an evacuee. You will need a box of tissues. I loved it and highly recommended.

What an absolutely beautiful story. This book was not what I was expecting at all. I was originally drawn to it as it is predominantly set in the 1940’s which is one of my favourite periods of history to read books set in. However, this story doesn’t really focus on the war as such, which is what I was expecting.

Throughout the story we mainly follow Ellen through her life and the various people she meets on the way and how they have all shaped her in their own way and made her life what it’s become.

There is a bit of too-ing and fro-ing with the timeline, but only for a couple of chapters as we go back to Ellen’s early life which creates some background on the dynamics between her and her husband. Ellen is a fantastically likeable character in my opinion. She is so robust and resolute and she reminded in so many respects of qualities my grandmother possesses. It was a real joy to read through Ellen’s life, even the hard parts when things aren’t all sunshine and rainbows.

This is one of those books that’s not plot driven, but very much character driven. The author really made me feel a connection to the characters in this book and made Upton sound like a really charming place to visit. I was most impressed with this book and would not hesitate to recommend it.