Finally Betty Wellows can settle down. She went through alot to be able to really settle down. Good childhood despite losing her mother early. Meet a great man and married him but then the war of 1914 came along and spoilt everything which it really does.

This is where the story begins for us with Betty. Martin returns from the war a different man due to suffering from shell shock. His over powering mother Agnes is cruel to Betty and as she is not allowed near her husband to help with his care and the fact that their home has been washed into the sea there is nowhere for Betty to go so she takes the chance to run away.

She has adventure with good and bad outcomes. Theres even a shock and at this point I had to read it twice because I couldn't believe what I just read! Betty changes her name to Mable Brook and finds some true treasured friendships that save Mabel/Betty along the way. Theres even a court room scene, all very dramatic.

Thoroughly good story with some shocking events written delicately and I would recommend this book and this author as this is the first book by Lesley Pearse I've read and she has written alot over her 25 year career so I've alot to catch up on.

I have read and enjoyed all the books by this established writer. That communicates that I'm a huge fan. A poignant, insightful, unforgettable story. The year is 1917, while the war still rages across Europe. Betty leaves her chronically shell-shocked husband and brutal mother-in-law at Hallsands in Devon and reinvents herself as Mabel.

Using the sense of smell to create a sense of place and historical relevance is impressive. The imagery was excellent as ever.

I found myself hesitant about the inclusion of the psychic thread theme. Although I’m a sceptic with differing views,( I am struggling to be more open-minded) it was well portrayed and fascinating. It didn’t detract from the plot.

I felt great compassion for Martin. In the Battle of the Somme in 1916 it’s reported that 40% of the men suffered from shell-shock. Little was understood then of what we now call PTSD. It was considered a weakness and failing. I’m not convinced that they cater too well now either. If you read about the post-combat experiences soldiers face after a lengthy spell in Iraq, for instance, there’s a question mark over their complete integration back into normal, civilised life. Hate, anger and violence seem to be endemic in human beings. Mental illness on the increase. Food for thought.

Another insight made me nostalgic. There were family doctors who actually visited patients. WOW! That takes me back. Not a three-week wait for a GP appointment or a three-hour wait in a packed A&E. However, before the NHS in 1948, one had to be in a position to pay for treatment. My recollections start in the 1950s. I recall my doctor sucking on his pipe attending me when I had measles aged five. At age 8, I broke my ankle. A doctor came to diagnose it and bandaged my ankle. The same doctor took me through my childhood and youth.

After trials and tribulations, there's a satisfactory, plausible ending. Thank you for evoking these memories and insights Lesley Pearse, NetGalley and Penguin UK Michael Joseph.

This book is set during the first world war, mainly set around the south coast of England, and follows our main character Betty. We are first introduced to her on a dark stormy night where Betty is staying with her husband - suffering from PTSD, having recently returned wounded from serving during the war - and mother-in-law. Having endured her mother in law's cruel words and unkindness, she is forced out in the storm to retrieve some personal belongings from her husband's and hers' cottage. Their home is at risk from being swept away by the sea with the current storm, and it is in that moment that Betty, reflecting on her current situation with her husband and his mother, makes the quick decision to escape her life in Hallsands and begin a new life for herself. She runs away and assumes a new identity, calling herself Mabel. Whilst she develops this new life for herself, getting work in-service as a housemaid and making new friends and acquaintances, her previous life is forever in her mind with the worry of being found out. She endures many hardships during this time, but we see her develop herself, having her eyes opened to the big city of Bristol, where her only previous life experiences have ever been within the small fishing village of Hallsands. Her experiences make her strong and independent, giving her the strength to overcome some of the things life throws at her. The book is an enjoyable, yet simple read, with characters and their actions reflecting the time in which it is set in. Whilst the story line does not challenge your thinking, you find yourself wanting to know what happens to Mabel and if the secret of her previous life is going to be discovered. If you are looking for an easy read, with a straightforward and simple story line then this would be a book most suitable for you. Unfortunately, whilst I enjoyed reading this text, I did not find it as gripping as I'd hoped and found the characters a little stereo typical and the story line predictable in places.. My thanks go out to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph's netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this.

Loved this book, found it hard to put down. Set in World War one. Romance, marriage and life all changed
by War and it after effects.

I was pleased to read a book by this author as it was my fist and I enjoyed it greatly. Suspenseful and enjoyable! I cared what happened to the characters which is hugely beneficial to the overall engagement. I would definitely recommend this read. Thank you!

Absolutely amazing Lesley Pearse does it again, one of my favourite authors.
I just love her books and yes she has done it again.
This book grabs you from the first page and you just can’t put it down.
Great story line with great characters.
Five stars all the way

This book was beautifully written and it was set in a nice time period
Mabel was a great character. One you are rooting for.
The storyline was tense and filled with emotion
A lovely book

I always enjoy this author’s books, she really is a master storyteller. An easy historical read, great characters, interesting history and a perfect summer blockbuster. Brings you back in time when opinions and life were very different. The perfect holiday read

Another throughly enjoyable read from Lesley. Betty lost her Mum when she was eight years old and she became a little housekeeper for her Dad. Life wasn’t easy even when she married her husband Martin, who went off to war, only to return shell shocked and a jibbering wreck. Bullied by Agnes her nasty mother-in-law Betty saw a chance to escape her life and she took it, but would she live to regret this spur of the moment decision. The book takes you through the ups and downs of Betty’s new life as she begins again as Mabel. It’s an emotional read and you really feel for Mabel as she try’s to make a better life for herself.

This book was a joy to read, skilfully taking the reader back to the First World War and the class distinctions that were still apparent. Believable characters, great descriptions and all in all a very good read. Thoroughly recommended.

I am a HUGE Lesley Pearse fangirl. My favourite title is Remember Me which covers the historical fleets of the convicts being shipped to Australia. I would urge anyone and everyone to read it. Especially if you are fans of TV shoes such as Banished or Jamestown which also deal with the theme of British Colonies.
You’ll Never See Me Again deals with some incredibly deep and emotive issues but it is ultimately the story of the protagonist Betty Wellows later known as Mabel Brook. A title I have read lately of a similar summary would be Those Who Are loved by Victoria Hislop. Although this title is set along the Southern coasts of England.
The novel opens in Devon 1917, with Betty battling with her forbidding mother-in-law Agnes. Betty’s husband and childhood sweetheart, Martin has returned from the great war, with severe shell shock and is no longer able to verbally communicate. Betty’s life is now being ran by matriarch Agnes. Whom controls every aspect of betty’s existence.
‘I don’t know what my son ever saw in you’
One Stormy evening, when Betty can’t take the verbal abuse anymore, she makes a rash decision to flee. Leaving behind her, her husband and her miserable life as Betty Fellows.
Betty’s life story is explained and I really felt for the character, she had known so much heartache, so young.
She is determined to start again, a new life, as Mabel Brook.
‘You’ll never see me again’
She ends up in Bristol, although she fears the big city life. The guest house of Mrs Halliwell’s is filled with warmth and kindness. But Mabel fears exposure, as local articles surface of her assumed dead back in Devon.
‘She’d thought she was heading for an adventure, something better than she had before, but it seemed it was going to be far worse’
Mabel moves around and in turn we are introduced to a wide variety of characters. I became quickly and happily wrapped up in the story of Mabel’s future and her quest to finally be free!
‘Holding bitterness inside you isn’t good for anyone’
Lesley Pearse is on fire, as always! 5*

I love historical fiction and Lesley Pearse is one of my favourite authors. A lot of the story features how people were perceived according to their class, to their 'station in life' during the early twentieth century and how this gradually started to change due to the consequences of the First World War. I love a story of the poor downtrodden girl moving on in life and bettering herself, however, I wonder if Mabel was portrayed as a bit too perfect at times? Not my favourite Lesley Pearse book, but it was very enjoyable and I would always recommend her as an author.

WW1 leaves her with a shell shocked husband and a bitter cruel mother in law. Here begins a story of love, loss and psychic powers. A classic Lesley Pearse novel

When a character in a film says ‘never’ it’s a sign that the impossible thing will definitely happen before the end. Such is the title of the new novel from Lesley Pearse, ‘You’ll Never See Me Again’.
It is 1917 and a storm is thrashing the Devon coast at Hallsands. Betty Wellows is with her shell-shocked husband Martin at his mother’s home, safely up the cliffs. Martin no longer recognises Betty, he is a different man from the fisherman who went to war. Betty is working all hours to support her husband and his mother, putting up with insults, petty grievances, grief for the loss of her husband. As the storm becomes wild and dangerous, Agnes instructs her daughter-in-law to go to her own house beside the beach to rescue her belongings from the flood. Afraid, Betty escapes the older woman’s abuse and runs into the storm. As the waves crash into her home, Betty realises this is her chance to escape Hallsands, Agnes and Martin.
The dramatic opening grabbed my attention and my emotions. Betty is trapped in a life of poverty with a husband who no longer recognises her and a mother-in-law who takes her money and treats her like a skivvy. When she has the chance to escape, Betty takes it. I spent the whole novel chewing over Betty’s dilemma; was she right to run, should she have stayed. Pearse maintains this dilemma throughout the book as Betty goes to Bristol where she changes her name to Mrs Mabel Brook, a widow. ‘You’ll Never See Me Again’ is the story of how a lone woman in the middle of the Great War is able to strive to improve her lot in life. Mabel suffers setbacks, encounters thieves and frauds, and sheds copious tears. There are moments where her life seems to have reached a settled, easier place; but, of course, more trauma lies ahead.
This is a cleverly plotted book that kept me guessing to the end. Mabel at times is her own worst enemy, and she finds it difficult to accept help. Then she accidentally discovers a talent she never knew she had. When she moves to Dorchester, Dorset, to be a live-in servant/housekeeper for illustrator Miss Clara May, Mabel’s life takes a new turn. Nearby is a prisoner of war camp and one of the inmates, Carsten, looks after Clara’s garden. Carsten and Mabel fall into a state of mutual liking when Spanish flu strikes at the camp; afraid for Carsten’s health, Mabel volunteers as a nurse.
Mabel ran away from Hallsands to be free, but her past travels with her. Finally she must confront her origins in order to move on with her life. Mabel has a strong sense of honesty and justice, which sounds odd given the way she ran away in chapter one. But she is unselfish, never turning away from difficult decisions and transforming herself in a short space of time into a beautiful, assured woman that her neighbours at Hallsands would not recognise.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/

I haven't read a Lesley Pearse book for years and as soon as I started it was like meeting up with an old friend. The story follows the main character Betty who is forced to change her identity and reinvent herself as Mabel. Set towards the end of WW1 we see the struggles and consequences that she faces as she try's to make a new life for herself, but the past never stays hidden and can often come back to haunt you. Mabel is a fantastic character who despite many hardships she overcomes diversity. An engaging read full of heart and emotion

This a well-written story about Betty’s escape from an intolerable situation caused by her Mother in law, Agnes. Her husband having returned from the war debilitated by shell shock, Agnus is harsh and abusive to Betty who decides to leave the area she has lived in all her life.

She adopts a new identity, changing her name to Mabel, and In a series of different jobs and situations, finds her inner strength, gaining new friends who prove helpful in her new life. The author skillfully writes about the hardship and poverty endured by soldiers and the poor during and after the first world war, also an outbreak of flu which killed many people who succumbed.

The story is easy to read, with some humour, and moves steadily along, the characters are well drawn, and mainly likeable, though some less so. I enjoyed the story which explores how Betty copes in difficult situations, her strength and endurance.

What a glorious book!

The year is 1917. There’s a terrible storm raging in Hallsands, Devon when Betty Wellows’ mother-in-law screams at her to leave the house and return to the cottage she and her husband, Martin had shared to fetch whatever she could before the raging storm carried everything off with it. Betty barely escapes from the cottage with the few possessions she can grab before the waves start breaking through the windows and doors. She can’t bear the idea of having to return to the house where her badly shell-shocked husband doesn’t even recognise her and flees into the night and the constant bullying of his mother.

Over the next few nights, she hides during the day and walks at night. Betty morphs into a widow, Mrs Mabel Brook from Plymouth. She makes her way to Bristol and finds work as a housemaid in a beautiful home.

Her happy stay in Bristol ends when Mrs Galsworthy, the woman she’s employed by, dies after a stroke. She moves to Dorchester to work for Miss Clara May, an artist.

Sometimes a book comes along and it feels like you’re not reading but have somehow been swallowed by the pages and you become part of the story. That’s exactly what happened with me after the first page of Lesley Pearce’s brilliant storyline. The characters are so real, so perfectly described that you feel like you’re floating on a cloud as you go with Mabel through all the ups and downs, the good times and bad.

It’s not just the story. It’s the history that’s been weaved into the threads of the book. These terrible floods that washed away fishermen’s cottages. Men returning from the war, not just with broken bodies but also shell-shocked. The German prisoners held in Dorchester. Bristol teeming with injured soldiers, now beggars. Prejudice against class, and all this is learnt as we watch this fisherman’s daughter transform into a very well-read, feisty, wonderful woman who is never scared of helping others being treated unfairly.

I’m truly sad tonight that I’ve come to the end of this beautifully written book. I hope that the future I imagined for Mabel as I read the final page turned out to be exactly what Mabel’s future life would be in her beautiful new home.

Thank you, Lesley Pearce, for this brilliant portrayal of life during WW1 and the years just after. I too lived in Dorchester, unfortunately, without knowing what happened its remarkable history during WW1. I’m going to ensure that my next visit there is to the fantastic history museum where I can hopefully, learn more.

Treebeard

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

This is a really good read. It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon. I liked the characters and the story. I wanted to keep reading.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Betty Wellows, is a fisherman’s daughter who has lived her whole life in the little fishing hamlet of Hallsands in Devon. Her husband Martin has recently returned from the horrors of World War One’s trenches on The Somme. However, the personality who returned isn’t the one who went away - the terrible events that he witnessed have left him terrified at the slightest noise, and he appears not to recognise his loved ones - it’s clear that he’s suffering from shell shock, or what is more commonly known these days as PTSD.

Martin’s mother Agnes insists on looking after him, and the couple move in with her and Martin’s grandfather, but she’s spiteful and cruel towards Betty. One night, a storm that is unprecedented threatens to destroy the houses nearest the seashore including Betty and Martin’s, so Agnes insists that Betty goes to retrieve whatever belongings she can. As Betty reaches the house, she only just manages to get out of the house before the sea claims it and she believes Agnes sent her in the hope that she would be killed. Betty decides to leave her miserable life behind and leaves her home without telling anyone, in the hope that they’ll all think she was drowned during the dreadful storm. She does however feel guilty about leaving Martin, but she knows he doesn’t recognise her as his wife, and even though Agnes treated her badly, she knows that she loves her son and will care for him in a sympathetic manner.

From here on in Betty decides to call herself Mabel Brook as she seeks a new life where she can be free to be whatever and whoever she wants to be. She’s about to start on the biggest adventure of her life, one that’s not only fraught with difficulties, but also with much happier events alongside

This was beautifully written and the time period in which it was set added extra dimension and interest. Mabel was a great character, one who you rooted for, although secondary characters were equally as interesting, and were so well described that it was as if they were acquaintances. The storyline was tense and full of emotion, and I liked the fact that Mabel discovered that she had the ability to communicate with the dead after a traumatic event - that certainly gave it a push into another direction altogether. From trials and tribulations to gloriously happy times - it was a joy to share each and every one of them with Mabel Brook!

What a brilliant read, I really enjoyed reading about Betty and her struggles against adversity and the hard decisions she had to make to survive.