Really enjoyed this book. Sad at the same time that a women felt the need to take on another womens life to run from her. Great characters. Easy to follow

The Girl with the Suitcase is a powerful and emotional story about a young girl named Sara who is abandoned at a train station with nothing but a suitcase. Set in the 1960s, the book follows her difficult journey as she faces hardship, danger, and heartbreak—but also finds strength, kindness, and hope along the way.

Lesley Pearse writes with warmth and heart. The characters feel real, the story is moving, and it’s easy to get pulled in. Some parts are upsetting, but it’s an inspiring tale of survival and resilience.

Good if you like: emotional dramas, strong female characters, and stories about overcoming adversity.
Not so good if you don’t like: sad or traumatic storylines.

It’s many years since I read a Lesley Pearce book and I wasn’t disappointed. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. It was a book full of emotions. Elizabeth and Mary have a chance meeting at the beginning of WWII followed by a disastrous turn of events that change Mary’s life forever.

The Girl with the Suitcase by Lesley Pearce ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It’s been a long time since I read a Lesley Pearce novel. I really enjoyed this book. It’s not my usual type of book. A story set in England during WW2, a bombing in London leads to mistaken identity. Mary and Elizabeth have come from very different backgrounds and from here unravels a story. I don’t think you can call this historical fiction, more a romance chick lit book. Gentle with likeable characters and easy to read. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this advance copy.

As we've come to expect from Lesley Pearse, this is yet again a compelling story handling difficult subjects with sensitivity.
It's uplifting and hooks from the very start,the writing is simple and easy to lose yourself in.
Perfect for readers who enjoy emotional dramas with a rewarding conclusion,
Have the tissues handy, but by the time you close the book, it will be with a smile on your face.
Thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph Penguin RandomHouseuk for the Arc.

Slightly disappointing.

Mary Price has had a terrible upbringing. Her father died during World War 1 and her mother took up with Ronnie, a violent man who beats and rapes Mary and pimps out her mother. Alone and unloved, Mary longs for a different life. Her only friend is the lady in the upstairs flat who teaches her to read and write, do some maths and take care of a house. Mary uses these new found skills to go into service for a family, but with the advent of World War 2 she has found much of the other domestic staff have left and she has been doing everything. Looking for a better environment she has applied for a job with another family, and following the interview she visits Lyon's tearooms. There she meets Elizabeth Manning.

Elizabeth is everything that Mary isn't. She is cultured and refined, elegant and adventurous. In fact, Elizabeth is only in London as she has inherited a cottage in Ireland from her godmother and is passing through on the way to start a new life overseas. Striking up an instant friendship with Mary, Elizabeth invites her to join her in Ireland...before Mary can decide there is an air-raid and both women flee to the underground for safety. Unfortunately this proves to be not so safe as a bomb lands close by showering the women with debris. Sadly, only Mary survives but, due to a mix up with their bags, medical staff believe Mary is Elizabeth...and she isn't inclined to correct them as this might just be her chance to escape from her hellish life.

I wanted to like this I really did, and I tried. But, it just didn't go anywhere. It felt overly long and there were pages and pages of just day to day living without any advance of the story. I struggled to believe some of the events and, for me, Mary felt like a flat character. Her good luck doesn't end with the tickets to Ireland and the cottage there, there is a huge amount of cash in the suitcase too - enough money for Mary to be a lady of leisure and hire her own housekeeper once she gets to Ireland, yet she constantly complains that she is bored and wants a job.

I found it hard to believe that everyone that Mary meets thinks she is so wonderful - immediately, that they are either saying she is like a daughter or sister to them or asking her to marry them. I found the relationships that Mary embarks on to be too far fetched for me - for example, she meets Jack on one night in London when she decides to stay out during an air raid and watch the events. Jack sees her and appoints himself her protector and stays out with her, where they chat while watching the bombing and then he walks her home before kissing her goodnight on the doorstep and asking her to write to him as he wants to marry her....he has known her a matter of hours! This happens with other men that she meets as well so isn't a one off or reaction to being shipped off to war. And it's not just men, much later in the book, Mary meets Rose when Rose falls and Mary helps her up and then takes her for a cup of tea where Rose offers her a job as her housekeeper and companion...a stranger that she has just met. Rose also compares the death of one of Mary's boyfriends who she has been on two dates with, with the death of her husband who she had been married to for 50 years....it just didn't strike me as realistic and felt ridiculous.

There are a couple of sex scenes in the book that I felt were described with language that was too modern and out of keeping with the time that the story is set in and out of keeping with the rest of the book too. The rape scene is quite graphic and made me feel uncomfortable as did the almost casual way this is treated.

It's not all bad though. This is a story that would be a good beach read as it's very slow paced and easy to read - it's the kind of book my Mum would have liked. For me, it wasn't gritty or realistic enough.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mary has known poverty and cruelty her whole life, it is wartime and she is desperate to escape her job as housekeeper, cleaner and general dogsbody. When she meets the beautiful Elizabeth who offers her a chance at a new life, she has just came into a fabulous house in Ireland, inheritance from an estranged aunt. A bomb hits, the girls are in an underground shelter when everything goes dark. Mary wakes injured but alive, she is misidentified and finally has a chance to live, really live but can she do it?

Aw Mary, what a poor soul and hard going "upbringing" she had. We find out more about Mary and why she is the way she is by going from present to past. As always Pearse's books feature some of the darker side of humanity, abuse, SA, child endangerment, substance abuse, stolen identity. You get reeled in because you are rooting for Mary aka Beth but you do question some of her decisions and behaviours. I think that is one of her gifts, she gives you characters who aren't wholly whiter than white (Mary), and some downright horror bags the "stepfather".

When Mary goes to Ireland we meet a whole cast of people, sweet, nosey, hearing about the aunt, ooft she was a character in herself. We see how world war 2 affected different parts of the world, meat rationing, families, love, loss. It is a busy book as is Pearse's way but she does it so well the story flows and envelopes you. Lots of characters/happenings, some time and place jumps but all done effortlessly.

Even when I have a reading block I can still inhale one of her books, 4.5/5 from us, I need to check her backlist and see what I have missed (we have read loads but she has published loads) and catch up on any missed. She is a fab writer, pulls you emotively and allows you to escape your own life and merge into a world full of love, loss, sadness, friendship, family, she ticks the boxes.

An enjoyable read, not quite as good as other books I have read of hers. Previous books have had intrigue or twists however this one was relatively straightforward.

I have read several books by Lesley Pearse, so I was looking forward to reading her latest novel ‘The girl with the suitcase’.
London 1941. Mary Price has lived a hard life but has managed to escape it and finds herself in London. She decides to enter Lyons corner house where she meets Elizabeth Manning, who used to manage a women’s retail store, and they seem to hit it off. Elizabeth tells Mary about her inheriting a cottage in Ireland and asks her to go with her. Suddenly there is an Air raid and they both go into the nearest shelter. But the roofs caves in and Mary wakes up in hospital to find out that Elizabeth has died sheltering her from the blast. No fault of her own the nurse mistakes for Elizabeth so when she leaves, she takes Elizabeth suitcase and heads of to the cottage in Ireland. But the locals are at first not that forthcoming.
Thank you for the publisher for Lesley Pearse’s lates offering. This is another heartfelt and emotional read of one girl plight to change her life with the gifts that she has been given. This is an enjoyable read but also sad how people especially women were treated in them times.
Even though it was a slightly different style of writing from the author, it was more straightforward. It was still a delightful read but an emotional one. 4 stars from me.

When Elizabeth Manning and Mary Price meet accidentally in a tearoom and the air-raid siren goes off, who could foretell the changes it would make to their lives. Elizabeth who has a a career in fashion, managing a store and has now been left property in Ireland. Mary who has had a miserable upbringing and working in-service to people who look down on her and treat her like a skivy. No comparison !
When Mary comes round in hospital after the raid and the nurse mistakes her for Elizabeth how will she react?
It’s a fascinating read that keeps you glued to the pages.

A great selection of characters, my favourite was Mary who was so kind and thoughtful, quickly followed by Rose who I could just picture as an ideal gran. Least favourite was Ronnie who was just evil.

This is the first book iv read by Lesley Pearse and I enjoyed it. The historical side of the story was very interesting, it makes you realise just how hard it must’ve been, the bombings, air raid shelters, the fear they must’ve felt. Also the rationing side of things was very touched on in the story, the hardships everyone faced made them come together at times and help each other out. Mary found help in older women she met along the way, and in becoming Elizabeth due to mistaken identity she was taken on a better path in life than she had been on previously. Set in England and Ireland we are taken on a journey that keeps you reading to find out what happens to this girl. I enjoyed it and would definitely look for other books by Lesley. Thank you for the early copy.

Another great book from this author and I have read them all. Great storyline, sad, emotional but beautifully written.

It was a privilege to read about Mary's (Beth) adventure and I was involved from the very first page and couldn't stop reading.

The ending was brilliant with everything brought to a satisfactory conclusion, I cannot speak highly enough about this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Joseph (Penguin) for this great ARC and I have no hesitation in recommending.

I look forward to L.P's next book, they just don't come soon enough for me personally.

A lovely story, quite emotional in places and a real rollercoaster ride for the heroine. Gentle and heartwarming with a satisfying ending.

Mary meets Elizabeth in a tea room. Elizabeth is bright bubbly and confident - exactly the opposite of Mary. They are then forced to take shelter from a bomb raid in a shelter.
When Mary next wakes up Elizabeth is dead but everyone thinks she is Elizabeth. Can she escape and live the life that Elizabeth promised her?

I have read a few of Lesley Pearce books, and really enjoy them. This one was no exception and I would recommend for an easy read.

I've loved Lesley Pearce since I was a teenager, but I must admit that I haven’t actually read one of her books for a couple of years, and I'd forgotten just how much I loved her writing style.

This is a tale that brought every emotion to the forefront and span me back around again.

Set in London in 1941, during the second world war, Mary stumbles into a 'fancy' restaurant and is very quickly befriended by the glamorous Elizabeth. Mary is a shy girl, having lived as a house maid since childhood and feels dowdy compared to Elizabeth, but within minutes, they hit it off.

Elizabeth shared her plans of travelling over to Ireland. She has inherited a cottage from her godmother and wants to leave England to escape the war. Mary is shocked when Elizabeth suggests she joins her. They hardly know each other... but what do they have to lose.

When a siren sounds, they rush to the underground to safety. But when an explosion erupts right over their heads, Mary is knocked out and only becomes aware of what happened when she awakens in hospital, where they have her registered as Elizabeth.

Knowing this is a chance to change her life, Mary pushes away any doubts she has and leaves the hospital, head held high, as Elizabeth.

Dressed in finery with money in her hands for the first time ever in her life, can Mary really become someone else without losing herself along the way?

An absolutely beautifully written tale with some wonderful characters entertwined within the plot. If you are after an emotional journey, this book hits all the right notes!

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House UK for the ARC.

Mary meets Elizabeth at Lyon's corner house in London during the Blitz. Elizabeth is so full of life and Mary is quiet and shy. Elizabeth enthusies about how she's going to Ireland as she's being left a house in a will. She asks Mary to join her and as Mary hates her job as a servant she is ready to agree when the sirens go off and the young women rush to an underground shelter.
A case of mistaken identity leads to a new life for one of the women,but can she pass herself off as someone else and can she lie a lie for the rest of her life.
Good story by Lesley Pearse but sorry not as good as some of her others.

Taking someones identity is not a novel concept but it's used in this novel to great effect. Poor Mary, now a young woman has a serendipitous encounter with Elizabeth at a Lyons Corner House but an air raid halts their tête-à-tête as they have to dash off to a shelter. That air raid changes both Elizabeth's and Mary's life for ever. Why poor Mary? She came from a poor background where she was abused by her stepfather and dismissed by her mother. She gets a 'lucky' break when she goes in to service but the war offers her opportunities to escape. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought she would end up in Ireland, where her life's adventures would begin.
A book filled with sadness, happiness and hope, plus romance.
I really enjoyed it and like other books in this genre it does have a happy ending.

A very good book by Lesley Pearse, two young women meet in World War Two and go to shelter when air raid is sounded. But only I survives the air raid, and is mistaken for the other girl. Is this a good thing, she thinks so, so swops places and takes on the better life of her friend.

A gripping story from start to finish.

Its London 1941. Mary, shy, meek. a mere maid in Hampstead accidentally meets a beautiful and charming stranger Elizabeth. Their lives are as night and day. While Marys is a dreary humdrum life, Elizabeth’s is glamorous. Moreover, she has inherited a cottage in Ireland with everything to look forward to. She is on her way there. She will also escape the German bombing of London. An air raid forces them to take shelter underground. This dramatically changes Marys life forever. Waking up in the hospital injured but very much alive she is mistaken for Elizabeth. She is handed Elizabeths suitcase with her money and tickets to Ireland. Mary seizes this chance to break free from the drudgery of her life and start afresh. The Girl with the Suitcase is her story.

Pearse handles this touching tale with great sensitivity. As she goes back and forth in time with the narrative I got a better understanding of Marys life. I was helplessly endeared to the protagonist. Yet I found it difficult to reconcile with Marys decision. However, I contrarily wanted Mary to succeed in her deception. Pearse’s scintillating narration kept me glued. I devoured every page fascinated as the story unfolds. There is something so poignant about Marys life both past and present that I was rooting for her despite my reservations regarding her decision. Pearse writes with such verve and intuition that she brings forth the best in her protagonist and readers. I found the experiences of Londoners during the Second World War vividly moving.

Does Mary successfully impersonate Elizabeth? How does she go about it? What are her feelings in the matter? Well, you will only discover these and other searching questions if you read her escapades in the novel. And no, it’s not Pearse’s guide to impersonation but a moving, evocative read of times past.