We Must be Brave by Frances Liardet at over 450 pages is not a quick read, but a novel that I found difficult to put down.At the beginning of World War II bombs fall on the south coast of England, causing havoc and displacing many from the town of Southampton. They are evacuated to the surrounding small villages. A young child is found alone, asleep on the back seat of a bus which had brought people to the village of Upton, and Ellen Parr takes the child, Pamela, into her home along with many women to spend the night away from the bombings. But Pamela's mother cannot be found and she stays with Ellen and her husband, a mill owner, Selwyn.
Pamela is described as a five year-old (nearly six) child, but I thought she seemed younger and closer to 3-4 years old.
Ellen's love for Pamela is the thread running through the story, but there is so much more. The villagers of Upton are a close knit group who, bound together by the tragedies of war, become an extended family for Ellen through childhood hardships, a loving but childless marriage, and coming to terms with a child thrust on their family. We Must be Brave refers to not only Ellen and Pamela but those who befriend them. Many men injured during WWI and those struggling to feed their families and the disasters that come along with a war torn country. They helped each other even lending Ellen a pair of shoes for a job interview as she only had farm boots.
Frances Liardet is not only a wonderful story teller, but her attention to detail is amazing. Through her characters she notices every tiny event, each minute detail which ensconces the reader in the warmth of the story.
We Must be Brave is definitely one for my favorite books of the year list.
Note: In 1940 during The Blitz (constant bombing of English cities) over 45,000 German bombs were dropped resulting in over 40,000 civilian deaths (mostly in London). This destruction occurred more often during the night hours. The Germans hoped for an eventual surrender by the English. According to an English newspaper, more bombs were dropped in my home town of Penge per square mile than any other town in England. These were mostly V-1 bombs - Doodlebugs launched from the coast of France. They were driven by their own power until running out of fuel when they dropped from the sky. One aunt told me the scariest part was when the whistling stopped because it meant the bomb would drop.
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| Southampton, England |
