Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of We Must Be Brave in exchange for an honest review.Įven though the war feels as if it’s at a distance from Upton, a small English village, the villagers are not immune to its impact in this War II story. I thought it was a nice way to conclude this story that spanned several years. I also felt the book could have cut 100 pages without detracting from the story. I admired her care and compassion for people yet still had a hard time connecting with her, other characters, and the overall story. I found the flashbacks to be more dull than the current timeline and they didn’t really keep my interest.Įllen was a kind and caring main character, always willing to do what needed to be done to help others. The story follows Ellen later in life (post-Pamela’s departure) and also includes flashbacks to her own childhood and earlier adult years. Pamela leaves Ellen’s home later in the story, which is tough on both her and Ellen. Ellen does not have children of her own but takes Pamela in and becomes close with her. Ellen finds a little girl, Pamela, alone on a bus. There are many positive reviews for We Must Be Brave so maybe it just wasn’t for me. It was difficult for me to get into the story, stay invested, and enjoy it. I generally enjoy historical fiction but this book moved at an incredibly slow pace. Ellen is no stranger to sorrow, but when she returns to the quiet village life she's long lived, she finds herself asking: In a world changed by war, is it fair to wish for an unchanged heart? In the spirit of We Were the Lucky Ones and The Nightingale, here is a novel about courage and kindness, hardship and friendship, and the astonishing power of love.
Then one day Pamela is taken away, screaming. Three golden years pass as the Second World War rages on. Ellen professed not to want children with her older husband, and when she takes Pamela into her home and rapidly into her heart, she discovers that this is true: Ellen doesn't want children. In the disorderly evacuation of Southampton, England, newly married Ellen Parr finds a small child asleep on the backseat of an empty bus. The child who changed everything.ĭecember 1940. "This stirring debut will work its way indelibly into your heart." -Georgia Hunter, author of We Were the Lucky OnesĪ woman. Beyond distance, beyond time, beyond life itself. 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.
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