The Lost English Girl

By: Julia Kelly

Narrated by: Danielle Cohen, Raphael Corkhill

Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Combining “fast-paced historical fiction with a hint of suspense” (Booklist), this epic saga from Julia Kelly explores love, motherhood, and betrayal set against World War II.

Liverpool, 1935: Raised in a strict Catholic family, Viv Byrne knows what’s expected of her: marry a Catholic man from her working-class neighborhood and have his children. However, when she finds herself pregnant after a fling with Joshua Levinson, a Jewish man with dreams of becoming a famous jazz musician, Viv knows that a swift wedding is the only answer. Her only solace is that marrying Joshua will mean escaping her strict mother’s scrutiny. But when Joshua makes a life-changing choice on their wedding day, Viv is forced once again into the arms of her disapproving family.

Five years later and on the eve of World War II, Viv is faced with the impossible choice to evacuate her young daughter, Maggie, to the countryside. In New York City, Joshua gives up his failing musical career to serve in the Royal Air Force and try to piece together his feelings about the family he left behind. However, tragedy strikes when Viv learns that the countryside safe haven she sent her daughter to wasn’t immune from the horrors of war. It is only years later, with Joshua’s help, that Viv learns the secrets of their shared past and what it will take to put a family back together again.

Telling the harrowing story of England’s many evacuated children, Kelly’s The Lost English Girl “will hook readers from the first page” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

©2023 Julia Kelly. All rights reserved. (P)2023 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Informative and intriguing.

Loved the story! It gave me insight challenges on the home front during the war. Those evacuees had to be especially courageous but I ached for the parents too.

Amazing! I finished it last week and can’t stop thinking about it g about it!

Can’t think of a thing! Really!my favorite book so far this year! I loved the other Julia Kelly book that I had the opportunity to read as well…. Called The Last Garden in England. I will purchase the hard copy for my library :)

Great historical fiction

Wonderful telling of the tragedies and sacrifices made during WWII...I lived Viv and her heroism.

surely one of my 2024 favorites

I can't say enough about this historical fiction account of one little girl sent out of London during WWII. I've often wondered about those children, most of whom were gone from home for 5 years or more. Were they loved by their foster families, or were they cheap forced labor? And what if the foster family didn't want to give a child back? What if a child lived in luxury in the country and didn't want to return to London? After all, a young child might not even remember her real parents at all. JK addresses some of these questions in this excellent novel. And the 2 narrators are absolutely outstanding.

Outstanding

I didn’t want it to end. I learned so much about WW 2 Liverpool and evacuees, unwed mothers and Catholics

The historical aspect

I loved the story and the way it moved from one view to another protagonist

Realistic Without Being Maudlin

A really interesting story that provided insight into a time during WWll when children were evacuated to the countryside for safety. Viv and Joshua were also very realistic, flawed but redeemable. Maggie, their daughter was both a lovely and engaging child but also with typical childish reactions to her feelings of abandonment. That the foster parents tried to lure her away from her Mum with nice clothes and a pony to ride was also a touch of reality.

The additional conflict between religions, the rigid nature of the Catholics (Vic’s parents) vs the seeming warmth of the Levinsons who were Jewish probably reflected how difficult was a mixed marriage.

The ending was positive but not smarmy.

The Audible version adding the lovely British accents made for an entertaining and interesting story.

Wonderful Story!

loved this story I couldn't wait for my drives to work and him just to listen to it. the male voice actor is a little breathy for my liking, but I loved the story so much I pushed through it. he just always sounded out of breath lol

Mary’s

Very good book. Different perspective of WW II from the mother’s view. Hard to put down

The story was believable

I was about a third of the way through the book before I was so engaged in the outcome of the story that I couldn’t put it down. I enjoy historical fiction and reading about the English home front experience during World War II was very interesting.