We Must Be Brave

De: Frances Liardet

Narrado por: Jayne Entwistle, Juliet Mills

The New York Times best seller

"A powerful story that proves how love itself requires courage." (Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing)

Spanning the sweep of the 20th century, We Must Be Brave explores the fierce love that we feel for our children and the power of that love to endure. Beyond distance, beyond time, beyond life itself.

A woman. A war. The child who changed everything.

December 1940. As German bombs fall on Southampton, England, during World War II, the city's residents flee to the surrounding villages. In Upton village, amid the chaos, newly married Ellen Parr finds a girl asleep, unclaimed at the back of an empty bus. Little Pamela, it seems, is entirely alone.

Ellen has always believed she does not want children, but when she takes Pamela into her home, the child cracks open the past Ellen thought she had escaped and the future she and her husband, Selwyn, had dreamed for themselves. As the war rages on, love grows where it was least expected, surprising them all. But with the end of the fighting comes the realization that Pamela was never theirs to keep. Spanning the sweep of the 20th century, We Must Be Brave explores the fierce love that we feel for our children and the power of that love to endure. Beyond distance, beyond time, beyond life itself.

©2019 Frances Liardet (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Poignant and absorbing." (People)

"Be prepared to surrender - to Liardet's gorgeous prose, her haunting storyline, and the question that will lodge in your heart long after you’ve finished: What would I have done? For anyone who has ever loved a child, this stirring debut will work its way indelibly into the folds of your memory, and of your heart." (Georgia Hunter, New York Times best-selling author of We Were the Lucky Ones)

"Dazzling... As a testament to parental love and its relationship to the heartbreaking, healing, almost ungraspable passage of time, We Must Be Brave is a great success: richly observed, lovingly drawn, and determinedly clear-eyed to the last." (Guardian UK)

heartbreakingly beautiful

this beautiful story was made all the better by an absolutely stunning reading. 5 easy stars.

Unusual Story of WW2 Love and Heartbreak

I almost stopped listening to this story about 3 hours in because of a scene at the railroad collecting pieces of coal.
There was a totally unnecessary scene filled with crudities and bad language. I decided to overlook it and hope there was not a repeat of the language and incident later. I am glad I went on .
This was a rather complex story of Love loss and friendship.
It did drag a little in parts but well worth finishing. I loved the Selwyn and William characters. Other minor characters were well
developed and added greatly to the story. The narrator was very good.

Exquisite writing and performance

The reviews that say the story rushes suddenly forward then slows again with large blocks of time quickly run through and others that wind along slowly are accurate. However, the style of writing is so poetic and I found the characters well developed and enjoyable that I was able to see past the gaps and understand the possible reason for them. I don’t disagree that at times the details of what seemed to be of less importance did sometime drag out to tangents and I did want more of a reunion to occur, I did get much more of a sense of who Ellyn was and became as well as the other characters’ involvement with her over time. I liked that it was a love story of child and mother rather than adults. The difficulty these characters endured seemed realistic as did the way they pushed themselves past the challenges. And I was never depressed by their stories nor did I feel like they were played up as heroines even though the incredible hardship they faced is unimaginable to me living now.
The performance was outstanding. Probably the best I’ve heard in all the books I’ve listened to over the years with audible.

...

It was a good story but I did struggle a little bit to stay engaged, especially about 3/4 of the way through. I stuck with it though hopeful for a sweet ending and I'm glad I did.

Don't miss this thoughtful book

Taking the time to be tenderly kind to others builds valuable relationships. Valuable book. Beautifully read.

Sweet love story

The love of a mother us unmatched, even when she has never given birth to a child.

Like a friend or loved one that you cannot forget.

This story and its characters will grab you by the heart and not let go!

Brilliant nostalgic history of wartime Britain

I enjoyed this book so much and could feel the hardships of the war and the indomitable courage and loss of those that survived it. Beautifully written and recorded

An exceptional listen

The narrator excellently tells a tale of heartbreak and kindness. I loved their voices. The story is solid and easy to follow while offering deep insight to difficult situations and fate. One of my favorite listens to date.

Very slow and anticlimactic

I always feel as if I must finish a book I’ve started. I kept on with this book hoping for a good turn of events or any type of climax to the story. It never came to be. I actually found it a bit odd and very slow.