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Publisher's Summary
The National Best Seller
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.
"This stirring debut will work its way indelibly into your heart." (Georgia Hunter, author of We Were the Lucky Ones)
A woman. A war. The child who changed everything.
December 1940. In the disorderly evacuation of Southampton, England, newly married Ellen Parr finds a small child asleep on the backseat of an empty bus. No one knows who little Pamela is.
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 this is true: Ellen doesn't want children. She wants only Pamela. Three golden years pass as the Second World War rages on. Then one day, Pamela is taken away, screaming. 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.
What the critics say
"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)
“Vividly portrayed.... Liardet reminds us that mother-daughter love can arise from thrown-together hearts during the cruelest rubble of war. Through every scene, we see the tattered socks, the doll faces, the honey-smells of baby skin, but mostly we feel the strength and endurance of heart-crushing love. The war and weather-etched faces and life-long relationships of the villagers show us that real family has little to do with worn down definitions. This is a powerful story that proves how love itself requires courage.” (Delia Owens, New York Times best-selling author of Where the Crawdads Sing)
“Moving.... Readers will be captivated by Ellen’s story, which is bolstered by a swift plot and characters who realistically and memorably grow.” (Publishers Weekly)
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What members say
Average Customer Ratings
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Janice
- 2019-05-06
Best by far
I am an audible addict and have been happy with all my book choices. But I have to say that We Must Be Brave is my favorite. Great performances and a wonderfully moving story.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2019-03-17
Great Book
story was great could listen to more.Narration was wonderful to listen too. Will look for more from the author.l
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Gretchen
- 2019-03-03
Mostly Wonderful
The first 2/3 of the book was rich and detailed, character driven and beautifully narrated, but suddenly the story leapt over huge chunks of time & the details became vague & sparse. I felt frustrated with both the main characters towards the end and neither narrator sounded natural doing the voices for their aged character.
4 of 6 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- georgia
- 2019-08-19
Lacked depth
A lovely story that appears to accurately describe the time period in which it is set, reflective of good research on the part of the author. It was however somewhat lacking in plot. Also, I’m confused as to why neither tried to contact the other in all the time they were apart.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Whitney
- 2019-08-02
Beautiful
Lovely story and beautifully narrated. Brought tears it was such a great book. Must read.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- NICK J.
- 2019-07-11
Disappointed
I felt there wasn't enough detailing with the main characters. Too many side characters that left my mind wandering.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sheila McCormick
- 2019-07-02
10 stars
If I could’ve given it 10 stars overall, 10 for performance, 10 for the story, I would’ve.
Thank you Frances Liardet and to the narrators. superb!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- saborbuddy
- 2019-06-11
I wanted more
This was a marvelous book. I only wanted to know more about Pamela and her life I can see a second book possibly.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Cindy Fuston
- 2019-06-08
A nice read
I enjoy books of this era. I was pulled in immediately with the first chapter. Some of the book midway through was a little wordy, but overall a good listen. My only disappointment was why on earth did the older Pamela sound like a gruff smoker. I also wish the last chapter was a little longer.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tomi Ryan
- 2019-06-05
Every word was a feast to me
This is one of my most enjoyable books in the audible books I have been listening to over the last couple of years! It was poetry!