We Must Be Brave

2.5 Stars – Rounded Divided into multiple sections, each narrated with Ellen’s voice and taking place during the war, the aftermath and the years that brought Ellen to be the woman she was. Plot and layout wise, the sections often were clever if unevenly paced, and the flipping back and forth with present and remembered or hoped for moments tended to highlight that unevenness. Unfortunately, that uneven pacing led to a general disillusionment with the book – once put down I was loathe to pick it up and start again. Part of the issue, I think, arises from the author’s determination to correlate her own personal losses to that of Ellen, and to repeatedly pick at that wound of loss and deprivation until it became a hammer banging repeatedly: when you think it’s a happy moment, the hammer drops again and everything is turned into yet another moment for Ellen to wallow and perseverate. Sadly, and I say this because the concept was wonderful and probably not too farfetched from reality – especially with the evacuations of children to the counties during the Blitz. And Liardet’s writing is rather conversational and descriptive, if not lending itself completely to character development. It was another of the many titles I’ve read that are ‘home front’ stories from the war, not perfect but a read that requires patience and a willingness to pick it up repeatedly after taking a break. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.