We Must Be Brave

A child left behind.

A country at war.

A love that endures a lifetime.

'This is storytelling at its best' Sarah Winman
'The perfect book club read' AJ Pearce
'Dazzling... fierce, physical and almost inexpressibly tender' Guardian

Ellen Parr has always been sure she never wanted children. But when she finds a young girl asleep and unclaimed at the back of a bus fleeing the Blitz in Southampton, everything she once believed is overturned.

As she takes Pamela into her home, the little girl cracks open the past Ellen thought she had escaped and the future she thought she wanted, for in uncertain times it seems the only certainty is love.

But with the end of the fighting comes the realization that Pamela was never hers to keep...

We Must Be Brave is an epic and intensely moving novel about the ways we rescue one other, and the astonishing tenacity of the human heart.

Genre: Historical

"We Must Be Brave by Frances Liardet is a beautifully written story that explores love, loss, resilience, and the bonds of motherhood over the course of the 20th century. A sweeping, heartfelt novel about what it means to truly love a child." - Jillian Cantor

"We Must Be Brave is outstanding: such fine, fine writing, and such a steady, unsentimental gaze at human relationships in all their toughness and fragility. I adored this novel, and will be pressing it into people's hands at every opportunity." - Shelley Harris

"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

"Oh, I loved this book so much! It’s strikingly authentic, beautifully written, and a wonderfully touching depiction of the families people create for themselves when blood relatives let them down. It broke my heart and glued it together again. Just perfect." - Jill Mansell

"We Must Be Brave is a wonderful novel. A beautifully written story of love and loss, with thoughtfully crafted characters and so much to think about long after you’ve finished reading it. It is one of those novels you can talk about for hours – the perfect book club read." - AJ Pearce

"This is storytelling at its best. Wise, generous and captivating." - Sarah Winman