Daughters of Liverpool

By: Annie Groves

Narrated by: Maggie Ollerenshaw

Evocative and heartrending saga of Liverpool during World War Two, from the author of AS TIME GOES BY – rising star Annie Groves

Katie’s full of trepidation as she arrives in Liverpool. It’s her first posting and her work will be so secret that she can’t even speak about it to the family she’s billeted with. She makes it clear that she’s here to do her bit for the war effort, not to flirt with the many servicemen based at the nearby barracks.

Which is just fine with Luke, son of the household and battle-scarred veteran of Dunkirk. He’s had his heart broken already by a flighty nurse. His mother can’t help worry about him – but she’s got more than enough on her plate with her youngest children, the teenage twins, who don’t see why a war should stop them having fun and achieving their ambition to go on the stage. Then the bombs begin to rain in Liverpool in earnest and everyone, from oldest to youngest, must realise what matters most in life.

Critic reviews

Praise for Annie Groves:

‘An engrossing story’ My Weekly

‘A stirring and heartrending family saga…Against a backdrop of change when the suffragette movement was coming to the fore, the choices and dreams of a generation of women combine to create this passionate story’ Liverpool Daily Post

‘Heartwrenching and uplifting in equal measure – a tragic indictment of what can happen when you swap passion for duty. Roll on the sequel!’ Take a Break

‘Written from the heart’ My Weekly

very enjoyable

i loved the characters, i could have wished the writer had gone deeper into each of their lives. i think perhaps she does not know how good a writer she is, there sometimes seemed to be a lack of trust in her own ability to go deeper. she enters the psychology of her characters but does not continue exploring.

there are several romances going on against the backdrop of the liverpool bombing raids, yet it is much more than a book of wartime romances, nothing is really easy and it is written in a realistic way. there is nothing silly about this book or the characters, though there are certainly some silly women inside the book. they are entertaining and make a nice contrast for the more serious, likeable characters.

i read on amazon that this is part of a series, but the book stood alone well enough. only one of the characters seemed unfinished to me. i will listen to it again some day and be happy to revisit some nice women whom i would like to have known in real life.