by Pam Howes
Bookouture
Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction
Pub Date 26 Jul 2017
FTC Reviewed ARC for Bookouture and Net Galley
Description
The war is over – but are their troubles just beginning?
It’s 1951 and rationing is finally coming to an end. But while Liverpool is recovering from the ferocity of war, a family is about to be torn apart…
Dora Rodgers is adjusting to a new life in Liverpool with her young daughters Carol and Jackie. After the fear of the war years and a difficult break up with her husband Joe, Dora is finally building a future with her children.
But then an unexpected knock at the door rips her family in two.
To Dora’s horror, Carol is taken away by a welfare officer to live with Joe. She is determined to fight for her child, but when a tragic accident leaves her mother in the hospital, and shocking news from Joe breaks her heart again, she struggles to cope.
With her family in pieces and her marriage over for good, will Dora ever manage to get her daughter Carol home where she belongs?
The Forgotten Family of Liverpool is a brave and tear-jerking story of one woman’s quest to protect her family. Perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries, Annie Murray, and Kitty Neale.
My Thoughts
I truly enjoy receiving books to review like this because I find new authors I love to read. The cover is beautiful but it was the writing that made me fall in love with this book.
From the first chapter, I was lured into Dora Rodger's life. Dora's living with her two daughters recently separated from her husband Joe and finds someone has filed a bogus report against her. Daughter Carol is taken away and Joe is raising her. As a result, Dora and daughter Jackie move in with Dora's Mam for a spell. That is until Dora decides she really must find a place of their own.
Dora's brother Frank agrees to assist her in the move. Frank is all alone now. He was married to Dora's best friend, Joanie. But, Joanie was tragically killed in Palmer's Factory fire a few years prior.
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The move to a new location poses its own issues for Dora. Sure she has a good neighbor in Vi. But, then there are those neighbor's like the 'Ugly Sisters'. Dora tries to pay them no mind, and go about finding work that will pay better than the few customers she's sewing for.
One morning, on her way to the cemetery, Dora, again, sees the woman wandering around in the long black coat. When Dora gets to Joanie's gravesite, she finds dead flowers and a terribly wicked note. Dora puts fresh flowers on Joanie's grave and later tells her Mam about the note.
Dora takes a job at Samuel Jacobs Drapery Store working for Sammy and Esther. They are a nice older couple that makes clothing and costumes for the theatre. They allow Dora to work her skills in sketching designs to put in the shop window. ( Yes, by page 63 I know I'm totally in LOVE with this book. And honestly - it just keeps getting better.)
Later in the story, Frank stops by to give Dora distressing news. Their Mam has a head injury and is in the hospital. And soon after this, Dora learns who the lady in the black coat is and why Carol was taken away. Dora's been thinking she might try and reconcile with Joe and then she learns of his terrible news.
My Conclusion
Relationships play a HUGE part throughout this story. I love when authors can get a historical time period to feel authentic and everything about this story felt perfect.
The characters themselves, are all so well written that I feel this would make an excellent movie. And it would be good to see one of this era on screen. When I finally arrive at the back of the book I realize this was the second part of a trilogy. And, I'm floored. This book was perfect and a trilogy is well worth the read and would allow for a great mini-series. I haven't read anything else by Pam Howes but I'll be checking out more of her books in the near future.