Queen of the Mersey

by Maureen Lee

Book by Lee, Maureen

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, World War II

448 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2004

About the author

Maureen Lee was born in Bootle, England, UK, near Liverpool during the World War II. She attended Commercial College and became a shorthand typist. She married Richard, and they had three sons, now adults. The last years the marriage lives in Colchester, Essex.

During years, she published over one hundred and fifty short-stories, before published her first novel Lila in 1983. She continued published dramatic historical sagas mainly setting in Liverpool since 1994. In 2000, her novel Dancing in the Dark won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association.

Reviews

[Shirley Revill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many of Maureen Lee's books and this is one of my favourites. Easy to read but very hard to put down.

[Vanshika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the book up until we entered 1954. I had the following problems:

1. Roddy is a garbage person. The author tries to justify his actions, but all he is is a terrible guy.

2. Hester and Mary. So, I get the whole Mary being spoiled and wanting everything that Hester wants. It's just what their characters represent that pissed me off. Mary is the makeup-wearing, sex-having, attention-seeking girl while Hester is the perfect, beautiful, modest virgin.

3. Hester was the only character that was entirely second dimensional. Mary Sue alert.

4. Calling abortion murder. This book pretends to be pro-choice, but entirely anti-abortion. I would get incredibly annoyed anytime the subject was brought up because apparently a character was being a 'bitch' because she was considering an abortion. They literally called it murder.

5. In the last 40 pages, I was skimming. The whole 'will you give me a child' was so ridiculous that the end was bordering on funny.

[Sophia Loves to read · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has got to be my most favourite Maureen Lee book so far . Goes through the whole life of Queenie ! Must read book .

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable book, it kept my interest although I preferred the section set during the second world war. The story spans about 35 years, and is focused on a small group of friends from Liverpool. The book is mostly about the friendships between the women, Vera, Laura, Queenie, Mary and Hester. and they are there for each other through some very tough times.

[Lyn Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just loved this book, one of the best Maureen Lee has written
It is a real page turner and hard to put down

[Alison Gray]

another great read.....maybe not quite as good as her usual war time tales but good all the same!

[Caroline Mcphail-Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful family saga of love, life, birth, death, war, generations, in Liverpool, at the beginning of WWII and well beyond the middle of the 20th century.

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been awhile since I read Maureen Lee. I mostly enjoyed her books but there are a few that sort of annoyed me. Like she can't let a nice female character have a happy ending. It happened in her Liverpool blitz series and again in this book.1. In part one I actually loved it. The book centers around five women starting in summer 1939. Vera, middle aged mother of nine, eight boys and one daughter, Mary who is six when the story begins. Vera has lived in Liverpool her whole life. Laura in her early twenties, a vicar's daughter forced to flee after she got pregnant by her wealthy boyfriend Roddy. They eventually end up in Liverpool with their daughter Hester, who's the same age as Mary. And finally Queenie in her teens who lives above Laura's family is basically her mother's slave. Agnes her mother's abusive and Queenie struggles with a crippled arm that her mother broke and didn't let heal properly. Queenie's mother takes off for London leaving her daughter to fall on the mercy of Laura's family. The war begins, Roddy goes to fight, the three young girls are sent to Wales, Laura gets a job as a riveter and Roddy goes from nice loving husband to total a-hole which continues for the rest of the book. Queenie makes friends with Jimmy who I liked, but sadly she has a horrific experience while in Wales. She also has her arm fixed as a result of that horrifying event and returns to England after the war more confident. Roddy returns and I hated him. I wish Laura had granted him his divorce and ran off with Ben who actually loved her. Queenie is portrayed as sweet and kind hearted but her choices had me changing my mind on her. She came across as awfully self righteous considering what she was doing and who she was with throughout the book. They did Laura dirty in this book. I mostly liked her except taking Roddy back. Her fate both saddened and angered me. Mary is awful a spoiled brat made better by the fact that her own daughter grew up the same. Hester and Vera were the only ones I truly liked throughout. Theo was annoying. I do hate that line but she's your mother! Yeah she also tossed me down the stairs and didn't take me to the hospital to fix my broken arm, then left me to starve in order to run off with a man. Then one of the characters utter the ridiculous contradictory statement abortion is murder, I agree with women getting them but it is murder. Huh? That makes no sense. Pro life people are against it because it is murder and pro choice people say its not because the baby hasn't formed into anything, at least according to the vitriol online. But to say you know it's murder but you agree with it makes no sense. I think that was Hester that said it so I guess Vera is the only good one in this book. Honestly once 1954 starts this book is garbage. It was interesting and engaging but no one was likeable by the end after Vera died. I hate how Queenie ended up. She deserved better since she started as a great character, but boy did she make dumb choices. She also pissed me off by telling Hester she couldn't name her daughter after her mother because it upset her whiny bitch of a father who was the main cause or catalyst for what happened to Laura so maybe she doesn't deserve better. Roddy ending up with a woman he was almost a father figure to eww. I'm glad this wasn't my first Maureen Lee as it would've been my last and I'd have missed out on some great stories. This book was disappointing and rage inducing and Vera and Laura were the only good characters.

[HM Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. So down to earth and so many strong characters. Wonderful

[Jean St.Amand · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as I enjoyed the book, it seemed to go on forever.

[Swan Bender · Rating 5 out of 5]

Queen of the Mersey is a family saga revolving around the friendship between Queenie, Laura and Vera three Liverpool women and their children Mary and Hester. The story opens up on the brink of WWII in Liverpool where Laura is living with her boyfriend and their illegitimate daughter Hester. She meets Vera a motherly housewife and they establish a friendship.
In the flat above Laura a drunk abusive woman lives with her daughter Queenie. One day the drunk leaves with a rich pimp abandoning 14 year old Queenie. Laura takes in Queenie and they become friends. After Laura's husband Roddy joins up, Laura and Vera send their daughters with Queenie to be evacuated in Wales. The girls live in a house that once was an old school. After a tragic incident which changes Queenie's life forever and involves all three girls, they return to Liverpool trying to forget.
In Liverpool the story revolves around Queenie but the two other girls develop relationships interwoven with each other's lives and the challenges inherent with love and loss.
I enjoyed this author, the family saga and this bit of history.

[Louise Lacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

No book has ever made me have a sharp intake of breath then Queen of the Mersey whilst reading about Laura's suicide. Although expected it was still a shock that this once sophisticated, hard working, friendly lady could resort to such measures. But it was the death of Vera that upset me the most, again this Maureen Lee tale left me wanting more but I was quite satisfied with the overall outcome but oh I will miss Queenie I think she is by far my favourite character of all the Maureen Lee novels that I have read!

[Theresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

What started as a fascinating tale about strong women during WW2, rapidly deteriorated into a shallow, contrived story that smacked of Danielle Steel. Don't be duped like I was by any synopsis of this book that describes it as an "examination of female friendships during the second world war." There was no examination of anything.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like it. Characters were poorly defined and not remotely memorable. They had unbelievable changes of personalities, and I was never sure who was likeable and who wasn't. I will not be reading any more of this author's books. Life's too short to read mediocre/bad books.

[Katherine Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fab book. First one of Maureen Lee's books that I have read. Great characters. You cared what happened to them. Will certainly read another.

[Lucy Dixon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got to page 200 and something and simply lost interest. Where's the plot?

[Aarti]

False

[Michellelouise Harris White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love this authors books ,It was a good read but I feel she skipped some parts that I would of liked to read.However I enjoyed it as I always do

[Layla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this story.

[karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all the other Maureen Lee books set in Liverpool during the war years, this one kept me reading and pulled me into the lives of the characters as few authors are able to do.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply wonderful. The story spans the whole life, almost, of Queenie, who at the beginning of the novel, you'd think wouldn't be such a main character. I completely invested in the storyline, forgiving the pie in the sky aspects as it was just so touching. The strength of women, young and old, the struggles and hardships during wartime and after make this book a must-read. There's something to resonate with every reader.

[BooksByCC · Rating 4 out of 5]

"For my agent, Julia Burton, with love"

At 14 years old Queenie found herself abandoned by her mother. Ill equipped to look after herself;Scared, hungry and lonely. She had to make a plan; a survival plan.

Often woman are forced into situations that should break us, but we we're not built to break.

Hello Book Buddies 🌸 If you come across Queenie, enjoy, I loved it

[Mandy Marr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was gifted this book and thought it wasn't really for me but started to read it as had run out of my own choice. How wrong was I. This book grabbed me from the start and held on to me to the massive 500 some pages later. Great characters, gritty realistic storylines of life through and beyond the 2WW. Excellent

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has to be one of my favourites of Maureen Lee. He stories are all around Liverpool and around the time of the second world war. This book starts in 1939 and ends in the 80s and follows 3 women and their lives. I cried a few times.

[Rosemary Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maureen Lee, Oh what can I say? I love everything about they way she takes the reader on a journey. Just brilliant!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Research that went into this book must have been amazing to do. This is a side of the children that sadly get caught up in the War and all that it brings them. Really great read.

[gemma scruton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read, however the book covers a large timeframe which means gaps in story, a lot of the bigger details happen in the gaps. maybe would of been better written as a series of books?!?

[Rowlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Maureen Lee novel.

[Yella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend gifted this paperback to me. I have read it 3 times since. Roller-coaster of emotions and my heart smiled at the end!

[Novelle Novels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book by the author that spans a lot of years but sees the women grow.