Through the Storm

Pearl Street #3

by Maureen Lee

The third novel in bestseller Maureen Lee's outstanding Liverpool sequence about family life during World War II

Two years of war have taken a terrible toll on Pearl Street, Liverpool. German bombs have reduced some houses to rubble and most of the inhabitants have lost friends and family. While sisters Eileen and Sheila share the anxious burden of absent husbands, the conflict for others brings excitement and freedom.

Kitty Quigley, stuck at home for years with an invalid father, is forced to register for war work and is delighted to become an auxiliary nurse. And Jessica Fleming, struggling to earn a living, finds herself and friend Rita increasingly drawn to the glamour and excitement of the Yanks.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, British Literature, War, Historical, World War II, Romance

464 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1998

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

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having only read the previous book in this series recently I was looking forward to catching up with the characters from Pearl Street. I enjoyed the story although not as much as Put out the Fires. This book focused on Kitty and Jessica and their many relationships. I love the setting, the closeness of the neighbours and how their lives are linked, and how they always seem to be in and out of each others houses. I was disappointed that this book doesn't mention Ruth, who I assume still lives in Pearl Street, after the last book I wanted to know how life was going for her.
All in all a good easy read, but a bit of a strange ending to the series.

[Emma Gerts · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book didn't really wow me. It's not really the sort of book I generally like, but I could have put that aside if it was well written. Unfortunately, I found the writing uninspiring and the characters uninteresting. I couldn't really care about them or their troubles. A lot of the important events in the book felt like they were skimmed over. The author unfortunately has a habit of telling me what the characters are thinking and feeling, rather than showing any real emotion, and as such I was unable to really connect with them. I didn't really care what happened to them, and despite a few apparently emotional events over the course of the book, absolutely no emotion was stirred in me by these events. This book wasn't terrible, but it was overall fairly uninspiring.

[Gillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in Liverpool, England. This book draws you in to the lives of people living on Pearl Street in World War II. This book is so well written you feel like you are actually living on Pearl Street. Couldn't put it down.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good ending to a good trilogy. Everything wrapped up really nicely.

[Redfox5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book kept me company on the 4 hour Thomson flight to La Palma. I sometimes struggle to focus on anything when I'm flying but I sat and read this for the entire flight. Then I finished reading it in Sunny La Palma (see photo for the wonderful view I enjoyed when I happened to look up from the book) which is about as far removed for Liverpool as you can get!

I do love a good war time story. I'm not really interested in battles, bores the hell out of me but I love the 'Home front' stories. People getting on with their lives despite everything that is going on around them. I liked all the characters in this, though I wish we could have touched on Rita's story more. She felt more like a side character than a main one. I would read Maureen Lee again.

[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Maureen Lee as she doesnt disappoint with this book. I didnt realise this was third in a series so i will hunt down the first two to read as well. A great book although i wanted more depth in some of the characters but perhaps if i read the previous two i will get that? But having said that it proves you can easily read this book without having read the previous books. Great story of wartime Britain.

[Sonulik Slonikova · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book depicts the lives of those who stayed at home during the WW2 - wives, children, grandfathers. It unfolds nicely and describes one specific street at the outskirts of Liverpool. We get to know how difficult it was for everyone who had to stay at home, live through some severe attacks from the Germans, deal with the rationing, worry about their relatives who were fighting in the war (navy or RAF mainly), never knowing whether they would be able to see their husbands, sweethearts, children again. The book mainl focuses on the story of two women - Kitty and Jessica.
For me, this book was pleasant to read. I like reading "wartime" books but not really about fighting, I rather stick to those depicting the lives of those "left behind". The story got me and kept me entertained, even kept me reading until 3 a.m actually, which is enough to say about the storyline, I guess. This book was nothing special though and no great literary quality can be expected. It can only be enjoyed as a relaxing book with some background info about the life in the UK back then.

[Rhea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book because of its simplistic approach towards story writing making it easier to understand the complexities of different characters involved - their imperfections, moments of weakness along with their admirable qualities. The book gives us a glimpse of how wars changed societies and shaped the lives of common people. It highlights the win of humanity in the midst of loss and chaos through the underlying theme of neighborhood love and acceptance of characters despite their obvious flaws. The book eases the reader into the lives of the characters as they make mistakes, feel guilt and attempt to move onto better things. The lack of dramatism does not bore. It's a relaxing read and leaves you hopeful in the end.

[MRS S PUSEY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly uplifting story

The people's lives in Liverpool must have been very hard during the war days to have the horrendous bombing campaign like they did when or where the bombs would drop and yet they always banded together to help one another even their food rations they shared even when they all had so little you couldn't want for better people.This story was full of happiness,Sadness,romance all rolled into one,Truly amazing Maureen Lee is a brilliant author i would recommend all her books to avid readers.

[Anne Gillespie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maureen Lee has been my favourite author for years and I miss her writing. I found her book, Lights out Liverpool in a vintage bookstore and then I found book 2, Put out the Fires and also book 3 Through the Storm on Goodreads. The story revolves around interesting characters who are also close neighbours on Pearl Street in Liverpool, England during the Second World War.The story just pulls you in to their daily lives which include love, loss and unselfish acts. I finished all three books within 10 days and loved them all.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, I was a little disappointed in this. The fifth of Maureen Lees novels I've read and it didn't have the same depth of character as the others I've enjoyed so much. I didn't 'fall in love' with the characters. The main character, kitty, didn't pull me in, sadly. Not a bad story as a follow in in the Pearl St series, but sorry, no wow factor. Rita & Jess had a bit more about them, and was nice to catch up with Eileen & Sheila.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good this is the last book in the series. I believe I read them out of order as I read them years ago and did know know it was a triple book set all very god books worth reading if you like ww2 fictions

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read from Maureen Lee
A romance about the lives of the lives of women and families during the blitz in Bootle , Merseyside
Very much enjoyed it

[Tracey Carnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great bpok

I'm really sad to have now finished these books.I have enjoyed them all so much.just going to find myself a new book from Maureen Lee

[carole bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like all Maureen Lee books it is compelling till the end.

[Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third and last book of the Pearl Street series, loved them all although the first is my favourite. Well recommend for easy comfy reading.

[Natalie McLagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this author.

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

What was the final and now is the third book in the Pearl Street series, has a much lighter tone than Put out the Fires did. Though the war is still going on and yes there are still tragedies, people die, go missing and are injured, Through the Storm takes place after the brutal events of the Blitz which occurred in the previous book. This time around Eileen is a background character living out in the countryside. Jessica from book one reappears after deciding she can't stand living out in the country and needs to be back in Liverpool where the action is. Kitty Quigley becomes one of the main storylines. Dedicated to caring for her father who claims to be an invalid after a work accident, having given up on ever getting married and having a family of her own she is forced into war work and becomes a nursing auxiliary. Also in the story but not really a major character is Rita Mott a known party girl who rents a garage out to Jessica who wants to sell cars and bicycles to earn her own money. To add to the mix the Americans enter the war and soon flood the streets of Liverpool to the dismay or some and the joy of others. I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. Remembering how heavy and sad Put out the Fires was, I wondered if this would be more the same and while not everyone ended up with a happily ever after ending, no one did really as the war still has two years to go at the end of the book, it showed how life went on despite rationing, bombing and anxiety of having loved ones in danger. I was actually laughing out loud at certain parts of the story. Favourite scenes and storylines include the junior championship football game where Sheila and Brenda muse over why the players need numbers on their backs, to the supposedly crippled Jimmy coaching the team alongside a very competitive nun who yells and cheers at the sidelines. Jack Reilly having a loud debate over communism with a wounded man in a hospital to the terror of the nursing staff not to mention other patients. As this was meant to be the final book in the series everything appears to be wrapped up at the end, however it's not really as it's only 1943 and I'm glad that there will be one more to hopefully tie up any loose ends left by this book, who gets married, has children, who comes home from the war, who doesn't, and especially after reading this story, which if any of them are going to move to America when all this is over?

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful wartime saga telling the stories of the characters who live on Pearl street in 1941 and their experiences of life during the war. There is Jessica Fleming, unhappily married with her husband Arthur, curator of a museum in the lake district and who is desperate to get back to Liverpool and leave Arthur in pursuit of the man she had an affair with and who made her pregnant after a barren marriage to Arthur and who teams up with the local party girl Rita Mott when she takes over Rita's husband's garage in a desperate bid to have an income after leaving the insipid Arthur.
There is Kitty Quigley stuck at home with her invalid father and who has been drafted to do war work and a whole host of other characters with interconnecting stories.
What makes this author's work very realistic as there is not happy endings for ALL of the characters as is true to life during times of war, they are all living uncertain futures and this is reflected in the way they live and the decisions they make within the novel.
A charming story I couldn't put down and an overall great read for lovers of wartime dramas.

[Sharon Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good 3rd book in the Pearl street series. Eileen takes a back seat in this last book, and is in the background. This last book was not full of really exciting events, but was more of a nice read about some new characters and some old characters. I really enjoyed reading the trilogy, I feel I have been on a long journey through a time that is now gone. Maureen Lee as always never disappoints!!

[Claire]

Currently reading this book the third in the Pearl street trilogy equally page turning as the characters stories unfurl

[Pat Langhelt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant book in the Pearl Street story

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third and final one in the Pearl Street series. Brilliant. Excellent ending with the end if the war in sight. A pleasure to read.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read following these families once again.

[Emma Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't disappoint! Loved it!

[Hayley Swithers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely, lovely story. I have read this book twice now. I love Maureen Lee's books.

[Yvonne Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing as always - Maureen never disappoints I love her style of writing it takes you into the book and you feel you know the characters personally.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book from this author

[Roxie Gallinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by another awesome writer that grabs you in from the very first page...Bravo!!!

[Prabhu Pant · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is more of a book that I would like to read if I want to feel light and not immerse myself in some serious story.