The Seven Streets of Liverpool

by Maureen Lee

Liverpool, 1942. As the residents of Pearl Street prepare for Christmas, adversity and tragedy bring them ever closer together. A powerful new saga from the bestselling author of AFTER THE WAR IS OVER.

Eileen is worried about the growing distance between herself and her RAF husband since he was seriously injured. Why does Nick find every excuse to stay in London on his weekends off, not returning to his loving wife and gorgeous little boy in Liverpool?

Lena Newton has longed for a baby of her own but, with her husband posted overseas with the Navy, it's looking unlikely. Lena's lonely days are brightened by visits to the cinema with her neighbour, Mr Ransome, until a familiar face returns to Pearl Street...

Since she discovered her American lover was already married, Kitty has hidden away, too ashamed to return to Pearl Street in disgrace with her baby. Finally facing her fears - and her old friends and neighbours - Kitty learns that life has one more surprise in store for her.

As the final years of the war are played out, Pearl Street sees friendships forged, hearts broken, babies born and the most joyful of reunions.

Once again SUNDAY TIMES Top 10 bestseller Maureen Lee brings to life the small Liverpool street where everyone has a key on a string in their letter box, in case a friend is in need...

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, British Literature

343 pages, Paperback

First published March 27, 2014

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]

Loved this series of books and this one was no exception. Highly recommended.

[Kellyanne Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book but found it confusing due to the number of characters in the book. I found it disjointed at times as it didn't flow. Overall I did enjoy the middle section of the book, set in wartime Britain, it followed the trials and tribulations of various families in a street in Liverpool. I personally didn't like how the book started or ended. However I would suggest it is definitely is worth a read. This is the first book I have read by Maureen Lee but I will be interested to read other books by this author.

[Reb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it, just as much as all of her other books.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historically accuracy wise, I think this has a lot of truth to it but it also misses things out like the agricultural rules and the government’s attitudes towards having your own vegetable gardens. But besides that, this is a very good character driven story that is *so Liverpool*. And I looked up about the seven streets of Liverpool and that is true as well. Things you learn!

I really enjoyed this story. I think the epilogue has the same problem all epilogues do, they always feel a bit rushed after a long story that introduces you to the ins and outs of the central characters but this one works better than most. Still feels rushed, but still does the characters justice.

It might just be me, but I finished this book fighting back tears. Despite some parts not being my kind of thing, I really liked this book. These characters feel like real people, their stories feel like... like a friend’s just told me about their family history.

It’s the Liverpool of my grandparents and parents generation.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories within stories within stories made this a great read. Very believable characters and settings.

[Sarah Burridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book to read kept me interested all the way through unable to tell which way it would end

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the middle of this book, dealing with the wartime years, much more than the bookended parts about the reunion on Millennium Eve. The parts dealing with the reunion seemed to deal with characters that were a footnote in the main part of the book, which - along with the constant change of narrator/point of view - was confusing and made the beginning/end of the book hard to follow.

That said, it was a good read and I recommend it if you like this sort of book.

[Laura Baugh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poor. I have read the first 3 books of this 4 book series and thoroughly enjoyed them. However I felt as if I was reading about Pearl street in an alternative universe. The story lines and some of the challenges where so different it was hard to read. The author also forgot how many children one of the lead characters had! Sheila Reilly during the first 3 books had Dominic, Niall, Caitlin, Siobhan, Ryan and Mary. That’s 6 children. At the end of book 3 she is pregnant again. Book 4 starts with said child now 18 months old and is named Oona, and during the first few chapters of book 4 has Mollie. That’s 8. The author spends the entirety of book 4 claiming Sheila has 7 children. It seems that the author had little interest in her characters by this point and it was not an easy or enjoyable read. All in all a disappointing end to a wonderful Pearl street from the first 3 books.

[Gargi Banerjee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading these days have become more a luxury, than a hobby. Having got an unexpected break from the daily grind, this was a rather quaint, if a trifle inconsistent read.
Tended to get bit too melodramatic in places but was simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking till I turned the last page. Set in the backdrop of the last year or so WWII, it beautifully captures the trials, tribulations, triumphs, and at times scandalous secrets of a bunch of people living in and around Pearl Street, Liverpool. Poignant in places, humane in most parts, unexpected at times, Lee's novel was quite engaging.
P.S: Expect no intellectual stimulation. It's quite literally a good read. Nothing more, nothing less.

[Shiema Shah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I didn’t like the book much as the story revolves around the lives of some people and it gets boring after some period of time. The story is very predictable but i liked the theme of the book that is love shines the brightest even in darkest of times.

The book's lack of complexity and depth in describing the historical context is one of its main flaws. Despite Lee's best efforts, the book falls short of bringing the wartime Liverpool atmosphere to life due to a lack of rich historical knowledge and compelling world-building. Because of this, the setting comes out as shallow and underdeveloped, unable to adequately convey the intricacies and difficulties of daily living during this turbulent time.

Furthermore, "The Seven Streets of Liverpool" characters lack the depth and complexity necessary to genuinely connect with readers; instead, they come across as stereotyped and one-dimensional. The protagonists are shallow and unconvincing despite their attempts to overcome hardship and connect with one another, which makes it hard for readers to get emotionally invested in their stories.

[MRS S PUSEY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant story.

I really enjoyed this story it was the first book i read by this author and think she is amazing since this book i have read all of her books i remembered all the people and the families also the children it was a mixture of everything happiness and sadness but amazing to have got through the year's of war with rations of basic every day thing's loved everything about this story just had to read it again after such a long time.I would recommend this author to all readers.

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read quite a number of Maureen Lee’s books and enjoyed all of them, however, I found this book to be difficult to follow. Various characters were introduced and there was potential for their development, but most hit a dead end. The ending seemed rushed and the death of major characters felt like an easy way to end the story, without addressing what happened earlier in their story.

[Armel Abel-Seedoyal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about how the War affected Liverpool and the rest of England.
The moral of the time and the end of War.
But most of all
Love affairs that occurred during War time.
This book has a tragic ending but the Happiness of the War ending too…
Maureen Lee does write an epilogue that happens in the millennium…

[Shayan Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong narrative, a myriad characters that can sometimes be hard to keep track of, friendly and down-to-earth storytelling, an honest reflection of human follies and foibles, and critically a lingering message about the scourge of war.

[Lyn Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend any of Maureen Lee’s books
I have read them all

[Daisy Mawdsley-hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book ending seemed rushed could have done with a few more chapters to round the ending up.

[Layla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this years ago. Have read a few times. Lovely book. Easy and fast WW2 fiction book to read.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful story capturing both Liverpool in WW2 and the lives of people connected by living on a single street in Bootle. Draws you in and leaves you wanting more.

[Marie Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real enjoyable WWII read.

[Julie Fretwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book over-all, but thought it was rushed at the end.

[Cecile Paddle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maureen Lee has a familiar way of writing that makes me feel like I am living in the very midst of her stories. Another one, very enjoyable.

[Novelle Novels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book set in wartime Liverpool with so many strong characters. Love the way we started and ended in the modern days with the middle connecting it all so well.

[Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unexpected library find, an additional Pearl St book which tied up loose ends very nicely, well written as ever. Very much recommended this author.

[Sandra Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely read, how families, friends got through the war years

[Jean St.Amand · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good, and the ending almost made me cry 😢

[Grace O Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read but found this one a little drawn out compared to the first 3 books I read from the same author, the pearl Street books.

[Tracey Terrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stories all set in the war and all integrate into one fantastic novel.

[Sue Hull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant read, shame there isn't more

[Kathleen Motteler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Maureen Lee’s Liverpool Sagas. I love the characters and miss them when the series or sagas end. I was happy to read this book which wrapped up the story lines from this series.

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have fallen in love with the Pearl Street series, the many different characters and different storylines that each have. I was pleased that Maureen Lee released a fourth book that would conclude and bring closure to these stories. It all begins just before the turn of the century the new millennium, fifty five years after the war ended. It features the children of the main characters, the main characters having mostly died off in the years following the war, then flashes back to Christmas 1942. There are the old favourites like Eileen, Nick, Sheila, Brenda, and Freda, as well as new ones, The Taylor's, The Mallorys, and Lena Newton. As always I loved Eileen, she was and is a sweetheart and I continued to root for her throughout the book as she goes through great trials. I didn't like the turns her story took and I really didn't like Nick in this book at all. I can honestly say he was never a favourite and this book really made me see why and that I was right in my feelings toward him. Freda comes into her own in this book, from the poor dirty child, to a would be city tour guide, learning about and teaching others about The Seven Streets of Liverpool. This book made me want to visit Liverpool and see some of these sights. The Taylor's only moved to Liverpool to find their long lost patriarch. Did Leslie Taylor die in a bombing raid, lose his memory or just simply disappear wanting a new life away from his family? His daughter Phyllis also became a favourite of mine. Lena Newton unhappily married longs for a family of her own, she thinks she might've found love but that's soon foiled by the return of Kitty Quigley. Maureen Lee has never been afraid to keep things real in her books, from the tragic death of Tony early on in the series, she showed that not everyone had a happy ending in fiction. This time around, marriages are broken, affairs are had, babies born, adorable kittens adopted, and there are serious injuries and even a few deaths, one was heartbreaking, others were kind of poetic justice for me at least. The book ends with the descendants of these main characters, children and grandchildren gathering at Eileen's cottage to celebrate the new millennium. It wraps up what became of each character, from Sheila and Calum and their ever expanding brood of children, to Freda who was destined for success, to Eileen who frankly I had hoped would have had a better ending but I guess it was not to be. A good ending to the series, wrapped up the lives of the characters and gave closure. I'm kind of sad that it's over and if I didn't have so much else to read I'd probably read all four books again someday.