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Violet's Children
Beginning in 1950s Liverpool, VIOLET'S CHILDREN is a warm and nostalgicstory of a young woman who must adopt her sister's children after tragedy strikes.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
286 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 9, 2018
49 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
Maureen Lee
76 books274 followersMaureen 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
May 1, 2020
Lockdown Book #1
Typical Maureen Lee but not as good as her older books.
Typical Maureen Lee but not as good as her older books.
May 5, 2020
Maureen Lee has never been the kind of author that I envisioned myself reading. I used to work in the Books department of WH Smith and noticed that there was a certain type of reader affiliated with the author’s books. I’m talking ladies of the fifty plus variety, who were usually Scouse and had a connection to the World War Two era either through their relatives or their own childhoods.
Back then I was completing an English Literature degree and was a bit of a book snob. To me these books were for ‘older’ people. The main character was always a young woman that seemed to have fallen into some sort of hardship due to no fault of her own. At the time I was reading a lot of urban fantasy fiction, modern woman struggling with magic abilities. (In fact that’s what my dissertation was on). To me Maureen Lee and authors like her appeared dull and upsetting, the covers appeared to be very similar, indicating to me that the novels were basically the same story retold over and over again.
That was over ten years ago and honestly, I haven’t thought much about Maureen Lee since.
When Maureen Lee’s ‘Violet’s Children’ came up in book club, I wasn’t very excited to read it as I still had the above preconceptions. I admit I cracked this book open with very low expectations.
During the first few chapters I disliked Violet immensely. She seemed to let life just happen to her, instead of fighting her corner. After being fired from her job she seemed pretty dour and revelled in her misery and the awareness that she was deemed a spinster by society. After finishing the book I realised that this attitude was a product of her time, women didn’t have the same rights or sense of individualism that we have now, they were more constrained by the ideals of society.
It was when Violet started to get a little pluckier that I found myself really liking her. To me, after those initial chapters, she became a real person that I could get on board with. I enjoyed the way she questioned herself and the decisions she made, especially when they came from the heart. It was something that I could really empathise with.
Initially the dialogue was a struggle for me because it was written in an older Liverpool dialect that I was used to. I have several Scouse relatives and worked in some of the places mentioned in the book so I had an awareness of some of the phrases used. Once I got used to the dialect after a few pages there was nothing to stop me speeding through the book.
I became immersed in Violet’s world and I enjoyed the twists and turns that cropped up throughout the novel. The best part for me was the fact I couldn’t guess what was going to happen next.
Another factor I did not anticipate was the book to be written over such an expansive timeline. The novel spanned over the children growing up and then finding themselves as people. Maureen Lee tackled several issues that I wouldn’t have expected and showcases how things really were different back then. It was interesting to see the reactions to incidents during that time period and compare them to the way they would have been handled today.
Over all I enjoyed the book and suggest that everyone should at least give Maureen Lee a try.
Back then I was completing an English Literature degree and was a bit of a book snob. To me these books were for ‘older’ people. The main character was always a young woman that seemed to have fallen into some sort of hardship due to no fault of her own. At the time I was reading a lot of urban fantasy fiction, modern woman struggling with magic abilities. (In fact that’s what my dissertation was on). To me Maureen Lee and authors like her appeared dull and upsetting, the covers appeared to be very similar, indicating to me that the novels were basically the same story retold over and over again.
That was over ten years ago and honestly, I haven’t thought much about Maureen Lee since.
When Maureen Lee’s ‘Violet’s Children’ came up in book club, I wasn’t very excited to read it as I still had the above preconceptions. I admit I cracked this book open with very low expectations.
During the first few chapters I disliked Violet immensely. She seemed to let life just happen to her, instead of fighting her corner. After being fired from her job she seemed pretty dour and revelled in her misery and the awareness that she was deemed a spinster by society. After finishing the book I realised that this attitude was a product of her time, women didn’t have the same rights or sense of individualism that we have now, they were more constrained by the ideals of society.
It was when Violet started to get a little pluckier that I found myself really liking her. To me, after those initial chapters, she became a real person that I could get on board with. I enjoyed the way she questioned herself and the decisions she made, especially when they came from the heart. It was something that I could really empathise with.
Initially the dialogue was a struggle for me because it was written in an older Liverpool dialect that I was used to. I have several Scouse relatives and worked in some of the places mentioned in the book so I had an awareness of some of the phrases used. Once I got used to the dialect after a few pages there was nothing to stop me speeding through the book.
I became immersed in Violet’s world and I enjoyed the twists and turns that cropped up throughout the novel. The best part for me was the fact I couldn’t guess what was going to happen next.
Another factor I did not anticipate was the book to be written over such an expansive timeline. The novel spanned over the children growing up and then finding themselves as people. Maureen Lee tackled several issues that I wouldn’t have expected and showcases how things really were different back then. It was interesting to see the reactions to incidents during that time period and compare them to the way they would have been handled today.
Over all I enjoyed the book and suggest that everyone should at least give Maureen Lee a try.
September 27, 2018
I very quickly got into this book and it was really easy to read. It was enjoyable. The first part was the best as there was lots happening and things were moving on in life, but the more pages I read the slower it seemed to go. Gradually there was very little actually happening and it became staid.
It felt that it had just ran out of story,there was nowhere else to take the characters so they just plodded along. Jump a few years, but a couple of paragraphs later you’d realise that it was only a couple of weeks, the time frame was very bizarre, hard to follow at times.
Violet was a nice enough woman but rather ‘wet’ at times & the ending was obviously meant to be a big step for her, but it was sad and ended the book on a disappointing note, like why bother now!
Oh and at the wedding Edwin comes with his wife and twin daughters..I could have sworn it wasn’t two girls so I looked back and it was a Mary and Marcus, which I’m pretty sure is a girl and a boy! How can an author get that completely wrong in her own book!
It felt that it had just ran out of story,there was nowhere else to take the characters so they just plodded along. Jump a few years, but a couple of paragraphs later you’d realise that it was only a couple of weeks, the time frame was very bizarre, hard to follow at times.
Violet was a nice enough woman but rather ‘wet’ at times & the ending was obviously meant to be a big step for her, but it was sad and ended the book on a disappointing note, like why bother now!
Oh and at the wedding Edwin comes with his wife and twin daughters..I could have sworn it wasn’t two girls so I looked back and it was a Mary and Marcus, which I’m pretty sure is a girl and a boy! How can an author get that completely wrong in her own book!
October 9, 2025
easy read with good story line
January 7, 2019
The book started well and got me hooked, however it didn't hold on to promises of fascinating adventures and the end was rather lame. Part 2 and 3 were full of short stories that could have gone into more details but just unravelled after a couple of pages without much insight into the characters feeling or how it might affect them further on...
May 19, 2019
It was a nice little read, paced well until the last three chapters when it shot off at a tangent to a different country with a whole lot of new characters. Not the best ending.
December 26, 2019
When Violet poses her job as a secretary she thinks her world has ended but a chance visitor changes the course of her life.
Edwin Powell has called to tell her she had a cousin Mary she didn't know about but who has passed on leaving two orphaned children who are in danger of ending up at an orphanage but Violet doesn't feel she can cope with Abby and Will.
Suddenly at the last minute she changes her mind and so at last becomes a mother to two unwanted children and what follows is the story of their childhood and upbringing, not without its its trials and tribulations but still, Violet has a new lease of life.
A sweet, touching story with lovable characters, I especially enjoyed the characterisation of Violet the main character, it was fun watching her grow into a fearsome mother from a shy lady when backed into a corner to protect her kids.
Edwin Powell has called to tell her she had a cousin Mary she didn't know about but who has passed on leaving two orphaned children who are in danger of ending up at an orphanage but Violet doesn't feel she can cope with Abby and Will.
Suddenly at the last minute she changes her mind and so at last becomes a mother to two unwanted children and what follows is the story of their childhood and upbringing, not without its its trials and tribulations but still, Violet has a new lease of life.
A sweet, touching story with lovable characters, I especially enjoyed the characterisation of Violet the main character, it was fun watching her grow into a fearsome mother from a shy lady when backed into a corner to protect her kids.
August 28, 2021
Violets Children by Maureen Lee (Libby library audiobook )
A delightful book about. Woman name Violet. A few days after being let go from her secretary job she had for years. Although she has never been married and was an only child, She is asked to take in her cousins children. Particularly daunting she wasn’t even aware she had a cousin. The book follows her as she adjusts to having children and raising them as her own. It’s not really much more than that in my eyes but it’s heartening to read of a situation like this that ended well instead of badly
A delightful book about. Woman name Violet. A few days after being let go from her secretary job she had for years. Although she has never been married and was an only child, She is asked to take in her cousins children. Particularly daunting she wasn’t even aware she had a cousin. The book follows her as she adjusts to having children and raising them as her own. It’s not really much more than that in my eyes but it’s heartening to read of a situation like this that ended well instead of badly
August 25, 2024
Maureen Lee for years would’ve been the type of author I’d associate with my mother or aunties, and wouldn’t really have appealed to be, in recent years though I find great comfort in the nostalgia of the pages. Violets children brought exactly that, nostalgia and heart. But it touches on various subjects that are really interesting.
A nice bit of escapism! Beautifully narrated.
Currently included with audible 🎧
A nice bit of escapism! Beautifully narrated.
Currently included with audible 🎧
January 10, 2019
You don't have to give birth to be a mother.
When Violet has to take on the children of a cousin she didn't even know, she has no idea how much it will change her as a person.
She has to learn, on the job, how to be a parent. And she has to wait a while for the children to learn to love her.
When Violet has to take on the children of a cousin she didn't even know, she has no idea how much it will change her as a person.
She has to learn, on the job, how to be a parent. And she has to wait a while for the children to learn to love her.
January 16, 2019
Captivating!
I love this novel and didn't want to see it
end! Maureen Lee is a very talented author. I've read all her books. Her stories and characters are both interesting and believable. She includes details of everyday life in Great Britain during that time period which are fascinating. Well done!
I love this novel and didn't want to see it
end! Maureen Lee is a very talented author. I've read all her books. Her stories and characters are both interesting and believable. She includes details of everyday life in Great Britain during that time period which are fascinating. Well done!
November 11, 2020
This book was a surprise find for me... I listened to the audiobook and can only praise the narrator for her ability to make all the different voices and accents come to life.
The story started out great, but I thought that the last few chapters really started dragging along. The ending was also very sudden and left me wishing for more!
The story started out great, but I thought that the last few chapters really started dragging along. The ending was also very sudden and left me wishing for more!
January 30, 2019
I really enjoyed this story about Violet who had never married and agreed to take in her unknown cousins children. I didn't think it was slow at all and enjoyed the second part just as much as the first.
July 30, 2019
This book was easy to read but the plot hooks felt a bit disjointed, as if Lee chucked one in every so often when the drama ran low. However since I love Maureen Lee and couldn't stop reading it I guess I grudgingly like this book!
December 29, 2019
I forgot how much I love Maureen Lee books - this story was gripping from start to finish, a real page turner. I found myself rooting for Violet and was in tears (of happiness and sadness) by the end! One of the best books by Lee that I’ve read.
September 2, 2022
I enjoyed this book although I found some parts a bit unbelievable, for example, Will who is gay professing undying love for Doreen who comes from a very different background to him. Having said that it kept me entertained for its duration.
September 20, 2024
This book follows the story of an unmarried woman and how she came to care for two orphaned children and their lives in Liverpool in the 1950s-1960s. It is set over a large time span and doesn’t really have a storyline other than meeting and knowing the characters.
December 10, 2018
Really enjoyed this book by one of my long time favourites. I’d love for there to be a sequel about Doreen and Will - there must be more in their story
January 7, 2019
Brilliant. Maureen never lets down
Can't wait for Maureen 's next book, I have read all her books and thoroughly enjoyed all of them.
Thank you Maureen
Can't wait for Maureen 's next book, I have read all her books and thoroughly enjoyed all of them.
Thank you Maureen
February 17, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. I could visualise the characters and found it hard to put down.
March 21, 2019
The synopsis of the book is not correct. Violet was 46 when she got her cousin's children.
I may have missed it, by I don't know how Will went from being homosexual to heterosexual.
I may have missed it, by I don't know how Will went from being homosexual to heterosexual.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 30, 2019
Lovely story
What a lovely story. I didn't want to finish it such different characters and you just wanted to keep reading and see what happens..
What a lovely story. I didn't want to finish it such different characters and you just wanted to keep reading and see what happens..
May 29, 2019
I usually enjoy a good story from Maureen Lee. However this book although good just didn't keep me gripped like her others. Really disappointed with this story
October 1, 2019
Good read, but not as captivating as her other books.
December 17, 2019
4.5 stars...
February 12, 2020
Love this author fantastic read
April 15, 2020
Absolutely loved this book
August 22, 2020
Enjoyable book but not as good as her earlier books
Read
October 11, 2020Fantastic book.
January 26, 2021
A good quick book, with lovely characters
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews