The Lost Daughter of Liverpool

Mersey #1

by Pam Howes

Can she save herself, her marriage – and her daughter?
It’s 1946 and the war is over. In Liverpool, the blackout blinds may be coming down, but one family is about to face devastating misfortune...

Dora Evans is finally marrying the love of her life, Joe Rodgers, and her dreams of opening a dressmaking business look as if they might come true. With twin daughters on the way, Dora has everything she’s ever wanted. 

But then tragedy strikes one of Dora’s babies dies in infancy, and a catastrophic fire changes their lives forever. Dora is consumed with grief, struggling to get through each day and Joe is suddenly distant, finding solace in his colleague, Ivy. 

With Ivy watching and scheming, and Dora battling against her own demons, can she keep her family together?

The Lost Daughter of Liverpool is a heartbreaking and gripping story of love, loss and hope. Perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries, Diney Costeloe and Kitty Neale.

Read what everyone’s saying about The Lost Daughter of Liverpool
"Absolute belter of a story!!" Chelle's Book Reviews

“I loved this book! ... have a supply of tissues ready ... a beautifully written book that kept me reading until the early hours. I just didn’t want it to end.” 5* Stardust Book Reviews

“A new favourite saga writer to add to my list.” 5* Bookworms & Shutterbugs

“I love this book so much ... [it will] keep you gasping for more ... Oh my dayz.” 5* Read Along With Sue Ward

“One of the best family sagas I've read ... A wonderful, emotional roller coaster of a read, highly recommended ... tissues are essential!” Brook Cottage Books

“A deeply moving story...I found myself gasping out loud ... [it] brought me close to tears ... I found The Lost Daughter of Liverpool increasingly hard to put down ... I will certainly be back for part two ... definitely one to watch out for.” Em the Bookworm

“The story is brilliant ... Once I started this book, I just couldn't wait for every chance I got to read it.” 4* I Love Reading

“What a beautiful book! Brilliantly written, this warm-hearted, evocative tale was amazing from start to finish.” 5 * Renita D’Silva

“Oh wow, absolutely superb. Read it in under two days. Loved everything about this book. A fantastic story and I'm so excited for the next one in this trilogy.” Goodreads Reviewer

“The storyline was brilliant and had me hooked from the first chapter, really looking forward to reading the follow up.” 5* Goodreads Reviewer

“...Just fantastic. Being a big fan of family saga’s, this book didn’t disappoint, it had it all. Love, heartbreak, obsession, loss and hope. Fantastic real characters that made me feel for each one of them. I can highly recommend this page turning saga...” Goodreads Reviewer

“This...

Genres: Historical, Fiction, Audiobook, Romance, Historical Fiction

302 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 3, 2017

Reviews

[ReadAlongWithSue recovering from a stroke★⋆. ࿐࿔ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I wasn't expecting that.
I love this book so much, I really can't wait for the next one to carry on from this one.
It didn't finish as a cliff hanger as such, but, almost certainly kept you gasping for more.

You get some people that seem to sail through life. Then you get others that get all the knock downs life throws at them. How many times can Dora get up from being knocked down.

I found this an emotional read on two levels.

My first level was when Dora and her husband went through a tragedy of event concerning their babies.

The depression and psychosis that Dora goes through is tragic. But she mends.
Only for other things to happen.

I so felt for Dora. I could understand her mental state, her anguish and her way of thinking and her unhealthy mind turning and twisting things.
Very scary for her husband and a lonely road for him to go down. I've been there. Bringing up kids with the aide of his mother-in-law.

It's real people within these pages. They are tangible. I can feel them.

So many tears were shed whilst reading this I got a blocked nose! Red eyes.

Just where is Dora and her hubby going to end up?

What about Frank her brother. Oh my dayz I'm so into this family unit I feel a part of it.

My thanks to the author for such a fantastic read. I'm waiting on the next instalment. I won't forget what this is about ever.
Thank you to Bookoutour for my early copy.

[Γιώτα Παπαδημακοπούλου · Rating 5 out of 5]

Πρόκειται για ένα πολύ δυνατό βιβλίο, σε συναισθηματικό επίπεδο, που σε κάνει να πονάς και να σπαράζεις, να βιώνεις σε όλη τους την έκταση κάθε συναίσθημα που νιώθουν οι πρωταγωνιστές, λες και τα δικά τους προβλήματα είναι και δικά σου, λες και επηρεάζουν εκτός της δικής τους καθημερινότητας και τη δική σου. Είναι πολύ μεγάλο ατού το να καταφέρνει ένας συγγραφέας να σε βάζει τόσο πολύ μέσα στην ιστορία του και να σε παρασύρει το συναίσθημα αυτής, γιατί το να πετύχεις την ταύτιση είναι εξαιρετικά σπουδαίο αλλά όχι και τόσο εύκολο.
Η συγγραφέας έχει κάνει τρομερή δουλειά όσον αφορά τα ψυχογραφήματα των ηρώων. Ακόμα ένα στοιχείο που η συγγραφέας χειρίζεται εξαιρετικά, είναι οι σχέσεις ανάμεσα στους ήρωές της και το πώς αυτές περνάνε από σαράντα κύματα, αλλάζουν, εξελίσσονται –ακόμα και με αλλοπρόσαλλους τρόπους- μέσα απ’ όλα όσα βιώνουν.
Πολύ ωραία απόδοση της εποχής στην οποία εξελίσσεται η ιστορία, τόσο ως προς την παραστατικότητα της αφήγησης –σε θέματα τοποθεσιών, περιγραφών κλπ.-, όσο και ως προς την απόδοση της κοινωνικής ηθικής και τάξης που επικρατούσε, αλλά και της ευρύτερης αντίληψης των χρόνων εκείνων, που αν και υπήρχε ακόμα έντονος πουριτανισμός, υπήρχαν οι άνθρωποι εκείνοι που σταδιακά άρχιζαν την δική τους, προσωπική επανάσταση.

(Αναλυτικό review αν τελικά κυκλοφορήσει...)

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first in a trilogy as well as the first book I have read by the author. It certainly will not be the last either!

Life is pretty good for Dora. She is marrying the man of her dreams, she has a wonderful best friend who is dating her brother Frank and things look on the up for the two friends with their dress making business. Sadly after giving birth, life seems to take a different course and what should be a happy time in her life soon becomes one of the saddest.

I so wanted to reach out and hold Dora and take away the pain that she was going through. Life just seems to hit her hard and when she looks set to recovering she is knocked sideways again. What she goes through in the space of a few years is something that I would hope wouldn’t happen in a life time.

There are some really wonderful characters in this book. There is only Ivy that I took an instant dislike to. She has always held a torch for Joe and she uses Dora’s personal losses to help her in try and win Joe away. I wanted to give her a good slap. At times I also wanted to give Joe one for being to trusting and not seeing the manipulative person that she really is.

This is very much a story about love, loss and being strong when it feels like the world is against you. Heart breaking and gripping, I can not wait to catch up with the characters again in the second in the trilogy.

[Leona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is first book in a trilogy and to say I loved it would be an understatement. It was just fantastic. I love this type of family saga book and from the first page knew this was going to be a good one. The author has a brilliant way of describing life in the mid 1940' to early 50'. Her description of all the characters are excellent and you can almost imagine being in the era. I am so looking forward to the next book in the trilogy. A well deserved five stars from me.

I received an ARC from the publisher Bookouture and my review is entirely based on my own honest opinion.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful book! Brilliantly written, this warm-hearted, evocative tale was amazing from start to finish. Each of the characters are so real, jumping off the page and taking residence in your heart. I did not want this book to finish and am so glad there are more books featuring these characters whom I have grown to love.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pam Howes is a new author to me, I enjoy reading family sagas now and again and I really loved this book, which is the first in a trilogy. The Lost Daughter of Liverpool is an amazing heartwarming story not without its tragedies.
The characters pull you in from the beginning and the 1940's/50's setting is fascinating. From the moment I started reading I couldn't put it down.
For me the beauty of this book was how the author developed the characters. I felt like I knew them and cared what happened to them, I was constantly rooting for Dora.
If you like your characters with depth and from a few eras ago this ticks all the right boxes, I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

[Sue Kitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lost Daughter of Liverpool is book one in a trilogy and was just fantastic.

Being a big fan of family saga’s, this book didn’t disappoint, it had it all. Love, heartbreak, obsession, loss and hope.

Fantastic real characters that made me feel for each one of them.

I can highly recommend this page turning saga and I just hope book two is not too long a wait.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased and voluntary.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from Netgalley, but it has sat in my To Be Read pile for a while. An email from Bookouture asking if I had read it yet, and would I be interested in being part of the Blog Tour prompted me to move it up to the top of the list, and I’m so glad I did! This is the first book in the series of The Mersey Trilogy. It’s set in Liverpool in 1946. The war is over, but times are still hard. Dora Evans is all set to marry her sweetheart, Joe Rodgers. She is a seamstress in a clothing factory, and together with her best friend Joanie, they have dreams of setting up their own business. Things look like they are on the way up – she marries Joe, they get their own home, thanks to her making her own wedding and bridesmaid dresses orders come in, and then she falls pregnant with twins. Could life be any better? Tragedy then strikes, not just Dora and Joe, but their whole family when one of the twins dies, and a fire at the clothing factory causes devastation. Can Dora cope with all the grief?

I loved this book! It’s set just after the war, so whilst we don’t get the devastation that the war caused in big cities such as Liverpool, you still get to see how difficult it was for people of this time. Buildings were still in ruins, the economy was poor and rationing was still in place. But, you also get to see how people manage to overcome all these things and live and enjoy their lives. Dora lives with her mum, dad and her brother Frank. She and Joe are planning their wedding, and despite there still being shortages, they manage to all work together to give her a wedding to be proud of. Things are looking good, but as we all know, in books like this things never stay good. Dora and her family suffer some devastating times when one of Dora and Joe’s twin girls dies the day after she was born. From then on, the sad times continue.

The characters in this book are wonderful. You can’t fail to love something about all of them. The story is so real and you can’t help but get caught up in the story and not let up until the very last page. I loved sharing the characters experiences – the struggling, the happiness and of course, the overwhelming sadness. I’ve laughed and I’ve cried. I do warn you to have a supply of tissues ready, as I certainly needed them! I’ve also loved the setting. I’ve been to Liverpool a few times, and I can picture some of the places that were mentioned in the book, and can imagine what life must have been like at this time. It was a beautifully written book that keep me reading until the early hours. I just didn’t want it to end, and it ends on such a cliff-hanger that you just can’t wait until the second book in the series is released!

If you like your family sagas, or your wartime romances, then this is definitely the book for you. My first by this author, and definitely won’t be the last. I shall be keeping my eye open for Book 2!!

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[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is not often I read this genre but it has been a refreshing change. A story of post war Liverpool and one families trials,tribulations, hopes, dreams, disappointments and tragedies . I look forward to more from this author, a great debut novel

[Sarah Roadley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this family saga, full of twists and turns and social references from the 40s & 50s. Can't wait for the next in the series!

[Sammy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really, really not for me. Far too "soap opera" and too many historical inaccuracies that kept pulling me out of the story.

I'm sure most people that like historical romances will enjoy this, but I'm not one of them unfortunately.

[Shell Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lost Daughter of Liverpool is the first book in a trilogy where the author transports us back in time to 1946 with a truly beautiful story that takes us up to 1950 and what an absolute belter of a story is to. The author sucks you in right from the beginning that was it for me I was well and truly hooked until the very last page. What can I say but I was totally blew away!


This is the first time I have read the genre and my god have my eyes been opened. Not just with finding a new genre but learning about this decade where life is simple with no technology like today. The author has certainly done her research making me feel like I was right there in the story.


In this story we meet Dora Evans who is finally marrying the love of her life, Joe Rodgers, and her dreams of opening a dressmaking business look as if they might come true. With twin daughters on the way, Dora has everything she’s ever wanted.


But then tragedy strikes and we are taken on one roller coaster journey of emotions. When one of Dora’s babies dies in infancy which for me was heartbreaking you definitely need your tissues for this one. I could never imagine having a baby in the forties but I can now. This is just one example where we learn what it is like to go through a pregnancy without the technology that we have today. And a catastrophic fire happens which had me on the edge of my seat! But this fire changes their lives forever. Dora is consumed with grief, struggling to get through each day and Joe is suddenly distant, finding solace in his colleague, Ivy. With Ivy watching and scheming, and Dora battling against her own demons, can she keep her family together?

I loved Dora she is someone I can totally relate to the author has done a brilliant job of making the characters so real. I cannot begin to tell you how fantastic this story is. And it isn't often I move over from the dark side with all the crime books I read. But I am really glad I did and I cannot wait for the next book in the trilogy to come out.


I cannot recommend this book enough giving it 5 massive stars.


Thank you to Bookouture for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Joanna Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm no stranger to Pam's novels and was curious to see what this new book, her first since becoming part of the Bookouture stable of authors, would be like. Now I know publishers love hook potential readers with cover blurb but believe me 'a heart-breaking and gritty saga' is exactly what this book is. In fact it's one of the best family sagas I've read for ages. Set in post war Liverpool, it tells the story of two young women, Dora and Joanie who in Palmers, a company that once prided itself on producing ‘Ladies Fashions of Distinction’. The business has fallen on hard times since the death of its owner and is reduced to producing men’s shirts for Littlewoods stores and catalogues. Dora and Joanie dream of many things: their own business, marriage and children. I loved both of these characters from the start; two happy young women with close knit families and good supportive friends. Both are in love – Dora with Joe who plays saxophone in a band and Joanie with Dora’s brother Frank. At his company Christmas dance Joe introduces Dora to Ivy, who works in the canteen. Dora has already noticed the way Ivy looks at Joe and doesn’t like it although she realises Joe is devoted to her and wouldn’t look twice at Ivy.
But Ivy is devious and manipulative and determined to make trouble.
This is a lovely story of close knit Liverpool families in post-war Britain. There’s love, laughter, tears and heartache. All in all wonderful emotional roller coaster of a read…tissues essential!

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the first part of The Mersey Trilogy and the chance to find a new favourite saga writer to add to my list. This is one of my favourite eras for sagas- post war, and we are treated to rationing and making wedding dresses and dances as part of the setting in Liverpool.

Dora is marrying the love of her life and looking forward to her happy ever after- but life has some nasty twists in store for the young couple. Life will never be as carefree for them again.

I loved the romance throughout the book, the friendships and the snippets of family life and hardship. The characters are wonderful- you feel as though you know them well by the end of the book . I can't wait to catch up with them in the next book in the series.

With many thanks to Net Galley and Bookoutre for a review copy.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read, thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading the next series

[Suze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dora and Joe can finally get married. It's 1946 and the war is over at last, so the future is looking a lot brighter than before. Dora is building up her own dressmaking business together with her best friend Joanie and Dora and Joe have found a nice house to live in. When Dora gets pregnant they're over the moon. However, that is when bad luck is starting to strike. Dora's pregnancy is tough, she's having twins, but unfortunately one of them doesn't make it. This is only the beginning of a tragic period in Dora's life. Will she survive?

Joe's colleague Ivy has always been interested in him and Dora knows she has to watch out for the woman. When Dora isn't well Joe confides in Ivy and he starts spending time with her, while he should have stayed away. The woman is determined to take Dora's man from her. Can Dora compete and will she be able to save her marriage? After everything she and Joe have been through, are they strong enough to make it together or will Ivy get exactly what she wants?

Dora is a sweet and cheerful girl. She's intelligent, talented and creative. Joe is the one for her and marrying him is the start of a new life for both of them. Unfortunately they aren't having an easy time and Dora's heart is being broken time after time. She keeps fighting her way out of her misery and I admired her for that. She doesn't have any time to breathe between the catastrophes that are happening in her life, but she can stand up for herself and she still knows what she wants the future to be like. She's a wonderful person and although her story is sad I loved reading it and adored Dora's beautiful spirit.

The Lost Daughter of Liverpool is an emotional story about the importance of family and the value of friendship. It's tragic, but also hopeful and I shed quite a few tears while reading it. The story certainly impressed me and Pam Howes is a skilled writer. I could easily picture what life was like in the years after the war and her vivid descriptions are making her setting and characters come to life incredibly well. There are many surprising twists and turns and the ending is fitting and meaningful. The Lost Daughter of Liverpool gripped me from the start and I absolutely loved this fantastic story.

[Makenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the beginning, ok the first 3/4 of it. Then I just wanted it over so dang bad! I wanted to like this series and read more, but I think I’ll leave it at this one and be done.

[Doreen Deegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Good story from start to finish I really couldn't put it down a we bit sad but a good book

[Jill Robbertze · Rating 3 out of 5]

This the first of a trilogy is a post WW2 family saga that reads rather like a mediocre soap opera....Having said that, I had already bought the 2nd book and I do want to find out how it ends so I'm going to continue but I honestly would not reccomend it.

[Kaisha (The Writing Garnet) · Rating 5 out of 5]

All reviews can be found on my blog at https://thewritinggarnet.wordpress.com

Before reading 'The Lost Daughter of Liverpool', I hadn't really read that many historical fiction novels. Whilst war-time history, especially involving women workhouses etc, is a big interest of mine, it never really occurred to me to make it one of my 'go to' genres. Well, until now that is.

Set in 1946 Liverpool where the aftermath of the war is still prominent and rationing is still part and parcel of daily life, Dora is about to marry the love of her life. However, the newlyweds find that married life isn't as plain sailing as people seem to think, especially where families and babies are concerned. The setting of the storyline was incredible as even though the war had finished, the war-time life was still extremely evident, making it feel as though I literally had stepped back in time.

Dora goes through some very harrowing times and despite them being heart breaking to read, the situations were very realistic and incredibly eye-opening. I couldn't sympathise with Dora as I have never been in her position(s), but my heart went out to her multiple times and I may have shed a tear or two (may = obviously I did). Reading a novel in 2017 which is set in 1946 takes a little bit getting used to, especially if you weren't born around that time. I know that sounds weird of me to say, but, life was extremely different back then due to the war, religious beliefs, rationing, lifestyle differences, money, health care, emergency services and so on. So, because of that, my FIRST thought during yet another devastating situation in the book was 'GO IN!!!!', and they couldn't because certain things weren't invented then. It was things like that, that opened my eyes big time and also made me think about how spoilt we are in this day and age.

Pam Howes made time stand still with her FANTASTIC new novel; The Lost Daughter of Liverpool. Emotion became the paper that the words sat on and reality became 1946 instead of 2017. I could not put the book down as I felt as though I would miss a birth, miss another heart breaking moment or the light at the end of the tunnel being switched on. My only irk towards this novel is the blurb because it gives a little bit too much away. The Lost Daughter of Liverpool is such a special momento of way back when and I just feel that the reader should embark on the journey through time themselves.

This HAS to be made into a movie, it just has to be. I really am in awe at the magic that my min and soul digested; I feel incredibly bad that I can only give this book five stars when it deserves way, WAY more. The Lost Daughter of Liverpool is a tale as old as time with enough spellbinding moments to warrant its own bodyguard. Absolutely BRILLIANT; I wish I could find the right words to say exactly how much this book moved me. I loved it.
Ladies & gentleman, you're looking at my new favourite book of 2017 so far. Outstanding.

Thank you Bookouture!

[cindy winston · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too depressing!

I liked Factory Girls, but this one was nothing but depressing. This was after WWII and her baby died, her dad died, her best friend died, she had mental issues, they split up. I couldn't finish it. I don't mind a little sadness but there wasn't anything happy in this story.

[Emma Crowley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bookouture publish such a wide range of genres taking in all the literary tastes of their loyal readers but there hasn't been that many that fall specifically into the historical fiction/family saga genre of which I love dipping in and out of every now and again. Then I saw the cover for The Lost Daughter of Liverpool and subsequently read the blurb and I thought this would be my kind of read and hopefully I would enjoy it. Pam Howes was an author I had never heard of before and I love to take a gamble on new authors as I always want to broaden my reading in terms of the authors and genres I read.

This is the first in a planned series entitled the Mersey Trilogy so I figured the author may slightly hold back and spread events out over the course of the three books in order to keep readers guessing and on their toes. In fact, and I am delighted to be able to say, Pam Howes didn't do this in the slightest. Indeed it was more a case of building up a picture only for the reader to be left gasping at what was unfolding as everything spun out of control. There was a solid, strong storyline throughout with moments of calm, serenity and happiness only then would the gritty, harsh realities of marriage and family life come crashing in to make themselves known in the most desperate of ways. The tagline on the cover says it's a heartbreaking and gritty family saga and you do begin to think god haven't those words being used to death to describe a book in this genre and are becoming nothing more than a cliché. But then the more you read through the story you realise the words are totally justified in this case and Pam Howes has written a deeply moving story in which every reader will take something worthwhile from it.

The book begins in 1946 and follows Dora over a three year period and in that time we see her undergo lots of changes some for the good and some for the bad. She is definitely a character that grows on you the more you see what is befalling her. You feel every emotion as she experiences so many tumultuous events. Even from the beginning I felt this book was a breath of fresh air, maybe not in terms of some of the subject matter rather for me the fact that it wasn't set during World War Two rather the years following it. I've read so many books set during the war that it was refreshing to see how people coped with the aftermath and attempted to restore some sense of normality to their lives and move forward into the oncoming years with more hope and optimism than had been previously felt for a long time. The fact the focus wasn't on the war meant the author could dedicate more attention to developing the characters and focusing on their specific problems within a small community rather than worldwide events dominating.

Dora Evans works alongside her best friend Joanie Lees in Palmer's factory. They have been friends since childhood and are more like sisters than friends. The factory had been buzzing during the war but now the owner's son has taken charge and orders are dropping off and therefore the girls are in danger of loosing their jobs. Yet from the outset I could see the pair had a spark about them, that little bit of extra initiative which could see them go along way compared to others who were prepared to sit back and loose their jobs. Dora and Joanie loved sewing and dressmaking and even began to have a little sideline going. Dressmaking would prove to be the salvation Dora needed and which would bring her back from the brink many a time.

I enjoyed how the story didn't just focus on the girls for a few months but rather the story flowed over several years and it made the story feel very natural and not forced. If the timespan had been shorter events would have been shoved in one after the other and it would have become unrealistic and unbelievable. I suppose that's what made this book so enjoyable - it was all so believable and although at times it was quite a difficult read and I felt desperately sorry for the characters the author never shied away from the plain facts and truth of the matter and bravo for writing about a topic that needs more attention and to be written about more in books because unfortunately for so many it's a painful reality.

The further I read the more I felt Dora could be a real character and one that I would love to spend time with and chat to about everything under the sun just like herself and Joanie did. Dora marries her teenage sweetheart Joe Rodgers and she has to accustom herself to running her own household out from under the warm embrace of her own family. Dora's family were all just so nice even though they had their own hardships to face and her mum was the backbone to Dora when she needed her the most. To be honest I thought everything would just be plain sailing for Dora and Joe but I'm glad the author threw a few spanners into the mix although I didn't like several of the things that occurred. I found myself gasping out loud at some of the injustices and I thought had the author gone that bit too far but it's clear she has a very good idea in which direction she wishes the whole series to go and she is not shying away from anything. In other books I find it often feels like the author just throws everything at a character to fill up page space and then doesn't deal with the resulting events and repercussions. Here I felt dealing with the aftermath was handled magnificently and all the sides of the story were presented to perfection. I never felt on one person's side or another's rather at times I was the person on the outside looking in and getting the entire picture on which I could form my own opinions and final judgement.

So many events unfold encompassing each and every character we meet that just when you think things may settle down and people can have a breather along comes something even more devastating and there were one or two points that brought me close to tears. I'm not in anyway saying this book is full of doom and gloom because it's not at all as the highs and lows merge together successfully. When the good times appear Dora embraces them and she showed her plucky determination and optimism. Her ambition and willingness to have a happy marriage was lovely to see so I hated what occurred during the later half of the book yet as I have said it was meant to be there to make the book the great read it turned out to be.

Honestly I was surprised how much I really enjoyed this book as I felt it could have been another run of the mill family saga and nothing new would be brought to the genre. Instead the total opposite proved to be true and I found The Lost Daughter of Liverpool increasingly hard to put down. To end the book the way Pam Howes did on such a cliffhanger after the reader becoming so invested in the characters in one way I was angry but in another it guarantees I will certainly be back for part two. I hope we won't be kept waiting too long to see what happens next as obviously there is an awful lot more to Dora's story to be told. The Lost Daughter of Liverpool is definitely one to watch out for and certainly lives up to the tagline on the cover.

[Kathryn Laceby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally reviewed at Novel Escapes

This book reminded me of an author I haven't read in awhile called Pamela Evans who mainly focused her stories in London. I liked the Liverpool focus as I have a family link to the city. Though the era of the novel is post world War two I still felt the same warmth of the people of the area that I have when I visit today.

I actually was surprised that though the story has a gentleness in its telling there are is an underlying agenda regarding postpartum depression. I was surprised by this tact and the author did a wonderful job of exploring the issues while remaining in the time period. Dora was very lucky I should think to have an empathetic doctor who recognised that her recovery would be best accomplished with people who loved her rather than in an institution- which was the norm at the time.

I was really impressed with the way the characters were all described, their lives explored and developed before the depression which arrived after birth. Dora’s sewing business was also well placed for the time period and the social standing of the family- it was quite fascinating to see her determination to make her own business work.

There’s a lot more to this novel than you would expect and I certainly don’t want to give anything away but I will say that I’m very keen to find out what happens the next parts of the trilogy!

Thank you to Bookouture for our review copy. All opinions are our own.

[Brian Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Memories of bygone days

Pay Howes has a feel for a certain time frame in our recent history, demonstrated yet again in her latest trip down memory lane to the Liverpool I remember from the days of my youth. Camp coffee, the rag and bone man, tiny details that helped bring the past back to life. The story, set among a typical Liverpool working class family, centres on the love between Joe and Dora, their immediate family and friends. 1946, the National Health Service not yet in existence, has a bearing on the future of Dora's father and leads to much soul searching as he resists pleas to seek help for his cough. No spoilers from me, but be assured there is enough grief, tragedy, happiness and emotional turmoil here to satisfy the needs of any Pam Howes fan. A well researched snapshot in time and a well deserved 5 stars.

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good trilogy opener, it quickly gets going and draws you into the story so you become invested in the characters and setting. I really like the character of Dora, particularly that she and her friend Joanie are seamstresses and there's a lot discussion of dressmaking as this overlaps with my own love of crafting. The book doesn't end on a cliffhanger but instead on an opening of a new story window, I'm definitely invested enough to keep reading so I can find out what happened next.

[Susan Duthie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a family saga from the end of the Second World war. Dora,is a seamstress, married to Joe. He has just returned from the war. They are happily married and expecting twins when tragedy strikes and Dora is never the same again. I thought that the book deals with Dora's mental illness in a caring and thoughtful way. She was also very lucky to be surrounded by family and friends. It's a good read.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely delightful and heartwarming read. Really uplifting and with a strong message. An absolute fan of historical family dramas and love anything and everything set in Liverpool (often wonder if I've got northern blood in me). Even though it is the second part of the saga this book can easily be read as a standalone.
One to recommend - you will not be disappointed. My thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for the advance reader copy.

[Dorothy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was dull, predictable and uninspiring. I’m not sure how it can be labeled a historical novel as even though it is set in post-war Liverpool it really doesn’t capture any broad sense of the community and the time. I read the first half dutifully hoping it would pick up and that it was going somewhere but after that just flicked through to get it over and done with. Too many unnecessary words that add nothing to the story. Yawn.

[Missy Covington · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was wrong for me in a way that made me track down how I came to read it. Which was: the third book in the series was on a "best of" list for historical fiction, I put it on my list, and when it popped up as an available option for immediate checkout I selected it...then read that I should read the first two books in the series first.

So here we are. And I'm not going to read the other two books. It's not badly written and it's "of the time" in a lot of ways, but it's not my thing.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it. So much of my past bubbled up in front of me. My mum working in a garment factory until she married. My grandad dying early from a lung disease although it was the result of mustard gas in the trenches. My gran lost a twin at birth but overall I remember the closeness of families and how they pulled together for each other. Great story.