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We That Are Left
A moving debut novel about love and war, and the terrifyingly thin line between happiness and tragedy, hope and despair.
Melbourne, 1941. Headstrong young Mae meets and falls head over heels in love with Harry Parker, a dashing naval engineer. After a whirlwind courtship they marry and Mae is heavily pregnant when she hears that Harry has just received his dream posting to HMAS Sydney. Just after Mae becomes a mother, she learns Harry's ship is missing.
Meanwhile, Grace Fowler is battling prejudice to become a reporter on the afternoon daily newspaper, The Tribune, while waiting for word on whether her journalist boyfriend Phil Taylor, captured during the fall of Singapore, is still alive.
Surrounded by their friends and families, Mae and Grace struggle to keep hope alive in the face of hardship and despair. Then Mae's neighbour and Grace's boss Sam Barton tells Mae about a rumour that the Japanese have towed the damaged ship to Singapore and taken the crew prisoner. Mae's life is changed forever as she focuses her efforts on willing her husband home.
Set in inner Melbourne and rural Victoria, We That Are Left is a moving and haunting novel about love and war, the terrifyingly thin line between happiness and tragedy, and how servicemen and women are not the only lives lost when tragedy strikes during war.
Melbourne, 1941. Headstrong young Mae meets and falls head over heels in love with Harry Parker, a dashing naval engineer. After a whirlwind courtship they marry and Mae is heavily pregnant when she hears that Harry has just received his dream posting to HMAS Sydney. Just after Mae becomes a mother, she learns Harry's ship is missing.
Meanwhile, Grace Fowler is battling prejudice to become a reporter on the afternoon daily newspaper, The Tribune, while waiting for word on whether her journalist boyfriend Phil Taylor, captured during the fall of Singapore, is still alive.
Surrounded by their friends and families, Mae and Grace struggle to keep hope alive in the face of hardship and despair. Then Mae's neighbour and Grace's boss Sam Barton tells Mae about a rumour that the Japanese have towed the damaged ship to Singapore and taken the crew prisoner. Mae's life is changed forever as she focuses her efforts on willing her husband home.
Set in inner Melbourne and rural Victoria, We That Are Left is a moving and haunting novel about love and war, the terrifyingly thin line between happiness and tragedy, and how servicemen and women are not the only lives lost when tragedy strikes during war.
400 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
April 20, 2018
This tale is set in Melbourne during the 1940's a time of hardship for many as they watched their loved ones go to war with no guarantee of their return.
Mae is head over heels in love with Harry Parker and not long after they marry, Harry gets word of his post to HMAS Sydney. Mae is heavily pregnant and is unsure when she will see Harry again.
Not long after giving birth, Mae finds out that the ship Harry was on is missing. Being a first time mother and not long married these are not the words any woman desires to hear. Will the ship be found and will Harry return to his family?
We That Are Left is a beautiful tale of love and war. Such a tragic time for many during these years. Aussie author Lisa Bigelow has not just written a great story, but she has given us the reader a glimpse at just how families coped during the war and the impact it had on those left behind. Highly recommended.
With thanks to Goodreads and the publishers for my copy to read and review.
Mae is head over heels in love with Harry Parker and not long after they marry, Harry gets word of his post to HMAS Sydney. Mae is heavily pregnant and is unsure when she will see Harry again.
Not long after giving birth, Mae finds out that the ship Harry was on is missing. Being a first time mother and not long married these are not the words any woman desires to hear. Will the ship be found and will Harry return to his family?
We That Are Left is a beautiful tale of love and war. Such a tragic time for many during these years. Aussie author Lisa Bigelow has not just written a great story, but she has given us the reader a glimpse at just how families coped during the war and the impact it had on those left behind. Highly recommended.
With thanks to Goodreads and the publishers for my copy to read and review.
February 10, 2018
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
4.5 stars
Often the best stories are those taken from personal experience. We That Are Left, a novel by first time writer Lisa Bigelow, is a tale carefully drawn from the heart and the first hand experiences of Bigelow’s grandmother, who lost her husband in World War II. Bigelow’s grandfather was posted on HMAS Sydney during World War II, which was a ship that tragically went missing off the coast of Western Australia, in the year 1941. Bigelow intricately explores the impact this loss of crew has on the women and families left behind.
At the helm of We That Are Left are two very different female leads, who are connected by a shared acquaintance. The first of these brave women is Mae, who has been married to her sweetheart Harry for six years, before he takes that fateful voyage on board HMAS Sydney. Mae longs to provide Harry with the family he has wished for, but after several miscarriages, she is finally heavily pregnant when Harry is given his posting, on the HMAS Sydney. Not long after Mae gives birth in dramatic circumstances, Harry’s ship is declared missing. Linked to Mae’s story is Grace Fowler’s journey. Grace is a determined female reporter, who will stop at nothing to get a scoop for the male dominated newspaper she works for, the Tribune. Grace suffers a professional and personal struggle, when her boyfriend Phil, also a journalist, is captured in Singapore. Word is that he is alive, but what state will be in when he returns? We That Are Left unfurls a portrait of sadness, hard times and despair. Moments of hope and treasured memories keep these two spirited women alive, in the face of loss. When rumours spread about the hope that the crew of HMAS Sydney are being kept prisoner in Singapore, all the families left behind pray for a miracle. The war tests these two women to their very core and it soon becomes clear that they will be forever changed by the war.
I could immediately gather from this novel that it was told genuinely from the heart. Bigelow displays an aptitude for bringing to life a segment of Australia’s history we often neglect. The women, family and friends left behind on the home front, while servicemen bravely go out and fight for the country’s freedom. Lisa Bigelow presents an accessible history and enthralling narrative to match this forgotten theme. Bigelow is careful to balance her compelling narrative with known facts and emotional insight. It is clear she has drawn her narrative from moving personal accounts to inform her story. The prose that emerges from this book is assured, sensitive and is accurately reflective of the historical events that occurred.
I liked how Bigleow chose to provide the reader with two contrasting female lead characters. The device of linking these two women together, simply by a common acquaintance, is a move I thought worked well. I immediately felt incredibly sorry for Mae. I connected to her awful and dramatic birth of her first daughter Katie and those overwhelming early days of parenting. I felt every moment of Mae’s darkest hours. But I also liked how Bigelow balanced these hard times with recollections and happier memories of Mae’s marriage to Harry. Mae is lucky to be supported by a loving extended family. What I learnt from Mae’s extended family was that war touches all members of a family, immediate and less immediate, such as aunts and uncles. The after effects of the loss of servicemen was widespread.
Bigelow’s representation of her second lead, Grace Fowler, was excellent. I admired Grace’s individual story and feel it was a story that needed to be told. The character of Grace gives Bigelow the power to explore contentious issues of the time. These include women’s rights, opportunities in the workplace for women and the prejudice female workers often faced. Grace was character with so much fire in her bonnet and drive it was hard not to like her. I was a little less taken by her relationship with boyfriend , fellow journalist Phil. I didn’t feel the love as strongly as I would I hoped. Despite this small reservation, Grace Fowler is a character I am sure I will not forget in a hurry.
I am not going to shy away from the fact that my overwhelming response to We That Are Left was one of sadness and despair. This is a novel that will tug at your heartstrings and a tissue box may be of use as a side accompaniment to reading this emotional novel. Despite the melancholy, We That Are Left is a book that I whole heartedly recommend. I think it is a book that has a strong place in our history books, reminding us of the real tragedies that touched our shores during in World War II. This is also a novel that serves to awaken us to the very personal battles fought on the home front during the war. Our mighty Aussie women left behind, who tried to keep things afloat. Lisa Bigelow has certainly caught my full attention with her debut novel and I am ready to embrace more of her writing in the future.
We That Are Left is book #10 of the Australian Women Writers Challenge
*Book ‘b’ of the a-z author challenge 2018
4.5 stars
Often the best stories are those taken from personal experience. We That Are Left, a novel by first time writer Lisa Bigelow, is a tale carefully drawn from the heart and the first hand experiences of Bigelow’s grandmother, who lost her husband in World War II. Bigelow’s grandfather was posted on HMAS Sydney during World War II, which was a ship that tragically went missing off the coast of Western Australia, in the year 1941. Bigelow intricately explores the impact this loss of crew has on the women and families left behind.
At the helm of We That Are Left are two very different female leads, who are connected by a shared acquaintance. The first of these brave women is Mae, who has been married to her sweetheart Harry for six years, before he takes that fateful voyage on board HMAS Sydney. Mae longs to provide Harry with the family he has wished for, but after several miscarriages, she is finally heavily pregnant when Harry is given his posting, on the HMAS Sydney. Not long after Mae gives birth in dramatic circumstances, Harry’s ship is declared missing. Linked to Mae’s story is Grace Fowler’s journey. Grace is a determined female reporter, who will stop at nothing to get a scoop for the male dominated newspaper she works for, the Tribune. Grace suffers a professional and personal struggle, when her boyfriend Phil, also a journalist, is captured in Singapore. Word is that he is alive, but what state will be in when he returns? We That Are Left unfurls a portrait of sadness, hard times and despair. Moments of hope and treasured memories keep these two spirited women alive, in the face of loss. When rumours spread about the hope that the crew of HMAS Sydney are being kept prisoner in Singapore, all the families left behind pray for a miracle. The war tests these two women to their very core and it soon becomes clear that they will be forever changed by the war.
I could immediately gather from this novel that it was told genuinely from the heart. Bigelow displays an aptitude for bringing to life a segment of Australia’s history we often neglect. The women, family and friends left behind on the home front, while servicemen bravely go out and fight for the country’s freedom. Lisa Bigelow presents an accessible history and enthralling narrative to match this forgotten theme. Bigelow is careful to balance her compelling narrative with known facts and emotional insight. It is clear she has drawn her narrative from moving personal accounts to inform her story. The prose that emerges from this book is assured, sensitive and is accurately reflective of the historical events that occurred.
I liked how Bigleow chose to provide the reader with two contrasting female lead characters. The device of linking these two women together, simply by a common acquaintance, is a move I thought worked well. I immediately felt incredibly sorry for Mae. I connected to her awful and dramatic birth of her first daughter Katie and those overwhelming early days of parenting. I felt every moment of Mae’s darkest hours. But I also liked how Bigelow balanced these hard times with recollections and happier memories of Mae’s marriage to Harry. Mae is lucky to be supported by a loving extended family. What I learnt from Mae’s extended family was that war touches all members of a family, immediate and less immediate, such as aunts and uncles. The after effects of the loss of servicemen was widespread.
Bigelow’s representation of her second lead, Grace Fowler, was excellent. I admired Grace’s individual story and feel it was a story that needed to be told. The character of Grace gives Bigelow the power to explore contentious issues of the time. These include women’s rights, opportunities in the workplace for women and the prejudice female workers often faced. Grace was character with so much fire in her bonnet and drive it was hard not to like her. I was a little less taken by her relationship with boyfriend , fellow journalist Phil. I didn’t feel the love as strongly as I would I hoped. Despite this small reservation, Grace Fowler is a character I am sure I will not forget in a hurry.
I am not going to shy away from the fact that my overwhelming response to We That Are Left was one of sadness and despair. This is a novel that will tug at your heartstrings and a tissue box may be of use as a side accompaniment to reading this emotional novel. Despite the melancholy, We That Are Left is a book that I whole heartedly recommend. I think it is a book that has a strong place in our history books, reminding us of the real tragedies that touched our shores during in World War II. This is also a novel that serves to awaken us to the very personal battles fought on the home front during the war. Our mighty Aussie women left behind, who tried to keep things afloat. Lisa Bigelow has certainly caught my full attention with her debut novel and I am ready to embrace more of her writing in the future.
We That Are Left is book #10 of the Australian Women Writers Challenge
*Book ‘b’ of the a-z author challenge 2018
January 16, 2018
This is a story about the war, but not the killing and the mud and the smell of death everywhere. This is a story about the woman who are at home, keeping home and children and jobs going while the men are away. It's about love and courage and never give in when things get bad. It's about a comming together in support of each other on good days and bad.
Grace dreams of becomming a reporter, she often puts her thinking into headlines. She lands a job as a secetary at the 'Tribune' paper in Melbourne. When some of the reporters go off to war she may just get her chance.
Mae is a young pregant woman when the story starts and her husband works on HMS Sydney - A real ship, don't google it if you don't want to be spoilt for the story. oops. She has wonderful support systems in her life and this helps her in her day to day struggles.
Grace and Mae's stories do cross paths at times in the story which was good to see since they lived in the same area.
I liked that this story is about the woman during the war and about the way they steped up and also that sence of coumnity that maybe we are lacking now with everyone so busy in their own lives. They were strong woman who did the very best they could during and after the war when the men came home very different than before they left.
Thank you to the author who put this book up to be won. It was a book I may not of picked up but am so glad that I got to read it.
Grace dreams of becomming a reporter, she often puts her thinking into headlines. She lands a job as a secetary at the 'Tribune' paper in Melbourne. When some of the reporters go off to war she may just get her chance.
Mae is a young pregant woman when the story starts and her husband works on HMS Sydney - A real ship, don't google it if you don't want to be spoilt for the story. oops. She has wonderful support systems in her life and this helps her in her day to day struggles.
Grace and Mae's stories do cross paths at times in the story which was good to see since they lived in the same area.
I liked that this story is about the woman during the war and about the way they steped up and also that sence of coumnity that maybe we are lacking now with everyone so busy in their own lives. They were strong woman who did the very best they could during and after the war when the men came home very different than before they left.
Thank you to the author who put this book up to be won. It was a book I may not of picked up but am so glad that I got to read it.
September 28, 2017
We That Are Left is Lisa Bigelow’s first novel. There are many books set in World War II, however, this one is a little different as this story focuses attention on two women, Mae Parker and Grace Fowler, and their families and the struggles of being left behind by war. It is set in 1941, Melbourne and country Victoria. Mae meets Harry, they fall in love and marry quite quickly. Mae is pregnant when she learns that Harry has just received his dream posting to HMAS Sydney. Grace is desperate to be a news reporter, she lands a job at The Tribune as a secretary, she meets Phil Taylor, a war correspondent, and after only two dates he’s posted to Singapore, taking a correspondent slot, covering the Pacific.
Mae’s story was gripping and it’s hard to imagine that kind of grief of not knowing if your loved one will return from the war. I absolutely adored Mae’s auntie and uncles - they were there for her every step of the way.
The ending is not wrapped up in a neat and pretty happy ever after bow, but in a realistic way. Can there ever be a satisfying ending for women that are left behind? So it is justifiable for a tragic wartime story to have to some extent an ending that is incomplete.
I’ve never had an interest in anything regarding war as to me it’s such a depressing subject matter, though recently hubby and I decided to watch ‘World War II in colour’ and we were goggle-eyed throughout all episodes and as much as it was harrowing and sickening it was fascinating to watch. As with this book it was fascinating following Mae and Grace’s story and the impact the war has on their lives. It was also poignant and heartfelt and I was totally invested in the lives of these two women and their families and in learning of/about the HMAS Sydney. Through books such as these I’m certainly becoming well-informed on many things I’ve never really taken an interest in or cared about. I’m loving and supportive of these types of books a little more each time I read them.
Thank you to Allen and Unwin and Goodreads giveaways for this review copy.
Mae’s story was gripping and it’s hard to imagine that kind of grief of not knowing if your loved one will return from the war. I absolutely adored Mae’s auntie and uncles - they were there for her every step of the way.
The ending is not wrapped up in a neat and pretty happy ever after bow, but in a realistic way. Can there ever be a satisfying ending for women that are left behind? So it is justifiable for a tragic wartime story to have to some extent an ending that is incomplete.
I’ve never had an interest in anything regarding war as to me it’s such a depressing subject matter, though recently hubby and I decided to watch ‘World War II in colour’ and we were goggle-eyed throughout all episodes and as much as it was harrowing and sickening it was fascinating to watch. As with this book it was fascinating following Mae and Grace’s story and the impact the war has on their lives. It was also poignant and heartfelt and I was totally invested in the lives of these two women and their families and in learning of/about the HMAS Sydney. Through books such as these I’m certainly becoming well-informed on many things I’ve never really taken an interest in or cared about. I’m loving and supportive of these types of books a little more each time I read them.
Thank you to Allen and Unwin and Goodreads giveaways for this review copy.
October 20, 2017
The story concerns two women and their experiences, starting from 1941 and carrying through till after the war years. Mae is married to Harry Parker, a naval engineer. She is pregnant when they learn Harry has received his dream posting to HMAS Sydney. For those of us familiar with the history of the HMAS Sydney, it is no surprise when the ship is reported missing. Many are convinced the crew are dead. But could Harry still be alive? And how will Mae bring up a child on her own? Will her aunt and uncles be able to support her in this? Meanwhile Grace Fowler is battling prejudice, even from her own family, as she seeks to become a newspaper reporter. While working at the Tribune she receives word her fellow journalist and boyfriend, Phil Taylor, has been captured during the fall of Singapore. Dare she hope he will come home?
Dealing with very real situations and inspired by the story of her grandparents, this novel has the ring of authenticity. As well as personal family history, it is obvious a great deal of research went into the writing of this book. The two women come across as very real and the settings of inner Melbourne and rural Victoria are well portrayed. The story highlights the tragedy, not only for those who go off to war but for those who are left behind. It is guaranteed to tug at the emotions.
This was a book that got me in from the beginning. I wasn’t completely convinced by the end but that may be because it didn’t end as I would have liked. Still, this is a very interesting and recommended four star read. This is a debut novel so it will be interesting to see what this author writes next. I will be keeping an eye out.
Dealing with very real situations and inspired by the story of her grandparents, this novel has the ring of authenticity. As well as personal family history, it is obvious a great deal of research went into the writing of this book. The two women come across as very real and the settings of inner Melbourne and rural Victoria are well portrayed. The story highlights the tragedy, not only for those who go off to war but for those who are left behind. It is guaranteed to tug at the emotions.
This was a book that got me in from the beginning. I wasn’t completely convinced by the end but that may be because it didn’t end as I would have liked. Still, this is a very interesting and recommended four star read. This is a debut novel so it will be interesting to see what this author writes next. I will be keeping an eye out.
August 23, 2017
Based on her own grandmother’s experience of losing her husband when the HMAS Sydney went down, debut author Lisa Bigelow sensitively explores the impact of the sinking of HMAS Sydney and the fall of Singapore on the lives of Australian women left behind during wartime. I am a big fan of historical fiction set before, during, and immediately after WWII, but much of my reading has concentrated on events in Europe rather than the Pacific, and very few have focused on the lives of those ‘left behind’ in Australia.
In We That Are Left, Lisa Bigelow introduces us to two different young women, Mae and Grace. Mae is a young mother whose husband, a sailor, has been declared missing, lost at sea, while Grace is a young working girl whose boyfriend, a journalist, has been captured during the fall of Singapore. These women are very different from each other, and while supporting characters within the novel connect them, the two women themselves remain unconnected for the entire story. What they do share though, is the experience of living in a free country located on the fringes of a World at War, a nation holding its breath against invasion, with most of its able bodied men called away for duty. They are women left behind, picking up the reins and standing in for men, working jobs they would never previously have been able to, making decisions that would have previously been made for them. What Lisa Bigelow has demonstrated with such skill and finesse, is how the war not only changed the men who served, but it also changed the women who were left behind.
Lisa Bigelow is a welcome new voice to historical fiction. Her style is instantly engaging, her narrative easy to read and enjoy, and her characters realistic and enduring. I thoroughly enjoyed Grace’s tendency to headline her experiences; I found this to be one of those endearing little quirks that serve to instantly bond you to a character. She was a tenacious young woman, determined to be a journalist, despite the odds that were stacked quite high against her. But she persevered, continued to try, try, and try again. I loved that about her. I enjoyed her reporting adventures, particularly when she researched for her story on the women who made up the Land Army. These are all bits and pieces of Australia’s war history that are not always well known, particularly outside of the local areas they relate to, but they are utterly fascinating to me and the way Lisa wove these anecdotal war experiences into the story was excellent. Likewise with the coverage of the war by the paper Grace worked for. I learnt so much from this novel, it was incredible, yet I never once felt like I was reading a ‘regurgitation of history’, for want of better phrasing. History was naturally threaded through the story, complementing it, but never overshadowing. The very best type of historical fiction.
Mae and her extended family were also enjoyable to spend time with. Mae had a heavy burden, a traumatic birth experience leading to a lack of bonding with her new baby, endless worry over her missing husband; the unravelling of Mae was desperately sad to witness. I was so proud of how she triumphed over her despair, yet still remained ever hopeful for her husband as she got on with her life and carved out her own place within the community. I adored her aunt and uncles, they were just gorgeous, their support of Mae so wonderful, loving her, holding her up when necessary, giving her a dose of reality when they felt she lacked it; all in all, this was a great family, an excellent set of characters.
I am so impressed by this novel; as a debut offering it really holds its own. Lisa Bigelow has such a great flow to her writing, the story well-paced, and the dialogue spot on. I enjoyed We That Are Left so much and highly recommend it to all who enjoy WWII fiction. The title of the novel is very poignant, as disclosed in the author notes in the back of the book, and so fitting when you realise its origin. I can’t wait to see what else Lisa has waiting in the wings for us.
Thanks is extended to the publisher, Allen and Unwin, for providing me with a copy of We That Are Left for review.
We That Are Left is book 50 in my 2017 Australian Women Writers Challenge.
In We That Are Left, Lisa Bigelow introduces us to two different young women, Mae and Grace. Mae is a young mother whose husband, a sailor, has been declared missing, lost at sea, while Grace is a young working girl whose boyfriend, a journalist, has been captured during the fall of Singapore. These women are very different from each other, and while supporting characters within the novel connect them, the two women themselves remain unconnected for the entire story. What they do share though, is the experience of living in a free country located on the fringes of a World at War, a nation holding its breath against invasion, with most of its able bodied men called away for duty. They are women left behind, picking up the reins and standing in for men, working jobs they would never previously have been able to, making decisions that would have previously been made for them. What Lisa Bigelow has demonstrated with such skill and finesse, is how the war not only changed the men who served, but it also changed the women who were left behind.
Lisa Bigelow is a welcome new voice to historical fiction. Her style is instantly engaging, her narrative easy to read and enjoy, and her characters realistic and enduring. I thoroughly enjoyed Grace’s tendency to headline her experiences; I found this to be one of those endearing little quirks that serve to instantly bond you to a character. She was a tenacious young woman, determined to be a journalist, despite the odds that were stacked quite high against her. But she persevered, continued to try, try, and try again. I loved that about her. I enjoyed her reporting adventures, particularly when she researched for her story on the women who made up the Land Army. These are all bits and pieces of Australia’s war history that are not always well known, particularly outside of the local areas they relate to, but they are utterly fascinating to me and the way Lisa wove these anecdotal war experiences into the story was excellent. Likewise with the coverage of the war by the paper Grace worked for. I learnt so much from this novel, it was incredible, yet I never once felt like I was reading a ‘regurgitation of history’, for want of better phrasing. History was naturally threaded through the story, complementing it, but never overshadowing. The very best type of historical fiction.
Mae and her extended family were also enjoyable to spend time with. Mae had a heavy burden, a traumatic birth experience leading to a lack of bonding with her new baby, endless worry over her missing husband; the unravelling of Mae was desperately sad to witness. I was so proud of how she triumphed over her despair, yet still remained ever hopeful for her husband as she got on with her life and carved out her own place within the community. I adored her aunt and uncles, they were just gorgeous, their support of Mae so wonderful, loving her, holding her up when necessary, giving her a dose of reality when they felt she lacked it; all in all, this was a great family, an excellent set of characters.
I am so impressed by this novel; as a debut offering it really holds its own. Lisa Bigelow has such a great flow to her writing, the story well-paced, and the dialogue spot on. I enjoyed We That Are Left so much and highly recommend it to all who enjoy WWII fiction. The title of the novel is very poignant, as disclosed in the author notes in the back of the book, and so fitting when you realise its origin. I can’t wait to see what else Lisa has waiting in the wings for us.
Thanks is extended to the publisher, Allen and Unwin, for providing me with a copy of We That Are Left for review.
We That Are Left is book 50 in my 2017 Australian Women Writers Challenge.
December 11, 2017
I won this book as part of a Goodreads Giveaway. The topic had great potential but the execution of it resulted in a rambling long winded and often disjointed piece of work. Fundamentally in my opinion, what was the major problem was thoroughout the novel the reader was told not shown. There was decidedly a lack of tension and the scenes where the reader should have been wiping tears from their eyes felt flat. Overall the novel just plodded along over a long time frame. Often I had just put it down and restart because I had to rather than I wanted to. I found myself going "Oh hum" and I wanted to literally shake the main character as I felt no empathy towards her where I should have. The other main character lacked the colour and drive I would have expected. In fact it would have been a better if the the author just focused on one character and built a novel around that.
May 5, 2018
We That Are Left is the debut novel by Lisa Bigelow and is a beautifully haunting story about how two women survive tragedy during world war 2. Mae Parker was happily married to Harry Parker and waiting for their first child to be born when he got posted onto HMAS Sydney. When Mae Parker daughter was three months old, she found out that Harry's ship the HMAS Sydney was missing.
Grace Fowler was working for the Tribune and each day was opening to hear about her boyfriend who is missing in Singapore. The reader's of We That Are Left will follow Mae Parker and Grace Fowler to see how they coped with the hardship of living in Melbourne and rural Victoria during wartime and their despair about their loved ones.
We That Are Left is an enjoyed book to read and an excellent debut novel. I love the way, Lisa Biglow portrays Mae Parker and Grace Fowler. Also, the way Lisa Bigelow describes the hardship that these two women suffered during the war years and how that strength them and the people around them. Lisa Biglow does a great job of describing inner Melbourne and rural Victoria during this time. Reading We That Are Left open up my eyes to the hardship that families had to go through during this period in the cities and rural communities.
We That Are Left highlights that not only the servicemen are affected by war also, the people they leave behind. The readers of We That Are Left will learn about the health issues, and problems families have with their loved ones when they come home. That people have who were captured during the fall of Singapore when they came back to their families.
I recommend this book.
Grace Fowler was working for the Tribune and each day was opening to hear about her boyfriend who is missing in Singapore. The reader's of We That Are Left will follow Mae Parker and Grace Fowler to see how they coped with the hardship of living in Melbourne and rural Victoria during wartime and their despair about their loved ones.
We That Are Left is an enjoyed book to read and an excellent debut novel. I love the way, Lisa Biglow portrays Mae Parker and Grace Fowler. Also, the way Lisa Bigelow describes the hardship that these two women suffered during the war years and how that strength them and the people around them. Lisa Biglow does a great job of describing inner Melbourne and rural Victoria during this time. Reading We That Are Left open up my eyes to the hardship that families had to go through during this period in the cities and rural communities.
We That Are Left highlights that not only the servicemen are affected by war also, the people they leave behind. The readers of We That Are Left will learn about the health issues, and problems families have with their loved ones when they come home. That people have who were captured during the fall of Singapore when they came back to their families.
I recommend this book.
September 28, 2017
The original review appears at: http://bookgirl.beautyandlace.net/boo...
We That Are Left is the debut of Australian Lisa Bigelow; a tale of love, hope and grief in wartime Melbourne and rural Victoria. A fictional story inspired by the loss of the HMAS Sydney and it’s 645 crew in the waters off Western Australia in November 1941.
The story has two protagonists, two very different young women who are seemingly unrelated but Bigelow deftly weaves their stories to discover that it really was a small world in Melbourne in the 1940s.
We follow Mae Parker and Grace Fowler in alternating chapters, not necessarily chapter for chapter, from early 1941 through to 1947. Their stories are told in the third person to always be sure exactly whose life we were following.
Bigelow paints a vivid picture of Melbourne life in the 1940s, in the midst of a war but far enough away that everyday life seems to carry on; unless, like Mae, you are married to someone involved with the forces or are involved with the news.
Grace Fowler grew up around the newspaper in her small rural home town, she has always dreamed of becoming a reporter but her father is adamant that it is no place for her. She heads to Melbourne and finds work at a newspaper, as a secretary. The news is in Grace’s blood and working at the paper helps but it certainly doesn’t dampen her desire to be a reporter one day.
She is a very good secretary which makes Sam even less likely to allow her to move into a reporting role, but Grace never gives up. She spends time working on story ideas and leaving them on his desk, always hoping that one day she will get a chance and be offered a cadetship.
Mae Parker is heavily pregnant and married to Harry, who has just received his dream posting on the HMAS Sydney. Mae doesn’t want him to go but she suffers with strong insecurities and doesn’t want to risk upsetting him so goes along with it; always hoping that his next lot of leave will see him stay at home and become a family with her and their baby.
They get one weekend of leave together after the baby is born and there are so many demands made on their time that quality time together is almost impossible to find. Not long after this the news is released that the HMAS Sydney has been lost.
We That Are Left explores the effects of war on those at home, away from the fighting but not immune to the tragedy. Bigelow has written a captivating novel which, though ficitional, was inspired by the real loss of the HMAS Sydney and it’s 645 crew; one of whom was Bigelow’s grandfather.
Living through the war in any circumstances would have been tough, with stresses I can’t imagine; being in the midst of the action would have been one thing but the fear of those at home waiting for them to come home would seem interminable. The information coming back was sometimes sketchy or delayed and you could never quite be sure what your loved ones were facing.
The first and second World Wars were close enough together that there is only one generation between veterans, and the struggles they face returning from the war.
I really enjoyed the story told within these pages, the human face of the suffering as loved ones waited for news, scared of whether their loved ones would make it home. The hope that some clung to as a means to keep making it through the days.
Grace’s fight for a place in the newspaper as a reporter was interesting to watch, her determination and drive in the face of so much opposition was certainly something that has helped the women who came after her. Grace’s dedication to fulfilling her dream, regardless of public (and family) opinion. I did find her story a little sad in the end, the way things worked out for her but at the same time couldn’t help but be proud of what she achieved.
Mae was a character who had my heart breaking for her. She had it tough and her early childhood had left her with many insecurities. She was brought up by aunts and uncles who are wonderful, and they are still around to offer unwavering support. They are colourful characters that were interesting to get to know, and they demonstrated how easily we can become so full of ourselves growing up that we don’t recognise the adults around us as people in their own right, separate to us and our needs.
The extensive cast of secondary characters were interesting in their own right, all with very different experiences of the war and life in Melbourne. I was totally enthralled by the running of the newspaper, the separate daily editions and the amount of running around that went into getting out a paper in those times. I don’t think there’s every been multiple daily editions in my lifetime.
This was a book that I loved, and lost myself in, but I found there were still a few questions left that I would have liked answered at the end.
We That Are Left is the debut of Australian Lisa Bigelow; a tale of love, hope and grief in wartime Melbourne and rural Victoria. A fictional story inspired by the loss of the HMAS Sydney and it’s 645 crew in the waters off Western Australia in November 1941.
The story has two protagonists, two very different young women who are seemingly unrelated but Bigelow deftly weaves their stories to discover that it really was a small world in Melbourne in the 1940s.
We follow Mae Parker and Grace Fowler in alternating chapters, not necessarily chapter for chapter, from early 1941 through to 1947. Their stories are told in the third person to always be sure exactly whose life we were following.
Bigelow paints a vivid picture of Melbourne life in the 1940s, in the midst of a war but far enough away that everyday life seems to carry on; unless, like Mae, you are married to someone involved with the forces or are involved with the news.
Grace Fowler grew up around the newspaper in her small rural home town, she has always dreamed of becoming a reporter but her father is adamant that it is no place for her. She heads to Melbourne and finds work at a newspaper, as a secretary. The news is in Grace’s blood and working at the paper helps but it certainly doesn’t dampen her desire to be a reporter one day.
She is a very good secretary which makes Sam even less likely to allow her to move into a reporting role, but Grace never gives up. She spends time working on story ideas and leaving them on his desk, always hoping that one day she will get a chance and be offered a cadetship.
Mae Parker is heavily pregnant and married to Harry, who has just received his dream posting on the HMAS Sydney. Mae doesn’t want him to go but she suffers with strong insecurities and doesn’t want to risk upsetting him so goes along with it; always hoping that his next lot of leave will see him stay at home and become a family with her and their baby.
They get one weekend of leave together after the baby is born and there are so many demands made on their time that quality time together is almost impossible to find. Not long after this the news is released that the HMAS Sydney has been lost.
We That Are Left explores the effects of war on those at home, away from the fighting but not immune to the tragedy. Bigelow has written a captivating novel which, though ficitional, was inspired by the real loss of the HMAS Sydney and it’s 645 crew; one of whom was Bigelow’s grandfather.
Living through the war in any circumstances would have been tough, with stresses I can’t imagine; being in the midst of the action would have been one thing but the fear of those at home waiting for them to come home would seem interminable. The information coming back was sometimes sketchy or delayed and you could never quite be sure what your loved ones were facing.
The first and second World Wars were close enough together that there is only one generation between veterans, and the struggles they face returning from the war.
I really enjoyed the story told within these pages, the human face of the suffering as loved ones waited for news, scared of whether their loved ones would make it home. The hope that some clung to as a means to keep making it through the days.
Grace’s fight for a place in the newspaper as a reporter was interesting to watch, her determination and drive in the face of so much opposition was certainly something that has helped the women who came after her. Grace’s dedication to fulfilling her dream, regardless of public (and family) opinion. I did find her story a little sad in the end, the way things worked out for her but at the same time couldn’t help but be proud of what she achieved.
Mae was a character who had my heart breaking for her. She had it tough and her early childhood had left her with many insecurities. She was brought up by aunts and uncles who are wonderful, and they are still around to offer unwavering support. They are colourful characters that were interesting to get to know, and they demonstrated how easily we can become so full of ourselves growing up that we don’t recognise the adults around us as people in their own right, separate to us and our needs.
The extensive cast of secondary characters were interesting in their own right, all with very different experiences of the war and life in Melbourne. I was totally enthralled by the running of the newspaper, the separate daily editions and the amount of running around that went into getting out a paper in those times. I don’t think there’s every been multiple daily editions in my lifetime.
This was a book that I loved, and lost myself in, but I found there were still a few questions left that I would have liked answered at the end.
September 4, 2017
We That Are Left is a debut novel about love, set during wartime, when tragedy can strike at any moment.
Following two main protagonists, Mae and Grace, we see the impacts of war on the lives of everyone - from the servicemen and women to the loved ones back home waiting for them. The women are the focus in this story - their hope and strength and despair depicted through their reactions to the effects of war in the 1940s. Mae, a young mother married to a naval engineer, who must endure upon the news that the HMAS Sydney is missing, along with her husband. Grace is an independent and determined young woman trying to make her way as a reporter in a time when women were not deemed as capable as men. When her boyfriend, fellow reported Phil, is captured, she must wait on the news of whether he’s still alive.
In both instances, Mae and Grace need to learn to survive in a world that’s been turned on it’s head, and there’s a nice contrast between the two women (who are connected by their acquaintances) and their stories.
Set in Melbourne in the 1940s, Lisa Bigelow did a wonderful job in capturing the atmosphere of the city - places I know and love in the present day, but seen through the lens of history. There’s always something magical about reading about a place you know and love, and for me, We That Are Left is full of them, from the city to the country and places I have known since childhood. It sparked in me an interest to read up on quite a few things I didn’t even realise were a part of my city’s history.
Despite it’s grim, and potentially depressing, subject matter, We That Are Left highlights the strength of women, and their resourcefulness. More than that, it shows us that support comes in many forms and sometimes it’s easily recognisable and accepted, and at other times, it might take a bit longer. I also liked the impression that even if the most desirable outcome is achieved, it may not be all that it seems to be.
Overall I gave We That Are Left 4 out of 5 stars.
(Thank you to Allen & Unwin for sending me a copy of We That Are Left for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)
Following two main protagonists, Mae and Grace, we see the impacts of war on the lives of everyone - from the servicemen and women to the loved ones back home waiting for them. The women are the focus in this story - their hope and strength and despair depicted through their reactions to the effects of war in the 1940s. Mae, a young mother married to a naval engineer, who must endure upon the news that the HMAS Sydney is missing, along with her husband. Grace is an independent and determined young woman trying to make her way as a reporter in a time when women were not deemed as capable as men. When her boyfriend, fellow reported Phil, is captured, she must wait on the news of whether he’s still alive.
In both instances, Mae and Grace need to learn to survive in a world that’s been turned on it’s head, and there’s a nice contrast between the two women (who are connected by their acquaintances) and their stories.
Set in Melbourne in the 1940s, Lisa Bigelow did a wonderful job in capturing the atmosphere of the city - places I know and love in the present day, but seen through the lens of history. There’s always something magical about reading about a place you know and love, and for me, We That Are Left is full of them, from the city to the country and places I have known since childhood. It sparked in me an interest to read up on quite a few things I didn’t even realise were a part of my city’s history.
Despite it’s grim, and potentially depressing, subject matter, We That Are Left highlights the strength of women, and their resourcefulness. More than that, it shows us that support comes in many forms and sometimes it’s easily recognisable and accepted, and at other times, it might take a bit longer. I also liked the impression that even if the most desirable outcome is achieved, it may not be all that it seems to be.
Overall I gave We That Are Left 4 out of 5 stars.
(Thank you to Allen & Unwin for sending me a copy of We That Are Left for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)
June 28, 2018
I won this book thanks to the publishers and author from a Goodreads give away.
The story was based on two main characters, Mae and Grace. The story was set during the second world war and based in Australia.
Mae is a young mother and her husband is declared lost at sea. She is living with her extended family.
Grace is a has always wanted to be a reporter. She gets a job working with a newspaper, meets a journalist who becomes her boyfriend, He goes overseas to report on the war, loses a leg and becomes a prisoner of war. He eventually comes home after the war but is not the same person as when he left.
I enjoyed the read. It was a great debut novel by the author. It was well paced story and should be enjoyed by readers especially those who enjoy stories based on WWII.
The story was based on two main characters, Mae and Grace. The story was set during the second world war and based in Australia.
Mae is a young mother and her husband is declared lost at sea. She is living with her extended family.
Grace is a has always wanted to be a reporter. She gets a job working with a newspaper, meets a journalist who becomes her boyfriend, He goes overseas to report on the war, loses a leg and becomes a prisoner of war. He eventually comes home after the war but is not the same person as when he left.
I enjoyed the read. It was a great debut novel by the author. It was well paced story and should be enjoyed by readers especially those who enjoy stories based on WWII.
April 15, 2019
Book demonstrates how many people would have felt in the war. Fear, love, anger and all other emotions that Mae,Grace and Alice felt. The book also displayed the affect of returning servicemen , not only medical medically but the nightmares they contended with and the result on the family. I liked the way that the author brings into the story about women and how they stepped up to the mark when husbands were away at war. Families often provided a close network and gave love, encouragement and stability to those left behind.
October 21, 2017
I really enjoy historical fiction and have been particularly interested lately in fiction set around both WWI and WWII. It’s really nice to get an Australian perspective and this, Lisa Bigelow’s first novel uses her family experience and the loss of her grandfather aboard the HMAS Sydney to showcase the strength of the women left behind.
Mae is a young bride about to give birth living in the inner west of Melbourne. I found that the setting was a really fun part of the book for me because I live in the west (a bit further out than the featured Yarraville/Williamstown areas) but I loved getting a glimpse of what it would’ve been like in this area all those years ago. It was great to see such familiar places featured. When Mae gets word of the rumour that the HMAS Sydney has gone down with all on board, she immediately slips into a state of denial. She’s sure that Harry, if anyone, could survive such a thing and the fact that there’s talk the wrecked sub was towed to Asia with some survivors just feeds her belief that Harry will come home one day. She struggles to cope on her own, relying on the family that raised her, an aunt and her two uncles, all getting on a little bit in age now. They are close knit though and Mae also has a strong friendship bond with her neighbour, wife of a newspaper editor and mother to two young children.
Grace has moved from the country to Melbourne to work as an assistant to Sam Barton, editor of the afternoon paper The Tribune but what she really wants is to be a journalist. Her father ran a country Victorian paper and it’s been a part of her whole life. Grace composes headlines about her daily life in her head constantly as she negotiates the politics of her new workplace and deals with handsome reporter Phil Taylor who is just becoming something more when he heads overseas to cover the war up close and personal. He is taken hostage during the fall of Singapore and word is slow. He’s been horrifically injured and Grace isn’t sure at times, if he’s even still alive or will ever return to her. And if he does, what will she face? Will he be a broken, shell of a man like her father, still damaged from his time in WWI?
It’s hard to believe, living in the age that I do, that there was a time when you had to wait weeks for word or information from another part of the world about something so serious as a submarine sinking or a hostage situation. In this case, Sam Barton, the newspaper editor, and presumably most of the reporters are aware of strong and probably credible rumours surrounding the loss of the HMAS Sydney but they don’t have permission to print the story just yet. And Mae is his neighbour, so that must’ve been quite an awkward situation for him as well as a stressful one for Mae, with these rumours circulating but no government word or confrontation. It’s an horrific state of limbo to be in. The lack of accurate information also leads to more swirling rumours that give Mae and probably others the hope that their loved ones could have possibly survived this. For Mae that leads to a real deluded state, where she absolutely refuses to believe that Harry could have died and that he is alive somewhere and will make his way back to her and their baby soon. Time rolls on though, with no credible information that anyone did survive and slowly others accept their loss and begin moving on with their lives. Mae isn’t able to do this though and she spends a large portion of the book assuring people and herself that Harry will be back one day. I found it quite sad because she’s a young woman with her whole life ahead of her, who should’ve been making the best of it and at times it was like she wasn’t living at all. Just merely existing and waiting for something that wasn’t ever going to happen.
Likewise, I found Grace’s situation very sad also. I felt like her story was very much unfinished at the close of the book and that a lot of the defining moments in her life might come later on. I admired her dedication and drive and the way in which she didn’t allow anything to stand in her way and that should’ve been celebrated by those that love her rather than viewed with suspicion and derision. If I had a criticism of Grace’s story it’d be that I just didn’t really buy the romance……the pacing was off too, it seemed to start off in one way, go no where for the longest time and then a few things happened and then Phil left to go overseas. I didn’t really get a chance to get to know Phil or experience any chemistry between the two of them at all and the skipping forward in time at the end of the book only further cemented that fact.
Despite the fact that it’s subject matter tended a bit towards the grim, I found We That Are Left to be a very enjoyable read, particularly for its showcasing of 1940s Melbourne and the surrounds. It’s a very promising debut and I’ll be keeping an eye out for Lisa Bigelow’s next book.
**Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Mae is a young bride about to give birth living in the inner west of Melbourne. I found that the setting was a really fun part of the book for me because I live in the west (a bit further out than the featured Yarraville/Williamstown areas) but I loved getting a glimpse of what it would’ve been like in this area all those years ago. It was great to see such familiar places featured. When Mae gets word of the rumour that the HMAS Sydney has gone down with all on board, she immediately slips into a state of denial. She’s sure that Harry, if anyone, could survive such a thing and the fact that there’s talk the wrecked sub was towed to Asia with some survivors just feeds her belief that Harry will come home one day. She struggles to cope on her own, relying on the family that raised her, an aunt and her two uncles, all getting on a little bit in age now. They are close knit though and Mae also has a strong friendship bond with her neighbour, wife of a newspaper editor and mother to two young children.
Grace has moved from the country to Melbourne to work as an assistant to Sam Barton, editor of the afternoon paper The Tribune but what she really wants is to be a journalist. Her father ran a country Victorian paper and it’s been a part of her whole life. Grace composes headlines about her daily life in her head constantly as she negotiates the politics of her new workplace and deals with handsome reporter Phil Taylor who is just becoming something more when he heads overseas to cover the war up close and personal. He is taken hostage during the fall of Singapore and word is slow. He’s been horrifically injured and Grace isn’t sure at times, if he’s even still alive or will ever return to her. And if he does, what will she face? Will he be a broken, shell of a man like her father, still damaged from his time in WWI?
It’s hard to believe, living in the age that I do, that there was a time when you had to wait weeks for word or information from another part of the world about something so serious as a submarine sinking or a hostage situation. In this case, Sam Barton, the newspaper editor, and presumably most of the reporters are aware of strong and probably credible rumours surrounding the loss of the HMAS Sydney but they don’t have permission to print the story just yet. And Mae is his neighbour, so that must’ve been quite an awkward situation for him as well as a stressful one for Mae, with these rumours circulating but no government word or confrontation. It’s an horrific state of limbo to be in. The lack of accurate information also leads to more swirling rumours that give Mae and probably others the hope that their loved ones could have possibly survived this. For Mae that leads to a real deluded state, where she absolutely refuses to believe that Harry could have died and that he is alive somewhere and will make his way back to her and their baby soon. Time rolls on though, with no credible information that anyone did survive and slowly others accept their loss and begin moving on with their lives. Mae isn’t able to do this though and she spends a large portion of the book assuring people and herself that Harry will be back one day. I found it quite sad because she’s a young woman with her whole life ahead of her, who should’ve been making the best of it and at times it was like she wasn’t living at all. Just merely existing and waiting for something that wasn’t ever going to happen.
Likewise, I found Grace’s situation very sad also. I felt like her story was very much unfinished at the close of the book and that a lot of the defining moments in her life might come later on. I admired her dedication and drive and the way in which she didn’t allow anything to stand in her way and that should’ve been celebrated by those that love her rather than viewed with suspicion and derision. If I had a criticism of Grace’s story it’d be that I just didn’t really buy the romance……the pacing was off too, it seemed to start off in one way, go no where for the longest time and then a few things happened and then Phil left to go overseas. I didn’t really get a chance to get to know Phil or experience any chemistry between the two of them at all and the skipping forward in time at the end of the book only further cemented that fact.
Despite the fact that it’s subject matter tended a bit towards the grim, I found We That Are Left to be a very enjoyable read, particularly for its showcasing of 1940s Melbourne and the surrounds. It’s a very promising debut and I’ll be keeping an eye out for Lisa Bigelow’s next book.
**Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
October 7, 2017
4.5 stars
A beautiful story following 2 different women in wartime Australia. I was captivated from the first page, transported there. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to Lisa's next book.
A beautiful story following 2 different women in wartime Australia. I was captivated from the first page, transported there. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to Lisa's next book.
October 2, 2017
Thankyou Allen&Unwin and Goodreads for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
I throughly enjoyed "We That Are Left" by Lisa Bigelow. Thankyou Lisa for giving us a different view of the devastation of war from the home front.
We That are left is written about several Australian women who are left behind when their partners go overseas during the Second World War.
Grace is struggling to be a working reporter. Alice, a mother of two boys trying to keep her family and the large farm going and Mae a new bride struggling to cope with a newborn.
Each of the women with very different personalities and varying degrees of strength make this book a must read.
I throughly enjoyed "We That Are Left" by Lisa Bigelow. Thankyou Lisa for giving us a different view of the devastation of war from the home front.
We That are left is written about several Australian women who are left behind when their partners go overseas during the Second World War.
Grace is struggling to be a working reporter. Alice, a mother of two boys trying to keep her family and the large farm going and Mae a new bride struggling to cope with a newborn.
Each of the women with very different personalities and varying degrees of strength make this book a must read.
September 22, 2017
Won this book on facebook from Allen and Unwin . Thank you for picking me. Thank you Allen and Unwin for posting the book to me.
This a story which is set in inner Melbourne and Victoria during World War 2 . We follow the lives of two women , Grace and Mae. Mae is a young mother whose husband is a sailor and has been declared as missing at sea. while grace is a young working girl whose boyfriend a journalist was captured during the fall of Singapore.
The main theme of this story is the hardships and realities of war. It's about the women and families left behind. how they cope with the war and the loss of loved ones either dead or captured and how they fill in for the men in hope of a better tomorrow for their families. The Author has described the loss, pain and hardships that war has on one's life very well. The story also explores the dual themes of love and war .
The Author also examines the impact of the sinking of HMAS Sydney based on her grandmother's experience of losing her husband when HMAS Sydney went down. I did get to learn a lot about Australia's war history. Loved this book. A very emotional and engaging read. Sure to look out for more books by Author Lisa Bigelow.
This a story which is set in inner Melbourne and Victoria during World War 2 . We follow the lives of two women , Grace and Mae. Mae is a young mother whose husband is a sailor and has been declared as missing at sea. while grace is a young working girl whose boyfriend a journalist was captured during the fall of Singapore.
The main theme of this story is the hardships and realities of war. It's about the women and families left behind. how they cope with the war and the loss of loved ones either dead or captured and how they fill in for the men in hope of a better tomorrow for their families. The Author has described the loss, pain and hardships that war has on one's life very well. The story also explores the dual themes of love and war .
The Author also examines the impact of the sinking of HMAS Sydney based on her grandmother's experience of losing her husband when HMAS Sydney went down. I did get to learn a lot about Australia's war history. Loved this book. A very emotional and engaging read. Sure to look out for more books by Author Lisa Bigelow.
September 18, 2017
This beautifully written and heart felt story based on true events will stay with you long after the last page. The character's will resonate with you and have you thinking of your own loved ones who have been through similar events.
Definitely well worth the read.
Definitely well worth the read.
September 13, 2017
I'm from New Zealand but my knowledge of Australian war times is minimal. I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway and found a strong story based on an historical event. Two women at home during the war, struggling with their lives, trying to be independent but kept in place by the social expectations of those days. Meanwhile, secretive war manoeuvres are being carried out in the Pacific. This story, based on the author's family history, deserves to be heard. As you can see I read it in a couple of days!!
October 29, 2017
War leaves a terrible wake. It's ripples are not contained to the battlefield or even to those broken and battered soldiers who survive it. It consumes everything. This beautiful novel tells such a tale, based on family experience. It offers a glance through history to a war torn world, told from the perspective of Australian women left behind to their own struggles. A wonderful book.
September 3, 2017
This is a soul-stirring and haunting story. It was both heart warming and tragic!
Set in Melbourne and Victoria during WWII it paints a clear picture of life during that period and highlights the tragedy of war for everyone.
The title and the publisher’s blurb give an accurate picture of the basics of the story. The characters are well developed and we become entwined into their world. The story flows smoothly as we follow the two main characters, two women, Mae and Grace over a period of six years, 1941 to 1947, as they face and deal with the impact the war has on their lives.
Well written historical fiction that I would certainly recommend to other readers. I look forward to reading further novels from debut author Lisa Bigelow.
Thank you to Goodreads and publisher Allen & Unwin for a copy of the book to read and review.
December 23, 2017
2 1/2 stars. Thanks to Allen & Unwin and Goodreads for my copy. Definitely a light holiday read. While the premise of this story and the dual narrative, by two women, is a good idea the characters did not really come to life. I would prefer to develop my understanding of them by listening to them speak and witnessing their actions rather than being told how they felt and relying on somewhat stereotyped descriptions. I also think the ending petered out without a strong resolution for either character. I liked the exploration of a woman making her way in a male dominated workforce and the sense of loss that was explored by the characters because they had little resolution about the loss or whereabouts of their partners.
October 5, 2017
A good premise and a welcome change to view global events through Australian eyes but overall the story lacked cohesion and didn't live up to its promise. The historical facts were largely accurate but the characters felt underdeveloped or stereotypes. Some plot lines were left hanging or didn't intersect with the fates of the principal characters. I really wanted to love this book but it left me wanting more - more depth and more substance to the plot and characters. Having said that, it was a pleasant and easy read.
Huge thanks to Allen & Unwin for promoting Australian authors; I won this book in a giveaway.
Huge thanks to Allen & Unwin for promoting Australian authors; I won this book in a giveaway.
September 13, 2019
An enjoyable read. I love wartime novels and this was great.
November 1, 2017
Many thanks to Beauty and Lace and Allen & Unwin for the opportunity to read and review this book.
We that are left is a beautifully crafted work by debut author Lisa Bigelow. The story is set in Melbourne in the early 1940’s during World War 2 and follows two women, Grace Fowler who desperately wants to break the mold and become a real reporter, and Mae Parker, married to Harry a dashing naval engineer.
Married for 6 years Mae is desperate to have a family and having miscarried three pregnancies she is hopeful that this latest pregnancy will result in a full term baby. Heavily pregnant Harry announces that he has received his dream posting, to the HMAS Sydney, and that he leaves in just a few days. With Harry away Mae goes to stay with her friends Claire and Sam where she unexpectedly goes into labour, giving birth to a healthy girl but requiring surgery that will prevent her from having any more children. When the baby is four months old Harry manages to get leave to come home for the weekend, but things don’t go as planned, Mae is still tired and sore, and struggling with baby blues as well as feeling she can never live up to her mother-in-law’s expectations. As news comes in of the disappearance of the Sydney and all its crew Mae must deal with her guilt over not having been the perfect wife that weekend.
Meanwhile Grace has fallen for the gorgeous athletic journalist Phil Taylor at the paper where Sam is the editor. Due to circumstances beyond his control Phil is in Singapore when it is captured by the Japanese and ends up in Changi prison.
As a journalist herself, and having a grandfather who was lost in the mystery of the disappearance of HMAS Sydney, Bigelow eloquently describes the workings of newspapers of the time and captures the experience of the wives, mothers and girlfriends left behind when their men were caught up in the war, the uncertainty of knowing what had happened to their men, having to learn to fend for themselves, and then dealing with the changed men who came back.
I loved the secondary characters within book,in particular Et, William, and Arnold, but found the ending a little disappointing almost as though the author felt she needed to end the book, but wasn’t quite sure how to bring it to a strong close.
However, overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it
We that are left is a beautifully crafted work by debut author Lisa Bigelow. The story is set in Melbourne in the early 1940’s during World War 2 and follows two women, Grace Fowler who desperately wants to break the mold and become a real reporter, and Mae Parker, married to Harry a dashing naval engineer.
Married for 6 years Mae is desperate to have a family and having miscarried three pregnancies she is hopeful that this latest pregnancy will result in a full term baby. Heavily pregnant Harry announces that he has received his dream posting, to the HMAS Sydney, and that he leaves in just a few days. With Harry away Mae goes to stay with her friends Claire and Sam where she unexpectedly goes into labour, giving birth to a healthy girl but requiring surgery that will prevent her from having any more children. When the baby is four months old Harry manages to get leave to come home for the weekend, but things don’t go as planned, Mae is still tired and sore, and struggling with baby blues as well as feeling she can never live up to her mother-in-law’s expectations. As news comes in of the disappearance of the Sydney and all its crew Mae must deal with her guilt over not having been the perfect wife that weekend.
Meanwhile Grace has fallen for the gorgeous athletic journalist Phil Taylor at the paper where Sam is the editor. Due to circumstances beyond his control Phil is in Singapore when it is captured by the Japanese and ends up in Changi prison.
As a journalist herself, and having a grandfather who was lost in the mystery of the disappearance of HMAS Sydney, Bigelow eloquently describes the workings of newspapers of the time and captures the experience of the wives, mothers and girlfriends left behind when their men were caught up in the war, the uncertainty of knowing what had happened to their men, having to learn to fend for themselves, and then dealing with the changed men who came back.
I loved the secondary characters within book,in particular Et, William, and Arnold, but found the ending a little disappointing almost as though the author felt she needed to end the book, but wasn’t quite sure how to bring it to a strong close.
However, overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it
November 22, 2017
We That Are Left is Australian author Lisa Bigelow’s first novel and a lovely tribute to the women that are left behind. From the moment I saw the beautiful cover and discovered that it was set in World War II, I had to have it! I love historical fiction and knew I couldn’t go wrong either with a book taking place in my own country, Australia. Told in the third person, the focus is split between two women, Mae and Grace. The story begins with Mae, whose husband is on the HMASS Sydney which mysteriously disappears off the West Australian coast. The HMASS Sydney did indeed disappear and to this day it is not truly known what happened between it and the German enemy ship encountered. This was a part of history I had no knowledge of and now have a little thanks to Lisa. Grace is the second woman, whose partner is captured during the fall of Singapore. Through these two ordinary people, Lisa explores the effects of war on those left behind on the home front as their men go off to war.
Of the two women, Mae was the person I could relate to the most. Mae is a navy wife and a life time ago, I was once an army wife. Her husband Harry is called to war just like mine was so I could understand the anxiety and the stress that she experienced of waiting for a loved one to return home. Waiting years though like Mae did to find out if her husband was still alive, is unfathomable and I could understand why she was in denial. That’s where our similarities ended though. Mae is a typical 1940s wife whose focus is to care for the children and the home. I couldn’t understand the obsession that she had with everything being perfect as it a time and situation that is so far removed from my own. I did respect her choices though as this is all she knows.
When it came to work, Grace was the woman who I had a lot of empathy for. She is a woman fighting to work in a male dominated environment as a newspaper reporter. Through her, I was able to experience first hand the sexism she encountered on a daily basis which made me thankful that those harsh times had indeed past. Women like Grace made way for every woman that came after her. I wasn’t as invested in Grace’s love story as Grace herself was unclear on where she stood when Phil is captured. This made it more difficult to have sympathy for her situation. Another reason I had difficult connecting not just to Grace’s love life but also Mae and Grace as people was because their story is told in the third person. I think I would have been able to get to know them better if at least one character was in the first person. Despite this I did enjoy getting to know both Mae and Grace as well as I could.
What fate has in store for Mae and Grace by the end of the war could be the start of another story.
Of the two women, Mae was the person I could relate to the most. Mae is a navy wife and a life time ago, I was once an army wife. Her husband Harry is called to war just like mine was so I could understand the anxiety and the stress that she experienced of waiting for a loved one to return home. Waiting years though like Mae did to find out if her husband was still alive, is unfathomable and I could understand why she was in denial. That’s where our similarities ended though. Mae is a typical 1940s wife whose focus is to care for the children and the home. I couldn’t understand the obsession that she had with everything being perfect as it a time and situation that is so far removed from my own. I did respect her choices though as this is all she knows.
When it came to work, Grace was the woman who I had a lot of empathy for. She is a woman fighting to work in a male dominated environment as a newspaper reporter. Through her, I was able to experience first hand the sexism she encountered on a daily basis which made me thankful that those harsh times had indeed past. Women like Grace made way for every woman that came after her. I wasn’t as invested in Grace’s love story as Grace herself was unclear on where she stood when Phil is captured. This made it more difficult to have sympathy for her situation. Another reason I had difficult connecting not just to Grace’s love life but also Mae and Grace as people was because their story is told in the third person. I think I would have been able to get to know them better if at least one character was in the first person. Despite this I did enjoy getting to know both Mae and Grace as well as I could.
What fate has in store for Mae and Grace by the end of the war could be the start of another story.
August 4, 2024
This read brings home the impact that war has on those left behind. It centres around two young women, Mae married with a small daughter and Grace who has moved to the city with the desire to become a reporter. Both have love interests that are away at war, Harry married to Mae while not a serviceman is involved with the maintenance of naval ships and now working on the Sydney while Phil, a journalist is in Singapore. When Singapore falls to the Japanese Phil becomes a prisoner. The Sydney goes missing presumed sunk by the Germans but as there is no proof Mae hangs onto the belief that those on board have been captured and are still alive.
Grace's father has a small town newspaper but doesn't believe in women journalists which is one of the reasons for her move to the city. Her hope is to be able to become a senior crime reporter but even in Melbourne her dream is stifled with her only allowed to cover the social pages. (Who would have guessed the social pages of the future?) However with so many men away fighting Grace is given an opportunity to cover the story of escaped prisoners of war, Germans, those it's believed were responsible for the suspected sinking of the Sydney. Grace does so well that on her return to Melbourne her boss extends opportunities for her. Phil returns home but the POW experience sees him a much changed man, quiet but angered easily making life difficult for Grace and now their new son.
Mae holds out hope for Harry that one day he will return but it doesn't stop her from achieving things in her own right, she takes over the running of a dress shop and renovates a small home for Katie and herself as well as being involved with reading for those badly wounded servicemen who remain in hospital.
Grace's father has a small town newspaper but doesn't believe in women journalists which is one of the reasons for her move to the city. Her hope is to be able to become a senior crime reporter but even in Melbourne her dream is stifled with her only allowed to cover the social pages. (Who would have guessed the social pages of the future?) However with so many men away fighting Grace is given an opportunity to cover the story of escaped prisoners of war, Germans, those it's believed were responsible for the suspected sinking of the Sydney. Grace does so well that on her return to Melbourne her boss extends opportunities for her. Phil returns home but the POW experience sees him a much changed man, quiet but angered easily making life difficult for Grace and now their new son.
Mae holds out hope for Harry that one day he will return but it doesn't stop her from achieving things in her own right, she takes over the running of a dress shop and renovates a small home for Katie and herself as well as being involved with reading for those badly wounded servicemen who remain in hospital.
November 30, 2017
We That Are Left is the debut book for author Lisa Bigelow.
It takes us on a journey through war.
The story is woven together through the lives of Grace and Mae who we get to know through the back and forth of chapters.
Grace has just started work at the newspapers office in Melbourne. She finds herself as the secretary for Sam Barton but really she wants to be a reporter and her life is made up of headlines she creates in her mind for her life.
Mae is happily married to Harry and they are expecting their first child when he gets his orders. He is to report to the naval port in Perth. The ship he will be training on will be the Sydney.
From here the story travels along with Grace as she proves how tough it can be a how strong a woman she is working in a man's line of work. Will she succeed and get to live her dreams come true.
Harry and the ship the Sydney are lost and Mae hasn't given up hope that somewhere Harry is alive and waiting for her to come home.
I really enjoyed learning more about the ship Sydney. I just knew the basics probably the same as my knowledge of the war in Australia. I don't have any family members that have fought in any war so have never heard any stories so reading books like this open your eyes and mind a little bit more.
Lisa has done an amazing job in bringing knowledge and compassion to her story about the ship.
I read somewhere that the ship and it's history play a role in her family history so I'm glad that her wanting to know more created such a beautiful story.
Good luck with your next novel. I'll be looking out there for it.
It takes us on a journey through war.
The story is woven together through the lives of Grace and Mae who we get to know through the back and forth of chapters.
Grace has just started work at the newspapers office in Melbourne. She finds herself as the secretary for Sam Barton but really she wants to be a reporter and her life is made up of headlines she creates in her mind for her life.
Mae is happily married to Harry and they are expecting their first child when he gets his orders. He is to report to the naval port in Perth. The ship he will be training on will be the Sydney.
From here the story travels along with Grace as she proves how tough it can be a how strong a woman she is working in a man's line of work. Will she succeed and get to live her dreams come true.
Harry and the ship the Sydney are lost and Mae hasn't given up hope that somewhere Harry is alive and waiting for her to come home.
I really enjoyed learning more about the ship Sydney. I just knew the basics probably the same as my knowledge of the war in Australia. I don't have any family members that have fought in any war so have never heard any stories so reading books like this open your eyes and mind a little bit more.
Lisa has done an amazing job in bringing knowledge and compassion to her story about the ship.
I read somewhere that the ship and it's history play a role in her family history so I'm glad that her wanting to know more created such a beautiful story.
Good luck with your next novel. I'll be looking out there for it.
February 8, 2018
I won this novel as part of a Goodreads giveaway. Thanks to the publishers for the opportunity to read this author's debut novel.
The idea behind this was different from the usual WWII historical. It was rewarding to hear about the war from the point of view of two women who are left behind while the men go out to serve, and it was also refreshing to have an Australian point of view.
However, the execution could have been more fluent. The first half of the book covers the main events surrounding the loss of the HMAS Sydney in 1941-42. Mae holds out eternal hope that her husband, Harry, who was aboard the Sydney will return to her and their daughter. Grace is waiting for Phil to return from the POW camp in Changi. The second half is more disjointed and covers the next 5 years, including the post-war years. This section is quite disjointed and some of the chapters are merely updates of what the characters are doing; they didn't really hold a lot of interest for me, as the reader. Mae's story kind of peters out towards the end and Grace's is wrapped up in quite a rushed, incomplete and ultimately dissatisfying way.
It seems the author realised her book was getting a bit long and decided to finish it off too quickly. Either that, or she was told by the publishers to cut the length down, resulting in a choppy, disjointed and rather detached final story. I felt the characters needed fleshing out more and too much was included that wasn't really relevant. I would have liked to have had more feeling and less action. The ending also felt incomplete. I wonder if the author is planning on a sequel?
3 stars. A good concept that could have been executed better.
The idea behind this was different from the usual WWII historical. It was rewarding to hear about the war from the point of view of two women who are left behind while the men go out to serve, and it was also refreshing to have an Australian point of view.
However, the execution could have been more fluent. The first half of the book covers the main events surrounding the loss of the HMAS Sydney in 1941-42. Mae holds out eternal hope that her husband, Harry, who was aboard the Sydney will return to her and their daughter. Grace is waiting for Phil to return from the POW camp in Changi. The second half is more disjointed and covers the next 5 years, including the post-war years. This section is quite disjointed and some of the chapters are merely updates of what the characters are doing; they didn't really hold a lot of interest for me, as the reader. Mae's story kind of peters out towards the end and Grace's is wrapped up in quite a rushed, incomplete and ultimately dissatisfying way.
It seems the author realised her book was getting a bit long and decided to finish it off too quickly. Either that, or she was told by the publishers to cut the length down, resulting in a choppy, disjointed and rather detached final story. I felt the characters needed fleshing out more and too much was included that wasn't really relevant. I would have liked to have had more feeling and less action. The ending also felt incomplete. I wonder if the author is planning on a sequel?
3 stars. A good concept that could have been executed better.
January 30, 2019
We That Are Left tells the story of two women, Mae and Grace, during WWII. Desperate to be a reporter, Grace leaves her life in the country and moves to Melbourne to work at a newspaper. Although employed as a secretary rather than as a cadet, she sees it as a foot in the door. That is until she meets sports reporter Phil Taylor and starts to weigh up how she can have a career and a marriage. Mae on the other hand, wants nothing more than to be the perfect wife to Harry, but he has just been posted to HMAS Sydney and she is left at home to raise the child she’s pregnant with. The two women never actually meet (which I think was a good thing), but as the book goes on, we find that they have a number of friends in common as the chapters weave between their stories.
I enjoyed the book and it was good for a light weekend read. The characters were interesting and often relatable, the history accurate and it was just the right length. It has both funny and sad moments and the writing was so well done you were easily transported back to the 1940s. Finally, it was refreshing to read a book that didn’t have a completely happy ending. Neither Mae nor Grace get exactly what they want out of life, but they learn to live with it. That may sound harsh, but I would not have enjoyed it as much if the ending was all wrapped up in a ribbon and bow Disney style. As the blurb says “it isn’t just soldiers who lives who are lost when tragedy strikes in times or war.” If you like historical fiction, you will enjoy We That Are Lost.
I enjoyed the book and it was good for a light weekend read. The characters were interesting and often relatable, the history accurate and it was just the right length. It has both funny and sad moments and the writing was so well done you were easily transported back to the 1940s. Finally, it was refreshing to read a book that didn’t have a completely happy ending. Neither Mae nor Grace get exactly what they want out of life, but they learn to live with it. That may sound harsh, but I would not have enjoyed it as much if the ending was all wrapped up in a ribbon and bow Disney style. As the blurb says “it isn’t just soldiers who lives who are lost when tragedy strikes in times or war.” If you like historical fiction, you will enjoy We That Are Lost.
December 11, 2017
I received this as a first reads giveaway on Goodreads and am very pleased I did . It is a compelling read and had me in its grip from the first pages.It was refreshing to read a novel based in the Pacific during World War 2 , we have had so many stories from Great Britain and Europe , it was nice to have a book based closer to home .Focusing on the 2 women was a clever idea as it was very daunting for the women left behind and having to run farms business's and provide for their families.
Lisa Bigelow portrays both the main characters very well and the reader soon warms to their plight as first Mae's husband is lost at sea on the Sydney and Grace's journalist boyfriend is shot in Singapore.
The reader follows the women until 1947 , the war is over and life is very different for both of them . The ending is abrupt , but not unexpected and leaves one thinking what might have been .
The cover is stunning and the script well written flowing well , the book will be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys war history, and Australian fiction. This is the authors first novel , I will be keeping a look out for any further examples of her work
Lisa Bigelow portrays both the main characters very well and the reader soon warms to their plight as first Mae's husband is lost at sea on the Sydney and Grace's journalist boyfriend is shot in Singapore.
The reader follows the women until 1947 , the war is over and life is very different for both of them . The ending is abrupt , but not unexpected and leaves one thinking what might have been .
The cover is stunning and the script well written flowing well , the book will be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys war history, and Australian fiction. This is the authors first novel , I will be keeping a look out for any further examples of her work
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