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Blackpool's Daughter

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The perfect read for fans of Mary Wood, Kitty Neale, Val Wood and Nadine Dorries

Clara is forced to flee her home as the Nazis invade the beautiful island of Guernsey

Separated from her mother, far away from anything familiar, she is at the mercy of a cruel shopkeeper. Clara is worked like a dog, but the warmth of her Blackpool friendships will go far to save her.

Julia just wants to find her beloved daughter - but the trials of war will keep them far apart.

They will meet again - but the war will change everything for mother and daughter...

448 pages, Paperback

Published August 6, 2019

33 people are currently reading
78 people want to read

About the author

Maggie Mason

17 books50 followers

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5 stars
190 (68%)
4 stars
56 (20%)
3 stars
22 (7%)
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7 (2%)
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
Profile Image for Booklover BEV.
1,734 reviews52 followers
January 1, 2019
Very moving story

The second book from Maggie mason and its a best seller.I loved this book that starts in Guernsey 1940. The story of Julia and daughter clara. Clara is evacuated off the island at the start of WW2 and is sent to Blackpool. Her mother as an unmarried mother sets sail over to England to try to find her daughter. Clara Portman is the Blackpool evacuees sent to live with mavis Brandon working in her shop and makes friends with Shelley and half day closing in the shop is spent touring all of blackpools amazing sights. I loved reading clara and Julia's journey it takes us from Guernsey,to London,Manchester and Blackpool. Fascination story that will draw you in. Lots of characters along the way for both these woman to love and loss. I truly loved it
Profile Image for Sandra.
566 reviews22 followers
August 5, 2019
Having seen this book first on Amazon i read the blurb and thought yes i like the sound of this so i pre-ordered it.When i started reading about Julia and her daughter Clara on the island of Guernsey and of how they were treated because Julia was an unmarried mother,but things come to a head with the threat of invasion from the German army.Julia has made the hard choice to send Clara to the mainland and safety,a couple of days after Clara sailed away Julia herself sails to safety.Clara is sent to Blackpool and billeted with an old woman who runs a shop and is made to work all hours and for nothing.Life in Blackpool is hard for Clara but she has a good friend called Shelly and they meet up when they can to enjoy some me time.Tragedy strikes and from then on Clara's life is never the same.I can highly recommend this book if you like to feel as though you along side the charactors then this book is for you.Well worth 5* if not more and well done to Maggie Mason i loved it.
Profile Image for Booklover BEV.
1,734 reviews52 followers
August 16, 2019
The second book from Maggie mason and its a best seller.I loved this book that starts in Guernsey 1940. The story of Julia and daughter clara. Clara is evacuated off the island at the start of WW2 and is sent to Blackpool. Her mother as an unmarried mother sets sail over to England to try to find her daughter. Clara Portman is the Blackpool evacuees sent to live with mavis Brandon working in her shop and makes friends with Shelley and half day closing in the shop is spent touring all of blackpools amazing sights. I loved reading clara and Julia's journey it takes us from Guernsey,to London,Manchester and Blackpool. Fascination story that will draw you in. Lots of characters along the way for both these woman to love and loss. I truly loved this book
Profile Image for Sandra.
566 reviews22 followers
December 9, 2018
Having seen this book first on Amazon i read the blurb and thought yes i like the sound of this so i pre-ordered it.When i started reading about Julia and her daughter Clara on the island of Guernsey and of how they were treated because Julia was an unmarried mother,but things come to a head with the threat of invasion from the German army.Julia has made the hard choice to send Clara to the mainland and safety,a couple of days after Clara sailed away Julia herself sails to safety.Clara is sent to Blackpool and billeted with an old woman who runs a shop and is made to work all hours and for nothing.Life in Blackpool is hard for Clara but she has a good friend called Shelly and they meet up when they can to enjoy some me time.Tragedy strikes and from then on Clara's life is never the same.I can highly recommend this book if you like to feel as though you along side the charactors then this book is for you.Well worth 5* if not more and well done to Maggie Mason i loved it.
330 reviews14 followers
February 9, 2020
What a brilliant book!
The story of Julia and het daughter, Clara during world war two. The book starts on the island of Guernsey, where Julia and Clara live, they are not treated well as Julia is an unmarried mother. When a German invasion seems imminent, the children, including Clara are evacuated to England. From then on we follow their progress in alternative chapters, it felt like I was getting two stories in one. Julia followed her daughter to England a few days later but couldn't find out where she'd been taken. Both Julia and Clara experienced many difficulties during their separation.
A five star book, recommended.
Profile Image for Yvonne.
1,766 reviews135 followers
May 2, 2019
Having read the previous book called The Blackpool Lass, (you can read my review here) I was very keen to see if this author could pull at my heart and emotions again! Well! Oh my goodness! Yes she could! Blackpool’s Daughter is such an emotional rollercoaster that took my emotions once again through the wringer.

The story is of Clara and her mother Julia and I first met them on Guernsey, they do not have the best of life their but do make the most of what they have. As the threat of Germany taking over the island looms ever closer, the decision is made to evacuate the children and younger people off the island to the mainland. Clara eventually ends up in Blackpool while Julia remains behind. A change of circumstance makes it possible for Julia to find the fare for passage as well. She wants to find her daughter… but where she is, well no-one seems to know. She is given a rough idea of where Clara was possibly placed.

Oh Clara my goodness… Blackpool sounds like such a perfect place for her to be posted, but it’s not the Blackpool I imagine. Instead Clara is forced to work like a slave for such her obnoxious landlady. What should be a place of safety is in fact dangerous, dirty and an absolute nightmare. Clara’s situation just seems to go from bad to worse with every decision that is forced upon her. Clara is caught up in the back streets, full of danger and deceit. The Author really shows her research in this book as there are so many mentions of relevant things.

Julia does not find it any easier. The anguish at watching her daughter leave is so heartfelt and I really did feel for this strong character. She is one of those silent women that bear all that is thrown at her but not saying anything about. This silent strength is something that she will definitely need as she tries to earn enough to try and find Clara. The strength her mother has is something that Clara has also taken and she will need all her strength to get through some really tough situations.

Heartbreak and emotion are very strong themes in this book and at times it is gut wrenching to read some of the dilemmas and situations the characters find themselves in. The second world war has such a huge impact on families, communities and the nation as a whole. Pain and suffering is evident, but also that resolve to try to carry on as best as you can is in evidence. But with this resolve there are also the minority that see the war as a means to profit, it is these people who are the real danger.

The stories of the two women are told in quick alternating chapters. Each chapter left me wanting to know what was happening with the other, to see how they were faring and coping. But it was not only the two women that had my interest it was also the people they met along their travels and whose lives they become part of.

Along with the heartbreak and feeling of sadness there is also another emotion, it’s called hope and comes in various different other aspects and from other characters. Hope that mother and daughter will survive, hope they will be united, hope that others are re-united and, hope that futures and lives will eventually get better.

This is such a fabulous read, once I started I really did not want to put it down. The story hit me right from the start and this author really knows how to put her characters and also this reader through the emotional mill.

If you are a fan of historical fiction and family saga’s then you really should check this author out. Blackpool’s Daughter get a Highly Recommended from me! xx
Profile Image for Julie.
Author 5 books228 followers
April 22, 2019
Previously published in hardback as 'Blackpool Evacuee' this book by Maggie Mason drew me in from the start. The story opens in Guernsey as Claire is sent over to the mainland to avoid the German Occupation. The author's gritty style and hard-hitting plot will pull on your emotions. There are several threads within the book and the theme of friendship dominates. Totally absorbing yet easy to read, this book will keep you enthralled to the end. I read it over a weekend and loved the attention to detail, the historical research and the characters who jump off the page.
105 reviews
June 22, 2024
Great historical novel about area I live in. Showcased hard issues of the time. Tbh read while I was recovering from a serious illness and not able to give it all my attention so maybe my review is a bit harsh not giving it 5 stars.
Profile Image for mois reads .
536 reviews1 follower
December 12, 2018
Clara

Clara was evacuated to Blackpool from Guernsey she missed her mam and went through unforgettable horrors at the hands of people who should
of looked after her but with the help of her friends she survived and was reunited with her mam .5 STARS for a brilliant read .
Profile Image for Jen.
242 reviews2 followers
August 16, 2019
There is only one reason that this book has taken me so long to read and that is because I haven't been well. Otherwise I think that I may have read it in a day! Such an exciting book, something was happening on every page! The characters were so relatable & each ones story so believable. The emotional turmoil is palpable throughout. I absolutely loved it - when I was getting towards the end I was reading as fast as the characters would have been speaking and at the same time trying to slow down to make it last longer haha.
Well done Maggie Mason! Please please keep them coming!
762 reviews17 followers
April 23, 2019
Blackpool’s Daughter in the U.K.

Evacuees in the Second World War often had a challenging time; Clara in this novel suffers more than most. Exiled from a pre invasion Guernsey, she at least escapes from the uncomfortable atmosphere on the island as her single mother, Julia, has fought valiantly to bring her up in the face of slights over her unmarried status. Neatly suggesting that Guernsey was a large village isolated from the mainland for the spread of gossip, the novel speedily carries the reader away from the island as Julia follows her daughter and it is only then that the action begins. This novel exposes the truth of losing people in the chaos of the homefront, when telephones were still relatively rare and the postal system affected by various factors ; that it was possible for people to lose touch with loved ones. While this book has several moments of terror and sudden loss, it also features great love and the sense of family that probably did overcome much in communities affected by war in so many ways. It shows how women had to endure separation from loved ones, new ways of life which were frequently hard, the reality of pregnancy without the presence of fathers and so many other dangers; this is not a book of bombing and blitz but of the harsh realities of life in supposedly safe areas. I really appreciated the truth of the characters in this novel, as they seek ways to live in challenging times. An effortlessly readable novel, it kept me reading into the small hours as I literally could not wait to discover what became of people I had been introduced to by this talented author. I was very glad to be given the opportunity to read and review this book as part of the tour.

Clara is only thirteen when she travels alone to England and safety from the imminent invasion. An overwhelmed system sees her sent to Blackpool and the cruelty over Miss Brandon who runs a shop. While she makes one or two friends who will help her to cope, she also learns quickly that it is difficult to know who to trust in a Blackpool where secret forces control daily life and rule by fear. Meanwhile thanks to the generosity of a older islander, Julia buys the last place on the final evacuation boat from the island, and rushes to London to reclaim her daughter. She is also reconciled with a friend, Rhoda, but the two women discover that their daughters have been sent from London to an unknown town. Julia and Rhoda enlist as land girls in order to travel north in the hope of tracking the girls, but country life brings its own temptations and terrors as a jealous wife seeks revenge. Meanwhile Clara becomes entrapped by a series of circumstances and must show enormous courage to survive and thrive.

This is a book with a complex plot in some ways, as human experience is rarely uncomplicated, and there are times when the drama edges towards the extreme. However, the undeniable strength of the characters always saves the narrative, and I relished the way that friends and minor characters helped save the day, even when all seemed lost. I liked the way that Daisy continued to help, and this book places great emphasis on the power of relationships forged in adversity. Read this book for the characters, the survival of love, and the hope of a better and fulfilled life which survives may challenges.
Profile Image for Nicola Smith.
1,136 reviews44 followers
April 18, 2019
I do love a Mary Wood book. But this is not a Mary Wood book, I hear you cry! Well, it is but under a different name. And that's all that's different. We still have the brilliant, heart-warming storylines, the characters you grow to love (and those that you grow to hate too). She just provides a wonderful read from start to finish.

Blackpool's Daughter is the story of Julia and her daughter, Clara. They're from Guernsey but the island is becoming dangerous. War has broken out and the Nazis are expected to invade so Julia takes the difficult decision to send Clara away to England for safety. What they don't expect is that nobody keeps a record of where the evacuees are sent and so when Julia makes her way to England soon after, she has no idea where to look for Clara. I can't imagine what that must have felt like. The sheer horror of not knowing where your child is, whether they are safe and whether they have found a happy home or not must have been overwhelming, but I understand that it really did happen that way.

Clara ends up in Blackpool, a place relatively untouched by the war. But her time there starts off unhappily and goes from bad to worse really, with the odd glimmer of happiness every so often to remind her that she has to keep going, in the hope of seeing her mother again one day.

The author lives in Blackpool so she knows the area really well and that shows in Blackpool's Daughter. It's really brought to life so vividly, the sea and the seafront, the amusement park, the smell of fish and chips, the shows. Clara ends up thinking of the town as home and makes some fabulous friends.

As I would have expected with this author, I got completely engrossed in the story and didn't want to put it down. Both Clara and Julia go through an incredible amount of pain and anguish, but the author pulls it back so that it's not all doom and gloom and there are moments of real happiness in amongst the difficult times.

Blackpool's Daughter is an emotional, sometimes shocking story of war, family, loss, love, friendship and camaraderie. It's written by, for me, one of the best saga writers around. I know that Mary/Maggie will always deliver a completely absorbing and gripping story with characters I come to care for, just as I cared for Julia and Clara. In case you didn't realise, I loved it!
493 reviews1 follower
December 20, 2018
If I could give more than five stars I would! This book has you gripped from beginning to end. You follow Clara and Julia from Guernsey to the mainland. Clara being only fourteen goes first and ends up in Blackpool, where she has to grow up very quickly. She makes friends with Shelley who unfortunately gets killed. The after that her life is very colourful. In the meantime Julia after being ostrasized for being an unmarried mother in Guersey, comes in search of Clara. Let me not spoil it anymore. So this is a well done to Maggie Mason (aka Mary Wood). So, from me if you read the book enjoy it.
Profile Image for Ali Bookworm.
675 reviews41 followers
December 28, 2018
I thought Blackpool Lass was amazing but Blackpool Evacuee is outstanding. I spent a lot of my time in Blackpool all my life with so many happy memories. I just love seeing all the familiar place names and the descriptions of the whole area are bang on. The characters are so lovable (well, not all) but the story lines are so fast paced you can hardly catch your breath before the next shock happens. You are wondering what on earth can happen next. I did not want it to end but I devoured it in less than 48 hours. Fabulous.
Profile Image for Heather Copping.
676 reviews12 followers
June 11, 2019
A great read with great characters that draw you in from the beginning, lots of different emotions are covered from loss, love, child exploitation and war anxiety that all make a very readable book.
We meet a young girl being evacuated from Guernsey in the Channel Islands and she is eventually sent to Blackpool. Here her life goes from one sad situation to another, her friends stick by her, but what of her family.
I was sad to reach the end of the book and would have liked it to carry on.
1 review
July 25, 2024
I like this book and its nice and all but I can't give it 4 stars because I feel like its very predictable and unpredictable when Clara's best friend Shelly died then came in Julie's best friend Rhoda also died which made it a cycle if one of them is happy the other will also be happy, and if something terrible happnend then the same will occur. But over its very exciting and not boring at all for my taste. Recommend for people who love historic based romance novels.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
33 reviews
October 17, 2025
My 94 year old mum gave me this book to read and said what a good book it was so I decided to give it a go. I mostly read psychological thrillers so it was very different but it was so good, very hard to put down! One of my daughters lives in St Annes so I have been to Blackpool many times and recognised places mentioned. I am now sourcing her other Blackpool books so my mum and I can both enjoy them!
227 reviews3 followers
February 24, 2019
Blackpool

I have given this book 5 stars as I can't give it any more. It's a fabulous book with wonderful characters. They bring the pages to life. A must read for all who love a good read and love history. Thank you Maggie xx
27 reviews
August 21, 2021
Not that good

This is just as bad as another book based in Blackpool I have read Once again the language is unfamiliar to Blackpool She makes Blackpool out to be a bed of sin and gangters paradise. Wont be buying anymore of this authors books all too soppy and unbelivable
173 reviews
July 25, 2019
Loved it

What a great book this is, tears , sadness, joy and laughter are all here but it all came right in the end ,if you are looking for a nice easy read this is it .
38 reviews
July 28, 2019
Amazing story by an amazing author really put me through every emotion couldnt put it down loved every word x
287 reviews4 followers
November 27, 2019
Clara and her mother Julia have always had a bad time living in Guernsey . The locals shun them because Clara was born out of wedlock .In 1940 wheb it become clear that the German are going to invade the Channel Isles Clara is evacuated to Blackpool . She thinks it will be like one long holiday , however she is billeted with a cruel and greedy shopkeeper . Clara is her unpaid skivvy . Julia heads to London , thinking that is where her daughter is going .
Both of them will face much trouble as the war years pass , but find love and friendship on the way .
This is such an exciting and heartwarming book that I was sad to reach the end .
I am a Sandgrownion , being born in Blackpool's Victoria hospital and although not born till well after the war I loved reading about places I know .
I hope there will be a third book set here !
1 review
Read
January 7, 2019
A fantastic book

I started reading it & couldn't stop fantastic story held me throughout. I don't read much so fantastic reading this.
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