Martha's Journey

by Maureen Lee

Liverpool 1915. Martha Rossi lives in a tenement with her husband and their five children. Despite working all the hours she can, the family don't have much to get by on. When Martha's fourteen-year-old son, Joe, proudly enlists to fight for his country just to earn his mother an extra shilling, Martha is horrified. She realises the government is turning a blind eye to the scores of young boys who are joining the army. Despite her pleas and protests, Joe is dispatched to France within weeks. Unbeknownst to them all, Joe's act of selfless heroism will have huge implications for Martha and all the family. As the dreaded telegrams begin to arrive from the front in France, mother's hearts are broken across the country. Spurred on by grief of her own, Martha Rossi begins a quest that will take her right to the doors of No.10 Downing Street. Martha's journey there will be a tough one, but with courage and the support of her friends and family, it will be the most important undertaking of her life. Deeply moving and utterly irresistible, MARTHA'S JOURNEY shows Maureen Lee at her very best.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Classics, World War I

400 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2010

About the author

Maureen Lee was born in Bootle, England, UK, near Liverpool during the World War II. She attended Commercial College and became a shorthand typist. She married Richard, and they had three sons, now adults. The last years the marriage lives in Colchester, Essex.

During years, she published over one hundred and fifty short-stories, before published her first novel Lila in 1983. She continued published dramatic historical sagas mainly setting in Liverpool since 1994. In 2000, her novel Dancing in the Dark won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association.

Reviews

[Shirley Revill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really touched my heart and had me reaching for the tissues. I really got into the characters band and could not put this book down. Very well written and thought provoking. Recommended.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Maureen Lee's novel, Martha's Journey, the character, Martha Rossi, and her unwavering devotion and determination will remain within your heart long after the last page has been read! Burdened with the responsibility of being the sole wage earner in the midst of poverty and caring for her children, Martha Rossi's life is anything but easy. However, she wouldn't change any aspect of her life if she could just have her son, Joe, home safe and sound. Martha proves there is no greater strength than a mother's love for her children. Although his intentions were admirable, Joe quickly finds himself face to face with the ugliness of war that no one should ever have to bear witness to, especially not a fourteen year old boy from Liverpool. Filled with tragedy, triumph, and a cast of characters that will quickly find a way into your heart, Martha's Journey, is sure to appeal to any reader. I was quickly pulled into this book and found it difficult to put it aside...and of course, a box of tissue was close at hand! Maureen Lee is a truly gifted storyteller and one that I look forward to reading more from in the very near future. FIVE stars.

[Louise Lacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would Martha have really left her children with her husband once he had stopped drinking? It didn't ring true to me. However, Martha was highly likeable if somewhat fiesty and very loyal, what mother wouldn't walk to the ends of the earth for their children? I really got a sense of what it must have been like for mothers in the first world war whose children went off to fight.

I found the character of Kate hard to believe, would she have be-friended Martha if she didn't want to be a journalist? Was she using Martha for her own ends?

I would have liked to have read more about her life before she was married and with her husband before his accident.

I applaud Maureen for telling the story of Joe, so many children went to war and this was something I knew nothing about until I researched it myself.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice read.

[Faye Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

As we head towards the centenary of the end of the First World War I found this an incredibly poignant and thought provoking read. It tells a story of the mother of a young British soldier and her family from early WW1 to WW2 as well as those living around her. It is beautifully written and you genuinely care about the characters.

[Novelle Novels · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 out of 5 stars
Ok so going into this prepare to cry and be warned there is a lot of war based violence and poverty. Maureen Lee has kept up her talent of writing great characters that you fall in love with. Set in Liverpool 1914 and based around Martha Rossi who is a mother of five. When her underage son enlists in world war 1 she starts a battle to get him home. Kate is the narrator and meets Martha quite early on and we follow that friendship. Following a heartbreaking telegram Martha goes on a journey that wins everyone’s hearts. This really is a book based around war and a mother’s love.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had everything which SHOULD have made me fall in love with it - history, war, romance, tragedy, my father's hometown - so why was I soooooooo booorrreeeddd? Seriously, I only finished it because I felt obliged to given it was set during a time and in the location where my grandparents were born and raised...

I felt no connection to the characters. Martha frustrated me, her pride was ridiculously detrimental to her lifestyle and her inability to stand up to her husband, older children and acquaintences made me cringe. Kate was nauseating, Joyce was a prized bitch and Frank a waste of space (or words!) Why include such unlikeable characters? It didn't make me like Martha more, it frustrated me that she would just accept their crap. I think Joe's character could've been further developed; whilst it was sad what happened to him, I didn't feel that rip-your-heart-out pain I should've felt. Clive was the only character I felt any warmth towards, but even with the twist at the end, I didn't feel overly emotional... I also found Martha's "journey" extremely unconvincing; I know what it feels like to be 6 months pregnant, and no matter how grief stricken a person may be, there is no way on earth any woman who was 6 months pregnant would be in a condition to WALK from Liverpool to London, let alone risk the health of their unborn baby AND leave two children with an alcoholic father that had been negligently absent from their lives for the past decade and with no income coming in. It's all very noble to think "but she did it for her child" but what about the others? And all this without a plan of what she was intending to achieve at the end of it. Very disappointing story...

[Anne Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The theme of this book is the futility of war. After Martha Rossi's 14-year-old son, Joe, is killed at the battle of Loos, Martha is determined to stop underage soldiers being sent into battle. With the help of a young-middle class woman, Kate, and a dedicated young reporter, Clive, she sets about righting a terrible wrong even though it's too late for Joe. This book isn't just about the journey Martha makes to London to confront the Prime Minister, it's about her personal journey. From being a young mother, weary with struggling to make ends meet and care for her family despite working full-time, she becomes a strong indomitable woman speaking in public. I loved the character of Martha with her soft-spoken Irish accent (I read this as an audiobook); she really came alive for me. A moving and inspiring read.

[Taysha Boehmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I wasn't thrilled with how she ended the book, this is yet another great read by Maureen Lee.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took a long time to get to the actual "journey" -- and since I enjoyed the first part of the book so much, I was disappointed that the author seemed to lose steam for the second half.

[Lyn Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't meet a Maureen Lee book that I didn't enjoy reading
This was slow in parts but I still enjoyed

[Kath Steel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this kind of story that isn't a really challenging read (we all need the book occasionally that grips our interest but doesn't need 150% concentration to keep up with the storyline), sometimes offers a twist you didn't expect and tells a story of families we can all identify with - in this instance the Rossi's. I can't pretend that I know about Liverpool and the life of the dockers during wartime or the Depression, but here in this part of the world we had the miners where the pressures on families hit by the problems are similar and the 'enhancements' given to children to enlist as cannon fodder by greedy people in positions where they did know better but did it anyway were prevalent wherever you were at that time and largely went unchallenged. This is a harsh story, sad at times and happy at times, but a good recounting of bravery in the face of all adversity, how communities would pull together to help each other even when they didn't know who you were and were sharing what little they had because someone else needed it more, and reminding us that one small voice can be heard and make a difference. It was a gentle reminder too, of days past when we were satisfied with less and more willing to be self-sufficient!

[Jane Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartfelt story about a Mother's journey to London to make a point.

Set in the middle of the 1st World War, we're introduced to Martha, her 5 children and useless husband Carlo. They all live in poverty yet Martha doesn't complain when she's the one who goes out to work. She can't read either and teaches herself so that she can write to her son who's signed up to join the war in France (this is just before conscription). She's befriended by Kate, a strong willed young woman who is drawn to Martha and wants to help her by giving her dresses, bags etc. Martha is a proud woman so Kate has to be subtle and she's guided in this by her parents. Also, the lovely journalist Clive who helps Martha throughout.

Initially, I thought the book was going to be laborious but it wasn't long before I was sucked into the everyday lives of the people who struggled with losing loved ones overseas yet had to carry on with looking after those who were left.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good read by Maureen Lee, in fact I would even say it's one of her best. This book looks at world war one in a very different way to most books of this type. The main character, Martha Rossi is incredibly likeable. The story is well written and I felt as if I could have been reading a true story as its very believable. It would make a good film or tv drama as it has a serious point to. make but does it in such a way that you can't help being swept along with Martha on her journey. Definitely deserves five stars, I'd give it more if I could!

[MRS S PUSEY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible story

I chose this rating because it was all 5star's and more this author is amazing the story of a women who felt it was the right thing to do to stop young boys being drawn into a war that was started by adults who should have known better especially when her son was only 14years old,i felt Martha was very brave and had so much determination i felt i was with her all the way along her journey with everyone else that helped her including some politicians which stopped this her friends were amazing to,a great story thank you Maureen for another incredible story.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful yet heartbreaking story. It's inspirational that a heavily pregnant woman would show such drive and determination to fulfill a purpose. So many twists, turns and a massive shocker at the end that I was not expecting. Even though this is a story, it felt so real and emotive like you're reading someone's life story. Martha truly was a wonderful woman and I'm so glad she met Kate who was a big part of her life and success. What a wonderful friend. Cannot wait to read another book by this amazing author!!

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a lovely story of a Mother's love of her children during WW1. One of Martha's sons signs up for WW1 by a devious police captain and what follows after with Martha trying to save her son. Apparently, this was not uncommon for underage boys to sign up and they were taken because of the need for more soldiers.

[Mag · Rating 5 out of 5]

Martha's Journey really touched my heart and it made me cry every time she mentions his son. This book will always have a place in my heart—it's comedy, it's drama, and it's exciting at the same time as you read this book.

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

Fantastic read from start to finish

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple story. This is not a book that I would normally pick up, but I enjoyed it! The story was sweet and straight forward. Easy to follow and didn't take long to read!

[Sarah Hollowell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this and I genuinely think this is how things were during the war times

[Pavan Reddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As simple as it can be to the end. Simply, loved it.

[Deevena Jemima · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's such a beautiful story. Martha, who loses her 14 year old son, Joe, to a senseless war, wants answers. Be ready for some tears..

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Martha's Journey. Maureen Lee by Maureen Lee (2010)

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just loved this book of courage and maternal love. I wonder how many women went/go through this appalling trauma during our World Wars and other conflicts. An inspiring book about determination and bravery.

[Maria Argent · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love Maureen's books but sadly this one was not of her normal good work. It was slow and at times quite tedious.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Martha's journey was a very moving and detailed story of a mums fight to get justice for her 14 year old son after he was tricked into signing up to join the army.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know what you're getting when you pick up a book by this author! I quite enjoyed it but found it very repetitive and found myself skipping bits! Not my usual kind of read but ok.