The Girls of Victory Street by Pam Howes
Publisher & Release: Bookouture, July 27, 2020
Time and setting: WWII, England
Genre: Historical Fiction
Length: 251 Pages
Rating: 5 Gold Crowns
Book Description:
Liverpool, 1939. Bella Rogers thought her life was just starting; she can’t wait to get married to her childhood sweetheart, Bobby. But when war is declared and Bobby is called up, his letters stop, leaving Bella heartbroken and alone. Then her family is torn apart by tragedy when her angelic five-year-old sister dies from a terrible illness. They can barely afford a funeral, but the church is packed with the entire community, devastated for their loss.
Grieving for her sister and lost love, Bella finds a job at the Bryant and May factory, making matches. As bombs begin to fall, Bella gets the workers singing, keeping spirits high amidst the fear. When she meets a handsome American airman, Earl Franklin Jr, Bella’s heart finally starts to mend. Earl encourages her passion and soon she and her friends are offered the opportunity of a lifetime: to travel the country’s army bases, entertaining the troops and singing for victory. They name themselves The Bryant Sisters.
Just as her life is getting back on track, Bella finds herself pregnant – and Earl reveals a shattering secret that changes everything about their future. Devastated, she flees home to Liverpool, but as an unmarried mother, will her family reject her? And, as she faces a terrible sacrifice, will she ever sing with The Bryant Sisters again?
Grieving for her sister and lost love, Bella finds a job at the Bryant and May factory, making matches. As bombs begin to fall, Bella gets the workers singing, keeping spirits high amidst the fear. When she meets a handsome American airman, Earl Franklin Jr, Bella’s heart finally starts to mend. Earl encourages her passion and soon she and her friends are offered the opportunity of a lifetime: to travel the country’s army bases, entertaining the troops and singing for victory. They name themselves The Bryant Sisters.
Just as her life is getting back on track, Bella finds herself pregnant – and Earl reveals a shattering secret that changes everything about their future. Devastated, she flees home to Liverpool, but as an unmarried mother, will her family reject her? And, as she faces a terrible sacrifice, will she ever sing with The Bryant Sisters again?
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Vikki’s Musings
Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary copy of The Girls of Victory Street by Pam Howes for the purpose of reading and reviewing prior to publication. My Opinions are my own and no one has influenced them.
The Girls of Victory Street is a well-written novel set during WWII with compelling characters and an emotionally charged plot. The pacing pulled me in from the first page and kept me engaged until the last.
Bella Rogers’s character appealed to me from the start. Her love for sweet Betty, and the pain she feels when she dies, touched me and brought me to tears. Her heartbreak over losing Bobby, especially since it was to such a conniving female, tore at my heart. Her love for her music made us kindred spirits.
This family saga paints a lovely, and at times, a heart wrenching look at a close family. I felt like I not only got to know Bella, but the rest of her family as well. I particularly enjoyed her mother and her ability to love unconditionally.
Ms. Hawes has clearly done her research and gave just enough historical detail and descriptions to make this an enthralling reading experience. I made a trip to England four years ago and traveled through Cornwall. We came upon a bombed-out shell of a church and asked why it was still there, and the tour guide explained that it remained that way so they never forgot the devastation England suffered during WWII. That made a lasting impression on me. Her descriptions of several scenes pulled me to that moment time and again as I read this book.
If you enjoy historical fiction that shows family love and how war affects a country and its people, then you will love The Girls of Victory Street as much as I did. I will be reading other books by this talented author. Happy reading!
Author Bio:
Pam Howes was born in Cheshire. She is an ex Interior Designer who began writing seriously in the mid-nineties. The idea for her first novel, set in the sixties, was inspired by her time as a teenager, working in a local record store and hanging around with musicians who frequented the business.
That first novel evolved into a series set in the fictional town of Pickford, based on her hometown of Stockport. Three Steps to Heaven; 'Til I Kissed You; Always On My Mind; Not Fade Away, and That'll Be The Day, follow the lives and loves through the decades of fictional Rock'n'Roll band The Raiders. Pam is a big fan of sixties music and it's this love that compelled her to write the series.
A stand-alone true-life romance, Fast Movin' Train, set in the nineties, was published in early 2012. Pam is mum to three adult daughters, grandma to seven assorted grandchildren, and roadie to one musician partner.
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pam.howes
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PamHowes1
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