Everyone Brave Is Forgiven

Written by Chris Cleave

Narrated by Luke Thompson

The breathtaking new novel from the multi-award-winning author of THE OTHER HAND.

"A cracker" Stylist, 10 Exciting Books in 2016
"His best book to date" Esquire, 10 best novels of 2016
Guardian Literary Highlight of 2016
Independent Best Book to read in 2016
Irish News Top Picks for 2016
Washington Post 20 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2016

When war is declared, Mary North leaves finishing school unfinished, goes straight to the War Office, and signs up.

Tom Shaw decides to give it a miss - until his flatmate Alistair unexpectedly enlists, and the conflict can no longer be avoided.

Young, bright and brave, Mary is certain she'd be a marvelous spy. When she is - bewilderingly - made a teacher, she instead finds herself defying prejudice to protect the children her country would rather forget.

Tom, meanwhile, finds that he will do anything for Mary.

And when Mary and Alistair meet, it is love, as well as war, that will test them in ways they could not have imagined, entangling three lives in violence and passion, friendship and deception, inexorably shaping their hopes and dreams.

In a powerful combination of both humour and heartbreak, this dazzling novel weaves little-known history, and a perfect love story, through the vast sweep of the Second World War - daring us to understand that, against the great theatre of world events, it is the intimate losses, the small battles, the daily human triumphs, that change us most.

(P)2016 Hodder & Stoughton

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette UK Audio
• Release date: Apr 21, 2016
• ISBN: 9781473619081

Chris Cleave

Chris Cleave is the author of Everyone Brave is Forgiven, Gold, Incendiary, and the #1 New York Times bestseller Little Bee. He lives with his wife and three children in London, England. Visit him at ChrisCleave.com or on Twitter @ChrisCleave.

Reviews for Everyone Brave Is Forgiven

[castlelass · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Historical fiction set in WWII covering the period 1939 to 1942, emphasizing the London Blitz and the Siege of Malta. The storyline follows an ensemble of main characters. Eighteen-year-old Mary North, daughter of a politician, leads a privileged life in West London. She volunteers to assist the war effort and ends up teaching, where she meets Tom Shaw, who runs the schools, and his roommate, Alistair Heath, who has enlisted. She befriends one of her students, Zachary, a black American child. Her friend, Hilda, is another privileged girl who is looking for a husband and is jealous of Mary’s beauty. This book depicts the horrors of war in vivid detail. None of the characters is spared an encounter with one or more tragedies.

The strengths of this novel are twofold: 1) portraying lesser known events, such as the Siege of Malta and the American black experience of racism in London, and 2) showing changes and emotional growth in the characters. The drawbacks include unpleasant characters, incessant sarcastic dialogue, modern sensibilities, liberties taken with WWII timelines, and implausible plot points.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Luke Thompson. He does a wonderful job with many different accents and gives a unique voice to each character. I have read a good deal of both historical fiction and non-fiction related to WWII, and there are many books I would recommend ahead of this one.

[hardlyhardy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

“Life took longer to reassemble than it did to blow apart, but that didn't mean it wouldn't be lovely, providing that one remembered to go for country walks, and to tune the wireless to music.” — Chris Cleave, “Everyone Brave Is Forgiven”Chris Cleave's fourth novel, “Everyone Brace Is Forgiven” (2016), is about reassembling lives blown apart by World War II. Yet it is a love story that the war makes possible.Cleave says his novel was inspired by his own grandparents, although the story is based only loosely on their experiences.Mary is an idealistic rich girl whose mother only wants to marry well. Instead she volunteers to help with the war effort however she can, then gets assigned to teach school, even though she lacks any qualifications. Most London children are soon sent to the countryside when the Germans start bombing the city, but some children, either because they are black, disabled in some way or otherwise unattractive, are rejected by the country people and returned to London. Mary decides to teach them.She falls in love with Tom, her supervisor, but then one fateful night she and her best friend, Hilda, go out with Tom and his best friend, Alistair, and magic strikes between Mary and Alistair, an Army officer. Hilda feels betrayed because she likes Alistair, too. As for Tom, a German bomb soon kills him, as well as most of Mary's students. For most of the novel Alistair and Mary are separated by the war, he under siege on Malta and she driving an ambulance during bombing raids. Both suffer disabling injuries.The war destroys so much. Will it destroy this love that had just one brief night to form? Will everyone brave be forgiven? Will everyone forgiven stay brave? Cleave deals with such questions in an incredibly beautiful and meaningful novel.

[nanettels · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm really torn about this book. In the end, I think it's wonderfully written but I really didn't like most of the characters. I neatly quit several times because I found them so unappealing. I'm glad I finished it though

[knittinkitties · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I thought it was an ok story but nothing spectacular

[limelite_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Years ago when I read Chris Cleave's earlier novel, Little Bee, I was astounded by his ability walk in the life of a female African immigrant to England so convincingly that it seemed to me he was writing from his own memories. I have found at last in his current novel that he can also walk in the lives of his own people and bring the essence of their generation to life in such a way that seems to underscore that Cleave is so good a writer that for him bringing any imagined character to life is the easiest thing in the world.Heroes are, by my definition, ordinary people who perform such extraordinary acts in times of crisis and test as to seem beyond any sort of human as to be impossible. Yet they exist and they do these heroic things. So do the four friends in this novel, set primarily in London during the worst of the blitz and on the island of Malta during the Nazi blockade that nearly starved the tiny British garrison to death down to a man.What is heroism? In this novel it is the courage to carry on, to lay down your instinct for self preservation to preserve another, to defy defeat by preserving enough faith to trust in love, and to dare to make plans and then new plans when first plans are dashed. All of this is brought to life within the covers of this book.Everyone Brave Is Forgiven is the exceptional novel that truly does illuminate what it means to be human. It's the rare reader's treat that lovers of meaningful and lasting stories long and search for, and if lucky enough, find. Find yourself a copy, otherwise you may not be able to forgive yourself for missing this novel about the courageous Greatest Generation who defied evil with little more than a mysterious formula of persistence, defiance, and compassion that defeated dread.

[mplantenga11 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was an easy book to follow as an audiobook. A lot of time was spent on detailing the characters' daily lives and their thoughts which made the plot a little slow. The overall plot was okay but a little predictable.

[techeditor_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

EVERYONE BRAVE IS FORGIVEN is about bravery. Most of the book takes place in England at the start of World War II and before the United States joins them. Mary wants to join the war effort right away so is assigned teaching duties. Later she joins her friend Hilda as an ambulance driver. London is a dangerous place to live, and they choose to volunteer for even greater danger.At first I found these chapters to be too young adultish, especially those about Mary's romance with Tom, a school administrator. But the chapters about Tom's roommate, Alistair, after he joins the army are excellent. These kept me going for about 100 pages, until I loved it all. (That is in spite of Mary's strange family. They are very rich. Mary's father never appears. Her mother seems untouched by the war. Neither parent seems to care much about Mary. Sometimes she lives with them, sometimes not. That doesn't seem to concern them, even when she is only 18.)EVERYONE BRAVE IS FORGIVEN shows us the hardships of the beginning of World War II not only to the English military but also to English citizens. What a relief it is to them when the US arrives.

[paul9the9well9read · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Everyone Brave Is Forgiven is a love story set in the terror-filled times of the first few years of WW II. The settings vary from the streets and bomb shelters of London to the siege against British troops on Malta. Both settings are horrific scenes of death, destruction and abject terror.
This book’s primary story about a romance is, frankly, not as interesting as the surrounding events and situations, the vividness of its descriptions, and the honest handling of both war and of racism.
Beautiful but privileged Mary falls for soldier Alastair just as he is shipped off to Malta. Abandoning the safety of her privileged life, Mary wants to help children learn. When she can’t get a position working with mainstream children, Mary takes on the rejected and disowned, those outcasts who continue to be marginalized even today. She confronts first hand the abject, blatant and unapologetic racism of British society.
While Mary sees the full brunt of racism in London, Alastair feels the full brunt of war in Malta. The mangling of human bodies, the terror of unremitting fear of death, the dehumanization necessary for some as a means of psychological survival and the full mental and physical devastation that war truly is fills the pages of the novel.
So many books and movies gloss over or ignore what wars really do to victims, civilian and military alike, but this book does a good job of confronting and portraying them. The grisly horrors of children and civilians torn into pieces by enemy bombs in London vividly compares to the equally grisly death, destruction, privation and long term after effects of warfare on the battlefront.
Everyone Brave Is Forgiven goes beyond describing the carnage of war into portraying the psychological impact it has on people, both combatants and civilian victims. These scars impact lives and relationships long after peace treaties are signed and wars end.
This is a compelling book that clearly goes beyond being a romance and becomes a great book of historical fiction as well.

[nwieme-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent characters! Loved it!! And everyone forgiven must be brave.

[beth.clarke · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5 I've read a lot of WW2 historical fiction and the characters just didn't compare. Mary's willingness to help teach children that others could care less about was touching. However, some parts really dragged and I had to work to care about Mary's love interests. Not terrible, but not great.

[skyeval · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Interesting read. Well written. I learned more about the WWII than in most novels as it covered the blitz and Malta. An interesting angle of the .

[smits_52 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This perhaps, is the best WWll book I have read and I have read a lot of them. I am a huge fan of Chris Cleave and enjoyed his other novels I have read. This one is no exception. WWll is shown without any glory but with gritty real life in it with characters who are human and that I loved. I loved Mary, a privilaged girl who has ideals and comes to maturity during wartime into a woman of depth . She discovers she is a good teacher . She teaches disabled children and a favorite student is black. I did not know such rampant racism existed in London but not with Mary. Her best friend Hilda is also remarkable as the two women take on ambulance driving and nursing when they know nothing of such work. Throughout is a lively banter between them that is so cleaverly intwined. The male characters are Tom, who does not go to war and is a teaching administrator and Allistar who joins up right away. Both these men show clearly how war is on a day to day basis, the losses the battles and the triumps. They are all brave and any shortcomings forgiven in my opinion.

[cdyankeefan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

England during the Second World War is the setting for this novel. Love found and lost, changing social norms, self discovery, growth and second chances are the themes explored in this novel. The author does a good job in capturing the devastation and horror of war. Some of the dialogue between two of the characters is frankly offensive but it’s important to note that some of the words and expressions used then were not as charged as they are now.

[nicolewbrown · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Mary North leaves her fancy school in Switzerland to head to the London War Office and volunteer her services in 1939. She doesn't know what to expect but teaching kids, is not it. Of course, she is not what the school expects either. Her methods are unconventional and she is too friendly with the children. When it comes time to evacuate the children to the country she discovers that she is not to go with them. Her last task is to find a black child, Zachary, who has run away. She worries about Zachary having trouble in the country and not being there to help him.Mary goes to the new head of the school district Tom Shaw to ask for a job teaching. The two are instantly attracted to each other, but Tom is one of those insecure quiet men so it takes a while for the two to begin dating. Tom also finds some misplaced children for her to teach. Mostly mentally or physically disabled children that no family in the country would take or children whose parents could not bear to send them away. Mary also has written letters to Zachary's father asking that he send for Zachary and when something happens out in the country Zachary comes back to join her class.Tom's roommate Alistair Heath, who worked at the Tate Gallary, joined the army and is a Captain. He is coming for a quick visit before shipping out to Malta. Mary sets up a date for him with her best friend Hilda. Hilda is a little bit overweight and has a habit of going brainless when a man is around. It doesn't help that her best friend is the beautiful and charming Mary. Once Mary kissed the guy that Hilda had her eye on. So when Mary and Alistair meet and instantly fall in love they do and say nothing but they each know. And Hilda believes that Mary has gone off and kissed Alistair.The book goes back and forth between the terrible things that are happening with Mary and what is happening with Allistair, a lot of it while he is in Malta and the horrible conditions there. The title of the book is used in a full quotation "I was brought up to believe that everyone brave is forgiven, but in wartime courage is cheap and clemency out of season." There are those that won't be lenient on Mary. But courage is indeed cheap during wartime and Mary will show herself to be brave and worthy of our forgiveness. This is a magnificent book that teaches of the frailty of human nature and the fierceness of the human spirit with no easy answers. Quotes What was war, after all, but morale in helmets and jeeps? And what was morale if not one hundred million little conversations, the sum of which might leave men brave enough to advance? The true heart of war was small talk-Chris Cleave (Everyone Brave Is Forgiven p3)It turned out that the only difference between children and adults was that children were prepared to put twice the energy into the project of not being sad.-Chris Cleave (Everyone Brave Is Forgiven p 11)“And we need to find you a nice soldier, do we?”“An airman would do in a pinch. I draw the line at navy blue.”“Nice girls do.”-Chris Cleave (Everyone Brave Is Forgiven p 42)Almost as strange as being in love was being in it with someone she liked: someone her mother would not countenance nor Hilda even consider. Without the war, how would one ever meet an ordinary man like Tom?-Chris Cleave (Everyone Brave Is Forgiven p 74)The worst thing would be to decide that it was love, and then to discover—after one was taken—that it hadn’t been. No: the worst thing would be to decide that it wasn’t love, and then to discover years later—old and unconsoled—that it had been. No: the worst thing—the worst, worst thing—was this having to decide.-Chris Cleave (Everyone Brave Is Forgiven p 76)Women share everything. It’s the blessing we received when we turned down muscles and mustaches.-Chris Cleave (Everyone Brave Is Forgiven p 93)Women fall differently, that’s all. We die by the stopping of our hearts, they by the insistence of theirs.-Chris Cleave (Everyone Brave Is Forgiven p 350)Here they honored one’s name in that generous way the Ritz knew, which was to remember it only when one was sober.-Chris Cleave (Everyone Brave Is Forgiven p 406)

[jimmoz-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is really quite good. It is a beautiful romance, and covers much regarding the bombing of London. Also, there is a description of the German siege of Malta, and the difficulty of the British forces there. The book was inspired by the wartime experiences of the author's grandparents, especially the grandmothers.

[sheiladeeth_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Chris Cleave creates such believable characters you’ll mourn their deaths as if you almost knew them. He places them in a believable early-war London, where the brave volunteer and those not yet sure of their bravery stay to fight at home. Sometimes the less brave might prove to be more. Sometimes the battle might prove to be something quite different from the war. And sometimes, whether violently or otherwise, the world really does need to change, and indeed to forgive.The London Blitz, the starvation of Malta, the risks of land, air and sea all come to life in this novel. The rich aren’t always different, and the right things aren’t always obvious. But the characters stumble and learn, readers learning beside them, while a story of the past becomes something awesomely scary and wise for the present. Problems of race, drugs, family loyalties and more come to the fore… as does love.This novel is a slow read interrupted by scenes of devastating action, a self-absorbed insight interrupted by the rest of the world, and a tale of assumptions proven false, love proven slow, and kindness bringing hope. It's highly recommended.Disclosure: I enjoy Chris Cleave’s novels and I was delighted to be given this one as a gift.

[etxgardener · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The British homefront during World War II, has always fascinated me, and this book, based on the author's grandparents' own wartime love story, is an excellent entry into the books written about that time period. Mary North is a young, upper middle class girl who runs away from her finishing school as soon as war is declared in the hopes of landing a glamorous wartime assignment - preferably as a spy. Her friend, Hilda is also looking for something glamorous to do - preferably in order to meet an interesting man.Unfortunately, the job Mary is assigned to is that of a school teacher. In that capacity, she meets Tom Shaw, a young man who is trying to avoid military service. Tome and Mary fall into wartime love. When Tom's friend, Alistair Heath, comes home on leave Mary and time try to set him up with Hilda. However, Mary and Alistair take one look st each other and unwelcome lightning strikes.How these four people navigate their way through the first three years of the war is a tale of bravery, loyalty and loss that seems very real to the reader. the characters don't always act in the most admirable manner, but it's wartime and as the title says, everyone brave is forgiven.

[maggieflo_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book came highly recommended so I was disappointed in the story.It's a WWII love story which takes place in London while it is being bombed and on the Island of Malta, while it is being blockaded by the Nazis. The main character are Mary North, Tom Shaw and his best friend Alistair. Mary, the only daughter of wealthy Londoners is an extremely independent 18 year old and signs up to become a teacher at the start of the war. Her supervisor is Tom and they eventually become lovers. Once Mary meets Alistair who is on leave from the battle in France, it is love at first sight. Tom is killed in a bombing and Mary begins to correspond with Alistair in Malta. Tragedy, starvation, drug addiction, self doubt dog the two as they wait for each other during the war. When the reunion finally happens, it is a let down as their expectations for their love to have withstood the separation is tested. The reader is not sure if this is the beginning of their romance or the end as both are unsure of their feelings after so much waiting.What I liked about the story was the dialogue between the characters which was quirky, funny and natural. I liked the characters, the descriptions of war torn London and Malta but I found myself skimming through some of the story.

[fliss88_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I found the writing of Chris Cleave very moving and unforgettable! He writes with a rare skill that allowed me to easily empathise with his characters, laugh with them, marvel at their courage and yet fear for their lives all at the same time. I found the story compulsive reading and there's one passage in the second half of the book that I found so perfectly written, so emotionally charged, I doubt a well directed movie could have added any more suspense to the moment, I had to put the book down and walk away! The historical setting is London during the Blitz and the island of Malta during a two year siege that saw it nearly bombed out of existence. As beautiful as Cleave's writing is, at times he pulled me up, unable to continue reading, with his descriptions of the violence that happened during the war, but here too, his skill as a writer caught me unawares. It was like riding my pushbike around a corner only to discover a huge pothole that I hadn't a hope of missing, leaving me dumped, shaken and a little bruised. As I've said, a rare skill from this author who took my emotions firmly in his hands and ran with them.

[mmoj_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received this book from Reading with Robin and Simon & Schuster.

Mary is an idealistic 18 year old girl who believes she has been called to be a teacher merely as subterfuge for the real job the War Office wants her to do which is to be a spy or something equally as exotic & heroic. They surely can't mean that she'll be doing something as mundane as teaching. But that is her job. And it's related to her teaching job that she meets two men, Tom and Alistair who are best friends.

I can't say more because if I start I'll not be able to shut up and will give the story away. Let me say instead this is one of the best books I've read. What I love about Chris Cleave's books is he makes me feel what the characters feel and makes me able to hear the characters voices so clearly. In this book I felt my self in London during the bombings, I found myself gripping my seat and holding my breath hoping the bombs weren't going to hit. I laughed, cried and was utterly caught up in Mary's life in London and Alistair's in the war. It was a shock when I quit reading and I was back in my safe, comfortable house. I know this story will stay with me for a long time.

[girlwellread · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A special thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Once again, Cleave's writing is gorgeous and moving. His historical fiction work transports you to another time and tells a story that has been told before but makes it new; set in London and Malta, Cleave tackles WWII. I can already see this one becoming a movie.

I have read all of his other books and savoured each one because of his beautiful writing. There is a tenderness to the way he develops his characters with his moving prose, they are deep and complex, much like the setting. We have Mary, who is barely nineteen, and comes from a wealthy family. She uses the war to rebel against her parents, romanticized by possibility and not seeing war for what it is. She is assigned to a school to teach children and meets Tom Shaw, who is the head administrator. The two embark on a romantic relationship that becomes complicated when she is introduced to Tom's flatmate, Alistair Heath, an art conservator that gets deployed to active duty in Malta. Rounding out the cast is Hilda, Mary's inferior friend and ambulance partner.

The only negative was the pace which moved between slow and steady. This was probably deliberate on Cleave's part to let the story unfold, to immerse the reader in WWII, and develop the characters. Stay with it, you will be glad you did and savour the story to the last word.

[dubaireader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Evocative of WWII.I have read all of Chris Cleave's books but I'm afraid this was the one I enjoyed the least. The rest of my book group thoroughly enjoyed it and one member came armed with all the wonderful quotes that had appealed to her, but it didn't excite me.I have procrastinated with this review because I'm not exactly sure what it was about the book that dropped it to three and a half stars. A lot happens, and I'm wondering if I found the transitions a bit chunky. The flow of a book is always very important to me. I also related to some of the characters more than others, which could have affected my response. We were lucky to meet Chris Cleave at our Literary festival and it was fascinating to hear how he had drawn from his grandfather's experiences during WWII, when he was stationed in Malta, some of which he used in the narrative.I loved the vibrant character of Mary; she is from a wealthy family but throws herself into the war effort. She had fancied herself as a spy but takes on the role of teacher with enthusiasm. Her students end up being the children rejected from the country evacuations - children with disabilities and colour.The two other main characters were her boss, Tom, an administrator in education, and his artistic friend, Alistair. Neither of these characters interested me as much as Mary, but both of them play an important part in her life.There is also a side story around one of Mary's pupils, Zach, a black boy whose father is a minstrel in the Minstrel Show in London. Zach is one of the children rejected from the countryside, probably dyslexic, and Mary develops a special fondness for him.Judging from the reactions of my friends I would highly recommend this book, don't take any notice of my views, I was definitely in the minority :) Previously read:Little Bee (The Other Hand) - 4 starsIncendiary - 5 starsGold - 4 starsI have read all of Chris Cleave's books but I'm afraid this was the one I enjoyed the least. The rest of my book group thoroughly enjoyed it and one member came armed with all the wonderful quotes that had appealed to her, but it didn't excite me.I have procrastinated with this review because I'm not exactly sure what it was about the book that dropped it to three (and a half) stars. A lot happens, and I'm wondering if I found the transitions a bit chunky. The flow of a book is always very important to me. I also related to some of the characters more than others, which could have affected my response. We were lucky to meet Chris Cleave at our Literary festival and it was fascinating to hear how he had drawn from his grandfather's experiences during WWII, when he was stationed in Malta, some of which he used in the narrative.I loved the vibrant character of Mary; she is from a wealthy family but throws herself into the war effort. She had fancied herself as a spy but takes on the role of teacher with enthusiasm. Her students end up being the children rejected from the country evacuations - children with disabilities and colour.The two other main characters were her boss, Tom, an administrator in education, and his artistic friend, Alistair. Neither of these characters interested me as much as Mary, but both of them play an important part in her life.There is also a side story around one of Mary's pupils, Zach, a black boy whose father is a minstrel in the Minstrel Show in London. Zach is one of the children rejected from the countryside, probably dyslexic, and Mary develops a special fondness for him.Judging from the reactions of my friends I would highly recommend this book, don't take any notice of my views, I was definitely in the minority :) Previously read:Little Bee (The Other Hand) - 4 starsIncendiary - 5 starsGold - 4 stars

[ecw0647 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Let me begin by saying that Cleave is a very good writer.  He has a facility with metaphors, similes and images that is quite startling.  I just found the plot (was there one?) to be worse than thin. You can read elsewhere what purports to happen, I’ll just note that it follows several characters as they experience the first couple years of WW II in Britain and Malta. Some things just didn’t ring true. The racism experienced by Zachary brought South Carolina to mind, not pre-war England, there just weren’t that many blacks around, let alone American blacks. and I suspect that a black child moved to the country to escape the bombing would have been seen more as a curiosity rather than an object to be bullied.Note that I was in the distinct minority in our reading club.

[jjaylynny · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Whew. Read this book. That is all.

Everyone brave is forgiven.
Everyone forgiven is brave.

I do love that. This is a story based on a love story, about love and not love, war, race, hatred and its enduring place in the world. I learned things, too, and that is always a good thing, about minstrelry in London, about the Blitz, about Malta, where I always thought of sun and learned about starvation.

[2wondery_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow! Powerful story and masterfully told. The characters are smart and engaging. And then even more important, Cleave is able to delineate their inner lives, their doubts and confusions. His description of Alistair's military experiences, using them at the same time to expose their flashback qualities when he is in other circumstances is brilliant.

[johnwbeha · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As another reviewer has said "Chris Cleave is a very skilled writer -- his prose is truly beautiful", but sometimes I think he overwrites. But despite my struggles with the early part of the book, I was finally convinced and was drawn into the very very sad story. I felt empathy for the two lead male characters, but not the women, except for Mary North's determination to relate to a young black boy, a real rarity in war-time London.

[brangwinn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

World War II has been the setting for two of my favorite books. All the Light We Cannot See (Doerr) and The Nightingale (Hannah). And now here comes another one, this time set in wartime London. When Mary leaves finishing school, she finds out her volunteer assignment, that of a school teacher in London and this leads to love with two men from less wealthy backgrounds. To me the basis of this story, the love letters of the author’s grandparents, makes this story into real historical fiction.

[cariola_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really liked Chris Cleaves's Little Bee and Incendiary, and I quite liked this new novel as well. Cleave seems to have a knack for digging into horrifying situations and the psychology of people who have no choice but to live through them. In Everyone Brave Is Forgiven, he tackles the second world was, particularly London in the Blitz years. Mary North, a young woman from an upper crust family (her father is an MP) volunteers with the war office as soon as England enters the fray. Her first assignment is as a teacher, and she is particularly drawn to young Zachary, son of an African-American entertainer who emcees the local minstrel show. Almost as soon as she begins, the children are evacuated to the countryside, and Mary applies for a position to teach the few misfit children who remain in the city (some of whom, like Zachary, have been sent back from the country). Here she meets and falls in love with her supervisor, Tom, a decent sort who hasn't yet felt the compulsion to enlist, as his flatmate, Alistair, had done on the first day that England went to war. Everyone seems to believe (or wants to believe) that the war isn't real and that the city will never be bombed. When Alistair returns on leave, Mary and Tom set him up with her friend Hilda, a young woman rather vain of her looks and focused on the exact arrangement of her pompadour. But the bombs do fall, and their world begins to fall apart. The novel traces the effects of the war not only on these four young people (and Zachary) but on society itself. Be prepared for a lot of tragedy, despair, and uncertainty as people drift apart and come together. Yet the novel is not without elements of hope as the characters learn that change, while perhaps inevitable, is not always the same as loss.Overall, I liked this book, and there are a number of particularly moving scenes and horrific scenes. (I did not know that the British army on Malta was under siege, for example, and the description of life for the men as supplies dwindled was quite an eye opener.) Cleave goes a little heavy on "smart" conversation, which sometimes makes his characters seem irritatingly artificial; perhaps he means to use this as a cover for their insecurities, but I wish he had used it more sparingly. I felt at times like I was watching one of those horrid late 1930s British films where everyone is so darn phony and you just want to smack them. That's the main reason my rating (3.5) is down a notch from the 4+ average.

[bookofsecrets · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

EVERYONE BRAVE IS FORGIVEN is a beautifully written story about the horrors of WWII and how it impacted the lives of everyday people. The pacing is a bit slow, though overall well written. The book is very much focused on the characters. Socialites join the war effort at home as teachers and ambulance drivers; an art restorer is shipped off to endure the Siege of Malta; and London school children struggle with society’s prejudices and racism as bombs fall around them. I was amazed at the strength and resilience of these characters. Even with the serious subject matter, there was a nice touch of humor in the dialogue that I enjoyed. I also enjoyed Luke Thompson’s narration of the audiobook. He did a great job with the many different characters’ voices.Disclosure: I received a copy of this audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[thewanderingjew_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Everyone Brave is Forgiven, Chris Cleave, author; Luke Thompson, narrator.I enjoyed this book on several levels. I learned a lot about the English experience during WWII and about the racism that existed there that I had never known before. Through the interaction of several characters that play a major part in the story, the war years come to life. It is through the experiences and beliefs of Mary, Tom, Alistair, Zachary, and Hilda, from different walks of life, that the atmosphere in England and the theater of war is made truly visible to the reader.The story is narrated expertly by Luke Thompson using a unique voice for each character which was individually discernible and identifiable. The romantic side of the story may be a bit too obvious, but the details of the war were graphic and descriptive giving the reader a credible picture of life there, at that time. The reader is placed right into the thick of things with bombs falling, soldiers dying and the citizenry suffering the exigencies of war in their own individual ways, according to their circumstances. There were shortages; there was destruction coupled with grave injuries and death, but there was also love and romance, compassion and dedication, all existing in varying degrees side by side, depending on where one lived and the class from which one came. Mary North marched to the beat of her own drummer, even as an 18 year old teenager. She defied the rules of her upper class hierarchy. She attempted to join the war effort and was given a teaching post, although she had absolutely no experience. She realized that she loved working with the children but was fired because she treated Zachary Lee, a black student, with what was thought of as excessive kindness and concern; she simply treated him as she would treat any of the white students. She was basically disciplined for her compassion and honesty and broad minded acceptance of all people and their equal ability to succeed. When she met Tom Shaw, who was in charge of hiring, she begged for another position. He was from a different class, but he was smitten by her. Their romance blossomed, and he subsequently created a teaching position for her, even when the budget was tight. Together they helped those young evacuees rejected by the families in the countryside because they were deficient, disabled or black. She introduced her best friend Hilda, not quite as lovely or socially adept as Mary, to Tom’s friend, Alistair Heath. Alistair was an art restorer from the appropriate upper class. When Alistair and Mary met, there was a spark that ignited the chemistry between the two of them instead. Mary resisted it, at first, because she loved Tom, and because Hilda was angry that she was once again attempting to take a beau away from her. Alistair is soon shipped out to Malta where he experiences the brutal hardships of war on that small barren island. The author made the class consciousness of the Brits extremely transparent using the views of the various characters. Even some of the more broad and open minded upper classes viewed the blacks as “less than”. Those in the lower classes who happened to be white also felt that way. Their ignorance about the color of skin was displayed when one character queried Zachary about how he got his skin color. She wondered if he was burned. She wondered if he was in pain. It seems absurd, but I think that the author must have researched this attitude and is using that reality to enhance his fictional tale about England during WWII, a war that was carried on for several years without the help of America, whose eventual entry signaled a more positive end to the combat. The upper classes were shielded from the actual fog of war by the frivolity of their own lives as they knitted socks for the soldiers but still managed to carry on with their social lives and causes, parties and balls. During that time in England, white children were being given every advantage over black children, regarding education, safety, food and shelter. Black children were looked down upon, called names and abused by those who thought they were superior to them. The less fortunate were expected to suffer the dangers of the war while those more fortunate were eagerly evacuated. The rescue of white children went smoothly while those deficient or racially unacceptable were rejected and sent back home. Helping blacks was frowned upon by the upper classes and those that did suffered from the tongue lashings and gossip of their peers. Sanctioned injustice was the norm.Women, at that time, were not independent and were expected to behave properly, not to fraternize with people of color, not to go to places where they congregated and surely not to teach them since it was believed they could not learn. At the same time, the people of color did not want to draw attention to themselves because they did not want to upset the apple cart which allowed them to live in peace in London. It was a fragile situation requiring the walking of a tightrope by all.The atrocities of war were painted sharply; some images were of cruelties and a kind of violence that I had never dreamed of or heard of before. The brutality of the citizens toward their captured enemy has not often been revealed, rather the enemy’s cruelty has been stressed above all else. Still while the anger of the citizenry may have been justified in such hostile times, their barbaric behavior was not. The author clearly shows the force of a mob mentality out of control. He also highlighted the fact that doing the right thing does not always bring about the right result. When the soldier, Alistair, tried to stop a mob from torturing an injured enemy pilot, he himself was seriously wounded by that same pilot while he was trying to protect and help him. I loved the part of the book that featured the bantering back and forth in letters and/or dialogue between the characters. The humor lightened the heavy mood of the scenes of war and deprivation in which those in active and inactive combat were equally injured. Some were soon dying and some were starving in London. They were starving and dying on Malta. They were sitting ducks there, suffering their injuries, death, privation and exhaustion without outside help. As the conditions in London worsened and the bombings increased, the experiences of both Londoners and the soldiers on the battlefield were sharply defined by the author. The hazards of war, with the haphazardness of personal survival, had to be faced by each of them in one capacity or another everyday. The disillusionment about the purpose and the end results of the war was also clearly explored and exposed.I think it was obvious how the book would end from the beginning, partly because of our knowledge of history, but also because of the way the story was rolled out. It was often enhanced with a touch of humor and the information provided was interesting. The romance lightened the subject matter by exposing choices that all readers could identify with and understand. The war united people of different classes and different races, but would it last when the war ended? Would the romances begun survive afterwards in the light of the new day?The book truly illustrates the effect of war on those fighting it and those observing it, those drawn to nationalism engaging in the fight directly and those drawn to defending their country in more intellectual pursuits. Each of the characters risked their lives in a different way; each faced danger and tried to rise to the occasion when necessary to preserve and protect those less fortunate and those defending them from their enemies. This is a book worth reading for its war perspective and its insight into the way people viewed it and treated each other during that time. It might make the reader wonder if society has changed all that much since then.