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Everyone Brave Is Forgiven

‘An addictive and propulsive’ (Sunday Times) WWII Love Story by author of The Other Hand

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Everyone Brave Is Forgiven

By: Chris Cleave
Narrated by: Luke Thompson
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Summary

 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©2016 Chris Cleave Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction War & Military War Heartfelt Espionage Military

Critic Reviews

An addictive, propulsive read . . . Cleave writes with an engaging intensity, a determination to tackle big moral issues, and a willingness to take risks. (Theo Tait)
A compelling and finely crafted novel...The Second World War is dangerous territory for a contemporary novelist: the enemies they face include familiarity, cliché, and the reader's knowledge that any number of things happened then that were far stranger than fiction. For a writer to succeed in setting a tale in a period of heightened emotions, they need first to keep their own emotions under close control. Ian McEwan did this with Atonement, Sarah Waters did it with The Night Watch, and Chris Cleave does it too with Everyone Brave is Forgiven.
Loosely based on the author's grandparents' stories, this is a superb novel that breathes fresh life into an often brutal scenario. Particularly astute at demonstrating how war seeps into the psyche and changes it, this is beautifully written, funny, gut-wrenching and, above all, honest.
Powerful and moving . . . Cleave's real revisionism exists in the very fabric of his prose. (Lucy Scholes)
A tremendous, sweeping love story that unfolds against the backdrop of war-torn London and Malta.
Tender and touching. (Eithne Farry)
Cleave cements his reputation as a skilful storyteller, and a sensitive chronicler of the interplay between the political and the personal . . . intricately researched and evocatively conveyed. (Hannah Beckerman)
Absorbing [and] sharply paced. (Helen Dunmore)
Brilliant [and] fearlessly written . . . Thoroughly absorbing. (Claire Allfree)
I was blown away by it.
A special book
It's a war novel but not as you know it. Cleave, a Guardian journalist and celebrated novelist (Incendiary, The Other Hand), has reportedly written his best book to date with this tale of a young teacher determined to stay in Blitz-time London.
Magnificent and profoundly moving...This dazzling novel of World War II is full of unforgettable characters and the keen emotional insights that moved readers of Chris Cleave's Little Bee.
Brings both the Blitz and the siege of Malta to unforgettable life.
With dazzling prose, sharp English wit, and compassion, Cleave paints a powerful portrait of war's effects on those who fight and those left behind.
He has the rare ability to tell a unique story while also expressing universal truths that pierce straight into your own everyday. Sure to be one of the hits of this year.
A story of epic love inspired by grandparents and capital.
You'd be hard-pushed to find a list of what to read in 2016 that doesn't feature Chris Cleave's latest.
All stars
Most relevant
I simply loved this book. Beautifully evocative. I fell in love with the characters.
Treat yourself and read this book.

Stunning

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the story was nice enough, but this story had been tools a million times just with different names. There is not enough attention placed on giving the characters identities beyond very surface information, which means they are hard to relate to. Alister is probably the only character who had a lot of personality and is relatable. Mary, the poor little rich girl, who is so pretty she inadvertently steals all the attention from her poor friend Hilda, but has no idea she's doing it... Please... That is the biggest clue this book is written by a man.

Very predictable.

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Superbly built characters. Clean, precision prose a skilful immersion of the fourth protagonist into war torn London. Best since The Dressmaker.
Thank you and congratulations Chris

Chris Richards
Canberra, Australia

Wonderful word craftsmanship!

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A good story with the right narrator. I enjoyed and am to read the book now. Got lots of knitting done.

Really enjoyed it

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A rich and thought provoking story and the narration was truly outstanding. I highly recommend.

Wonderful story, brilliantly read

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