War was declared at 11.15 and Mary North signed up at noon. She did it at lunch, before telegrams came, in case her mother said no… Nineteen hours later she reached St Pancras in clouds of steam, still wearing her alpine sweater. The train’s whistle screamed. London, then. It was a city in love with beginnings.
London, 1939.
Young, bright, and brave, Mary is certain she’d be a marvelous spy. When she is—bewilderingly—made a teacher, she 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.
Three lives entangled in violence and passion, friendship and deception, all inexorably shaping their hopes, dreams and futures.
Set in London during the years of 1939–1942, when citizens had slim hope of survival, much less victory; and on the strategic island of Malta, which was daily devastated by the Axis barrage, Everyone Brave is Forgiven features little-known history and a perfect wartime love story inspired by the real-life love letters between Chris Cleave’s grandparents. This dazzling novel dares 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.
An extraordinary story of love and honour in extreme circumstances, from the multi-award-winning author of The Other Hand.
'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...A compelling and finely crafted novel.' - FT
'A cracker' - Stylist
'His best book to date' - Esquire
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 9781473618718
Number of pages: 464
Weight: 320 g
Dimensions: 201 x 129 x 29 mm
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, The Sunday Times
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. - Financial Times
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. - Daily Mail
Powerful and moving . . . Cleave's real revisionism exists in the very fabric of his prose. - Lucy Scholes, Independent
A tremendous, sweeping love story that unfolds against the backdrop of war-torn London and Malta. - Mail on Sunday
Tender and touching. - Eithne Farry, Mail on Sunday
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, Observer
Absorbing [and] sharply paced. - Helen Dunmore, Guardian
Brilliant [and] fearlessly written . . . Thoroughly absorbing. - Claire Allfree, Metro
I was blown away by it. - Woman & Home
A special book - Good Housekeeping
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. - Esquire, Top 10 Best New Novels of 2016
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. - Shelf Awareness
Brings both the Blitz and the siege of Malta to unforgettable life. - Irish Times
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. - People Book of the Week
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. - Grazia Book Club
A story of epic love inspired by grandparents and capital. - Barking and Dagenham Post
You'd be hard-pushed to find a list of what to read in 2016 that doesn't feature Chris Cleave's latest. - Mumsnet
It is one of the best stories of war and love I've read for a long time. Its stark realities, descriptions and atmospheric details make it a real page turner. This story is full of emotions able to become tender,... More
I've never read anything by Chris Cleave before, and i have no idea why. What a terrific writer he is. 'Everyone Brave is Forgiven' is a fantastic story from start to finish where i was sorry to say... More
Sometimes you discover a book so brilliant that you’re not quite sure anything you read in the future will quite be good enough. Everyone Brave is Forgiven is one of those novels for me and I have a great desire to... More
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