Sheila Riley's "The Mersey Orphan: A Tale of Love and Loss in Liverpool"

carol rawson: loved this book another great story line from Sheila Riley

Australia on Sep 23, 2023

Tracey: I have book 2 and 3 downloaded and ready to go and thank goodness for that, A young woman stepping up when their Mam doesn't return, but no body knows the truth and why their Mam did what she did, a loveless marriage, the lies, secrets are just starting the beginning, I adored Connie who ran the pub next door, an amazing woman.

Australia on Aug 19, 2023

Mrs. Linda Price: Great story line and once I started reading it I couldn’t stop.
Would throughly recommend this book to family and friends.

United Kingdom on May 22, 2023

mrs pauline holben: A book you will not want to put down

United Kingdom on Mar 31, 2023

Amazon Customer: A sweet, kind of old-fashioned novel, that I continued reading, even though it wasn’t particularly mesmerizing. If you’re in the mood for something really undemanding, this is it.

United States on Dec 29, 2022

Laurie Adair Grove: I loved the web of plot lines and the characters. The narrator was very good in every part. I was happy to get back to listening to it every chance I had for the last few days. Now on to the next book in the series!

United States on Apr 13, 2021

DJW reader: Being a fan of historical novels, I really enjoyed going back to the time when I was a child. This was a story of a family who had certainly had a rough time. Their mother seemed to hook up with unsavoury characters who could be quite violent times so apart from the time that the 2 younger children were looked after in Ireland, managing to keep going was very difficult. Connie, in charge of the local pub was a godsend to Evie and her siblings, but life didn't treat her well at times either.

This is an interesting family saga based in Liverpool.

United Kingdom on Jan 17, 2021

Robin Ennis Willson: "Using the only weapon in her armory, she attacked with her tongue as a form of defense."

1947 England. An agonizing story of a family and their neighbors in post war poverty, fighting to live in the ruins and through rationing. Evie is trying her best to better herself, earn a higher wage and bring her brother and sister home from Ireland where they had been evacuated to a relatives house. Her mother was pretty rough around the edges and took up with questionable men after her father had been killed in the War. There's an undercurrent of crime in the area loosely tied to the black market. Every one of the people in this community are tough, survivors. There are some interesting twists and mysteries, and you can't help but want the best for these people. Lots of depth and a storyline that keeps you involved to the last page, wondering about a sequel.

Quotes
"The war years had given them a determination to get on with life, tomorrow could take care of itself."

"Optimism. Anticipation. Love. And most of all that inner strength that made anything, and everything, seem possible."

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the...

United States on Jan 07, 2020

RF: The Orphan Daughter by Sheila Riley is a very interesting and quick read that is a historical fiction novel that is set 1946-1947 post WWII in Liverpool and focuses on our young female protagonist Evie and all of the adversities and obstacles that she has to be exposed to and overcome during this very bleak time. For what should be the time of optimism, Evie has to go through a lot.
I enjoyed this character immensely as she is strong, has perseverance, and has real grit. The author did such a great job in creating Evie that the reader cannot help but champion her cause.
The mystery component added another layer of interest to the storyline as well and I look forward to the next installment of this journey.

5/5

United States on Sep 10, 2019

lynguy1: The Orphan Daughter by Sheila Riley is a historical fiction novel with a bit of a mystery to it. It is the first book in a series by this author and is set in Liverpool during 1946 and 1947 after World War II.

Evie Kilgaren, our protagonist, has been basically abandoned by her mother and her father did not return from the war. Her mother, Rene, sent the two youngest children, Jack and Lucy, to Ireland during the war and has not brought them back to Liverpool yet. Rene has also taken in a boarder, Leo Darnel who burns Evie’s business school notebooks. Evie moves out of her mother’s house and eventually her mother brings Jack and Lucy back to Liverpool and kicks out Leo. Then Rene disappears.

This started a story line that kept me engrossed throughout the well-written novel. The Kilgarens lived near the docks in Liverpool and the winter of 1946-1947 is much colder than normal. The novel interweaves several themes including the poverty in this area of Liverpool at that time, the damage done by the war, rationing that is still a part of the post-war era, black markets, assault, domestic violence, spinsterhood, the difficulty of finding work, friendship, and even...

United States on Sep 05, 2019