A mother battles to save her child's life by recounting an
extraordinary true story of a sailor's fight for survival at sea during
the Second World War ... a beautiful, poignant debut celebrating the
power of words, and what it really means to be brave.
***Longlisted for the Not the Booker Prize***
'It's a gentle book, full of emotion and it's similar in tone to The
Book Thief, a book that Rose reads with a torch under the bedclothes'
Irish Times
'Louise Beech masterfully envelops us in two worlds separated by time
yet linked by fierce family devotion, bravery and the triumph of human
spirit. Wonderful' Amanda Jennings
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All the stories died that morning ... until we found the one we'd
always known.
When nine-year-old Rose is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness,
Natalie must use her imagination to keep her daughter alive. They begin
dreaming about and seeing a man in a brown suit who feels hauntingly
familiar, a man who has something for them.
Through the magic of storytelling, Natalie and Rose are transported to
the Atlantic Ocean in 1943, to a lifeboat, where an ancestor survived
for fifty days before being rescued.
Poignant, beautifully written and tenderly told, How To Be Brave
weaves together the contemporary story of a mother battling to save her
child's life with an extraordinary true account of bravery and a fight
for survival in the Second World War. A simply unforgettable debut that
celebrates the power of words, the redemptive energy of a mother's love
... and what it really means to be brave.
______________
'An amazing story of hope and survival ... a love letter to the power of
books and stories' Nick Quantrill
'Two family stories of loss and redemption intertwine in a painfully
beautiful narrative. This book grabbed me right around my heart and
didn't let go' Cassandra Parkin
'Louise Beech is a natural born storyteller and this is a wonderful
story' Russ Litten
'Beautifully written, intelligent and moving, this book will stay with
you long after you reach the end' Ruth Dugdall
