The Lost English Girl

Raised in a strict Catholic family in pre–World War II Liverpool, Viv Byrne knows her life will not be easy when she becomes pregnant out of wedlock. Then, her new husband, Joshua, leaves her immediately after the wedding to pursue his life’s dream of being a musician in New York City. Viv and her daughter, Maggie, now have the protection of her husband’s name but little else. When the war finally comes to England, Viv must make choices to protect Maggie as the daily bombings come closer and put them all in harm’s way. The story weaves through the realities of the war, the government mandates put in place to protect children, and the ethnic and religious tensions that come into play as the war drags on. Even as England joins the battle against Hitler, its citizens fight among themselves to recognize and value their own disparate cultures. Danielle Cohen and Raphael Corkhill voice Viv and Joshua believably and sympathetically, communicating their growth, courage, and convictions.