Book: A Place to Call Home
Author: Lizzie Page
Pub Day: Feb 17th 2022
About the Book:
Shilling Grange Orphanage, England, 1949.She would do anything to protect the innocent children in her care. But soon they could be sent into danger…
When Clara Newton’s fiancé died during World War Two, she thought her life was over. But now she looks after orphans who, like her, lost everything during the war. Children like sweet little Peg who won’t speak, and Joyce whose body was scarred by polio. Clara loves them all dearly, even though life as a housemother can be lonely – especially now that Ivor, a D-Day war hero with dark brown eyes who once helped with the children, has disappeared…
But then Clara receives some terrible news. The orphanage is going to be sold and the children sent far away. Joyce and Peg will be taken to a notorious home for disabled children. The others will be sent to Australia, where Clara fears they will be mistreated by unknown families. Any day now, the children could lose everything she worked so hard to provide…
With wealthy buyers lined up to purchase Shilling Grange and a ship already docked waiting to carry the children away, Clara is desperate. She must find loving new homes for them quickly, but time is running out… Can she save the orphans before they lose everything all over again? And even if Ivor returns when she needs him the most, will it be too late?
A completely heart-wrenching and unforgettable historical novel, set after the devastation of World War Two. Perfect for fans of Before We Were Yours, Diney Costeloeand The Orphan Sisters.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'A Place To Call Home' by Lizzie Page.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Lizzie Page, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 17th February 2022.
This is the second book I have read by this author. It is also the second book in the 'Shilling Grange Children's Home' series. The first book I read is called 'The Orphanage' which is the first book in the series and I would highly recommend.
I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. I am a HUGE fan of Lizzie after falling in love with her book 'The Orphanage' which is also the first book in this series and if this is half as good as that was it is bound to be a page turning read. The synopsis also stated that this book is "Perfect for fans of Before We Were Yours, Diney Costeloeand The Orphan Sisters." I am a huge fan of 'Before We Were Yours' so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of an article and 64 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in England 🏴, UK 🇬🇧. I always enjoy when books are set in the UK as I'm from Wales and have sometimes visited areas mentioned in the book. This makes it easier to picture where the scenes are set at times.
This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonist is Clara Newton. The benefits of third person perspective are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
'A Place To Call Home' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Lizzie discusses/includes child abuse and neglect.
Wow!!! Yet another absolutely captivating heart warming and tear jerking stunning page turner ♥ Well done Lizzie on yet another stunning success!
This book is absolutely beautifully written and it had me absorbed from the first page to the last. The vivid descriptions really put me in the storyline with Clara and the children and the cover and synopsis suit the storyline perfectly.
This series itself was quite unique for me as in I have never actually read a fictional book about a children's home apart from the first book in this stunning series 'The Orphanage'. I have read several non fiction foster books but never any fictional so I have been looking forward to getting sucked into this continuation of Shilling Grange children's home !! The storyline is filled with heartbreak, love, friendship, family, shocks, tension, sadness, hope and much more. My mind and heart was completely captivated throughout and I couldn't stop turning the pages from start to end. I was completely shocked and saddened by certain events. I can't say any more than that as I don't want to spoil it for future readers. There are several parts where I found tears running down my face which isn't an easy feat so you may want a box of tissues on standby and I would definitely clear your schedules as this really is unputdownable. I cannot wait until the next book in this beautiful and amazing series comes out!!! If it is half as addictive as this and 'The Orphanage' then it is bound to be a winner!!! I absolutely loved how this book ended even if it ended in even more tears!!! This would make an absolutely stunning TV series!!
Although this is the second book in the series I had would have had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.
I absolutely fell in love with the kids and I absolutely adored Clara in what she was doing for them in 'The Orphanage' and I was over the moon to "meet" them all again. I love that the main protagonist was a strong female who went from someone who seemed to have certainly chosen the wrong job and really annoyed me on several occasions with her materialistic ways to a fighter and a role model for the children and I enjoyed watching her grow and develop in 'The Orohanage' and watching her grow and develop even more in this book. I absolutely love how she fought for the children even when it felt like she was banging her head against a brick wall she never gave up!!! She was not only struggling with everything that was going on with the council but with the children, her own emotions and feelings and much more yet she continued to keep going strong even when, at times, she just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. I look forward to meeting her again in the next book in this wonderful series. I could not stand Mr Browne who I found to be horrible and insensitive nor Julian who I found to be a stuck pillock from the start. I absolutely adored Ivor and although I was gutted for someone about something (don't want to give anything away for future) it will be interesting to see what the future holds after a certain surprise!! I fell in love with Marilyn and found her to be a fantastic and supportive friend to Clara and I could absolutely hug her for what she did!!! It is so lovely to see that, although Marilyn is Clara's fiancé's mother (Michael, who passed away) that she has such a strong bond and is a mother figure to Clara and a grandmother figure to the rest of the children. I loved all the children who each had their own unique personalities. I found Evelyn ans Peg very sweet, Alex made me laugh on several occasions and as for Billy and Barry I must say the Weasley twins definitely came to mind!!!! My heart went out to Rita and Joyce and it was wonderful seeing how Maureen had grown and matured so much from 'The Orphanage' and through this book. An absolutely fantastic mix of characters and I am looking forward to meeting Clara, Ivor, the current children and the new children in the next book.
Congratulations Lizzie on yet another absolutely gorgeous book ♥ This is exactly why you are one of my favourite authors. Here's to your next success 🥂
Overall an absolutely heartwarming, soul lifting unputdownable book that will captivate your heart, body and mind.
Genres covered in this book include Saga, Coming-Of-Age Story, Historical Fiction and War Story amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'Before We Were Yours', Casey Watson, Harry Keeble, Shane Dunphy, Louise Allen, Angela Hart, 'The Orohanage' and anyone looking for a heartwarming book on children's homes.
434 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon or free if you have kindle unlimited which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
@LizziePage @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86
Author Bio
Lizzie Page is the pseudonym of Sam Lierens, a mum of three, who has lived and worked in Paris, Tokyo and London and loves combining her love of history with fiction.
She loves reading ALL the books, and always loved reading the adventures of women in the past so it seemed natural to her to write historical fiction. She lives with her family and dog by the sea in South East England.She enjoys traveling and she's had lots of different jobs from waitressing and teaching to admin and bingo-calling - but being a writer is her absolute favourite.
Social Media
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Buy Links:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B09H35ZV11social
Apple: https://apple.co/3onXk1X
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3AZcEW9
Google: https://bit.ly/3AYLGhG
Audible UK: zpr.io/g6FuGAkSSZBn US: zpr.io/gsKt6dp9PGgV Listen here: https://soundcloud.com/bookouture/a-place-to-call-home-by-lizzie-page-narrated-by-emily-barber
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