Reviewed by Emma Crowley
1956, Liverpool. With the shadow of the war looming over them and bomb craters littering the surrounding streets, hope feels far away for the residents of Victory Street. When they learn that the Queen has chosen to visit them on a tour of Liverpool, the delighted neighbours bring back the wartime spirit. Can they possibly get the street ready in time?
Even a royal visit cannot take away Bella Harrison’s worries. Her son, fourteen-year-old Levi, has just told her he wants to move to America to join the rest of his father’s family. The news has so shocked Bella that she’s not sure she’ll be able to sing for the Queen, jeopardising all their plans for the big day.
Life has been hard for Levi, growing up as a mixed-race boy in Liverpool, but he’s the light of Bella’s life. The thought of losing him brings back the terrible memories of her father and sister dying during the war. If everyone pulls together to make the Queen’s visit an unforgettable celebration, perhaps she can persuade Levi that Victory Street is where he belongs.
But when Levi receives heartbreaking news from America and his move becomes uncertain, Bella starts to wonder if all her efforts to keep him in Liverpool have been for the right reasons. Can Bella find it in herself to sing for the big celebration, and make the right choice for her beloved son?
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of A Royal Visit to Victory Street to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
A Royal Visit to Victory Street is the fifth instalment in the Bryant Sisters series by Pam Howes. I think I read somewhere prior to beginning the book that this was to be the last in the series but in my mind there is definitely room for one more book as I felt it ended quite abruptly and there is still room to explore much more regarding all these characters that I have come to know and love especially the younger generation who are featuring more prominently. Although we are quite well into the series you could easily pick this book up and become familiar with the characters and the various storylines. Details regarding previous plots are slotted in here and there which makes it easy to follow along and not make you feel as if you have missed out. Although to get a true sense of how special this series is and how the main characters have developed and expanded since their first introduction it would be nice to go back and read from the beginning plus you have the added advantage of being able to read each book one after the other whereas I have had to wait impatiently for publication of each new book.
Once again this was a lovely relaxing, easy family saga that was a quick read and enjoyable. But I will say and this is the only gripe I found is that the blurb is very misleading. It’s only the last two lines that relate to the book because the rest of the information detailed does not happen and all the time I was expecting to read of Levi wanting to move to America and how Bella became deeply affected by this. This certainly didn’t happen. The situation regarding America happened in the last few chapters of the book and not whilst they were preparing for the Queen’s visit as outlined in the blurb. Also, it wasn’t in as much details the blurb leads you to believe. This won’t deter readers from choosing this book but I do think a different blurb is needed.
Pushing this aside and as I mentioned this was the only thing that niggled away at me, A Royal Visit to Victory Street is an engaging and good read. It moves the overall storylines of the series along nicely and you are deeply engaged and root for all the characters. It has been so lovely to see Bella, the main protagonist, and her various family members and their extended friendship circle grow and flourish since book one. They have battled through the war and are enjoying a new and exciting way of life and it’s wonderful to read of all the modern changes coming into effect. Many of which we certainly take for granted now.
Levi, Bella’s son, is now a teenager and the music scene in Liverpool is becoming very exciting. I loved the mentions of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Levi seems envious that they are launching onto the music scene albeit in different groups. You’d love to be able to reach into the book and tell Levi just how big they would go on to be but it was brilliant seeing things through his own young and eager eyes. Levi battles personally as he is mixed race and at times he can feel that he is on the fringes and maybe he would be better off living in America with some of his relatives and it doesn’t help that America is where the latest and hottest music is coming from. He doesn’t want to go to college instead once his exams are over music is the career that he wises to pursue, and you wouldn’t blame him really as the family business is music and entertainment. Many of his relatives including his sister Dianna and his mother Bella are in small singing groups that have had and are experiencing success. He wants in on the action and with Basil and his father Earl and stepfather Bobby at the helm of Bold Street Studios he just knows he can really make a go of things with his friends in the band.
Levi does feature heavily in this book but that’s not to say that the remainder of the characters that I have become so familiar with are forgotten. When Bella’s mother Mary hears through her work at the Women’s Institute that the Queen and Prince Philip will be paying a visit to Victory Street it’s all hands-on deck to prepare a celebration that will be remembered for a long time. To be honest I thought the visit would form the basis for the majority of the book but it seemed to come and go pretty quickly which I suppose on reflection allowed for further development of more individual stories. Most notably that of one of Fran and Edie’s (who form the Bryant Sisters with Bella) neighbours Glenda who is in desperate trouble. I loved how this element of the story all played out and it shows we can’t always judge someone on first appearances because really we don’t know what is going on with someone behind closed doors. As regards Bella, before her big storyline came to light I had my suspicions as to what was going and when things come to the surface it really does bring a smile to your face. It showed her story coming full circle and that all the hardships and battles that she has endured and come through have all been worth it. For now she has reached the point where she is truly happy and contented in her life.
There were lots of little things that happened throughout the story to many different people and really are too many to mention in any sort of detail here. Suffice to say this was a heart-warming and engaging read and it’s lovely to be able to dip back into the lives of Bella and co. Whether this be the last book or not Pam Howes has written a fabulous series that may readers will take much enjoyment from.
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