Lizzie's Dream

by Beverley J. Tucker

A bittersweet love story, set against the events of WWI – exploring the effects of war on ordinary people.



A family tragedy. The horrors of war. A secret journal. Can love overcome everything against the highest odds?



Lizzie’s Dream follows the story of a young girl in 1915, who wants to be a governess. Lizzie works at the mill alongside her working class family, which makes her dream job seem unattainable. When she meets a young soldier, Harry, who is stationed nearby, there is an instant attraction.



Against the backdrop of War, the blossoming romance is abruptly cut short as Harry is sent away. Lizzie tries to forget him and pursue her dream instead, but her feelings aren’t easy to fight. She becomes a companion to the mill owner’s daughter Molly, who is too ill to attend school. They quickly become friends, and Lizzie starts to teach her everything she knows. Her dream is starting to become a reality.



Meanwhile, Harry has been wounded and is in a military hospital in Blackburn. Just when Lizzie has almost forgotten about him, she receives a letter which could change everything.

• ISBN10: 1789014689
• ISBN13: 9781789014686
• Publish Date: 28 August 2018 (first published 3 August 2018)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 19 May 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Troubador Publishing
• Imprint: Matador
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 160
• Language: English

Reviews

[Jane]

**I received an advanced reader copy (AR) via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.**

Considering the title of the book, I expected this to be more about Lizzie achieving her dream and less about the romance in her life. I also really wanted to like this book, reminiscent of a movie I've seen as it was.

But I take issue with some things that I can't ignore, that I regret to report, because the premise seemed right up my alley:

* Too hetero for me - Not usually an issue, especially since I read Christian fiction, of all things! But alas...it's the romance that drives the plot, and I don't understand WHAT it is that attracts the lovers together beyond appearance and "love at first sight". Is it because Lizzie wants to breed? Except...she doesn't, because this romance is unplanned...so...what, then? What precisely is it that draws these two together, beyond the urgency of this fellow going off to war? There is also some jealousy he expresses that rubs me the wrong way. I don't find jealousy to the point of obvious anger and a woman needing to legit *worry* over how her man reacts as something to be favored, and nothing about this was addressed -- likely because it's historical fiction, but since it's in third-person POV, I do so feel desperately that this could have been written in a way that romanticizes it less. Also is the case of "poor Harry" way more often than I care to read at all, ever, about any kind of relationship, to the point that it irked me. I kept wanting to DNF it, but then I also wanted to finish it because it's short, and...like, I had hopes it'd get better.

* A bit more ableist than I like - As an accident-prone autistic, I don't much favor when I do something that is predominantly able-bodied and it's celebrated, as if I'm *finally* doing something normal/up to par with their abilities. So...I'm not keen to read these things, either. While it was minimal, and this *was* historical fiction, I wasn't a fan of it...especially since it was, again, about "poor Harry" and had little depth. Again, WHY are they attracted to each other? I just don't understand it.

* Unrealistic dialogue - Everyone speaks so politely and proper.

With all of this, it's a struggle to develop any type of attachment to the story. There are too many questions, most of which revolve around "But why do they love each other?" If this were real lie, it wouldn't matter so much -- it'd be what it is -- but I feel like, if I'm gonna have to read about it in a *book*, then I should at least be able to understand it. And I didn't. For the romance to play such a major role in the novel, the reader should be able to understand the point. Maybe that's the better question -- why? What is the point of this story? What is the why?

I understand it's a story about war, but it reads more like an encyclopedia page. If Harry kept a journal...I feel like that would have made for a better story. I've read "A Song for Sarah", which is a collection of letters from a mother to her child (I think she miscarried, really; quite sad), and letters go a long way in terms of telling a story. It could have very well been the "Dear John" in/of historical fiction. "Lizzie's Dream" bore so much potential, but it fell flat for me.