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  • The Liberty Bodice

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Joy M. Lilley
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The Liberty Bodice Kindle Edition

by Joy M. Lilley (Author), Melissa Caudle (Author), Geoffrey West (Editor), Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 out of 5 stars (13)
Gloria Harris is born in Market Harborough in the United Kingdom, in 1922. She spends the first few years of life living with her parents and grandfather. Her siblings, an older sister and twin brothers, also share the household. The relationship between Gloria and her mother is strained much of the time.

The early days of her life are spent in considerable poverty, so much so that Gloria and her sister are sent away to Northern Ireland to be with their aunt and uncle, who are more affluent than their parents, due to the improving circumstances for the farming community in Ireland. Her aunt and uncle have a smallholding, and keep a few animals and poultry that provide them with eggs and milk: the land produces enough fresh vegetables for themselves and for sale at the local market. Gloria and her sister Ann are made to work hard during this time, helping out on the farm and with the household chores. Their aunt and uncle have no children and are not particularly kind to the girls. The sisters have to stay in Ireland much longer than they had been led to believe they would, and it is several years before they come home.

On their return to Market Harborough they discover that their brothers have both been in considerable trouble, one having made a girl pregnant and the other having stolen from his employer. Gloria realises that these circumstances were part of the reason why the girls had to stay away for so long.

At the age of sixteen Gloria is sent to France on a student exchange, where she stays in Nancy with the well-to-do family of Chantelle Valvoire, whom she befriends. Gloria has a penchant for languages and these talents are vastly enhanced during this period, when she speaks almost exclusively in French. She also loses her virginity to a dashing Frenchman and is terrified of pregnancy, but after she returns home,to her great relief, the putative pregnancy comes to an end. As a result of this experience she vows to have nothing more to do with men until she is older. This resolve soon weakens when she meets Geoffrey, a school teacher from London whom she encounters on the journey back from France.Once home, Gloria practices her love of languages in some form or another on most days,regularly enjoying conversing with her sister’s Dutch boyfriend,who helps and encourage her linguistic achievements. He teaches French and German at the school she attended.

The Second World War begins and Gloria does her bit for the war effort by working on the land after leaving school. But she is restless,anxious to play a much more active role in fighting for her country. After hearing an appeal from the Home Office for foreign language experts to work abroad, she finds out all she can about joining the Special Operations Executive (SOE).After some considerable time she secures an interview to join what became known as ‘Churchill’s secret army: the S.O.E. Her family are horrified at what their youngest daughter is letting herself in for and try their best to dissuade her, unsuccessfully.

After going through the rigid and arduous training to become an S.O.E. officer, she is sent into occupied France,where she is involved in a number of successful missions. Eventually she is captured by the Gestapo and sent to Fresnes prison in Paris,then on to the notorious Dachau Concentration Camp. In both places she is treated appallingly, being starved and tortured, and to avoid the likelihood of her inevitable death,she hatches a plan of escape.After doing so she has many trials and tribulations, after which she finally meets the brave Résistance leader and accomplished navigator,Sabien. He acts as guide for Gloria and some other stragglers through war-torn France and helps them back to England.Her feelings for him gradually turn from hate to love and they marry on the journey home.Sabien is subsequently summoned to the Normandy beaches to do vital Resistance tasks, and they part company until sometime later, when all hell is let loose.
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  1. Print length
    214 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    February 22, 2018
  5. File size
    689 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07B1KVNBB
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Absolute Author Publishing House
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 22, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 689 KB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 214 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Best Sellers Rank: #5,521,402 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 out of 5 stars (13)

About the authors

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  1. Joy M. Lilley

    Joy M. Lilley

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    Hello, My name is Joy Gerken,pen name Joy M. Lilley I write/blog[joymlilley.blogspot.ca] and was a trained nurse, all my working life, until I retired in 2015.

    My first novel is 'Figs, Vines and Roses' a tale of love and loss at the turn of the nineteenth century.

    My second novel is called 'The Liberty Bodice'.This is a completely different genre to the first novel and follows the trials and tribulations of a young girl working for the Special Operations Executive[S.O.E.]in W.W.2.

    You can also find my short story 'Lost and Found' published in Liphar short stories Vol 1.[Liphar short stories}by Liphar magazine.

    In 2016 my novella 'Times pendulum swings again' was published. This tells of a hospital romance that starts well, until the truth about the surgical registrar admitting to his nurse girlfriend that he is married with two sons back home in Nepal.

    I am hoping to release my forth publication 'Strawberry moon' a crime, mystery set in the Dordogne, France.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Joy M. Lilley

    Joy M. Lilley

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    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

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Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
13 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

  • Zander1948
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well Done Historical Fiction
    Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I have to begin this review by stating up front that I am a huge fan of historical fiction. "The Liberty Bodice" fits the bill. The author did tremendous research to weave historical facts into the story of Gloria and her family, bringing to life segments of pre-World War II that many people might not know.

    Gloria's family is not wealthy; in fact, they live a sort of hand-to-mouth existence in northern Ireland. They move to England so that her dad can get a better job. Things go fine for a while until her mother, who makes extra money by taking in sewing, has twin boys. The family struggles again. Gloria and her sister are sent to live on a farm back in Ireland with their aunt and uncle. They keep thinking they'll be going home soon, but it's years before they go back to live with their parents and brothers. It seems their brothers, as they've grown, have gotten into trouble--one has stolen from his employer, the other has gotten a girl pregnant. To make matters worse, her dad has had an accident at his job.

    Gloria and her sister return to England to find their dad a changed man, their brothers in their respective messes, and their mother not knowing what to do.

    Enter World War II. Germany's taking over Europe. Bombing England. Poland falls. Rumors of concentration camps and exterminations of Jewish people abound.

    What Gloria does next may surprise the reader. But this author takes you on an exceptional journey of a young woman whose resolve and strength that she obviously gained through a difficult childhood through a challenging--no, horrible--journey during one of the darkest times of the world's history.

    The author develops believable, strong characters and brings them alive through her prose. She's a skilled writer, and her research accentuates her writing perfectly. I disagreed with some of Gloria's decisions, but that only made her more believable as a character.

    I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction. I look forward to reading more from this author.
    One person found this helpful
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  • John
    3.0 out of 5 stars The Victory Bodice
    Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    THE LIBERTY BODICE by Joy M. Lilley is a Historical Fiction book that should be noticed. In the author's book description, she is so thorough that she sums up her entire story in several paragraphs. Thus leaving potential readers without the need to purchase the book. It's also too long which potential readers may not finish reading. I would shorten it dramatically and hook potential readers in a sentence or two so they will want and need to read your story.

    Gloria Harris led a difficult life growing up in the UK and Ireland before World War II. Against her family's wishes, she joins the Special Operation Executive (SOE) and becomes a spy for England during the war. When she is captured in France, she is tortured and sent to the infamous Dachau Concentration Camp. I would have liked the author to show more about what life was like in Dachau. There was no mention of the furnaces and Jew exterminations.

    Once she escaped from the Camp, I would have also liked to learn more about what she experienced while walking for days on end across France to find her former unit.

    The ending also felt rushed and then suddenly ended when I turned the page. I expected it to continue and see how things turned out for Gloria and her husband. Perhaps there is a continuation planned?

    I also have to admit that I almost stopped reading during the first half of the book due to missing words and typos. There were a bunch and then they suddenly stopped during the last half of the book.

    All in all, the second half of the book was more captivating for me. It's a great story of love, honor, and independence, and well-deserving of a read after the errors are corrected.

    I gave this story 3 stars.
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  • Karen Ingalls
    3.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read
    Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    The book is listed in the History section, but it appears to me that it should be listed in the historical fiction or novel sections. However, I loved the story. It brought out many emotions and the main character, Gloria was interesting and a woman ahead of her times. Unfortunately, there were many editing issues that if were corrected, I would give the book 5 stars. I wonder if some of those issues occurred from setting it up in ebook format.
    I have read and enjoyed other books by Ms. Lilley.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • MRS M J PHILLIPS
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Liberty Bodice
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 1, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This is an amazing book. Really enjoyable, I couldn't put it down. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good read. Well written and full of really interesting facts.
    Report
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Liberty Bodice, A Review
    Reviewed in Canada on February 15, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This is a tremendous story about a female secret agent in WW2. I wish it had ended less abruptly. I would have liked to know a little more. Highly recommend.
    Report
  • Mrs Enid J Watson
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great Reading
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 12, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was well researched and made compelling reading. I enjoyed getting to know the family and the characters they
    played in the story. Gloria was an extraordinary brave young lady who never gave up under harrowing circumstances. Well done! more to come I hope.
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  • Robert
    4.0 out of 5 stars A good read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 23, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Slow but necessary start and a great ending
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  • Joy M.Lilley
    5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read, so much research must have gone into ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 11, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    An excellent read,so much research must have gone into this book.An amazing story that grips to the end.Michael Gerken
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