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A review by bettylooksatbooks
Liza's England by Pat Barker
4.0
The Pat Barker books I've read have always featured incredibly vivid characters, and Liza's England is no different. The first child in her town born in the twentieth century, eighty-four year old Liza recounts her life to her social worker Stephen. It's been a harsh life, a life of poverty, war, loss, abuse and hard physical labour. Meanwhile, Stephen is facing the challenge of being a social worker in the same area Liza grew up in, where poverty and unemployment is still rife.
Liza's England may be relatively short, but it's densely packed, without being too crowded. It is an undeniably a bleak book, and what happens to the characters is often brutal and grim. However, Pat Barker's writing is stellar and these characters will stay with me for a long time.
Liza's England may be relatively short, but it's densely packed, without being too crowded. It is an undeniably a bleak book, and what happens to the characters is often brutal and grim. However, Pat Barker's writing is stellar and these characters will stay with me for a long time.