By the Waters of Liverpool

by Helen Forrester

The third volume in the classic story of Helen Forrester's childhood and adolescence in poverty-stricken Liverpool during the 1930s. Helen Forrester continues the moving story of her early poverty-stricken life with an account of her teenage years and the devastating effect of the Second World War on her hometown of Liverpool. At seventeen, Helen Forrester's parents are still as irresponsible as ever, wasting money while their children still lack adequate food and clothing. But for Helen, having won a small measure of independence, things are looking up. Having educated herself at night school and now making friends in her first proper job, she meets a handsome seaman and falls in love for the first time. But the storm clouds of war are gathering and Helen will experience at first hand the horror of the blitz and the terrible toll that the war exacted on ordinary people. As ever, Helen faces the future with courage and determination.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Autobiography, Historical, Biography, History, British Literature

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Helen Forrester (real name June Bhatia) (born 1919, Hoylake, Cheshire (now in Merseyside)) is an English-born author famous for her books about her early childhood in Liverpool during the Great Depression as well as several works of fiction.

In 1953 Forrester moved to Edmonton, Canada.

Reviews

[Shirley Revill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Recommended.

[Barbra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third volume of Helen Forrester's autobiography.

Back Cover Blurb:
Helen has managed to achieve a small measure of independence. At seventeen, she has fought and won two bitter battles with her parents, the first for the right to educate herself at evening classes, the second for the right to go out to work. Her parents are still as financially irresponsible as ever, wasting money while their children lack blankets, let alone proper beds, but for Helen the future is brightening as she begins to make friends her own age and to develop some social life outside the home. At twenty, still never kissed by a lover, Helen meets Harry, a strong, tall seaman, and falls in love.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book left me in tears. Not because because of Helen's story, which I have to say I found to be a bit self pitying, not that she didn't have good reason, but it did get a bit tedious. But because of the waste of so many young men during the second world war. It brought home to me how they had plans for the future, and had so much to look forward to, they just had to survive long enough, which of course many of them didn't. So sad!

[Josephine (Jo) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helen Is growing up into a young lady now and trying her hardest to get into some sort of social group where she can meet people and start to learn how to interact, something which has so far in her life been denied to her because of her abject poverty. Helen starts to take dancing calsses with a local couple who were once champions, there she starts to learn not only dancing but how to converse with adults other than her parents. She also starts to overcome her shyness and low self esteem, makes some friends of her own age and finds a dancing partner, handsome seaman, Harry with whom she falls in love.

[Marion · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third volume in the classic story of Helen Forrester's childhood and adolescence in poverty-stricken Liverpool during the 1930s. Helen has managed to achieve a small measure of independence. At seventeen, she has fought and won two bitter battles with her parents, the first for the right to educate herself at evening classes, the second for the right to go out to work....more
Also enjoyed this book, the story continues....

[Greta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helen Forrester writes an autobiography of her teenage years in Liverpool without making her life look rosy. In fact, her life couldn't have been worse unless the story had been written by Charles Dickens. All the lack of things that make life hard happened to Helen and are endured endlessly until she gets extremely ill. Her recovery included better accommodations by her family, dancing and romance.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of Helen Forrester’s books, I’m sad I’ve only got one more to go

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third in a moving and well-written autobiographical series that started with 'Twopence to cross the Mersey'. Helen is now an adult, still living with her impoverished family although not in quite such dire straits as previously. The war, ironically, eases her burden as her youngre siblings are evacuated. For the first time she starts to think of herself as a human being... Excellent

[Winifred · Rating 3 out of 5]

This books shows how hard helen's life was. Her mother seemed to put upon helen. She never had any money from what she earned although her sister was able to have some money. Her mother and sister always bothered her clothes and returned them without cleaning them. Later she meet a young man who was an engineer on the ships. He died during the war. She later married and lived in Canada.

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've spent a lot of time with Helen and I really like her. She has helped me through months of tooth pain. When I was really down about the pain and the expense, Helen was always worse off than me. When I get my dental bills paid off, I'm going to get the last book in the series to read the details of the rest of her life. Hopefully, by then, I'll be pain free.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kinda depressing (well, just realistic), but she's such a matter-of-fact writer that it didn't seem like she was pitying herself for all the hard times she went through. The author expressed her thoughts and feelings and experiences so well and so clearly. Truly, such a good book.

[Sue Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superb story of 'real grit'; the hardships, the let downs and the small snippets of joy for civilians during the war years from the view of a young girl.
Completely gripped throughout. Highly recommend if you like real life stories about people and their strength in adversity.

[Denice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again a brilliantly written book, you really feel like you know the main character and the Author draws you in to the book. just pure and simply brilliant.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poverty in Liverpool in the 30s, authentic representation, likeable characters, sobering storyline.

[Fazackerly Toast · Rating 3 out of 5]

oh no she meets a lovely man and they get engaged, but it's war time...

[Derek Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

2nd time reading this series.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love her books!

[Sherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

3rd book in series. Loved it! Going to start the 4th and final book in the series.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third volume in a 4 volume set about Helen's impoverished life in Liverpool in the pre war years. In this one, Helen finally breaks down, fed up completely with her mother's inability to act responsibly, and her own near invisableness in her family. No one seems to notice or care that she has no clothes, is unkempt, ill, and working harder than others to keep the family afloat. Once she has this meltdown, her father takes up her cause a bit and things start to change for Helen. By the end (1940), she has even met a merchant marine and is engaged, but the final chapter of the book leaps ahead of the war years (covered in volume 4) as she is about to move to India with a professor husband.

[Tracy Davies-jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again like the earlier books in the series. Helen’s writing gripped me. Her experiences of life and it’s hardships were compelling, to have to endure so much misery and live to tell the tale is amazing. I urged throughout for some happiness for poor helen and hated how her parents used her so much to make their lives more bearable. Her mother more than her father was difficult and cruel, I often wondered how they ended up! At last there is some happiness for helen. Give this a read, it’s humbling to say the least. Such poverty and hard times should never be forgotten.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful autobiographical story of the author's life from about the age of 15 to 21. There are 2 books which precede this, and which I would now like to read.
Helen lived in heartbreaking poverty made worse by parents who spent money on themselves and the "pretty" daughter, and did not see that Helen was virtually starving and without proper clothing. To make it worse, Helen was required to turn over virtually all her earnings to her mom, who then doted on the sister who needed to look good for dates!

[Paul White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished the 3rd instalment of Helen's life as she moves from a teenager into a teenage/adult. Helen has way to much responsibility for a child and now that she is working nothing has changed. Her siblings have more freedom and and disposable income as her mother continues to treat her as an unpaid servant.

I felt warm inside as life brought her a glimmer of hope and happiness and shed tears when her grief overwhelmed her. Grief of a life being downtrodden and drained of hope.

[Bookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished this third book in Helen Forresters early life in poverty in the city of Liverpool. She really opens your eyes and heart to the hardships she endured within her family and worklife and how she perseveres, her resilliance is admirable. A moving heart felt read as are the previous two books, moving on to the fourth and final instalment as we have now moved into WW2

[Bobbelina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of a trilogy, Actually Historical factual. But reads like a fiction book as opposed to a non-fiction book. Incredible story of how a young family are thrown from extreme richness to extreme poverty and how they cope- brilliantly written.

[christine smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book but the ending was very abrupt I actually read this book before the second volume and the second one told you more about Helens marriage and move to Canada than the third one did so it was a bit disjointed rather than following on to the next Book

[Mrs J A Short · Rating 5 out of 5]

A joy to read

Read the series many years ago. Good to enjoy again. Next I intend to read the book written by her son.

[Sharon Buckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed it, sometimes it’s a bit repetitive in places but all in all a good read. Perfect for a winter’s day.

[Brenda Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved it.

[Shazi Surti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly one of my favourite books of all time, I love them even now.

[Janet Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripped, but why was she such a doormat?!