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We'll Never Tell Them: A Novel
Kristjana, a nurse in England, flees twenty-first-century London in order to avoid a decision about her future. While attending a dying man in a Jerusalem hospital, she escapes into another woman’s past and discovers there the courage to embrace her own destiny. Through his vivid storytelling, Kristjana’s cancer patient, Leo Hampton, recounts his mother’s life—her upbringing in colonial Malta, her education in Edwardian England, and her service as a volunteer nurse during World War I. Captivated by the story of Liljana Hampton, Kristjana is pulled into the agonies and the ecstasies of a previous generation, which almost seem more real to her than those of her own life. Through her vicarious experience of another woman’s personal history, Kristjana discovers the secret of fearlessly embracing her future. With her passionate and colorful prose, award-winning author Fiorella De Maria seamlessly weaves back and forth between the past and the future. She realistically brings to life the cobbled streets of Old World Malta, the halls of an English boarding school, and the trenches of the Great War as she explores the age-old quest for some sense of security in a dangerous and uncertain world.
252 pages, Paperback
First published August 25, 2015
3 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Fiorella De Maria
24 books119 followersFiorella De Maria is an Anglo-Maltese writer, born in Italy and currently living in Surrey. She grew up in rural Wiltshire and attended Cambridge University, where she received a BA in English Literature and an MPhil in Renaissance Literature. A winner of the National Book Prize of Malta, she has published nine novels, specialising in historical and crime fiction. Fiorella’s novels have received endorsements from veteran author and journalist, Piers Paul Reid, and her most recent novel was described as “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie meets I Capture the Castle.”
Besides writing novels, Fiorella is a qualified English Language teacher and a respected bioethicist. She has delivered lectures and papers at conferences all over the world. Her book The Abolition of Woman was described by former Cosmopolitan journalist Sue Ellen Browder as “a daring revelation of the shocking exploitation of women around the world”. Fiorella has appeared on British radio and TV programmes such as ITN 24-Hour News, BBC Woman’s Hour and Premier Radio’s Woman 2 Woman. Fiorella lives with her husband, four children and a dog called Montgomery (Monty).
Besides writing novels, Fiorella is a qualified English Language teacher and a respected bioethicist. She has delivered lectures and papers at conferences all over the world. Her book The Abolition of Woman was described by former Cosmopolitan journalist Sue Ellen Browder as “a daring revelation of the shocking exploitation of women around the world”. Fiorella has appeared on British radio and TV programmes such as ITN 24-Hour News, BBC Woman’s Hour and Premier Radio’s Woman 2 Woman. Fiorella lives with her husband, four children and a dog called Montgomery (Monty).
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 23, 2019
This was the sixth book by Fiorella that I have read. It was also the fifth novel. I have been impressed by each of her books. And can state that she is one of my favorite contemporary authors. After I read the first book, I picked up eBooks for all that have digital editions. I have now read all but one that is currently in print. And I have read one that is out of print and tracked down a second. And I am eager to find out when her next book will release. Fiorella has Maltese heritage and that heritage and culture plays a large part in this and some of her other stories. In some ways reading these stories reminds me of the great Irish writers of the last century. Who wrote and revealed a lot about the place and the people. And whose stories became popular around the world. I feel the same about Fiorella’s works. The stories are so powerful and moving. I cannot encourage you enough to give one of her stories a try.
This is a story within a story. Kristjana a nurse from England takes off on the spur of the moment. Abandoning the rooms she rents, her job and even her phone. Leaving London behind she travels to Jerusalem and takes up a post serving at a hospital there. In Jerusalem she is tasked with comforting a man dying from cancer. The man’s mother was Maltese and he proceeds to tell Kristjana his mother’s life story a Liljana Hampton.
The story goes back and forth between the past and the present. Between the tales of Kristjana and Liljana. It is the story of two women finding their way in the world. With the backdrop of their catholic faith and Maltese heritage weaving the stories together.
This story is masterfully written. You will be drawn in by the characters and their situations. And the stories two generations apart but with similar themes and motifs. Fiorella’s stories captivate, they draw the read in and keep them hooked until the end. And they leave the reader wanting more. Four of her novels are stand alone works, and they cover a wide breadth of topics. But each is wonderfully written and worth the time to read. At this point in time if I could introduce friends and families to a new author, I would suggest they give Fiorella’s works a try.
Another amazing read from Fiorella De Maria if you have not given her books a try I strongly encourage you to do so!
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Fiorella de Maria. As well as an author profile and interview with Fiorella.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2019 Catholic Reading Plan!
This is a story within a story. Kristjana a nurse from England takes off on the spur of the moment. Abandoning the rooms she rents, her job and even her phone. Leaving London behind she travels to Jerusalem and takes up a post serving at a hospital there. In Jerusalem she is tasked with comforting a man dying from cancer. The man’s mother was Maltese and he proceeds to tell Kristjana his mother’s life story a Liljana Hampton.
The story goes back and forth between the past and the present. Between the tales of Kristjana and Liljana. It is the story of two women finding their way in the world. With the backdrop of their catholic faith and Maltese heritage weaving the stories together.
This story is masterfully written. You will be drawn in by the characters and their situations. And the stories two generations apart but with similar themes and motifs. Fiorella’s stories captivate, they draw the read in and keep them hooked until the end. And they leave the reader wanting more. Four of her novels are stand alone works, and they cover a wide breadth of topics. But each is wonderfully written and worth the time to read. At this point in time if I could introduce friends and families to a new author, I would suggest they give Fiorella’s works a try.
Another amazing read from Fiorella De Maria if you have not given her books a try I strongly encourage you to do so!
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Fiorella de Maria. As well as an author profile and interview with Fiorella.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2019 Catholic Reading Plan!
October 27, 2021
I think that Fiorella De Maria has become one of my favorite authors. This is the second book I have read, and it is such a great story. It spans the generations from World War I to modern times, and it flows seamlessly between the time periods. Two very different girls from Malta, and two very different stories, brought together by a dying man in a hospital in Jerusalem. Leo is dying, and Kristjana has been assigned to take care of him. She has run away from London to escape life decisions that she is just not ready to make. They are both of Maltese heritage. This is well written, beautifully composed, and it is one book I did not want to see end. I am so glad I discovered this author and her body of work.
March 31, 2022
This is an epic that covers a century through a dying man's telling the story of his mother's life to a young woman caring for him in a hospital in Jerusalem. Beautifully written and an amazing journey through Malta and London. It is fiction based on facts told to the author. That may be why the characters seem so real.
July 10, 2022
A beautiful story, beautifully written.
October 30, 2015
Kristjana has run away from her life in London, leaving her landlady, boss, and, more disturbingly, her boyfriend in the dark about her motives for doing so. On what seems like a whim, she dresses for travel instead of work, packs a small bag, withdraws some cash, and texts her boss ("I resign") before dropping her cell phone into the river and flying to Tel Aviv, the furthest point from London she had ever been in her life. Even Kristjana doesn't seem to fully understand why she's running or have any idea of when she might go back to her former life, if ever. This intriguing scene is how we are brought into We'll Never Tell, a novel by Fiorella De Maria.
Looking to disappear in a city of strangers from all over the world, Kristjana seeks work at a hospital and winds up caring for Leo, a man in his last days with no family to tend to him. Her task is to take care of his few physical needs while keeping him company, for Leo fears dying alone. In their time together, Kristjana and Leo develop a relationship based on their shared heritage: Kristjana, like Leo's beloved mother, is from Malta. As he tells her about his mother Liljana's life, beginning with her desperate poverty in Malta and her abusive, mentally unstable mother, Leo draws his young nurse deep into his family's history — so deep that Kristjana feels as if it's partially her own story.
Fiorella De Maria has written a beautiful story within a story, carrying both Kristjana and the reader back to the beginning of the Twentieth Century, drawing us all into Liljana's world. Her narrative is immediately engaging, and she describes the scenes and history so vividly that you can't help but feel like you're right there with Liljana. As Leo tells his tale to Kristjana, the characters become fully formed and believable. The story of Liljana's life and how she overcame her childhood situation drew me in as easily as it drew in Kristjana within the book. My only complaint about the character development was that I felt like Kristjana's story was never given much attention, as if she was a stand-in for the reader, and her purpose was be there to have a history imposed upon her by whoever was reading the book. As engaging as the opening was, we learn little of Kristjana, for Liljana and her family are the center of the story.
Ignatius Press, a Catholic company, is the publisher of We'll Never Tell Them, so I had some expectations of this novel when I received it. I expected to encounter Catholic and Christian characters throughout the book, but what I didn't expect was the complexity of those characters' faith. Each person's faith was completely believable, since each character had their own struggles within their faith. No one seemed to have all the answers, and several of the people readers will meet in this book have periods when it's harder to be engaged as a Christian than it is to walk away for a time. That kind of believability helps to create characters that are even more human. Like most people, the characters' faith — in their various states — is merely a part of their story rather than the point of it. Never did I feel as if the point of the story was Christianity; rather, it was a deep part of the characters and influenced their actions without having to discuss it. To me, this is how Christians with a deep faith tend to be: heavily influenced by their faith in God, people of action more than words.
I thoroughly enjoyed We'll Never Tell Them, and would definitely recommend it for teens and up. (I plan on passing it on to my two high school daughters.)
†††
Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book for the purposes of providing an unbiased review.
Looking to disappear in a city of strangers from all over the world, Kristjana seeks work at a hospital and winds up caring for Leo, a man in his last days with no family to tend to him. Her task is to take care of his few physical needs while keeping him company, for Leo fears dying alone. In their time together, Kristjana and Leo develop a relationship based on their shared heritage: Kristjana, like Leo's beloved mother, is from Malta. As he tells her about his mother Liljana's life, beginning with her desperate poverty in Malta and her abusive, mentally unstable mother, Leo draws his young nurse deep into his family's history — so deep that Kristjana feels as if it's partially her own story.
Fiorella De Maria has written a beautiful story within a story, carrying both Kristjana and the reader back to the beginning of the Twentieth Century, drawing us all into Liljana's world. Her narrative is immediately engaging, and she describes the scenes and history so vividly that you can't help but feel like you're right there with Liljana. As Leo tells his tale to Kristjana, the characters become fully formed and believable. The story of Liljana's life and how she overcame her childhood situation drew me in as easily as it drew in Kristjana within the book. My only complaint about the character development was that I felt like Kristjana's story was never given much attention, as if she was a stand-in for the reader, and her purpose was be there to have a history imposed upon her by whoever was reading the book. As engaging as the opening was, we learn little of Kristjana, for Liljana and her family are the center of the story.
Ignatius Press, a Catholic company, is the publisher of We'll Never Tell Them, so I had some expectations of this novel when I received it. I expected to encounter Catholic and Christian characters throughout the book, but what I didn't expect was the complexity of those characters' faith. Each person's faith was completely believable, since each character had their own struggles within their faith. No one seemed to have all the answers, and several of the people readers will meet in this book have periods when it's harder to be engaged as a Christian than it is to walk away for a time. That kind of believability helps to create characters that are even more human. Like most people, the characters' faith — in their various states — is merely a part of their story rather than the point of it. Never did I feel as if the point of the story was Christianity; rather, it was a deep part of the characters and influenced their actions without having to discuss it. To me, this is how Christians with a deep faith tend to be: heavily influenced by their faith in God, people of action more than words.
I thoroughly enjoyed We'll Never Tell Them, and would definitely recommend it for teens and up. (I plan on passing it on to my two high school daughters.)
†††
Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book for the purposes of providing an unbiased review.
August 11, 2019
I really like this so far.
Now I've finished it - enjoyed reading it very much.
Now I've finished it - enjoyed reading it very much.
October 22, 2015
This novel tells the stories of two women, Kristjana and Liljana. Liljana is the illegitimate daughter of a mostly crazy woman living on Malta at the end of 1800s. Liljana's childhood is hard because of her unstable home life which makes complications in her school life. Her mother is finally taken away and Liljana begins the life of a Dickensian orphan, becoming an unwanted servant in an upper-middle class household. That situation goes poorly thanks to the shrewish woman of the house. She unjustly accuses Liljana of steal a book from their library. Liljana is carted off to the police where she is horribly abused in the hopes of getting her to sign a confession. The husband shows up and realizes how much trouble she is in and goes to save her. He and a doctor decide to send Liljana off to an English boarding school where she'll have a chance at a good education and a better life. Things go better (or as well as they can at an English boarding school) until World War I breaks out. Liljana becomes a nurse and winds up at a hospital in Malta, where she meets a patient she truly loves.
The other woman, Kristjana, is also Maltese and lives in modern-day England. Her boyfriend accepts a position at an American university. She's not happy with that or how her life is going in general, so she decides to run away. She quits her job, throws away her cell phone, and gets on a flight to Jerusalem. There she works as a nurse to cover her expenses and she meets Leo, the 90-something year-old son of Liljana. Leo is dying of cancer and needs someone sympathetic to care for him. The head nurse naturally connects two Maltese people. Leo tells the story of his mother to Kristjana. She is tempted to wallow in the century-old story rather than deal with her own problems.
The two women make an interesting comparison. Liljana is swept along by events but her quiet reserve belies her steely resolve--she tries to hide her mother's madness from the other school children and she resolutely refuses to sign the confession. A lot of things happen to her but she still has her own will. Kristjana seems more willful and in control--she drops everything to go off on her own. But she has no real plan and is ready enough to fade passively into the crowds of Jerusalem and into Liljana's story rather than determine her own life. The boyfriend reaches out through email but she only checks it once in a while and doesn't know how to respond. Not a lot happens to her and she struggles to find what she should do.
The book does a wonderful job depicting the horrors of World War I, and not just the madness of the battlefields. The hard life back home and in the hospitals is fascinating. Liljana is an interesting character and her journey from an unloving start is always interesting if not always happy.
This book was given to me as a review copy in e-book format by Ignatius Press. All they asked for in return was a review. The opinions expressed are my own.
The other woman, Kristjana, is also Maltese and lives in modern-day England. Her boyfriend accepts a position at an American university. She's not happy with that or how her life is going in general, so she decides to run away. She quits her job, throws away her cell phone, and gets on a flight to Jerusalem. There she works as a nurse to cover her expenses and she meets Leo, the 90-something year-old son of Liljana. Leo is dying of cancer and needs someone sympathetic to care for him. The head nurse naturally connects two Maltese people. Leo tells the story of his mother to Kristjana. She is tempted to wallow in the century-old story rather than deal with her own problems.
The two women make an interesting comparison. Liljana is swept along by events but her quiet reserve belies her steely resolve--she tries to hide her mother's madness from the other school children and she resolutely refuses to sign the confession. A lot of things happen to her but she still has her own will. Kristjana seems more willful and in control--she drops everything to go off on her own. But she has no real plan and is ready enough to fade passively into the crowds of Jerusalem and into Liljana's story rather than determine her own life. The boyfriend reaches out through email but she only checks it once in a while and doesn't know how to respond. Not a lot happens to her and she struggles to find what she should do.
The book does a wonderful job depicting the horrors of World War I, and not just the madness of the battlefields. The hard life back home and in the hospitals is fascinating. Liljana is an interesting character and her journey from an unloving start is always interesting if not always happy.
This book was given to me as a review copy in e-book format by Ignatius Press. All they asked for in return was a review. The opinions expressed are my own.
October 28, 2015
A masterful story from beginning to end, We'll Never Tell Them has many layers and stories within stories. Our two main characters are Kristjana and Leo, who are kindred spirits separated by years and history. The background is World War I and World War II for the story told by Leo about his mother Liljana. Liljana has had a very hard life growing up in Malta with an abusive mother with mental illness and moving to England where she finds her first family through her friend Emily. She meets the love her life as a nurse during WWI.
Kristjana is a nurse who has run away from her life in England back to Jerusalem where she interned during college. Her life parallels Liljana's in that she is also from Malta and moved to England. Leo is her patient dying of cancer and wanting to pass on the history of his family through storytelling. Kristjana is learning about herself and her life through Leo's story of his mother, Liljana.
We'll Never Tell is written from the point of view of the Kristjana character. She matures and decides what direction to take her life. The overarching story is about love and loss as seen through World Wars I and II. This points to what is important in our humanity and dignity. There is strong family themes of what makes a close family and what keeps us apart. James Hampton stands out as a constant character throughout Liljana's story. He is a lawyer that Liljana meets as a child and has a reoccurring role and plays a significant unexpected part in Liljana's life. The descriptions really transport you to a different time and the reader easily becomes invested in the story of Liljana. The story is tragic and involves some adult topics but nothing is explicit. The modern day character of Kristjana is a little harder to identify with for me but I am still interested in what will happen with her as you follow her thoughts and struggles in modern day. There is a sense of hope at the end and this book that makes you want to know about the history of war torn England.
I would recommend this book to you as a fictional story that will keep you reading to the end. Fiorella de Maria, the author, is a winner of the National Book Prize of Malta for her previous book The Casandra Curse. She was born in Italy of Maltese parents and this gives the story authenticity. In this story of We'll Never Tell Them there is a connection between Kristjana and Liljana and perhaps even between Liljana and the reader. I will not spoil the ending but let you discover it.
Kristjana is a nurse who has run away from her life in England back to Jerusalem where she interned during college. Her life parallels Liljana's in that she is also from Malta and moved to England. Leo is her patient dying of cancer and wanting to pass on the history of his family through storytelling. Kristjana is learning about herself and her life through Leo's story of his mother, Liljana.
We'll Never Tell is written from the point of view of the Kristjana character. She matures and decides what direction to take her life. The overarching story is about love and loss as seen through World Wars I and II. This points to what is important in our humanity and dignity. There is strong family themes of what makes a close family and what keeps us apart. James Hampton stands out as a constant character throughout Liljana's story. He is a lawyer that Liljana meets as a child and has a reoccurring role and plays a significant unexpected part in Liljana's life. The descriptions really transport you to a different time and the reader easily becomes invested in the story of Liljana. The story is tragic and involves some adult topics but nothing is explicit. The modern day character of Kristjana is a little harder to identify with for me but I am still interested in what will happen with her as you follow her thoughts and struggles in modern day. There is a sense of hope at the end and this book that makes you want to know about the history of war torn England.
I would recommend this book to you as a fictional story that will keep you reading to the end. Fiorella de Maria, the author, is a winner of the National Book Prize of Malta for her previous book The Casandra Curse. She was born in Italy of Maltese parents and this gives the story authenticity. In this story of We'll Never Tell Them there is a connection between Kristjana and Liljana and perhaps even between Liljana and the reader. I will not spoil the ending but let you discover it.
November 15, 2015
Books to inspire and guide my spiritual journey are always up there on my list of to reads. I've read a few great books that have made me think well beyond the time it took to read the book. When I was asked to review We'll Never Tell Them by Fiorella De Maria, I was hopeful this would be another of those great books.
I was a bit hesitant when I first began the book, almost putting it down due to a few run on sentences that, for some reason, deterred my reading. It frustrated me. However, I am really glad I continued on with the book.
The book itself was refreshing. The story line kept me wanting to know more and continue reading. I was drawn to the way the stories of the two main female characters, Liljana and Kristjana, were intertwined throughout. Kristjana's patient, Leo's storytelling of his mother, Liljana, was a great way to bring history to life. There was a definite pull that kept me reading.
As for the main characters, I had a little trouble connecting with Kristjana, but felt a strong connection with Liljana. It was Liljana who kept me reading. Her faith throughout her hardships was inspiring.
The spiritual journey was not forced. It provided a jumping point to make the connection within my own life to that in the book. The spiritual journey was mixed in well, so it was easy to feel that connection and let the it flow naturally into my own thoughts. I was inspired, and it definitely made me take a good look at my own spiritual journey which is all you can ask for.
Overall, I felt the book was an easy read. Engaging and spiritually thought provoking.
Disclaimer: I was provided an e-book of We'll Never Tell Them by Ignatius Press in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated are my own.
I was a bit hesitant when I first began the book, almost putting it down due to a few run on sentences that, for some reason, deterred my reading. It frustrated me. However, I am really glad I continued on with the book.
The book itself was refreshing. The story line kept me wanting to know more and continue reading. I was drawn to the way the stories of the two main female characters, Liljana and Kristjana, were intertwined throughout. Kristjana's patient, Leo's storytelling of his mother, Liljana, was a great way to bring history to life. There was a definite pull that kept me reading.
As for the main characters, I had a little trouble connecting with Kristjana, but felt a strong connection with Liljana. It was Liljana who kept me reading. Her faith throughout her hardships was inspiring.
The spiritual journey was not forced. It provided a jumping point to make the connection within my own life to that in the book. The spiritual journey was mixed in well, so it was easy to feel that connection and let the it flow naturally into my own thoughts. I was inspired, and it definitely made me take a good look at my own spiritual journey which is all you can ask for.
Overall, I felt the book was an easy read. Engaging and spiritually thought provoking.
Disclaimer: I was provided an e-book of We'll Never Tell Them by Ignatius Press in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated are my own.
February 4, 2016
This book's narrator is a young lady who has left London to go to Jerusalem to volunteer in a hospital. She is assigned to an end stage cancer patient who tells her the story of his mother. Writing down and thinking about his mother's story leads her to gain courage to face her own problems.
January 26, 2016
This book is beautifully written. The story and the story-within-a-story are seamlessly interwoven. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews