They Wanted to Live: Historical Literary Fiction Collection

by Cecil Roberts

London, 1938. Young Jim Brown, a porter at London's Victoria Station, comes into a large sum of money and takes his aspirational girlfriend Lizzie Parrish on the foreign trip he's always promised her. During their eventful journey they find themselves caught up in high society, a daring mercy mission, and a Europe darkening under the cloud of Nazism.

“Money turns people's heads.”
“With the result they see things they never saw before.”

Set in Vienna and Budapest during the advent of the Nazi invasion, this is a moving, thought-provoking yet often amusing story of a naive young couple whose lives are changed forever by the turmoil of a continent at war with itself.

Featuring characters from the bestseller Victoria Four-thirty, this book can also be read and enjoyed as a standalone novel.

Praise for Cecil Roberts:

“What a good novelist …” Sunday Times

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1939

About the author

Cecil Edric Mornington Roberts was an English journalist, poet, travel writer, and novelist.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a continuation of one of the best books I've read in years, "Victoria Four-Thirty." Roberts must be getting some sort of renaissance as this book, and I believe a few others, are now being republished. But sadly, this did not live up to the greatness of his previous book. This had a few characters from his previous book (Jim Brown! Prince Sixpenny!) and it was wonderful to back into the comfortable words of Roberts, but the story was filled with many unlikeable characters.

That all said, I did read this on my Kindle, and I find my opinions of books I read on a Kindle are less than those of a "real" book. I love the convenience of getting books for free from the library, but find I don't concentrate as fully as I do with an actual book. I wonder what I would have thought if I read the paperback copy.

[Jana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh the curse of being a follow up to a beloved book. Victor Four-Thirty was a delight from start to finish. This one had chapters that seemed 430 pages long.

My favorite parts were the connections to characters in the previous book. Not the main story in this one. My advice: Definitely find yourself a copy of Victoria Four-Thirty and enjoy every moment! And then try this one with lowered expectations.

I did like the ending, for what that's worth.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this with my expectations way too high. I LOVED Victoria 4:30 and this is a continuation of some of those characters. Published in 1939, Roberts takes from London to Eastern Europe just as war is breaking out. War displaces people - perfectly demonstrated in a scene where some children are describing their cousins saying one was Austrian - but now is German because there is no Austria...and another is Czech but can no longer call himself Czech etc. And war erodes culture - Roberts takes us deep into the Hungarian countryside to find a colorful but simple peasant life that will soon be invaded. As usual, I want more story telling and plot and a little less history and descriptions of countrysides. I found myself liking very few of the characters and wasn't all that disappointed when war finally impacts some of them!

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprisingly impressed with this novel which I now see is a sequel to Cecil Robert's famous novel, "Victoria Four Thirty". The railway porter wins some money in a football pool and is able to take his new wife on honeymoon in Europe shortly before the commencement of World War 2. Cecil Roberts paints a picture of impending doom brought about by the brutality of the Nazis. High Society would never be the same again. It is well written and Cecil Roberts gives a better idea of life at that time than many a historian. I recommend it highly.

[Mawsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable

I enjoyed this book, started slowly wasnt sure if was a romance or mystery. Could picture Europe in my mind, the scenery and history just drew me in. Kept my interest until the last page, so yes would like to read any further novels. 😊