"What are you thinking, Louisa? You can't wear that for church. Go and put your Sunday dress on," her mother ordered...
***
The Blurb
1916: As fighting in Europe continues, the Clarks Factory Girls find themselves caught in a divided community...
With the country in the grips of conscription, the pacifism at the heart of Street village comes under scrutiny, and when Kate befriends Gerald, a young Quaker arrested for refusing to fight, she starts to understand the true dilemma the community finds itself in.
Still grieving the loss of her sweetheart Mattie, Louisa finds herself at odds with her parents, who refused them the chance to marry. As her mother’s attempts to find Louisa a husband show no signs of abating, Louisa takes solace in her friendship with Jeannie’s brother Lucas, but could an unexpected opportunity offer a solution to both their problems?
Meanwhile, Jeannie finds herself torn between her heart and her faith. With each other’s help, can the girls hold true to what they believe in, even as the village enters its darkest days yet?
My Review
This is the third book in the Clark's Factory Girls series. I have previously read the other two books in the series, The Clark's Factory Girls at War and Courage for the Clark's Factory Girls both of which I enjoyed immensely.
I was delighted to be able to spend more time with the three main characters of this book, best friends Kate, Jeannie and Louisa. The book picks up where the previous book left off with the stand off between Louisa and her parents. Having said that, this book works well as a standalone novel by explaining the background if you have not read the previous books.
The strongest theme that runs through all of these books is the strong bond of friendship that the three women have. Each of them are different but it is easy to identify with aspects of all three of them. In their own ways they each demonstrate courage and the conviction of their beliefs.
Set during the First World War, we as readers have the benefit of hindsight that the characters do not. We are aware of when the war will end but, of course, the characters do not and it was easy to understand how they must have felt like the war had been going on for such a long time, living in fear of friends and loved ones who are away fighting on the front. The author depicts the time period extremely well and portrays the stresses and strains on people of the time.
This is an excellent book and series in the historical saga genre and I highly recommend it.
Book Details
ISBN: 978 1835330395
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Formats: e-book, audio, and hardback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)
No. of Pages: 288 (hardback)
Purchase Links
About the Author
May Ellis has been a legal executive, registered childminder, professional fund–raiser and a teacher. She has travelled the world, including trekking in mountains, deserts and the Great Wall of China, as well as helping build a house in Thailand.
She went to university in her forties and gained a first class degree and an MA while still working full – time. Her first book, a contemporary romance, was published in 2014. Since then she has had five more novels published, including another romance and a YA time travel adventure. The last three are gritty dramas set in the 1960s/70s published by Darkstroke Books.
She lives in Somerset, within sight of Glastonbury Tor, volunteering at her local library and for the Alfred Gillett Trust (custodians of the Clark’s archives). Her current series, based on the factory workers at Clark’s Shoes was inspired by her move to the area and her love of social history.
(ARC and media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)
(all opinions are my own)
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