Kristina A. reviewed The Factory Girls of Lark Lane: A heartbreaking wartime family saga on + 1528 more book reviews
The Factory Girls of Lark Lane by Pam Howes takes us back to December of 1940 in Liverpool, England. Alice Turner and her best friend Millie Markham work at Rootes Munitions Factory. While Alice's sweetheart, Terry Lomax is home on leave they are getting married at the Mount Pleasant Registry Office. After a one night honeymoon, Terry returns to the division and Alice must continue with her life at home without him. Alice lives at home with her mother and younger brother, Brian. Her older brother, Rodney is fighting in France. Life is difficult at home with air raids, rationing and missing loved ones. Alice's life changes when she discovers she is pregnant. As the war proceeds on with no end in sight, someone dear to Alice is missing in action, her mother's health declines and she finds it is a struggle to keep a roof over their head and food in the cupboard. Alice feels blessed to have Millie's friendship during these trying times. How will they overcome these challenges and survive the war?
The Factory Girls of Lark Lane is a well-written novel that transports readers back in time. I found that the author captured time and place. Ms. Howes did her research. I felt The Factory Girls of Lark Lane is an accurate portrayal of home life during World War II. I did struggle with some of the British slang (such as âsarnieâ). Millie and Alice's friendship is heartwarming and enriches the story. They are close friends who help each through the worst times of their lives and are there to celebrate the good times too. We see the importance of family and neighbors. It was amazing how neighbors and co-workers' band together to take care of their own. Rationing made it difficult to prepare meals and people had to get creative. The National Loaf was the bread they had to eat (with white flour severely rationed) and new clothes were a thing of the past. The ending did feel incomplete to me, but this is only the first book in the series. The Factory Girls of Lark Lane is an emotional story that will tug on your heartstrings and it will hold your attention until the very end. I look forward to the story continuing in The Shop Girls of Lark Lane.
The Factory Girls of Lark Lane is a well-written novel that transports readers back in time. I found that the author captured time and place. Ms. Howes did her research. I felt The Factory Girls of Lark Lane is an accurate portrayal of home life during World War II. I did struggle with some of the British slang (such as âsarnieâ). Millie and Alice's friendship is heartwarming and enriches the story. They are close friends who help each through the worst times of their lives and are there to celebrate the good times too. We see the importance of family and neighbors. It was amazing how neighbors and co-workers' band together to take care of their own. Rationing made it difficult to prepare meals and people had to get creative. The National Loaf was the bread they had to eat (with white flour severely rationed) and new clothes were a thing of the past. The ending did feel incomplete to me, but this is only the first book in the series. The Factory Girls of Lark Lane is an emotional story that will tug on your heartstrings and it will hold your attention until the very end. I look forward to the story continuing in The Shop Girls of Lark Lane.
