The Great Western Railway Girls is a WWII home front story featuring three young woman who support each other at work and in their personal lives.

The Great Western Railway Girls by Jane Lark

Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction (WWII), Home Front, Women Supporting Women, England

***This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links

My Summary:

Thanks #NetGalley @BoldwoodBooks for a complimentary eARC of #TheGreatWesternRailwayGirls upon my request. All opinions are my own.

As England is drawn into WWII, three young women find work at the Great Western Railway (GWR). Lily is Black and seizes the work opportunity to escape her abusive father. Maggie doesn’t want to work in the laundry like her sisters, so she volunteers for men’s work in the machine shop. Catherine is a clerk in the GWR office and helps with the evacuation effort to move children out of London. Wanting to do more, she changes her name to distance herself from her father, an executive with the GWR, and works (incognito) on the floor. These women develop a bond and share family drama and wartime traumas.

My Thoughts:

First in a Series

The Great Western Railway Girls is the first in a planned series in which the author develops the three main characters, establishes the setting, and sets up future storylines. This means that at story’s end, some plot lines are unresolved, and we envision what direction the next installments might take.

Women Supporting Women

War brings changes. As with other home front stories, we see women taking on men’s work and women supporting women. I like the solid foundation of friendship the three women build in this introductory story.

Setting

The Great Western Railway setting is interesting and provides a different perspective on WWII from the home front. If I were looking to support the war effort or needing a job, I might not have worked here. But did local workers have a choice? The GWR was obviously the largest employer in the area. I can also image in future installments that the Germans might want to bomb this critical transportation system.

Content Consideration: workplace injury, abusive father

Recommending The Great Western Railway Girls:

Fans of WWII home front stories set in England and women supporting women will appreciate this riveting story and its compelling themes.

Related: You might enjoy other “women on the home front” stories in this post

My Rating: 4 Stars

More Information Here

Meet the Author of The Great Western Railway Girls, Jane Lark

Jane Lark is a writer of compelling, passionate and emotionally charged fiction filled with diverse characters.

She is an international bestselling author of both historical fiction and psychological thrillers, and a finalist in British Fiction Industry awards for her works, The Reckless Love an Heir and the gripping tale of The Twins.

Known as a night owl, she’s fueled by chocolate and coffee (having given up the red wine that used to fuel her). Her books will take you on an emotional journey. They may contain love, hate, violence, death, passion, a little swearing, and endings you are never going to forget.

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QOTD:

Do you enjoy WWII home front stories?

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All books I review are purchased or borrowed from the library unless explicitly stated that the book is free (arc).

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