Sunderland, 1941
As the world war continues the shipyard girls face hardships at home, but work and friendship give them strength to carry on.
Gloria is smitten with her newly arrived bundle of joy, but baby Hope’s first weeks are bittersweet. Hope's father is missing at sea, and with their future as a family so uncertain, Gloria must lean on her girls for support.
Meanwhile, head welder Rosie has turned her back on love to keep her double life secret. But her persistent beau is determined to find out the truth and if he does, it could ruin her.
And there is finally a glimmer of hope for Polly and her family when Bel and Joe fall in love. But it isn’t long before a scandalous revelation threatens to pull them all apart.
Many thanks to Arrow publishing via NetGalley for my copy of Secrets of the Shipyard Girls to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
Secrets of the Shipyard Girls is the third in the Shipyard Girls series by Nancy Revell. Set in the industrial town of Sunderland in 1941, the story so far has followed some very brave, fearless and incredible women as they work in a male dominated job during war time. As so many men have left England to fight for their country, women have stepped up to the plate and taken over where needed. None more so than the women in this book who have become like friends to me as they help to build the ships needed for war. This group have been trained to be welders, working all the hours available to ensure as many new ships are constructed as possible. This is a story of grit, determination and resilience for as well as battling through the gruelling hours at the shipyard they have their own personal difficulties to face once they return home. But these women have formed a unit, a bond that is unbreakable and they are always there for each other through thick and thin, in good times and bad. Despite this being the third in the series this book can be read as a standalone but I think to get a real flavour as to how special and unique these women are I would recommended reading the series from the start if only to enhance your own overall reading experience.
The prologue to Secrets of the Shipyard Girls was so raw and powerful that it would instantly bring a tear to your eye. It was so well written and would mean a lot to fans of the series. It made me believe one thing was happening but in fact the outcome that I believed was occurring was vastly different. For that I was glad but at the time of reading it broke my heart and to some it may seem a bit wishy washy and too far fetched but here it was just so beautiful and thoughtful. As soon as I read a few chapters it felt like I had never been away. This book really moved the series on. Right from the first few chapters there was a real sense that this book had a lot more depth and emotion to it than the previous two. That is not to take away from the first two books by any means as I did love them but this story took on a whole other level. It felt like all the background stories and the setting up were well established. Now there was a sense that the author felt really free to move the story on but also at the same time go that little bit deeper with feelings and emotions.
Each of the women's individual stories were given more time to be explored and I felt I got to know the main women of the group even better than I had before. I became more aware of the reasons for their actions and how they viewed certain developing situations. But overall what I took from this story was a real sense of community spirit, friendship, love and strength. These emotions shone from every page and I felt like I was on a roller-coaster ride with the group as the war rages on but at the same time they have to deal with things right there in front of them on a day to day basis whilst playing their part in keeping the shipyard ticking over and on schedule.
For those new to the series, they needn't worry that they would be lost and couldn't follow the overall and individual stories as the author in the first chapter brings the readers right up to date in a clever manner by using a conversation between Dorothy and Gloria as a means to fill in all the necessary details. This was also handy for refreshing the minds of readers there since day one. It was the perfect introduction that then allowed us to get on with the story. The women welders of Thompson's shipyard are without doubt, loyal, steadfast and will always stand by your side no matter the circumstances.
This is never more evident as Rosie, the head welder who is very much a closed book for all intents and purposes, has secret night-time work which if discovered would really upset the apple cart. There is a very valid reason for Rosie taking on the extra work and throughout this book I felt she was under increasing pressure. That if one thing failed or was uncovered then that what was it. It would all be out in the open and everything she had worked for would be gone and she would feel like she had failed the person who needed her most. Rosie really wrestled with her emotions in this book more so than ever before. She knows she is treading a thin line but her heart is telling her something else. She enjoys meeting DS. Peter Miller in the café and their budding friendship over tea and a slice of cake felt so natural but it is just such a pity that she is faced with a very difficult, daunting decision that hurts people no matter which path she chooses. I really felt for Rosie, she has been through horrid times but always tries to merge stronger. She works herself to the bone and always helps others and I think now it's about time she gets some happiness for herself. I'm more than interested to see how things are going to play out for her in the future.
Perhaps the other dominant female figure is that of Gloria. She has new found happiness in her life with the recent birth of daughter Hope. Yet she can't fully embrace the joy as the father of her child is absent. Her own husband Vinnie, who has treated her so brutally, is still sneaking around corners and whenever he featured I thought the tone became very menacing and uncomfortable. He was very volatile and Gloria feared for her safety. I thought the situation Gloria finds herself in was very unfortunate especially when the father of her child makes a reappearance but it can't all go to plan. She is a woman certainly crying out for a happy ending, and for love and charity to shine through, but I'm not quite sure circumstances will give her that even though she is more than deserving of it.
Polly didn't feature as much as before. She is still very worried about her fiancée Tommy Watts who is based in Gibraltar and helps the army with diving. That would be my one gripe about the book that we don't hear anything at all about Tommy. I know there were very long periods during the war when the women at home heard nothing from their loved ones and I presume the author wanted to reflect the reality of that. But for my own interest I would have loved a chapter from Tommy's viewpoint even written in towards the end as I loved his character in the first book The Shipyard Girls and like Polly really feel his absence. Maybe we'll hear more from him in future books.
Instead of Polly getting as much focus, all eyes turn to her sister-in-law Bel. She lost her husband early on in the war and is now living with mother-in-law Agnes, Polly and Tommy's grandfather Arthur. She is raising her daughter Lucille who is just so charming and enigmatic that she lights up every scene she features in. Bel has been through a very rough time and no one could blame her for being down and despondent but her fortunes are changing and my was it a joy to read of. At last something good was happening for her although the arrival of Maisie, a new girl who takes on a job a bit too close to the bone for Rosie brings all manner of surprises and revelations. Without Maisie's inclusion Pearl, Bel's mother, wouldn't have gotten such a brilliant storyline. Up to now I hadn't paid her much attention and didn't really like the way she acted but it all became clear and my opinion of her rapidly changed.
In Secrets of the Shipyard Girls so much happened on every page that you wouldn't really notice the 500 odd pages flying by. At this stage of the story I am deeply invested for the eventual outcome of all the characters. As we have only reached 1941, I feel there is a lot more to be told in the stories of these women. The women I haven't mentioned in the group need to have their time to come in to the spotlight and share their stories. Also the main characters have more to tell particularly Gloria and Rosie. There really are so many memorable characters with equally as memorable storylines that provide you with an emotional read that showcase that happy endings don't always come easily, you have to fight for every bit of it and that end goal is nowhere in sight at the moment be it regarding the war or for some of the women.
Love and war were the themes for the first two books and charity was the main theme here and it was expertly weaved in. I loved every minute of this book and was reluctant to read the very last page but knowing there is more to come in March 2018 in Shipyard Girls in Love made it seem that little bit more bearable to leave the girls behind for a short while.
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