Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Love is in the air, and together the railway girls can overcome even the hardest of times.Mabel has finally put the past behind her, and her relationship with the dashing Harry is stronger than ever. That is, until an old flame shows up, leaving Mabel questioning her future.
Meanwhile Joan has made amends with Bob - if only she could do the same with Gran. And there's still that family mystery she wants answer to, isn't there?
As a mother and grandmother, Dot Green has always put her family first. Her job as a parcels porter has brought new purpose to her life, so is it finally time to start following her heart . . .
Life as a railway girl is busy but as war rages on and air raids disrupt daily life, the women realise they need each other more than ever, especially when there might be wedding bells on the horizon.
Many thanks to Arrow publishing via NetGalley for my copy of The Railway Girls in Love to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
The Railway Girls in Love is the third instalment in Maisie Thomas’s Railway Girls series which follows a group of women, all from very different backgrounds, who work together on the railways during the war. I have enjoyed the series so far and I felt with this book it really began to find its pace and niche and that we were really given a deeper insight into several of the characters. There is a strong set of female characters present and it’s set at a time when women needed determination and vision in order to make their mark in what until that point had been a very much male dominated work sector.
With so many men away fighting in the war, women stepped up and took their place in such a wide variety of roles and they relished every minute of it. No longer were they classed as just homemakers who raised a family. Worthwhile and important although that role was, women had so much more to offer and it was like they had been waiting in the wings until that point where society needed them the most and they were more than willing to do their duty on the home front. That’s not to say life was plain sailing for them on the railways, there was plenty of opposition in their way not to mention all their personal problems. Several of which really came to the fore in this book.
The opening of the book takes us back to February 1939 and I was slightly confused for a minute as I felt why are we going back in time? We have heard how Mabel, daughter of a factory owner, came to work on the railways. We know she feels extreme guilt at the death of her beloved best friend Althea and this has affected how she is now living her life. So why do we need to go back over this again? I was pleasantly surprised to discover we get an even deeper insight as to what the exact circumstances of Althea’s death were and why Mabel feels that she can never forgive herself for what happened. Finally we have a reason for the root cause of Mabel’s anguish and why she carries such a burden. In the previous book, she was beginning to put the past behind her but the unexpected appearance of a face that once meant so much to her but now only stirs up terrible memories which she has tried to put behind her causes all that to come to a halt.
Mabel has a lot to deal with in this story and she wrestles with her conscience as to what is the right thing to do. Is she happy with her boyfriend Harry even though certain things had come to light previously or is this new/old face knocking at the door of her heart determined not to be ignored? I love that Mabel now feels more confident enough that she can turn to the girls for advice as to what to do. The bond they have all formed is incredible and despite being different ages and from different class backgrounds they share their worries, strife and the bad and good times. All her friends, Dot, Joan, Cordelia, Alison and Colette have encouraged her to embrace happiness. They don’t condemn her for what happened in her past, instead she is urged to share her turmoil and they offer strength, support and advice. Whether she would take this on board I was keen to find out as I knew what I wanted her to do but whether she had come far enough on her personal journey in order to do this and cross the line, that I wasn’t so sure about.
For me Joan was the character whose storyline I found the most interesting. We get an awful lot of answers to questions that really have been niggling away at me ever since book one. A proposal from boyfriend Bob sees her having to confront some family issues, most pressingly her continued estrangement from her grandmother. Having lost her sister Letitia during a bombing raid her Gran is all that she has left and especially during wartime when life is so precious, arguments should not be allowed to fester into something even greater. But saying all that who can blame Joan for feeling the way she does? Her Gran is one of the most horrible characters in this series of books and I can’t feel one ounce of sympathy or compassion for her. Every member of the group always tries to see the good in everybody and mistakes are forgiven but with Gran I found it very hard. She has put Joan through the wringer and as Joan discovers, so many lies have been told about her family history. I loved how Joan had the guts to break free and to venture out and find the answers she has wanted for so long. As her Gran is like a brick wall refusing to open up she knows she will learn nothing there. What a great but sad twist when she returns to her birthplace and I thought what she uncovered really set the cat among the pigeons. Is she strong enough to cope with what she hears? Can she forgive and forget? Or is it all just too much? Will the support and guidance of her friends guide her through and therefore allow her to enjoy her wedding to Bob?
Dot is the final member whose story alongside that of Mabel’s and Joan’s features most prominently. She is a working class housewife who at the central of it all has an absolute heart of gold. She is like the matriarch of the group and a mother hen to all. She is always on the go and will help anyone in need no matter how big or small. You really just want her to take some time for herself and not to always be worrying about others especially her family. Married to Reg who seems to always put her down with his snide remarks and expectations when it comes to the house, working on the railways has given Dot the freedom she has craved for so long. Working on the trains distributing parcels at each stop she is now seeing all walks of life and the wider world. There was one scene here in particular when Dot opened the doors of a train that will have you stopping and struggling to comprehend what it is you are actually reading as it is so horrific.
Dot always takes things in her stride and is flourishing in her new work role. But for Dot is her friendship with Mr. Thirkle starting to tip over into love? To be honest I would love to see this friendship really move to something more. Dot deserved so much better than she got when it came to her family life both in relation to her husband and her two daughters-in-law. I wouldn’t have found fault if she decided to follow her heart but she was so conscious of all aspects of her family and working life that she is still really caught between a rock and a hard place. I wish she was as able to be as open with her friends as they were with her because I know they wouldn’t judge her. I feel Mabel and Joan got some closure in this story but as for Dot things still remain very much open and up in the air for her.
All in all I really enjoyed The Railway Girls in Love. It really moved the various overall storylines on. Yet I still want to read more about Cordelia, Alison and Colette, they are still too much on the periphery. I have a feeling regarding what could be going on with Colette’s because of the way things are written about her. I hope I am way off the mark in this case. Christmas with the Railways Girls will be the next book in the series and I was pleased to see the author mention that the three characters named above will get to share their viewpoints. I have wanted this from book one and I feel the other women have had their stories told. It’s time to let the trio step into the spotlight. I’m already looking forward to seeing what’s in store for them.
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