Reviewed by Emma Crowley
January 1945. Spring is in the air. And so is victory...
Wedding bells are ringing at long last for Gloria and her soon-to-be husband Jack. But she can't rest until her youngest son is safely home.
Head welder Rosie is delighted her own husband has returned from enemy territory. But the promise of victory brings more change. Her squad has come so far - what will happen when the war ends?
Meanwhile Helen is caught between two men - but must hide her true feelings from the one she loves. Can her fellow women welders help Helen follow her heart?
Only by working together will the Shipyard Girls win the day.
Many thanks to Random House UK,Cornerstone for my copy of Three Cheers for the Shipyard Girls to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
It feels like only the other day that I began the Shipyard Girls series by Nancy Revell but in fact it’s been six years since I was first introduced to a remarkable bunch of women who have shown nothing but pride, strength and courage throughout the long years of the war. It’s rare for me to stick so long with a series from the beginning to the bitter end but the fact that I have done so for 12 books is testament to what a brilliant series Nancy has created and so carefully developed. It’s bittersweet to reach the end as I have become so attached to this cast of characters. I was reluctant to start this book because I knew once I reached the end that that was it. I’d no longer read of Gloria, Helen and co and that made me sad. I have really grown to love these special women and always look forward to reading of their adventures and trials and tribulations twice a year. That feeling of dying to know what happens next and the excitement of seeing a new book appearing on NetGalley and just having to get it and read it as soon as possible will no longer be there but the characters and all that they have been through will long live on in my heart and mind.
At this stage to go into the various characters and all the issues and problems they have would be fruitless given this is the last book and that everything they have been through and the hold a certain person has over them is reaching its endpoint. Needless to say, these women welders and both their friends and families have been through the mill since the outbreak of war but the end point is in sight. They just need to push through these final few months and hopefully emerge victorious on the other side. As world events progress at a rapid pace so too does the personal lives of each character that I have come to know and love. There are plenty of problems and situations, both good and bad, that need an outcome to be found be it positive or negative. The author gets straight down to action, and you get the sense she has a lot she wants to say and cover and gets on with it right from the outset. That’s not to say things felt rushed or brushed neatly under the carpet. Given the length of the series to do this now at this stage would seem futile and just such a let-down for readers who have been with the girls since the beginning. No, thankfully that didn’t happen at all and the pacing and revelations were all perfect and at times you have a smile on your face to see certain characters getting the comeuppance you have longed to see them receive.
The one thing that does continue to hang over the group are the secrets that Charles Havelock, the supposed pillar of the town, has over each of them. I’ve been continuously wondering how on earth can it be resolved given how complicated and twisted things have become? If the things that Gloria, Rosie, Dorothy, Angie, Martha, Polly and Hannah hold close to their chest for very good reason and whether they be big or small go on to be exposed the repercussions don’t bare thinking about. Charles, Helen’s grandfather, is one of the nastiest characters that I have read about in a long time and that’s saying something given how much historical fiction I read. He wields axes over so many characters and in doing so has contaminated their lives. Even in this last book, he is still working out how he can emerge as top dog and keep his reputation intact. For the women too have secrets regarding Charles that would shatter his ‘generous’ reputation.
No one will ever get the better of Charles as he is determined to be the victor in this last battle. To be honest I didn’t think there was any hope of the women emerging unscathed through the process that was unfolding. Charles had lots of tricks up his sleeve and the evil within him especially considering what he had done to his wife Henrietta I just saw it continuing on and on. His power appeared never ending and I didn’t think the women would have the tactics and ammunition to play him at it his game. But a character who had featured in the background in previous books was not to be under estimated and I thought this aspect of the plot was brilliantly done. I wouldn’t have seen it coming from a mile off. In fact, that’s how I felt about how a lot of the things were worked out. You could tell the author had things worked out for a long time and was relishing putting all her ideas into motion. I loved how things developed it felt like issues were being resolved naturally rather than forcefully.
I can’t not talk about Helen, especially considering how against her I was when reading the earlier books, it’s amazing how much compassion I feel for her now and I am so deeply invested in a positive outcome to her strand of the story. She shows that perhaps after all a leopard can change their spots. Without doubt, she has to be the best written character even though I love all the girls. I think I am now really connected and deeply invested in her story as she has been through so much and undergone such a transformation from a baddy to a goodie and she is a character for whom you really want nothing but the best for. Her journey has truly been remarkable. She now has a firm place in the group and continues to try and thwart her grandfather’s plans even though it means putting her own wants, needs and love on hold perhaps even permanently rather than just as a stop gap. I know I am not alone in wanting Helen to finally confess to Dr. John how she feels and for him to do likewise but still even at this late juncture there are so what seems like so many insurmountable problems placed in their path most notably her grandfather and Dr. Claire. But as one character says ‘For what is life without hope?’ and that what is everyone that features here must have. Be it hope that the war will reach a positive conclusion without too much more bloodshed or the loss of someone they hold dear or hope that their own personal problems will find resolutions and explanations.
Hope is such a strong word but it’s what these women have in spades and I desperately wished that it would carry them through to the bitter end. There is lots of water to pass under the bridge before things can be celebrated but bringing Charles down so to speak is the major one not to mention there is lots of love, laughter, bright days and a wedding or two that will go side by side their main goal. As the series progressed, I had wondered how could resolutions to such insurmountable problems be found? Especially as there were some really tricky and complex situations but Nancy worked things out brilliantly. I really got the sense that she knew right from book one how things were going to conclude and although readers, myself included may have doubted that positive outcomes could be achieved she in fact had full faith in her girls that the good times would once again come around.
In Three Cheers for the Shipyard Girls, Nancy Revell has given her readers the most perfect ending to what has been an utterly brilliant and deeply satisfying series. It was everything you were hoping for but also much much more. I know in the future I will go back and read the series from start to finish in one go and treasure every moment of it and it’s rare that I would venture to say that. There is no let-up in the action throughout the book as there are lots of little subplots feeding out from the overall plot that need resolution. The reader is taken on a rollercoaster ride packed full of twists and turns as imagination is blended perfectly with historical fact. You are kept on your toes guessing the eventual outcomes to some aspects until the last possible moment which mean you can’t bear to leave the book out of your hands and that’s the way a good book should be. As one door closes another door opens and although I’ll remain gutted for some time that this series has reached its satisfying conclusion, I am very excited to see in what place and what era Nancy Revell will turn her attentions to next. If it’s anything as good as this series I know her loyal readers will be in for a real treat.
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