Bookseller synopsis:
Working at the Foyles bookshop was Molly Cooper’s dream job. But with the country at war she’s determined to do her bit. So Molly gathers her courage, and sets off for the East End and her first day working at Silvertown munitions factory…
It’s hard manual labour, and Molly must face the trials and tribulations of being the ‘new girl’ at the munitions factory, as well as the relentless physical work.
The happy-ever-afters Molly read about in the pages of her beloved books have been lost to the war. And yet the munitions girls unite through their sense of duty and friendships that blossom in the most unlikely of settings…
My reading experience:
Having previously met Alice, Molly and Victoria, best friends and Foyles co-workers, the reader is introduced to the world of WW1 munitions factory life, it’s harshness and fatal working conditions. Molly is ridden with guilt and shame from the death of her boyfriend whom she pushed into enlisting by giving him a white feather. To assuage this guilt she leaves behind her job at Foyles and embarks on a hard working day at the munitions factory.
I really enjoyed revisiting characters. The author had already set the scene and didn’t go overboard on backfilling or padding out characters, which made this story faster moving.
What appears to be tragic is Molly’s love story.
I really enjoyed this second instalment. Both books are long reads over 400 pages but warm, tragic, engaging and having that feeling of familiarity. I look forward to reading The Foyles Bookshop Girls at Christmas.
Appletree Books 