
Member Reviews

what can i say a great book hooked your pulled into the plot easy to read love it characters are so nice you become friends with them

I love historical fiction -- especially WW2 historical fiction!! And Pam did an amazing job with her research. I love learning about how the people who were left at home and what they had to deal with. My grandparents were all here and had to send off family members and she gave me so much insight into what they went through.

I had been meaning to read this book for quite some time and I am very glad that I finally did!
This story is primarily about Alice and her best friend Millie who are just ordinary girls trying to get through the best way they can. Life isn't easy for them but their families and community are always there for them. Unfortunately, war has broken out and between the rationing and shortages, Alice never knows if she will see her brand new husband again, nor her little brother Brian who has been evacuated, thus, a pretty stressful time, all in all.
I honestly felt like I had been transported back in time, the author clearly did her homework when it came to the little details of these girls' lives.
I give this book 4.5 stars and will get to and read the next book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
A great beginning to a new family saga! I loved everything about it and really was connected to the characters.
Def a roller coaster of emotions!

I was given an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review by Bookouture, Pam Howes publisher. This is something I'm more than happy to do.
Reading The Factorg Girls of Lark Lane was pure nostalgia to me. It took me straight back to my teenage years where I worked in an office on an industrial estate in Speke, Liverpool. I spent my lunch breaks reading books set in the city during the war years by Maureen Lee, Helen Forrester and Lyn Andrews.
Pam Howes more than lives up to these icons and has captured the true essence of a city and period of time where your friends were your family and people shared what little they had - pulling together to support each other during desperate times.
Despite the hurt and tragedy that affected the tight knit community there was also fun and laughter, everyone appreciating the small things and each other, grateful that they survived the night through another air raid, huddled together with neighbours and friends listening for the bombs that devastated whole streets at a time - the sense of pride, generosity and support spills from the pages of this beautifully sad yet uplifting story.
Despite not reading any other books in this series I was soon wrapped up in the lives of friends Alice and Millie and their families. It's hard to imagine being married for a day and your husband going off to war, leaving you expecting a baby and no idea of when you may see each other again - the strength of character and acceptance of life and it's restraints is demonstrated throughout this book beautifully.

The Factory Girls of Lark Lane by Pam Howes takes us back to December of 1940 in Liverpool, England. Alice Turner and her best friend Millie Markham work at Rootes Munitions Factory. While Alice’s sweetheart, Terry Lomax is home on leave they are getting married at the Mount Pleasant Registry Office. After a one night honeymoon, Terry returns to the division and Alice must continue with her life at home without him. Alice lives at home with her mother and younger brother, Brian. Her older brother, Rodney is fighting in France. Life is difficult at home with air raids, rationing and missing loved ones. Alice’s life changes when she discovers she is pregnant. As the war proceeds on with no end in sight, someone dear to Alice is missing in action, her mother’s health declines and she finds it is a struggle to keep a roof over their head and food in the cupboard. Alice feels blessed to have Millie’s friendship during these trying times. How will they overcome these challenges and survive the war?
The Factory Girls of Lark Lane is a well-written novel that transports readers back in time. I found that the author captured time and place. Ms. Howes did her research. I felt The Factory Girls of Lark Lane is an accurate portrayal of home life during World War II. I did struggle with some of the British slang (such as “sarnie”). Millie and Alice’s friendship is heartwarming and enriches the story. They are close friends who help each through the worst times of their lives and are there to celebrate the good times too. We see the importance of family and neighbors. It was amazing how neighbors and co-workers’ band together to take care of their own. Rationing made it difficult to prepare meals and people had to get creative. The National Loaf was the bread they had to eat (with white flour severely rationed) and new clothes were a thing of the past. The ending did feel incomplete to me, but this is only the first book in the series. The Factory Girls of Lark Lane is an emotional story that will tug on your heartstrings and it will hold your attention until the very end. I look forward to the story continuing in The Shop Girls of Lark Lane.

I enjoyed this book so much. I liked the perspective of the story being told from regular families living their everyday lives throughout war time. I came away with a new respect for those ladies who worked hard in the factories and still kept things running as best they could at home. This is a very well written story. Alice and her family seemed quite real to me as I followed the war through their eyes. This was my first book to read by Pam Howes and I’m looking forward to reading more of her stories.
This was a clean story with no bad language or embarrassing scenes.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

This was a really lovely read. I am loving the war time sagas that are about right now.
Full review to follow

Really liked this book. It is a great insight as to how women coped in WW2 when their menfolk went off to fight. Looking forward to the next in the series.

I really enjoyed this book. The title is a bit off to me because the book is mostly about Alice and her family so I found that a bit confusing. I found the main character Alice very likeable. I love WWII fiction and I enjoyed the perspective of a young woman being left to care for her family alone and succeeding. I give it a solid 4 stars.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. How the people suffered in the 1940's and reading this book just proved how important family and friendships were. A good read.

This was a very satisfying, heartwarming and engrossing read. Taking place during WWII in Liverpool, England with very well written detail, it is the story of Alice and her family and friends as they struggle through shortages of everything needed to survive, along with the heartbreak of losing loved ones both at home and at the front. The nightly bombings and the agonizing wait between letters from loved ones at war is described in such a way that one feels the fear and pain as if it were real. The way that neighbors and friends rally when tragedy strikes is as beautiful as when a baby is born in a bomb shelter and everyone pitches in to help the mother, Alice, whose new husband is fighting in Europe.
I loved this book and really hope the author continues with the story as the beauty of the story is truly timeless; people helping people who need helping. I very strongly recommend this book.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a review copy. This is my honest opinion.

The Factory Girls of Lark Lane is the first book of Pam's second trilogy and what a start! I think the most wonderful thing about Pam's writing is the way she so effortlessly pulls you into a story. It doesn't take long to become fully immersed into family life - the camaraderie, the laughter and most of all the resilience of each and every one of these people during a time of hardship and uncertainty. Like The Mersey Trilogy there are some fabulous characters and many will they-won't they moments! The story ended on a high but also left enough questions in my mind as to what Pam has in store for them in the next book. Brilliantly written, hugely enjoyable and thoroughly deserving of every one of the five stars I've awarded it

Another brilliant read from Pam Howes. Enjoyable as always. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this book. Highly recommend it.

This is the second book by Pam Howes I have read and enjoyed and I'm looking forward to reading more.
The Factory Girls of Lark Lane grabbed my attention from the beginning and I found it hard to put down. Alice and Millie were great characters who I warmed to straight away. A brilliant story that keeps you interested throughout, I would highly recommened.
Thank you!

A really lovely read. I love WW2 novels and this is a great story of the women left behind. A great saga of the work the women did to keep the country running in the absence of their men. Heartbreaking and warming tales of husbands, brothers and sons who have gone to war and those coming home. Really authentic writing that you can feel the vibe of the 40's and the hard working ladies struggling and sharing rations, friendship and love.

.5 out of 5 stars
Heartwarming and heartbreaking historical WWII fiction
ByMaggieon July 22, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition
I was thoroughly captivated by The Factory Girls of Lark Lane. The main heroine, Alice, plays her part in WWII Liverpool, although quickly saddled with a baby after a wartime quickee wedding. Her challenges are at once heartwarming and heartbreaking. I enjoy reading about seemingly real people and situations during extraordinary times, such as war. If you enjoy your history wrapped in a good story, this will be a book for you!

We join Alice Turner and her extended family in Liverpool as the second world war begins and calls up her new husband, Terry. The community spirit is admirable, and one feels part of the family as they all cope with the ups and downs during those long war years. The food shortages, the hardship and the loss of loved ones.
"So many lost, before their lives began properly."
Alice is forced to grow up quickly and all the young people around her as they take on huge responsibilities of managing to make money go around, finding enough provisions to feed their families and coping with their children and evacuation. Alice works at Rootes Munition factory making the Halifax bombers. It's dangerous work, but they all pitch in to make the best of things. It's a cosy, chatty read with warmth, poignancy and inevitable heartbreak. I enjoyed the references to the music of the era which has survived the decades. I still love Glen Miller's "Moonlight Serenade" after watching the film "The Glen Miller Story" many moons ago and "The White Cliffs of Dover" is still loved and popular. It brings tears to my eyes. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

I fell in love with this story from the get go, the characters, the town, the friendships and families. It was perfect. I am a huge fan of historical fiction and this was just what I needed! Heartwarming, heartbreaking, emotional and filled with plenty of hope.
A real page turner, fast paced, easy to read, addictive and brilliant! Will take the reader right back in time. Had me going ahhh and oh no everytime the alarm went off at the most inappropriate of moments throughout the story. A story that will stay in my heart. Highly recommend. A well deserved five stars. I cannot wait to read more by this author in the future, a new favourite author I think!

The Mersey trilogy established Pam Howes as a bright new voice in the women's historical fiction genre and also as one of my favourite authors. Pam writes vividly of life for the women, families and friends left at home during World War Two whilst their men are away fighting against the maniac that was Hitler. The main theme of this new Factory Girls series is that the struggles of war will see friendships strengthen and this couldn't be more accurate.
In The Factory Girls of Lark Lane we are introduced to another strong, resilient and courageous young woman called Alice Turner. Alice is the stalwart of this story and as we journey with her through her experiences of the war and numerous life altering events the reader finds themselves once again hooked just as much as I had been with Dora's story in the previous series. At times, I feel war time family saga series tend to get a bit repetitive in their descriptions of life at home. Thankfully this wasn't the case here as the author manages to keep everything fresh and interesting and the fact I am still discovering new information about the war and how people coped on a daily basis is testament to the wonderful writing and in depth research undertaken by the author.
Alice works with her best friend Millie Markham in Rootes munitions factory in Liverpool. They work in the riveting section making the framework of wings for the planes that will go on to bomb the enemy. Their work is vital for the war effort and they take great pride in it. Alice likes to keep her business to herself but within a factory setting and on the street where she lives everyone knows everybody else’s business. This may seem overbearing to some people but I suppose this could be classed as being only a good thing as in times of need people will know when to step in and offer a helping hand. When we are first introduced to Alice she is bubbling with excitement as she is just about to marry her sweetheart Terry. They have one day before he has to return to training and then god knows how long before she will see him again as he could be shipped away to any place. Even an air raid warning won't stop them enjoying their big day.
We all know life was more than a struggle for people during the war and how it presented so many challenges and obstacles but to always have that threat of the air raid siren blaring out must have had people on edge twenty four seven. The calm, peaceful lives they led pre-war must have been but a distant memory replaced by worry, fear and anxiety. Their normal routine disrupted for six long years and beyond and those they loved the most taken away for them to fight for their country. A life without any luxuries or treats but entertainment and excitement was created wherever and whenever possible even b the tightest if means. Rationing became the norm but Alice proved to be resourceful and I loved how she was always willing to go that extra mile for her family which only highlighted the love and dedication she had for them. She always had a long term goal in her mind that drove her on. She wanted Terry to come back to some sort sort of security and family unit but with so much devastation, loss and upheaval surrounding them could this be at all possible?
Alice and Millie had a united friendship whose bonds were only strengthened through all the ups and downs they go through. I loved how they were there for each other every step of the way even if circumstances and opportunities did take them away for each other at some points. No matter how long the separation they would always reunite. Once you have that deep connection that goes beyond friendship it's hard to break it no matter the mountains placed in your way. Although I did laugh at Millie's attempts to join the Land Army! The only very minor fault that I found with this story, and it's more just a personal opinion rather than any error with the writing, is that I wanted to know more about Millie. I know this was Alice's story to tell but I would have liked to have read a few chapters from Millie's perspective, I wonder will the next book focus on Millie or rather extend and continue Alice's story?
The person who definitely held the spotlight throughout the story was undoubtedly Alice. As Terry leaves after their wedding night it is up to her to continue on. She was the one who had to keep her family going. Her father had died, her mother was very vulnerable and the place where she had worked had closed down. Older brother Rodney was away fighting in France and younger brother Brian had been evacuated to North Wales. Alice couldn't sit down and just let things crumble around her, there had to have been something for Terry and Rodney to return too. That's if they survived the horrors they were experiencing. Alice kept the show running and worked herself to the bone. She proved time and time again how responsible she was and above all else the word loyalty really sums up her character. Keeping enough food on the table, staying alive and one step of the enemy became common place and I felt she dealt with all the curve balls that life threw at her with dignity, respect and confidence. She had her friends and neighbours backs and they did the same for her. The community spirit and camaraderie was evident on the factory floor and this was extended outside of working hours. People didn't want to see friends and family suffer unnecessarily and they all roped in together when needed.
Alice came down to earth with a bang once Terry left and as she discovers something surprising but which will lead to happiness she is tested to the max. Terry's mother, Mrs.Lomax, played a pivotal supportive role throughout the story and Alice would have been lost without her as her own mother had her own issues to deal with. Quite often the mother-in-law in women's fictions books plays the baddie role, the woman we all despise and basically just want rid of so I was thrilled to see Mrs. Lomax hadn't been assigned that form of character. I wouldn't say it was all smooth sailing between herself and Alice but still I thought she really stepped up to the plate when Alice needed help. She wasn't going to let her daughter-in-law suffer when her son was away. She was kind, caring and offered so much help that she became like a surrogate mother to her and it shows during the times of war people put aside any issues or little resentments they might feel and always did what was best for one another. After all the war both on home and foreign soil brought countless highs and lows but this story shows how all women were proud of their war work either at home or in factories or on the land as they know they are doing their bit to prevent one man getting his ultimate way.
The most touching aspect of the story was in relation to Edith, Alice's mother. It was written with such sensitivity and tact and was just utterly heartbreaking. I don't know Alice kept going but she did and I thought if Terry could see her at home he would have been so very proud of her. The Factory Girls of Lark Lane was a brilliant introduction to this new series from Pam Howes. The fact I read in one afternoon shows how much I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It's true to life of the time and packed full of characters you wish nothing but a happy outcome for. Creating capable, steady irrepressible female characters is Pam Howes' forte. Alice is a stand out character whose story will transport you back in time to a period where a positive outlook and clinging to hope became the factors that got people through the war. Now if Pam Howes could just hurry up and write book two as I am very eager to return to Liverpool and the factory girls to see what happens next.