Women all over the world took on new roles during the world wars. This is the (fictional) story of some of those women. The Lumberjills, aka the Women's Timber Corps during WWII. Timber, of course, was essential to the war effort but without enough men, women were recruited to take up the slack. It was difficult, dangerous, backbreaking work

Foat tells the story of three women from very different backgrounds coming together to work in the forest. Rosie, is from a factory in London's East End and has a lot to say, to everyone. About everything. Beatrice excels at math and joins over the objections of her wealthy family. And Keeva's family has always walked to a different drummer. Their personalities clash but they must learn to depend on one another to accomplish their goals.

Foat was able to interview a number of veterans who served in the capacity of Lumberjill and it shows in her solid descriptions of the work and the women.

Recommended for readers of WWII works, women's history, and anyone who enjoys a good, fact-based story.

As war breaks out, young women are needed in all sorts of previously male-dominated roles & the timber industry was no different. By 1942, the German occupation of Norway was causing shortages and the British lumber industry needed to be revived so the Women’s Timber Corps, a branch of the Women’s Land Army was formed.

I am very torn about this book. There is no doubt that the author has researched the topic deeply and it is full of authentic details, however the fiction side of the book left me feeling flat. The characters were not particularly likeable, and didn’t really develop as the book progressed. There was a lot of conflict, and little to redeem the characters, though some friendships did ultimately develop.
I liked that the book was primarily told from the perspective of Keeva, the daughter of a conscientious objector. She has joined the lumberjills to escape her neglectful mother and the stigma of her father’s imprisonment for his beliefs, and her backstory was interesting. Rosie is a tough Londoner, also looking to escape her previous abusive life whilst Beatrice is a debutante who intends to fight against her parents expectations, but she is under the misconception that she will be treated differently due to her mathematical skills and can’t quite leave her luxurious home life behind.
The way that the women were treated (poor food & spartan living conditions, inadequate clothing for the wet/cold conditions, long days, few breaks & a general sense that anything they produced would be substandard) made working conditions tough. Once the girls had broken through barriers, with the help of Lady Denman fighting in Westminster, and a group of miners stating that the pit props were not only essential but of good quality, they started to be accepted more.

The descriptions of the forest were great, as were the technical details, and honestly I’d love to read a non-fiction book by this author about the Lumberjills, I’m just not quite sure that she has got the fiction writing right.

Lumberjillls is excellent historical fiction. I loved the characters and learned about how hardworking the women were for the war cause. I recommend this title.

1940. When the war started the UK didn't have much lumber stockpiled. A resource that they badly needed, so they opened it up for women to apply. Thousands did. These girls are tough beyond tough in this group. Man did they fight one another. Most had it tough at home growing up. A few of the girls' backgrounds come out here. Excellent read that keeps you engaged to the end. I could have done without some of the language but overall, it was mild.
I received this book free from the author, publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
#NetGalley #TheLumberjills #JoannaFoat #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #HistoricalFiction

This was a fantastic story that I loved so much. I just had to read it in one sitting as it was such a wonderful story. I have read many war historical fiction stories, and this is the first one I read about girl lumber Jack's or Jill's in this case. It was so interesting. It certainly had me turning the pages quickly. I love all the different types and classes of girls in this story they certainly created lots of drama. I was even laughing in places. It was so well written that it was even close to getting that 5th star. I am so glad I found this book as the author created a wonderful sense of atmosphere and tension. The story definitely had me on the edge of my seat at times. I even shouted at the book at one point I was so shocked. I really can't recommend this book enough it's such a great story that I think you will love it too.

So much praise goes out to the author and publishers for creating such a wonderful story that I just couldn't put down. I will definitely be looking out for more books by this fantastic author.

The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/the-lumberjills-stronger-together-by-joanna-foat-cameron-publicity-independent-author-4-stars either under my name or ladyreading365

The Lumberjills is an interesting take on a WWII story. It is the story of a group of women who unite to aid in the war effort by cutting down trees. This novel demonstrates the struggle these women had getting recognized and gaining respect for the job that they were doing. While I enjoyed the historical subject matter, I found that the characters could have used a little more development to engage the reader in their personal stories. Thank you to NetGalley and Cameron Publicity and Marketing Ltd. for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

There haven't been many books set around the lumberjills, so I jumped at the chance at reading this book. To open the first page of the book and find it set in the area where I live (I moved to the Forest of Dean 18 months ago) was an added bonus. While enjoying the story and learning about the hard job that the Lumberjills did, I was also learning some history of my new home.
I felt the story wandered a little, but I understand why, as it showed us the importance of where the wood was used, but the storylines did seem to go off at tangents and the book didn't seem to flow as well as it should.

Many thanx to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for allowing me to read and review this book.

Was so looking forward to reading this book as I had not heard nor read anything regarding these female lumberjacks!! Although the story was plausible and the author seems to know a great deal about these women, I found it hard to keep interest in the story.

Cannot award 5 stars but I understand all historical detail to be true, therefor 3 stars given for effort! Sorry, story did not leave an indelible mark.

Thank you to netgalley for this advance ecosystem of Lumberjills:Stronger Together. This book was very interesting and gave a lot of information about a branch of The Woman’s Woman Land Army in WW2-The Woman’s Forestry Division. Responsible for filling the jobs of conscripted men, they played a vital role in the war effort. Told mainly from the point of view of Keeva O’ Connor, the daughter of a conscious objectioner she is determined to play her part in the war effort while trying to avoid her past. There are other characters in the story who bring with them baggage too. They are all determined to succeed and do their part to help Britain win the war. . Very engaging story.

I wish I could say I loved this as it's a topic that I've enjoyed reading about but I didn't love it, I didn't hate it either. It was one of those books that was O.K. There are a couple of really unlikable character's in the book who at times make you feel like closing the book and not reading the rest but if you persevere you'll find a good war time book.

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

I had never heard of the Lumberjills so I was really excited to learn more about it. I’ve also read and enjoyed a lot of WWII fiction, especially about women and their experiences. Sadly this didn’t capture my attention and I couldn’t get through it. The characters were flat and I didn’t enjoy the writing style. Since I see the author also wrote a non fiction book on the topic I may just read that instead to learn about this group of women.

3 stars, Everyone is a meany

THE LUMBERJILLS: STRONGER TOGETHER
by Joanna Foat

This is a fictional story of the women who came together during WWII to help keep their country running, with the men all sent off to war. Not every woman who worked did so in a factory. Some women worked in the forests, cutting down trees and harvesting wood. It is a difficult job, not for the weak.

As the women come together as a military unit, there is a large amount of rivalry and meanness going on. The women at first did not see that it would be better for all if they came together as one unit.

I received a complimentary copy of #thelumberjillsstrongertogether from #netgalley #merrowdownspress #cameronpublicityandmarketinglimited I was under no obligation to post a review. #thelumberjills #WW2 #historicalfiction #womensfiction

There’s no doubt that the author knows her subject and this novel is full of authentic detail about the work and lives of the Lumberjills. All fascinating stuff but at times, this tipped the book into non-fiction (eg: the scenes when Lady Denman is talking to Bevin and trying to get better working conditions for Land Army and Timber Corps recruits).

It must be difficult, when you know so much about your subject, not to let it flow through every page but the historical details need to be scattered through the book with a very light touch, so that the reader barely notices them. Otherwise, it becomes a little preachy.

What’s more important, I think, are the characters and their journeys. And here is where the book was a little disappointing. None of the 3 main female characters was that likeable. I wasn’t rooting for any of them. And there was an awful lot of back-biting, rowing and falling-out (and no humour at all).

I’m conscious that this is the author’s debut and she has spent many years writing it and therefore I want to be kind but perhaps she was told her book needed lots of ‘conflict’ and hence, all the shouting. But actually, conflict is more than people yelling at each other. It did get a little tiresome after a while.

Having said that, some of the descriptions of the forest were beautiful and I thought the final part of the book was the best, particularly the scenes around Gladys.

I have read a lot of different books set around the work of Lumberjills during the war. This sadly is probably the worst I have read.

Like other reviewers I didn't warm to any of the characters and found them all to be catty and self-centred with Jekyll and Hyde personalities.

I found the switching between past and present hard due to the number of characters this was done for. I found Keeva's story before joining up to be farfetched and again I had no compassion for her parents. Although the author tried to describe why they were the way they were it wasn't detailed enough. Her sister was mentioned lots in passing but never ever seen or heard making it seem a waste of time her being included. I also questioned her parents age as they came across as old but then it said her father had refused to fight making it seem he was in the age bracket for conscription.

All in all, I ploughed through hoping it would get better which it sadly didn't.

In this book we follow vast different women , under their training to become lumberjills during ww2. Thus book is about where we come from, loss, friendship, and grueling work conditions. Even though the book had a good storyline. It became to me Just a meh book. I Just could not Connect with the Main characters, and it felt like a whole lot of catfight. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

Found this book slow to start but then it totally took on a life of its own, the characters began to come to life and it ended up a great read.
Focusing on the girls who became lumberjills during ww2. Was fascinating to read of the struggles and the work these young ladies performed during the war. Also, was good to see the backstory unfold of each girl in turn.
Great ww2 saga

I couldn’t get into this book. I’ve read a lot of WWII women’s stories, and some are sweet and sad, but the characters in this one didn’t grab me and pull me in.

In the Forest of Dean during World War II, three vastly different young women find themselves thrown together fighting for the same cause: volunteering in the newly formed Women’s Timber Corps, a branch of the Women’s Land Army. Despite the grueling physical challenges, tragedies, and intense prejudice against women doing Lumberjill work, they succeed.

Keeva, daughter of freethinking bohemian parents, flees to the forest to escape her neglectful mother and the stigma of her father’s conscientious objection to the war. Rosie, tough as nails Londoner, has her own reasons for escaping her life, and Beatrice, wealthy debutante, is under the false impression that she will use her university education in mathematics instead of doing manual labor with the “lower classes.” Each finds herself challenged in ways both familiar and unforeseen as they forge ahead in the war effort for women.

Joanna Foat is a talented writer, and clearly did extensive research on this fascinating slice of history. But this book was a bust for me. Not only did I not get a clear feel for each main character, but I thoroughly disliked both Rosie and Beatrice and only partly liked Keeva’s character. There was a bizarre back and forth of backbiting, quite cruel behavior, then sudden friendship, then back to snarling at each other, and they acted in ways that had me so frustrated. I expected to see friendships slowly blossom and personal growth as well, but instead it was as I described, with an abrupt transformation in literally the last few pages of the book to describe a bond between them that felt weak after having read the entire novel. It felt like Mean Girls, the WWII Edition. Another main character, Lady Denman, is described in the blurb, but I counted two scenes (I think) involving her in the story, so she was shadowy at best.

Good potential, but a dud for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Looking for an escape for all different reasons, three young women join the Women's Land Army in search of a fresh start. Beatrice, the spoiled daughter of a wealthy war-hero, fights against her parent's expectations while also trying to prove herself as something more than just a pretty face. Rosie, a factory worker and survivor of childhood abuse, who follows her own set of rules to prevent from getting hurt again. And Keeva, a girl who struggles to find her own identy outside of her father's Conchie status.

Thrust into the back-breaking, and often thankless, work of training to be a Lumberjill, the three fight against each other and themselves throughout the majority of this story. The environment is lush and beautifully described, and the amount of research Foat did comes through in the authentic feel of her writing. It's heartbreaking to think that these fictional women's stories were modelled after real-life counterparts, their journey inspired by 60 Lumberjill's own experiences.

While I found it difficut to connect and sympathise with the main characters until the last 20% of the book, Foat did a wonderful job of justifying their decisions through accurate characterization. Every bit of dialouge and action was explainable by their intrisic motivations-- even if I didn't end up liking the three women very much.

Overall, THE LUMBERJILLS is good choice for anyone looking to learn more about the Lumberjills and the Women's Land Army.