This is a great story for our times as the younger generation of women have no idea what it was like before contraception became a choice. The characters make the events of the time come alive and remind those of us that we part of that time why we did what we did and why we never want to go back. I would consider this story essential reading for the young women of today.

The Women on Platform Two was a super interesting read. I loved the character study and the writing felt propulsive. I'd read more from the author.

It’s hard to imagine that 50 years ago life was certainly very different for women in Ireland.
Having to smuggle contraceptives and also hide the fact a “ good” husband was actually a monster.
Lots of change has occurred in five decades and reading this book is important for everyone who didn’t live in those times to understand they have choices now that were obscure back then.

This was such an incredible story! It was difficult to read at times - if you have any personal experience with domestic violence, I would imagine it's even worse. The descriptions were very evocative and very hard to stomach. They definitely set the mood, and the mood was bleak. The contrast in Maura and Bernie's experiences of marriage was stark, and their friendship was certainly a light in the darkness. I loved the way Anthony built on their individual experiences and paired them with Saoirse's modern ones to roll out the story about contraceptive rights, both past and present. This was a deeply moving tale, written with compassion, heart, and an eye for detail that I found engaging and informative.

The Women on Platform Two by Laura Anthony is a deeply moving and timely novel that intertwines past and present to explore women’s fight for autonomy. Set in 2023, it follows Saoirse, a modern Irish woman uncertain about motherhood, who meets Maura, an elderly woman with her own story from the 1970s. Through Maura’s recollections, we learn about her abusive marriage and her friendship with Bernie, a mother whose health risks made pregnancy perilous. Together, they join a clandestine movement to obtain contraception, illegal in Ireland at the time, highlighting the lengths women went to for control over their bodies . Anthony’s narrative is both heartbreaking and inspiring, shedding light on a lesser-known chapter of Irish history. The characters are richly developed, and their resilience resonates deeply. This novel not only honors the struggles of past generations but also serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of women’s rights today. A must-read for those interested in historical fiction and women’s history.   

Armstrong’s novel takes place on a train from Dublin to Belfast in 2023. The annual journey honors the many women who fought for contraception for Irish women in the late ´60s/early ´70s Catholic Republic of Ireland and the forty-seven who travelled that route to purchase condoms in unregulated Northern Ireland in May 1971. As was expected of women at the time, Maura Flynn leaves a job she loves to marry a prominent doctor. On her wedding day, her going-away outfit displeases Dr. Christopher Davenport, and wed just a few short hours, Maura comes face to face with the person Christopher really is, a quite different animal to the congenial man he displays to the world. After a suspicious miscarriage, Maura determines not to bring children into their household and so begins her fight for the rights of Irish women to control their own bodies. Bernie, a harried and loving pregnant mother with three small girls, becomes Maura’s best friend.

The short 2023 sections with Saoirse, a last-minute traveler to whom Maura relates her story, add little to the overall narrative. Beyond that, this is a captivating novel. Bernie has a happy, loving relationship with husband Dan, but after a problematic birth, medical advice says another pregnancy will certainly kill her. The only safe thing to do is to forego her sexual relationship with her husband, which Bernie is not willing to do. Maura represents upper-class wealth: slim, stylish, well turned-out, and financially secure. But her abusive marriage is the opposite of Bernie’s, who is surrounded not by wealth but by love. This is beautifully written using dialogue which draws the reader fully into the characters’ lives and recognition of wider ongoing themes. It is not a traditional page-turner, but it is hard to escape its pull, which makes it such an enjoyable read. An important novel with very timely themes.

Laura Anthony’s The Women on Platform Two is a poignant and immersive novel that explores themes of resilience, destiny, and the unexpected connections that shape our lives. With a compelling narrative and richly drawn characters, Anthony crafts a story that lingers long after the final page.

The Women on Platform Two by Laura Anthony is a historical fiction novel about a group of women fighting for their rights in Ireland through the late 60's and early 70's. Anthony masterfully interweaves a story about a beautiful friendship and the facade of a perfect life. For the two main characters here, Maura and Bernie, an unlikely friendship forms over loss and love. Through evocative prose and nuanced storytelling, Anthony highlights the impact of fleeting encounters and the weight of past decisions.

Anthony’s writing is both elegant and emotionally resonant, drawing readers into the characters' inner worlds with depth and authenticity. The protagonists are complex, each carrying their own burdens and hopes, making their interactions compelling and deeply relatable. The dialogue feels natural, and the pacing strikes a balance between introspection and forward movement, ensuring an engaging read.

The Women on Platform Two is a beautifully written novel that offers an emotional and thought-provoking journey. It’s perfect for readers who enjoy character-driven narratives with a touch of mystery and emotional depth. Whether you're drawn to stories of personal transformation or simply appreciate lyrical storytelling, Anthony delivers a memorable reading experience.

The “trad wife” lifestyle has become a popular trend online, so much so that it’s been credited with driving some young women to the Republican party in the last election. Ironically, these trad wives make a lot of money pushing content around the idea that women should not work. With gorgeous babies on their hips, these wives bake bread, feed chickens, and look over wheat fields. Their fans complain of having to work real jobs and want to spend their days barefoot, in the kitchen, caring for a toddler and pregnant. They complain about feminism and long to go back to the 1950s.

These girls need a swift kick in the rear. Maybe Laura Anthony’s new book, The Women on Platform Two, will provide it for them. Taking place mostly in Ireland in the late 1960s-early 1970s, it provides a close-up look at what life is like for women trapped in a patriarchal system that insists their only purpose is wife and mother. For women who do not or cannot fall easily into those roles, there is no way out.

In 2023 Dublin, nurse Saoirse is fighting with her fiancé over her lack of desire to have children, when she finds a dropped photo in the train station. Running after its owner, Saoirse finds herself on the train to Belfast with Maura, an older woman who is eager to tell Saoirse the story behind the photo.

When Maura married Dr. Christy Davenport in 1969, she thought she’d found Prince Charming. Instead, he quickly turned into a controlling abuser, beating Maura for sins such as wearing trousers and expecting her to wait on him hand and foot. But everyone in Dublin thinks Christy is wonderful, and Maura knows that even her own parents expect her to stay in her marriage no matter what. After a beating from Christy causes a miscarriage, Maura realizes she cannot bring a child into the world with a father like Christy.

Maura’s best friend, Bernie, also has a reason to fear conception. After giving birth to three girls, Bernie’s fourth pregnancy ended early when she developed pre-eclampsia. Warned never to become pregnant again, Bernie’s marriage suffers as her husband Dan fears to touch her. When the women learn that contraception is legal in Northern Ireland, they join a women’s liberation group to bring condoms and birth control pills to the women of Dublin.

Reading The Women on Platform Two felt like watching an episode of Call the Midwife. The influence of the church, class issues, sexism, domestic violence, and pregnancy all play a part in the book and in the series. The characters in Midwife, however, are more dimensional than the characters in Women. Saoirse seems to exist merely to provide a modern audience for Maura’s story; Christy is a mustache-twirling villain with an unlikely ending. The train ride at the climax of Maura’s story seems to be the raison d’etre for the entire novel, and the characters suffer because of it.

Still, the issues at the heart of The Women on Platform Two are important enough that the book deserves promotion. As the United States turns back the clock on women’s rights, these kinds of stories serve as an important reminder that women who don’t have control of their own bodies can’t control their own lives. Something to think about as TikTok pushes another video from a woman on a farm with eight kids.

It’s so difficult to believe that as recent as fifty years ago, women in Ireland had no access to contraception and were subject to their husband’s control. Saoirse boards the train from Dublin to Belfast after a chance meeting with an older woman with a story to tell. Maura’s story is set in the late 1960’s, early 1970’s Dublin; Maura had to leave the job she loved at a department store because she was getting married, and married woman were expected to have babies and stay home. Bernie has three young daughters, is pregnant and expected to keep having babies. Bernie meets Maura and the two become best friends, despite their differences in social status. The heartbreak and sadness experienced by both draw them closer, as they start to fight for a woman’s control of her own body. I highly recommend this well written, important novel, with relevance today as a woman’s right to make her own decisions about her body is challenged. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Women on Platform Two, by Laura Anthony, discusses reproductive rights through the interconnected lives of three Irish women.

It's an interesting story overall, with a dual-timeline structure, but contains some slightly forced moments.  The modern timeline follows Saoirse, a young woman considering if she even wants to have kids, and she bumps into Maura, an older woman taking a train ride with her scrapbook of photos, in commemoration of her own fight for reproductive rights. Ok, so it's pretty contrived. There are way too many perfect coincidences in this book, which really hurts the plot and the overall message. 

In the 1960s storyline, a young Maura leaves her job for a marriage to a rich and handsome doctor.  Her parents are proud of her for making such a good match, so she's isolated when her perfect husband turns out to be controlling and abusive.  Maura becomes friends with Bernie, a butcher's wife who already has daughters and is facing another dangerous pregnancy. (The friends just randomly bump into each other one day, because Maura holds the world record in meet-cutes.) Neither woman wants a pregnancy, both for very strong reasons. Yes, OK, it feels like more of a test case than a novel having the two besties both in need contraception for the most sympathetic, not-a-slut, reasons, but then they randomly bump into a knocked-up teenager who also has a blameless and tragic need for birth control. 

Then Maura meets a group of feminist activists fighting for access to contraception, which was illegal in Ireland then, and is suddenly not shy about her abusive marriage anymore, and she immediately becomes the face of the movement, even going on TV to share her story of spousal abuse under her real name.  Of course, this causes her parents to react with shame, and she seems caught off guard, which didn’t feel entirely believable. Her husband, Christy, was dangerous and irredeemably awful,  but after she goes public, he just disappears from the story. There’s no confrontation or resolution between them, and then, in another too-convenient coincidence, Christy dies just days before he was about to sell their house, leaving Maura financially secure and free from him forever.  

It's all a bit much, although I do like when a female protag decides she'll be happy not having children (even if she has to randomly bump into a birth control activist carrying a photo album of her activism to reach this self-discovery). I appreciated the book’s focus on the courage and resilience of these women, but the coincidences and tidy resolutions made parts of it feel a bit forced.

In 2023, Saoirse lives in Dublin, Ireland with her fiancé, who is eager to have children. As a nurse working with ill children, Saoirse is uncertain of what she wants. Following an argument, Saoirse meets Maura Flynn, an elderly woman boarding a train to Belfast, Northern Ireland. Maura has an incredible story she enjoys sharing, and Saoirse decides to join her on the ride to hear it. Maura's story begins in 1969. She works at Switzer's department store and meets Christopher Davenport, a charming and accomplished doctor. After they marry, Maura has to give up her job and is expected to start having children. After she discovers that her husband is not the man she thought he was, she fears getting pregnant. Maura develops a close friendship with Bernie, her butcher's wife, who has three daughters. With contraception being illegal in Ireland, they find out that courageous women are advocating for change. But they stand to lose a lot if they get involved. When the story shifts back to the present day, Maura's story deeply affects Saoirse.

The Women on Platform Two is a powerful and touching book. Laura Anthony was inspired to write this novel based on the efforts of the Irish Women's Liberation Movement and a significant event in 1971. While heartbreaking at times, this is an inspiring and uplifting story. You'll want to read more about the efforts of these real-life heroines.

4.5 stars.

Courage and despair!

Poignant story set in Ireland in the late 60’s early 70’s. Attitudes towards women in Dublin are . Contraception is not allowed. Pregnant girls are thrown out onto the streets. Let’s not even talk about the Magdalene Laundries. Girls die from backyard treatments. Women are their husband’s chattels, abuse in marriage is common but never talked about.
The story of a group of women for various reasons who challenge the law is based on a true story, heroic and life changing. The law is different across the border in Northern Ireland. The women take a stand.
We join Saoirse in 2023 Dublin. She’s just discovered she and her partner Miles aren’t pregnant. She needs to getaways to think. She ends up on a train bound for Belfast with an older woman Maura Davenport bound for Belfast, and is enthralled by the story Maura tells. So much so that she ends up staying on the train.
A courageous look at these times and those women who took action, paving the way for future generations.

A Gallery Books ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

The Women on Platform Two by Laura Anthony is a captivating novel!
I absolutely loved it. It's a rare thing to get a historical fiction that is wonderfully researched, pitch-perfectly voiced and unputdownable, but this is the real deal. A perfectly formed masterpiece. I raced through it
With riveting prose the pages fly and the heart beats for the astonishing heroine. Well-developed character pulls you into the story immediately and stirs emotions within you. This book was masterfully narrated.
This really was historical fiction at its finest, this book made me feel things I haven't felt in some time.

This is a well written book based on a true story. And while it was harder to read right now given what is happening in my own country with civil rights being taken away it was also especially inspiring given that. This book alternates between 2023 with Saoirse who had a disagreement about having children with her partner and 1969 with Maura who has just gotten married to a doctor and started her life. Maura is on the train and bumps into Saoirse and shares her story which was a fun way to get both timelines. This book is about a group of women who stood up for their rights to their bodies and started some revolutionary things in Ireland. It’s a wonderfully written book full of well written and compelling characters. I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend it.

Well, written account of the challenges of living as a woman in Southern Ireland during the 60s and 70s. The tale of a woman who thought she was marrying into the ideal scenario is an eye opener.

I DEVOURED this book. WOW. Told so well from multiple decades and points of view- and such a beautifully written novel of hope and resilience. At times, this book is so painful it’s hard to read. Hard to stomach the fact that so many women are stuck in a dangerous situation with no way out. My heart broke for Maura and rejoiced with her in the end. Well done. So so well done.

Title: The Woman on Platform Two
Author: Laura Anthony ~ Debut Author
Publisher: Gallery Books
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pub Date: March 11, 2025
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pages 336

In 1970s Dublin, all forms of contraception are strictly forbidden, but an intrepid group of women will risk everything to change that in this sweeping, timely novel inspired by a remarkable and little-known true story.

This story is told by three Irish women; Maura and Bernie in late 1960s to early 1970s Dublin, and Saoirse 2023 in modern Ireland, overlapping with Maura while on a train ride.

~Maura is married to a Doctor who is an abusive husband and worries their home might not be safe for a child
~Bernie is the mother of three daughters. Her fourth child is a son however dies due to preeclampsia. She is warned her if she were to get pregnant again it surely will be fatal and advises no more children due to this situation.
Maura and Bernie come from different socioeconomic backgrounds but circumstances brought them together, and they became friends.

~Saoirse’s fiancé Miles is ready to be a dad but Saoirse, a nurse works with very sick children and sees the pain the illness bring to their mothers and feels she may never want to be a mother.

Saoirse meets an interesting woman at a train station. The woman drops a piece of paper when getting on the train, Saoirse runs on to return it, and we embark on the woman’s history. There’s a special reason why she’s riding that train on that day.

Maura and Bernie come from different socioeconomic backgrounds but circumstances brought them together, and they became friends.

This emotional story is a fictional account of the effort that went into achieving women’s rights as well as equal waged by the women of the Republic of Ireland in the 1960s/1970s.

Want to thank NetGalley and Gallery Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 11, 2025.

Thank you NetGalley, Gallery Books and Laura Anthony for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of The Women on Platform Two.
This is a beautifully written, powerful story set in 1970’s Dublin and 2023 Dublin. A group of women will risk everything to have their voices heard in a time when women were treated with little respect. Contraception was not allowed to be discussed under any circumstances, rich or poor, medical issues or just simply wants or desires. It’s amazing how far behind Ireland was in its rights for women. I was totally immersed in this story and rooted for these women all the way. Even in 2023 women struggle with what they want but the guilt continues. I enjoyed how the two timelines converged and the learning from each other.
I needed more development in some of the minor characters. The older generations and Dr. Christy seemed flat and I wanted more understanding in their decisions. It felt like these characters were set in their ways and it would be enjoyable to see some of them change and grow.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and look forward to more from Laura Anthony.

This was one of the best books I’ve ever read. It was incredibly eye opening. I will say that there are definitely trigger warnings, including domestic abuse, abortion, and loss of a child.

This is inspired by a true story. It is the story of the women of Dublin in the 1970s fighting for the right to be able to access contraception when it is outlawed.

The women in this story are absolutely incredible. They are inspiring, strong, and I wish I knew each of them.

I was truly blown away by the writing. The fact that the story is told on a train in present day Dublin by one of the women that fought for these rights for women was so creative.

I absolutely loved this book and I think it’ll be a top read of the year for me.

Thank you to net galley for providing an arc to this outstanding book in exchange for an honest review.
The story of these characters was so profound that I will truly miss them. Each character provides such a necessary component to this little known piece of history. From the first time that we meet Maura and Bernie the two main characters we are swept up into such a poignant friendship that, as a reader I felt a part of.

Inspired by true events which took place in the 1970's in Dublin at a time when all forms of contraception are illegal. The story centers on three women, two from the 1970's and one present day. Saoirse, questioning her own life decisions encounters Maura who relates her life story of friendship and Ireland's quest for women's rights to contraception and choice. Maura who appears to have a perfect life, married to a wealthy Dr., is in fact abused by him, While Bernie, her best friend has three children and a very attentive husband. These women bond over the lack of rights of women of the time.

The story of these women while heartbreaking at times is a page turner indeed. This book is released on 3/11 and should be on everyone's list! Beautiful writing that kept me up log into the night. A must read!