Girls of the Great War

A brilliantly written tale of love, family and heartache, loved every minute, well except Jonnie,( I would of liked to have punched him!) a fantastic read.

An enjoyable read if a little predictable if you like stories about the war that are pink and fluffy not gritty you will enjoy this book.

The story content was good but I did have some problems with the flow of the story. A look at WWI with a family of two daughters & their mother entertaining the troops in France. Cecily loves entertaining but always has problems with her mother and her drinking. The story goes on to tell about the trouble in finding work after the war and the girls always wondering about their mom's early life & who their father was. Gives you a good idea of how hard the war was and coming home afterward.

4 stars
Interesting view of WWI entertiners.
ByMaggieon June 5, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition
An interesting read about two daughters, their mother, and a man of questionable values who entertained the troops during the first world war. I read this at the same time as another WWI book, as I am very interested in that time, having listened to my grandfather's stories. I have given this book 4 stars because it is interesting but not great. I especially found the comparison between the trials of the WWI entertainers and previously read accounts of WWII entertainers very telling. In that way, as so many other ways, WWI seemed so much less 'organized'. If you, too, are interested in this time period, do read this book! Be forewarned that some of the themes are a bit gritty--alcoholism, etc

Overall, a wonderful read with quite a few twists and surprises. Easy to recommend for fans of historical fiction.

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#GirlsOfTheGreatWar #NetGalley

Freda recreates the ambiance of the WWI with passionate characters inside the dark cloud of this horrible war.

A heart-breaking, engrossing and riveting novel set during the First World War, Girls of the Great War is a captivating historical tale from one of the UK’s best-loved and most popular writers of sagas and historical novels: Freda Lightfoot!

Cecily Hanson yearns to live life on her own terms and to be the mistress of her own destiny. Although her overbearing mother seems keen to control and manipulate every aspect of her life, Cecily yearns to escape the claustrophobic confines of the family home and be free to do as she pleases and marry the man she loves once he returns from the Great War. But when tragedy strikes and this future is shattered forever, a distraught Cecily finds herself desperate to look for meaning and purpose again. Realizing that the troops need entertainment and escape from the barbaric and shocking atrocities they witness every day, Cecily decides to go to France and perform for them. But hardship and heartache await Cecily amidst the falling bombs and tragedies that become a daily part of her life…

Danger might be round every corner for Cecily, but despite all of the risks, life on the front line is satisfying and invigorating. She soon becomes more involved than she initially thought possible and when her family follows her to France, further trouble is in store. Her sister Merryn soon finds herself falling head over heels with a young drummer. But could their fledgling romance be ruined by the skeletons from the past that are clattering in his closet and threaten any chance of future happiness he might have? Their mother, Queenie, who had once enjoyed great success on the stage has her own secret heartache and disappointments and as she seems to be trying her utmost to destroy whatever happiness might come her way, her daughters begin to wonder whether they can ever manage to unravel the truth about their mother’s past. What is Queenie’s real story? What has she hid from them for so long? And can Cecily and Merryn ever get to the bottom of the mystery of their mother’s past?

With the war finally coming to a close, Cecily and Merryn begin to look to the future. But will they ever manage to find the fulfillment which they crave when there are so many obstacles standing in their way? Is happiness within reach? Or are they destined to spend the rest of their lives being held hostage by secrets of the past?

Whenever you pick up a novel by Freda Lightfoot, you know that you are in very safe hands, and she has outdone herself with her latest novel. As always, Freda Lightfoot’s attention to detail and her meticulous recreation of the past is spot on and readers will be blown away by the evocative descriptions of the past that will effortlessly and deftly immerse readers into the early part of the 20th century. Girls of the Great War is a wonderful story of hope, secrets, second chances and healing from the past that is absolutely impossible to put down. The characters in this book are wonderfully realised and believable and they leap off the pages and straight into readers’ hearts from the very beginning.

A superb historical novel from one of the best writers in the business, Girls of the Great War is a compulsively readable novel I highly recommend!

Quite an enjoyable novel a story of two halves one during the war and the other after returning home after entertaining the troups a story enfolds in which two sisters eventually learn of their past which eventually played out with a great ending to the book

Excellent story line which was gripping from start to finish. Great characters. I would highly recommend this book.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.

First of all, I absolutely LOVE historical fiction. It is my favorite fiction genre. I tend to have high expectations for this beloved genre of mine, and I will tell you that this book never disappointed. From the beginning, I was hooked. Be advised this is written by a British author, but that only added to the charm of this tale.

I have almost no cautions concerning the content of this book. There is no overt profanity. Sex is implied, and the reader gets a brief glimpse into the bedroom at times, but I never felt it was offensive in any way. It was tasteful without the detailed description sometimes found in contemporary and historical romances.

I salute the author for creating such phenomenal, three-dimensional characters. I adored Merryn and Cecily. There was mystery, intrigue, romance, romance, and a few heart-tugging moments. The author did an incredible job of setting the stage and truly drawing the reader into the world of WWI. In one sense, the tale is rather ordinary, and perhaps in the hands of a less-skilled writer, it would be a bit flat and boring. However, Freda Lightfoot's expertise made the story entertaining and never vapid in any way. Even until the very end.

While I simply adored so many moments within this well-crafted tale, I loved the fact that the plight of women was emphasized as it demonstrated just how strong these women were during the time. In fact, we should bless each and every one of them who stood up for themselves and broke cultural stereotypes to ultimately push us into the modern era where women were allowed and even encouraged to work.

My other favorite part is the twist the author propels into the mix towards the end of the story. I won't spoil it here, but I advise all readers to read all the way until the conclusion of the book. You'll be glad you did!
Comment

Loved the setting of WWI here. Girls of the Great War focuses on a mother and her two adult daughters who entertain the troops at the front in France during the war.

Though I love stories about WWI, I hadn't read much about entertainers and found that a novel and interesting storyline.

After the war, the family tries to go home again and, of course, discover that life in post-war England has irrevocably changed. At that point, the storyline pivoted to be more focused on family secrets. When the truth ultimately is revealed, I found it a bit predictable.

Some of the story is quite depressing, such as the alcoholic subplot, and a bit grittier than I usually enjoy.

Overall, I'd say this was a good read, not a great one.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

World War 1 from a female perspective with all it entails. I enjoyed this book and will certainly read this author again.

Blimey!! Not my favorite book, a bit too long winded. Yes, indeed, it's a long way to Tipperary. Wasn't thrilled with the characters, nor the story line. Thanks to NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked Girls if the Great War. I recommend it to those who love a good historical fiction read. I give it 4 stars.

This was an enjoyable read set during WW1. The epic tale of two sisters, one alchoholic mother and how their lives evolved before and after the war. You discover the past secrets that shape their lives.

Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres and when i had the opportunity to read 'Girls of the Great War,' i knew it was going to be a page turner for me. I have read a few books by Freda Lightfoot and have always found them to be excellent. Loved the cover! Recommended.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers. This is my honest review, freely given.

What an amazing book.
From the first to the last page I was hooked. Descriptions of events and characters was exceptional.

Cecily Hanson and her sister help their mother, Queenie, with her singing career along with her everyday activities. Cecily yearns for more but doesn't know if she can start a career for herself. After her fiancee dies at sea Cecily decides she wants to help out the soldiers at war. So she decides to join as a volunteer singer. Queenie, her sister and Johnny (a drummer) also join. For the most part things go okay in France. Once the war ends they try to rejoin society and get jobs but that is harder than it seems with so many soldiers back from the war who want their old jobs back.

Overall this was an alright read. The characters were good but nothing spectacular about them. Johnny was so bad you couldn't help but love hating him. The romantic relationships Cecily and Merryn get involved in were lackluster. I didn't feel like the characters were in love. If the author wouldn't have written how much Cecily or Merryn loved so and so I wouldn't have known.

The plot was good but I found it didn't have a lot of focus. It tended to jump from one issue to another. It wasn't till the end with the "big" reveal did everything start to make sense, it was about family. Not the war or the woman's movement.

The best part of the novel for me was reading about the war and the woman's movement in 1919. I would have loved to hear more about how woman were fighting for their jobs, their right to vote and their right to work and take care of their families.

In summary, this is a good historical fiction novel set during WWI with a good plot, alright characters and a lackluster romance.

Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC.

I have always loved war stories, and this one was no exception. I love the hopefulness and resilience portrayed in stories like this one.
The characters in this story are complex and likeable, and the plot is excellent. I was disappointed in the graphic nature of some of the scenes as the book progressed - I felt it was disappointing and distracting from the main storyline. Overall, I still enjoyed the book!

I recently bought a new kindle after my old one broke. For some reason I was unable to download this title from the cloud onto my kindle, therefore I will be unable to review this title. I am sorry for any inconvenience caused.

I’ve only recently been getting into historical fiction, and this just wasn’t my favorite. Maybe it was the writing, maybe it was the bland storyline. But I wanted to love this and I just didn’t.

Not usually my genres of books I gave this one a go. It was interesting and I quite enjoyed it although not my usual type of read.

A well done story set during WWI about a pair of sisters, their mother, and the lies she's told. This has a little more grit than some = it's set in France- and less romance than others but it's a good read. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.