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The Sweethearts: Tales of Love, Laughter and Hardship from the Yorkshire Rowntree's Girls
Whether in wartime or peace, tales of love, laughter and hardship from the girls in the Rowntrees factory in Yorkshire "On a warm Monday morning in 1932, just two days after leaving school, fourteen-year-old Madge was about to join her nine brothers and sisters at Rowntree's. The smell of chocolate was in the air but as she walked up the road, her footsteps slowed at the daunting thought of what lay aheadâ?¦" From the 1930s through to the 1980s, as Britain endured war, depression, hardship and strikes, the women at the Rowntree's factory in York kept the chocolates coming. This is the true story of The Sweethearts, the women who roasted the cocoa beans, piped the icing and packed the boxes that became gifts for lovers, snacks for workers and treats for children across the country. More often than not, their working days provided welcome relief from bad husbands and bad housing, a community where they could find new confidence, friendship and when the supervisor wasn't looking, the occasional chocolate.
296 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
August 14, 2017
Charming memoirs of the girls who worked in the Rowntree's factory in York. I loved hearing about the different perspectives that were worlds apart yet surprisingly similar. The girls all went straight to the factory after they finished at school and had no idea what to expect, except for the fact that some of their families were already working there. The pay was good but the hours were long and relentless and the only thing that got the girls through was their friendships and unashamed laughter.
August 11, 2018
I'm not sure what made me pick up this book! It's not my usual type of reading material, being sort of a collection of memories of women who worked at the Rowntrees chocolate factory in the 1930s to 1990s (by which time it was Nestlé), and a description of the ethics of the factory, and the changing times especially pertaining to women in work.
It was quite an eye-opening, if slow read, much like listening to the reminiscing of your Nan (I don't have one), nicely condensed and put in chronological order. And also I could leave the story for several hours and get on with life without feeling rude. I really enjoyed it, though I may be a bit biased by that I will be visiting York (where the factory is) in a short while.
It was quite an eye-opening, if slow read, much like listening to the reminiscing of your Nan (I don't have one), nicely condensed and put in chronological order. And also I could leave the story for several hours and get on with life without feeling rude. I really enjoyed it, though I may be a bit biased by that I will be visiting York (where the factory is) in a short while.
December 1, 2019
2019 bk 393. The Sweethearts covers the years from the 1930's up to the 1980's through the eyes of several women who worked at the Rowntree Chocolate /Candy Factory in York, England. Most of these women started work at the company in their early teen years (from 14 to 16) and stayed with the company through most of their working life. The author intersperses the stories of their lives with the story of the factory and touches on the labor movement, social reform, and both the negative and positive aspects of living in a company town. Housing, for the most part, was subpar with thin walls and backyard privy's. Transportation was shank's mare or bicycles. But the company did offer a swimming pool (after the death of a boy in a nearby river), classes for the teenagers in everything from homemaking to woodworking to Grecian dance, a rest home for those recovering from illness, and an annual picnic, plus inexpensive vacation housing. They did talk about the candy offered through the company - and I was most interested in that this factory was were a workman suggested a candy bar that would fit in a lunch box - leading to the invention of the KIT KAT bar -one of my all time favorites. A fun read, rarely do we see factory work from the female perspective and this provides that touch.
June 26, 2021
It’s mostly about hardship, as the five main characters shared rather similar backgrounds: they had large, lower class families, living in barely adequate lodgings (no toilet or bathrooms); they left school very young to work in the chocolate factory; they fell in love or got pregnant by an assortment of unsuitable guys, had children and continued living in slums for the better part of their lives.
All this before, during and after WWII with additional hardship brought in by the war.
Mind you, the girls don’t complain much because from their point of view they didn’t have any high expectations and they all appreciated the camaraderie, at work, that lasted until Rowntree was sold to Nestlè.
The part I found most interesting was the description of the various sections in the factory, all the manual techniques employed and how some still existing products were introduced, such as Kit Kat, which is one of the very few candies I enjoy.
The author mixes the girls stories with the evolution of the factory and it is a good structure, hence an extra star, otherwise this wouldn’t have been more than two.
All this before, during and after WWII with additional hardship brought in by the war.
Mind you, the girls don’t complain much because from their point of view they didn’t have any high expectations and they all appreciated the camaraderie, at work, that lasted until Rowntree was sold to Nestlè.
The part I found most interesting was the description of the various sections in the factory, all the manual techniques employed and how some still existing products were introduced, such as Kit Kat, which is one of the very few candies I enjoy.
The author mixes the girls stories with the evolution of the factory and it is a good structure, hence an extra star, otherwise this wouldn’t have been more than two.
January 8, 2019
This book surprised m as I thought it was pure fiction and, having read some similar books before about characters that worked at places such as the Tate & Lyle and Bourneville factories, was looking forward to it.
In fact this book is stories about real people that worked for Rowntrees over the years and these were weaved into the Rowntree story itself; how it started as a family business & grew to become York’s largest employer, keeping the ‘family’ feel until it was eventually taken over by Nestle.
It includes details of when main products such as Kit Kat, Black Magic & Smarties were introduced and how they were packaged & marketed. Also referenced a lot is the Rowntrees forward thinking approach (for the time) to looking after their employees by providing things such as bonus scheme, medical care & extended education.
As well as talking about products & people, the book also went into detail about how the products were actually made; the level of automation that exists today all used to be done by hand - bloody hard work & in many cases boring at time for a 12 hour shift.
The ladies that worked at Rowntrees (many now in their 80s!) had been interviewed and there was much of their home lives detailed in the book too. A reminder of how tough things were for many with slum housing, war, rations etc.
The research into writing this book must have been extensive but really paid off with the level of detail that the writers were able to go into.
A fascinating & inspiring read.
In fact this book is stories about real people that worked for Rowntrees over the years and these were weaved into the Rowntree story itself; how it started as a family business & grew to become York’s largest employer, keeping the ‘family’ feel until it was eventually taken over by Nestle.
It includes details of when main products such as Kit Kat, Black Magic & Smarties were introduced and how they were packaged & marketed. Also referenced a lot is the Rowntrees forward thinking approach (for the time) to looking after their employees by providing things such as bonus scheme, medical care & extended education.
As well as talking about products & people, the book also went into detail about how the products were actually made; the level of automation that exists today all used to be done by hand - bloody hard work & in many cases boring at time for a 12 hour shift.
The ladies that worked at Rowntrees (many now in their 80s!) had been interviewed and there was much of their home lives detailed in the book too. A reminder of how tough things were for many with slum housing, war, rations etc.
The research into writing this book must have been extensive but really paid off with the level of detail that the writers were able to go into.
A fascinating & inspiring read.
May 17, 2018
The story of the women and girls who worked at the Rowntree’s chocolate factory in York, United Kingdom. A social history which explores the lives of ordinary women who worked for the giant Rowntree company. It tells how although the work was hard and often physically demanding, the women generally appreciated the time away from husbands and home. Rowntree's seems like a paternalistic employer, who valued a strong work ethic but one with a social conscience. The company provided hot meals, a library, sports facilities, convalescent places and continuing education and even a company pension.
Women's lives between the wars were incredibly hard and they lived and worked in challenging conditions, bad housing, large families, and before the National Health Service the fear of sickness and injury. The book introduces various women and tells their individual stories
Rowntree's was York's largest employer and was well regarded until it was taken over first by Mackintosh and then later by Nestle. The Quaker care values that saw retired employees being sent a Christmas card and ten-pound voucher to buy chocolate misshapes was discontinued. Staff were replaced by machines and eventually, even the Rowntree's name was gone.
Women's lives between the wars were incredibly hard and they lived and worked in challenging conditions, bad housing, large families, and before the National Health Service the fear of sickness and injury. The book introduces various women and tells their individual stories
Rowntree's was York's largest employer and was well regarded until it was taken over first by Mackintosh and then later by Nestle. The Quaker care values that saw retired employees being sent a Christmas card and ten-pound voucher to buy chocolate misshapes was discontinued. Staff were replaced by machines and eventually, even the Rowntree's name was gone.
September 17, 2019
There was fun and also some struggles for the young women employed in the very poor area of York. Rowntree is reknowned for its chocolate, and employees roast the beans, fill the molds, and create the boxes sold to the public as well as those presented to royalty on special occasions. The book follows several girls who, after their formal education ends at age 14, troop down to the interview room at Rowntree where they become the next in their family to be an employee of this paternalistic firm. Pay is good, tho most turn over their shillings to Ma, and though the hours are long they enjoy the comaraderie and trying a variety of the jobs within the huge factory. A few scenes made me smile, imagining Lucy & Ethel on the conveyor belt line. Other times I could not fathom the poverty these girls came from, and for the most part, remained in for their married lives: "2 up 2 downs" in the slums, no indoor plumbing, multiple kids to the bed, and not a lot of food in the house. The book begins in the 1930s, when Rowntree is a family operation, and continues through the 80s, when the factory is sold to, eventually, Nestle. I enjoyed getting to know Madge and Florence, and learning the social history of that area.
October 2, 2019
I love visiting England, and this story brings up a lot of the things I enjoy about that society.
This book isn’t so much about a chocolate company and the folks who worked there during the last 100 years as it is about the community and society that drove a city and region because of that chocolate company and its customs, policies and morals during a bygone era.
So the stories, told through the eyes of female employees over a 75 year period, point out - good and bad - how life was lived in Yorkshire and how it changed over time, for those living in York, in England at large and in many senses, for all of us.
Most of these ladies were poor by today’s standards, made lots of mistakes, at least in hindsight, suffered repeated tragedies ... and STILL enjoyed their lives without many regrets in spite of the travails.
Good for them!
This book isn’t so much about a chocolate company and the folks who worked there during the last 100 years as it is about the community and society that drove a city and region because of that chocolate company and its customs, policies and morals during a bygone era.
So the stories, told through the eyes of female employees over a 75 year period, point out - good and bad - how life was lived in Yorkshire and how it changed over time, for those living in York, in England at large and in many senses, for all of us.
Most of these ladies were poor by today’s standards, made lots of mistakes, at least in hindsight, suffered repeated tragedies ... and STILL enjoyed their lives without many regrets in spite of the travails.
Good for them!
November 10, 2017
The stories of five ladies who spent all or most of their working lives at the Rowntree factory in York. As a chocoholic I was intrigued by this, and as the ladies all worked there at different times and different parts of the works, it was interesting to read of their experiences of their working lives for the company. In addition, the authors have placed the ladies working lives very much in the context of the entirety of their lives, so we get to read about their childhood, why they decided to work where they did, their first day at the works, their married lives, and their extended families.
Sometimes these memoirs can be a bit samey but this was very good.
Handing on to my Mum who has expressed an interest in reading it.
Sometimes these memoirs can be a bit samey but this was very good.
Handing on to my Mum who has expressed an interest in reading it.
October 18, 2019
This is an interesting history that takes you back to a time where local industry dominated and provided for a community, and helped create a community. I enjoyed reading it and it certainly spoke a case for keeping local industry and not outsourcing all our production to third world countries. I like books that open the doors to another world and the lives within it and this does. I would rather read these than the homogenized pablum most big publishers put out, because it is about real people and real history that is fast disappearing and would be forgotten without books like this.
July 19, 2019
An interesting historical narrative of the Rowntree’s family business and the work and living conditions pre and post war in York. The women who started work there at 14 years old and their continued education under the progressive Quaker run factory became lifelong friends. The inequalities of conditions and pay for women and social changes as the century progressed made for fascinating reading.
September 28, 2019
Great Historical Book
This is a great book about not just Rowntrees, but of York and it's surrounding area and life there during the time period of about 1920-1980's. I had never heard of Rowntrees before reading this book. Great history and a great business model that would greatly benefit businesses in today's world. However it would be horrifying to !a lot of today's lazy society to have to work hard to earn the great benefits!
This is a great book about not just Rowntrees, but of York and it's surrounding area and life there during the time period of about 1920-1980's. I had never heard of Rowntrees before reading this book. Great history and a great business model that would greatly benefit businesses in today's world. However it would be horrifying to !a lot of today's lazy society to have to work hard to earn the great benefits!
October 1, 2019
I really enjoyed The Sweethearts: Tales of Love, Laughter and Hardship from the Yorkshire Rowntree's Girls by Lynn Russell.
It is a very light hearted read about the girls and women who worked at Rowntree's Chocolate Factory. The book also talks about the social norms of the days - 1930's through 1980's.
I would highly recommend The Sweethearts to readers who like: non-fiction, books about women and the social restraints of the day and well written and researched books.
It is a very light hearted read about the girls and women who worked at Rowntree's Chocolate Factory. The book also talks about the social norms of the days - 1930's through 1980's.
I would highly recommend The Sweethearts to readers who like: non-fiction, books about women and the social restraints of the day and well written and researched books.
November 1, 2020
An interesting story
When I decided to read this book, I thought I would be reading historical fiction. Instead, it is more of a documentary how about a chocolate factory in England. I knew nothing about the subject so I found it interesting, although some of the chapters were a bit long.
When I decided to read this book, I thought I would be reading historical fiction. Instead, it is more of a documentary how about a chocolate factory in England. I knew nothing about the subject so I found it interesting, although some of the chapters were a bit long.
January 2, 2021
I found this a really interesting read. I loved hearing Madge, Eileen, Florence, Dorothy and Maureens stories. Also reading about the Rowntree factory was enlightening and lots of the sweets and chocolate brought back memories of my childhood in England. I googled to find out a bit more, and was thrilled to discover that in May of this year Madge turned 102!
March 15, 2021
A clip from the past
Having been raised in Ireland I remember all the sweets mentioned in the book that they made. I was awed thinking how some of these women were perhaps 14 years or so older than me and what a hard life they had and still such a happy bunch. I admire them. Thank you Neil Hanson great job!
Having been raised in Ireland I remember all the sweets mentioned in the book that they made. I was awed thinking how some of these women were perhaps 14 years or so older than me and what a hard life they had and still such a happy bunch. I admire them. Thank you Neil Hanson great job!
March 7, 2018
An interesting collection of memoirs from a group of women who worked at Rowntree's factory in York. It was well written and the stories worked well together. Only slight criticism was there was quite a bit of repetition though this did not spoil the book overall.
November 8, 2019
Loved this history of the town, factory and people
Great book. Good flow. Engaging stories of a time , a culture, traditions sadly, shamefully lost. Left behind are the values from then
Great book. Good flow. Engaging stories of a time , a culture, traditions sadly, shamefully lost. Left behind are the values from then
June 5, 2020
Foisted upon me by my mother and duly read out of obligation, I must say she was, once again, right and I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it quickly. I live in York, very close to Rowntree's and it gave me a whole new perspective.
August 7, 2023
I love how the central theme of the book completely revolves around finding happiness in the littlest of things and most mundane routines. Teaches us how to appreciate what we have.
Gets a little monotonous at times. But did not want to leave it at DNF. A decent read.
Gets a little monotonous at times. But did not want to leave it at DNF. A decent read.
September 26, 2023
Fascinating and thoughtful
Thoroughly enjoyed this unique story! I’m adding KitKats to my grocery list. The story of this remarkable company and the women who worked their of very interesting.
Thoroughly enjoyed this unique story! I’m adding KitKats to my grocery list. The story of this remarkable company and the women who worked their of very interesting.
November 3, 2018
Really interesting, a totally different era to how we live now. Definitely puts things into perspective. Amazing how much the original Rowntree factory did for the working class in York.
April 7, 2019
Absolutely amazing stories. Such amazing resilience at such a young age. I would recommend it.
September 8, 2019
Wonderful Story
I loved the fact that the book was not only historical, but you learned about the people who made up that history.
I loved the fact that the book was not only historical, but you learned about the people who made up that history.
October 10, 2019
I loved how the book followed the workers and the history of Rowntree's confections.
November 8, 2019
Chocolate factory history in York, UK, started by a socialist Quaker and it's transformation during the first half of the 20th century told through the eyes of 5 female workers. Delightful!
November 23, 2019
Not my usual reading but very interesting to learn about all the different perspectives of the times back then and thew conditions. Not much fiction in this book as would lead you to believe.
July 4, 2020
Loved reading all about the history of rowntrees chocolate factory following a lot of the women who worked there from 14 year old girls upto this day
November 25, 2020
An interesting and enjoyable read.
Well done start to finish. Made me look at chocolates and their makers in a whole new way. I recommend this book.
Well done start to finish. Made me look at chocolates and their makers in a whole new way. I recommend this book.
January 23, 2017
“The Sweethearts” tells the story of the girls and women who worked at the Rowntree factory in York from 1930 right up until it changed its name in 2008 to Nestle Confectionary (UK).
This book is not just about Rowntree’s but is, in my opinion, a social history of women not only in the workplace but in general society. This perhaps makes it sound as if the book is a heavy boring read but that is far from the truth. Hearing the personal stories and recollections of workers such Madge, Florence, Eileen and Dorothy really brings the book to life. It was interesting not only to hear about life inside the factory and how that changed over the years but also about their loves, life and losses adding a real human interest side to the story.
Being familiar with York – through numerous holidays there, I enjoyed being able to visualise some of the places and I was pleased when he mentioned the swimming pool that Joseph Rowntree paid for as I have actually been to that pool.
Altogether a very enjoyable read and by the end of the book you feel as if you know the ladies featured in it very well. A perfect read for anyone interested in social history but equally as interesting for the general reader.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews