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The Bomb Girls #2
The Canary Girls
In love and war, who can you trust? 1944, Hampshire. Her face still bearing the scars from the explosion at the factory, Rita Brown is nonetheless back on her feet. She's caught the eye of local wide boy Blackie Bristow, who's sweeping her around the country in a life of shady glamour. But there's a war on, and life is not all fun and games. Some of the local men are taking advantage of the topsy-turvy world to break more than just hearts, and standing up to them comes with its own costs. Rita keeps calm and carries on with a little help from her friends at the factory. But then she discovers someone there has been leaking secrets to the Germans. With D-Day on the horizon, Rita must work out who she can rely on - and fast.
305 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 31, 2015
33 people are currently reading
704 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
December 20, 2018
I really enjoyed this book but should have read The Munitions Girls which is the first of the series before this one, as you do need to read them in order. Really kept my attention all way through the book. New Author for me to look out for.
December 30, 2017
Disappointingly predictable.
Having seen the reviews for this book I was rather disappointed on reading it for myself and, apart from the final chapters, where it suddenly springs to life and has some genuine emotional content, I generally found it rather predictable and dull.
The characters are one dimensional and inconsistent and I thought the writing overall was rather stilted and repetitive. There were so many totally unnecessary he said, she said, said so and so, replied such and such. Once you're in a scene you know whose talking - and this constant attribution becomes so irritating and unnecessary.
It felt like a short story filled out to a full length novel, overall a rather insubstantial and flimsy read. .
Having seen the reviews for this book I was rather disappointed on reading it for myself and, apart from the final chapters, where it suddenly springs to life and has some genuine emotional content, I generally found it rather predictable and dull.
The characters are one dimensional and inconsistent and I thought the writing overall was rather stilted and repetitive. There were so many totally unnecessary he said, she said, said so and so, replied such and such. Once you're in a scene you know whose talking - and this constant attribution becomes so irritating and unnecessary.
It felt like a short story filled out to a full length novel, overall a rather insubstantial and flimsy read. .
January 14, 2016
The Canary Girls is the second book from Rosie Archer – a sequel to The Munitions Girls, I haven't read the first book and normally wouldn't bother reading the second if this was the case but I'll shamefully admit it was the cover which drew me to this book. It's bright, inviting and shows a lovely carefree attitude from the three girls despite the very troubled era they live in. On further reading of the blurb this book sounded really interesting with a hint of mystery and maybe it would prove to be just that little bit different from all the numerous wartime saga books which are regularly published. This book follows a group of women who do their best to continue on with life as war rages on all around them and men suffer unimaginable horrors on the battlefields. But when I finished this book it proved to have been a delightfully different read and one I was glad I had been given the chance to discover.
Set in 1944 in the town of Gosport in Hampshire the girls do shift work in a munitions factory and are known as The Canary Girls due to the chemicals used which turn their hair and skin yellow. I did think the main focus of this book would be Rita Brown - scarred on her face from an explosion she caused in the factory but that proved not to be the case. Rita along with her friends Lizzie, Em and Gladys do extremely dangerous albeit necessary work putting TNT into shells, essential war work that they know will all help in the battle against Hitler. The work is fraught with danger and anxiety at every turn and one small step could spell disaster. Combined with that there is still ongoing bombing raids by the Germans and the women do their best to live a normal life outside of work but the constant threat of bombs is never far from their minds. Rita is going out with Blackie Bristow - who was unable to enlist in the army. He sells black market goods and provides Rita with numerous gifts and luxuries for herself and landlady Gladys which they take with open arms. Although Rita does feel there is more to Blackie than meets the eye but yet her heart is telling her go with it for the moment. I liked Blackie as a character he wasn't perfect by any means but he was written as a most hateful, despicable person that the reader was meant to loathe. I accept further on in the book people may view him differently for his actions but on first meeting this character he seemed to have a genuinely kind heart and wanted to care for Rita. All the little extras he supplied to her were thoughtful and appreciated. I was firmly hoping he would do nothing to break Rita's heart. As for Rita she was a fantastic character who wanted to do well at work to earn money to help her through the hard times the war was creating. She was kind, caring and compassionate and always wanted to support her friends in good times and bad. Her own storyline was heartbreaking at the sacrifice she made but I could see why she did it. Honestly though I felt her ending was a little bit rushed but maybe it just left more room for exploration in the future.
As for the other women featured their story lines were all really strong and engrossing. Em the overseer at the factory is suffering at the hands of her husband who returned early from the war having being badly wounded. Her heart is somewhere else but at the same time she feels a duty to the man she married. How much longer can she cope with what waits behind her door after she returns from every shift? Can Rita convince her friend there is a better life out there? Lizzie is Em's daughter and to me she seemed to have her head in the clouds and was totally caught up in remembering the father she had before war began not the one she lived with now. Also as she worked in the office of the factory she gave the impression she was above the other women and just wanted some fun and good times with whatever man came her way. Yes what happened to her was atrocious but I didn't like the person she became after this event and I still didn't like her towards the end. Perhaps my favourite character alongside that of Rita was Pixie, engaged to market stall trader Bob and with a new baby on the way life should be a bed of roses despite worldwide events. Bob loves Pixie's daughter Sadie as if she was his own. The couple seemed to be genuinely happy to have found each other and are looking forward to a bright future. But life doesn't always go the way we expect it to and a curve ball is about to be thrown her way. How will she handle it? Will a marriage even happen? I was very intrigued as to what would happen here. Lastly I will mention Marlene, to me the female character most on the periphery I could see where her storyline was going and really didn't want it to reach that place. She was the character I didn't really connect with and it wouldn't have mattered to me whether she featured at all.
I thought we would follow Rita as she builds herself up again after eventually leaving hospital which was alluded as to have happened in book one. Instead there were lots of other women to become familiar with and truthfully I think this is what the book so enjoyable and surprisingly absorbing. If the book had continuously focused on Rita and her story I think I would have become bored and not really cared what happened to her. The author gives us plenty of plot lines and characters to get to know and care about and all the chapters move from these people and different settings. All the storylines came together very well and Rosie did keep you guessing right until that heart stopping ending. I found myself lost in the story and could visualise the time and place really well. The attention to detail is fantastic and instead of writing about say women who were left at home with all of their men away, these women didn’t have any one away fighting so more time and focus was given on their day to day lives and the work they did in the factory. It showed a side to the war that is not often focused on in these kind of books and it set this book apart from everything out there and made for a great read.
Initially I did feel there were quite a few characters to get to know and I had to try and keep it straight in my head as to who was who. But after a few chapters I began to feel more familiar with our female protagonists and actually felt like I was reconnecting with old friends. That is despite having never read of these characters before. Being slightly apprehensive as to not knowing the background story I was worried I wouldn't be able to follow the overall plot of the book but Rosie Archer seamlessly slips in background information on all of the characters and I could clearly peace together what had happened to most of the girls in book one. So in no way did I feel like I had missed out on anything instead I was brought bang up to date with where the girls are now as they headed towards the final year or so of war. One thing I did question though was were there any new characters introduced in this book? I would have liked to have known was the cast the exact same or had Rosie created some new additions.
This book was realistic and didn't in any way glamorise the women's trouble, loves, disappointments and hardships, they took their happiness where they could in the simplest of things. Life was tough and never ran smoothly and made for a compelling read. I really did love this book and hadn't expected to believing it would be another run of the mill heart-warming war time saga. I got a lot more than I bargained for (in a good way) and having discovered there is more to come in July of this year I am delighted, The Girls from the Bomb Factory has just gone on my wish-list.
Set in 1944 in the town of Gosport in Hampshire the girls do shift work in a munitions factory and are known as The Canary Girls due to the chemicals used which turn their hair and skin yellow. I did think the main focus of this book would be Rita Brown - scarred on her face from an explosion she caused in the factory but that proved not to be the case. Rita along with her friends Lizzie, Em and Gladys do extremely dangerous albeit necessary work putting TNT into shells, essential war work that they know will all help in the battle against Hitler. The work is fraught with danger and anxiety at every turn and one small step could spell disaster. Combined with that there is still ongoing bombing raids by the Germans and the women do their best to live a normal life outside of work but the constant threat of bombs is never far from their minds. Rita is going out with Blackie Bristow - who was unable to enlist in the army. He sells black market goods and provides Rita with numerous gifts and luxuries for herself and landlady Gladys which they take with open arms. Although Rita does feel there is more to Blackie than meets the eye but yet her heart is telling her go with it for the moment. I liked Blackie as a character he wasn't perfect by any means but he was written as a most hateful, despicable person that the reader was meant to loathe. I accept further on in the book people may view him differently for his actions but on first meeting this character he seemed to have a genuinely kind heart and wanted to care for Rita. All the little extras he supplied to her were thoughtful and appreciated. I was firmly hoping he would do nothing to break Rita's heart. As for Rita she was a fantastic character who wanted to do well at work to earn money to help her through the hard times the war was creating. She was kind, caring and compassionate and always wanted to support her friends in good times and bad. Her own storyline was heartbreaking at the sacrifice she made but I could see why she did it. Honestly though I felt her ending was a little bit rushed but maybe it just left more room for exploration in the future.
As for the other women featured their story lines were all really strong and engrossing. Em the overseer at the factory is suffering at the hands of her husband who returned early from the war having being badly wounded. Her heart is somewhere else but at the same time she feels a duty to the man she married. How much longer can she cope with what waits behind her door after she returns from every shift? Can Rita convince her friend there is a better life out there? Lizzie is Em's daughter and to me she seemed to have her head in the clouds and was totally caught up in remembering the father she had before war began not the one she lived with now. Also as she worked in the office of the factory she gave the impression she was above the other women and just wanted some fun and good times with whatever man came her way. Yes what happened to her was atrocious but I didn't like the person she became after this event and I still didn't like her towards the end. Perhaps my favourite character alongside that of Rita was Pixie, engaged to market stall trader Bob and with a new baby on the way life should be a bed of roses despite worldwide events. Bob loves Pixie's daughter Sadie as if she was his own. The couple seemed to be genuinely happy to have found each other and are looking forward to a bright future. But life doesn't always go the way we expect it to and a curve ball is about to be thrown her way. How will she handle it? Will a marriage even happen? I was very intrigued as to what would happen here. Lastly I will mention Marlene, to me the female character most on the periphery I could see where her storyline was going and really didn't want it to reach that place. She was the character I didn't really connect with and it wouldn't have mattered to me whether she featured at all.
I thought we would follow Rita as she builds herself up again after eventually leaving hospital which was alluded as to have happened in book one. Instead there were lots of other women to become familiar with and truthfully I think this is what the book so enjoyable and surprisingly absorbing. If the book had continuously focused on Rita and her story I think I would have become bored and not really cared what happened to her. The author gives us plenty of plot lines and characters to get to know and care about and all the chapters move from these people and different settings. All the storylines came together very well and Rosie did keep you guessing right until that heart stopping ending. I found myself lost in the story and could visualise the time and place really well. The attention to detail is fantastic and instead of writing about say women who were left at home with all of their men away, these women didn’t have any one away fighting so more time and focus was given on their day to day lives and the work they did in the factory. It showed a side to the war that is not often focused on in these kind of books and it set this book apart from everything out there and made for a great read.
Initially I did feel there were quite a few characters to get to know and I had to try and keep it straight in my head as to who was who. But after a few chapters I began to feel more familiar with our female protagonists and actually felt like I was reconnecting with old friends. That is despite having never read of these characters before. Being slightly apprehensive as to not knowing the background story I was worried I wouldn't be able to follow the overall plot of the book but Rosie Archer seamlessly slips in background information on all of the characters and I could clearly peace together what had happened to most of the girls in book one. So in no way did I feel like I had missed out on anything instead I was brought bang up to date with where the girls are now as they headed towards the final year or so of war. One thing I did question though was were there any new characters introduced in this book? I would have liked to have known was the cast the exact same or had Rosie created some new additions.
This book was realistic and didn't in any way glamorise the women's trouble, loves, disappointments and hardships, they took their happiness where they could in the simplest of things. Life was tough and never ran smoothly and made for a compelling read. I really did love this book and hadn't expected to believing it would be another run of the mill heart-warming war time saga. I got a lot more than I bargained for (in a good way) and having discovered there is more to come in July of this year I am delighted, The Girls from the Bomb Factory has just gone on my wish-list.
August 15, 2018
Time taken to read - in and out over 2 days
Pages - 446
Publisher - Quercus
Source - gift
Blurb from Goodreads
In love and war, who can you trust?
1944, Hampshire.
Her face still bearing the scars from the explosion at the factory, Rita Brown is nonetheless back on her feet. She's caught the eye of local wide boy Blackie Bristow, who's sweeping her around the country in a life of shady glamour.
But there's a war on, and life is not all fun and games. Some of the local men are taking advantage of the topsy-turvy world to break more than just hearts, and standing up to them comes with its own costs.
Rita keeps calm and carries on with a little help from her friends at the factory. But then she discovers someone there has been leaking secrets to the Germans. With D-Day on the horizon, Rita must work out who she can rely on - and fast.
My Review
This is book two in the series, the book focuses mostly on Rita who wasn't a main character in book one but she played her part. Whilst you could technically read this as a standalone as it does refer back to some incidents and parts of the back story of book one, I think it has a much bigger emotional impact if you read book one first. You get a better feel for the characters, what they have already endured, survived and things that brought them together impacting on their relationship roles in this book.
Rita is dating Blackie, a man who can shower her with just about everything she needs or could want, materialistically that is. The war is still going, rationing is still a thing but Rita doesn't feel the pinch quite as much as the others. She knows Blackie deals in the black market, or strongly suspects, however it sis what it is. When an event forces Rita to reassess her life she makes decisions that impacts on many aspects of her life. We also catch up with Pixie, Lizzie, Em and Gladys.
The book is a bit darker than I remember the first being, violence, abuse, consequences of war, rape, abortion, it is really quite dark and horrific in parts. Family and friendship still play a huge part, world war two is still ongoing and many of the originals still find themselves in the factory working for the war effort. If you liked the first I think you will like this one, just be prepared for some horrific scenes. Some of the book took me by surprise, you know when you gasp out loud you are onto a book that will stay with you. 5/5 for me this time, I have the third book in the series and can't wait to see what is in store next for the characters, hopefully some joy!
Pages - 446
Publisher - Quercus
Source - gift
Blurb from Goodreads
In love and war, who can you trust?
1944, Hampshire.
Her face still bearing the scars from the explosion at the factory, Rita Brown is nonetheless back on her feet. She's caught the eye of local wide boy Blackie Bristow, who's sweeping her around the country in a life of shady glamour.
But there's a war on, and life is not all fun and games. Some of the local men are taking advantage of the topsy-turvy world to break more than just hearts, and standing up to them comes with its own costs.
Rita keeps calm and carries on with a little help from her friends at the factory. But then she discovers someone there has been leaking secrets to the Germans. With D-Day on the horizon, Rita must work out who she can rely on - and fast.
My Review
This is book two in the series, the book focuses mostly on Rita who wasn't a main character in book one but she played her part. Whilst you could technically read this as a standalone as it does refer back to some incidents and parts of the back story of book one, I think it has a much bigger emotional impact if you read book one first. You get a better feel for the characters, what they have already endured, survived and things that brought them together impacting on their relationship roles in this book.
Rita is dating Blackie, a man who can shower her with just about everything she needs or could want, materialistically that is. The war is still going, rationing is still a thing but Rita doesn't feel the pinch quite as much as the others. She knows Blackie deals in the black market, or strongly suspects, however it sis what it is. When an event forces Rita to reassess her life she makes decisions that impacts on many aspects of her life. We also catch up with Pixie, Lizzie, Em and Gladys.
The book is a bit darker than I remember the first being, violence, abuse, consequences of war, rape, abortion, it is really quite dark and horrific in parts. Family and friendship still play a huge part, world war two is still ongoing and many of the originals still find themselves in the factory working for the war effort. If you liked the first I think you will like this one, just be prepared for some horrific scenes. Some of the book took me by surprise, you know when you gasp out loud you are onto a book that will stay with you. 5/5 for me this time, I have the third book in the series and can't wait to see what is in store next for the characters, hopefully some joy!
November 21, 2023
This was an interesting perspective. I never read thought about the woman packing the bombs. Theater side story of ladies soccer was pretty neat too. This book is worth your time. Also the audio book is read by one of my favorite narrators
February 5, 2021
This was a page turner and the sort of book I wanted to not stop reading and I would think about it when I wasn't reading it!
But, oh so so sad 😭
I've ordered book number three now!
But, oh so so sad 😭
I've ordered book number three now!
July 1, 2024
Very interesting story set during WWI in Great Britain. Good characters & story nicely intertwined with their munitions factory & soccer team !
January 22, 2016
When I ordered this I didn't realise that it was the second book in the series. However, it didn't take me long to get into it even though I hadn't read the first book. Obviously, relationships and people in it had been developed in book 1 but I was still able to follow what was going on. The first book is called Munitions Girls just for your FYI if you decide to read that first (which I would have done) but because the story of The Canary Girls was so readable I am going to buy "The Munitions Girls" to see how it all started even if I will be in effect reading it backwards!
The story is centered around a tight-knit group of girls/women who work at a munitions factory in Gosport during WW2. Most of them have lost or gained something through the horrors of war. Rita Brown was scarred after an explosion and is dating a black marketeer called Blackie Bristow who is rather shady.
It really explores the make do and mend and difficulties of the war and relationships. The year is 1943 and people are very much living for the moment, never knowing when one of Hitler's bombs might fall and their number will be up. I liked the sense of looking out for each other and the community spirit of people truly being all in it together. Rita becomes disenchanted in her relationship with Blackie and when he cheats on her it is almost a relief to put an end to it.
The book is far from about Rita and Blackie, though, there are other characters, her landlady Gladys as well as her best friend Pixie and a wounded American soldier that she just can't forget about. Other people in and out of her life flesh this out into a real page turner and I will try and read the first book The Munitions Girls to see what I missed from the beginning of it all.
The story is centered around a tight-knit group of girls/women who work at a munitions factory in Gosport during WW2. Most of them have lost or gained something through the horrors of war. Rita Brown was scarred after an explosion and is dating a black marketeer called Blackie Bristow who is rather shady.
It really explores the make do and mend and difficulties of the war and relationships. The year is 1943 and people are very much living for the moment, never knowing when one of Hitler's bombs might fall and their number will be up. I liked the sense of looking out for each other and the community spirit of people truly being all in it together. Rita becomes disenchanted in her relationship with Blackie and when he cheats on her it is almost a relief to put an end to it.
The book is far from about Rita and Blackie, though, there are other characters, her landlady Gladys as well as her best friend Pixie and a wounded American soldier that she just can't forget about. Other people in and out of her life flesh this out into a real page turner and I will try and read the first book The Munitions Girls to see what I missed from the beginning of it all.
June 22, 2016
The Canary Girls is book 2 in The series The first book is The Munitions Girls.
This book follows on the story of the girls that work at the factory,
As time moves closer to WW2 the factory workers are on over time filling the shells with the powder that turns there skin and hair yellow.
A dangerous job for Rita as she has gone back to work after the Explosion.
Blackie is still making money from the Black Market, as the story unfolds it gets clear that WW2 is nearly upon the town.
great book looking forward to number 3 in the series.
This book follows on the story of the girls that work at the factory,
As time moves closer to WW2 the factory workers are on over time filling the shells with the powder that turns there skin and hair yellow.
A dangerous job for Rita as she has gone back to work after the Explosion.
Blackie is still making money from the Black Market, as the story unfolds it gets clear that WW2 is nearly upon the town.
great book looking forward to number 3 in the series.
August 28, 2018
Pretty nondescript
March 6, 2025
This book was more of a 3 1/2 star read.
I have read books about the “mill girls” who worked in the mills under terrible conditions during WW11 but this book opened my eyes to the women who worked in munition factories in order to keep food in the table, a roof over their children’s head and to do their part in the war effort. Though I now realize that working in munitions may have been a step up from the mills, these women worked 12 hour shifts six days a week, faced extreme danger from accidental explosions, and were exposed to TNT poisoning. Exposure to TNT when filling the bullets caused severe and often fatal respiratory disease and cast their skin yellow and stripped their hair of its natural color. Hence, workers dubbed themselves “the canary girls.”
Rather than focus on one main character, the author successfully follows several girls coming from different backgrounds and family situations. The book begins just prior to the time when men in England were encouraged to volunteer for service and factories were being fitted for making and filling bullets. The reader is introduced to April a young domestic worker. Lucy is a stay at home mother of 3 boys. Her husband Daniel is an architect and well known “footballer” and Olympic champion. The third woman Helen has recently met and then marries Arthur who is towards the end of a PhD program in philosophy at Oxford.
These 3 women end up at the same arsenal and are instrumental in starting a woman’s “football” team that plays during lunch hours. As their stories unfold the author does a good job of developing the characters while weaving their tales so that the reader fairly easily keeps each one straight. The physical and emotional toll on everyone is evident as the war progresses and reminds the reader of the wrenching cost both on the battlefield and on the civilians at home.
I have read books about the “mill girls” who worked in the mills under terrible conditions during WW11 but this book opened my eyes to the women who worked in munition factories in order to keep food in the table, a roof over their children’s head and to do their part in the war effort. Though I now realize that working in munitions may have been a step up from the mills, these women worked 12 hour shifts six days a week, faced extreme danger from accidental explosions, and were exposed to TNT poisoning. Exposure to TNT when filling the bullets caused severe and often fatal respiratory disease and cast their skin yellow and stripped their hair of its natural color. Hence, workers dubbed themselves “the canary girls.”
Rather than focus on one main character, the author successfully follows several girls coming from different backgrounds and family situations. The book begins just prior to the time when men in England were encouraged to volunteer for service and factories were being fitted for making and filling bullets. The reader is introduced to April a young domestic worker. Lucy is a stay at home mother of 3 boys. Her husband Daniel is an architect and well known “footballer” and Olympic champion. The third woman Helen has recently met and then marries Arthur who is towards the end of a PhD program in philosophy at Oxford.
These 3 women end up at the same arsenal and are instrumental in starting a woman’s “football” team that plays during lunch hours. As their stories unfold the author does a good job of developing the characters while weaving their tales so that the reader fairly easily keeps each one straight. The physical and emotional toll on everyone is evident as the war progresses and reminds the reader of the wrenching cost both on the battlefield and on the civilians at home.
August 26, 2017
This story was shockingly sensational! I loved the first book and it's so lovely to read the continuation of the characters journeys and reading how their stories develop. Rita is a very refreshing protagonist with an unflinching honesty about her. I love that this book doesn't shy away from the real issues and hardships that people who loved on wartime suffered. The spy plot line was so interesting, I'd love to see Rita and Em go on more missions in future!
It wasn't all fun and games though. This book was jampacked with shocking cliffhangers that never failed to make me gasp aloud in horror! The deaths at the end were very very sad, as we'd followed these characters from the beginning and grown to love them. I'm very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series!
It wasn't all fun and games though. This book was jampacked with shocking cliffhangers that never failed to make me gasp aloud in horror! The deaths at the end were very very sad, as we'd followed these characters from the beginning and grown to love them. I'm very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series!
September 19, 2019
TW; Rape
Back with the Canary girls, Rita, Pixie, Gladys, Em & lizzy as the war rages on.
Rita is dating Blackie a bit of a spiv he can get anything and everything.
Lizzy is Ems daughter she moved back home to stop her dad jack from hurting Em.
Pixie is pregnant again, but this time she marries Bob.
When her boss asks Rita to be a spy in the factory as someone is leaking information from the factory straight to the Germans, Rita is honoured that her boss trusts her enough to do this.
Rita tries to find out who at Priddys is a blabbermouth whilst been closely watched by her boss even though she doesnt know hes watching.
This is a re-read for me and i still enjoyed it, a really good book.
Back with the Canary girls, Rita, Pixie, Gladys, Em & lizzy as the war rages on.
Rita is dating Blackie a bit of a spiv he can get anything and everything.
Lizzy is Ems daughter she moved back home to stop her dad jack from hurting Em.
Pixie is pregnant again, but this time she marries Bob.
When her boss asks Rita to be a spy in the factory as someone is leaking information from the factory straight to the Germans, Rita is honoured that her boss trusts her enough to do this.
Rita tries to find out who at Priddys is a blabbermouth whilst been closely watched by her boss even though she doesnt know hes watching.
This is a re-read for me and i still enjoyed it, a really good book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2020
Having seen so many top reviews, I was excited to read this. Sadly I’m left wondering how it came by those reviews, I guess it’s like marmite!
Everything seems hurried somehow, with little detail or characterisation. It was all so predictable with great big signposts pointing the way and I found the repetition of cliches most irritating. I also don’t need to be constantly reminded about things that happened earlier in the book. I won’t be reading any more by this author; she’s not for me.
Everything seems hurried somehow, with little detail or characterisation. It was all so predictable with great big signposts pointing the way and I found the repetition of cliches most irritating. I also don’t need to be constantly reminded about things that happened earlier in the book. I won’t be reading any more by this author; she’s not for me.
Read
January 18, 2023Ladies of various ages worked at the English munitions plant. They worked with chemicals that would turn their hair and more yellow. These women came together as a family, giving more, financial, or whatever support was needed for each other. Not only were they dealing with the night time air raids of Hitler, but spies, con men, lack of food and conveniences. They stayed strong for each other in order to survive.
April 2, 2025
I started this because I had it mistaken with the other Canary Girls book by Jennifer Chiaverini, which my book club selected. I made it 20 pages in before I was texting with another member about how awful the writing was and howling about the sex scene. Fortunately, I was sorted out and didn’t have to read any more. But if you like laughing at lines like “she stifled a scream … because she was drowning in the waves of passion,” give this a go!
September 18, 2017
Another great read from Rosie Archer, all I can say is what a great follow on to The Munition Girls, I really enjoyed catching up with characters and how their lives were progressing. I am now looking forward to reading the third book in this series. I would recommend Rosie Archer's Bomb Girl Series.
November 23, 2023
This is a well written, well researched, account of the women that worked the munitions factories during World War ll. It brings home the sacrifices made, most importantly to their health. What was and wasn't known as they packed shells with trinitrotoluene, commonly known as TNT, and how it affected those exposed to it.
June 28, 2017
Book
Well Rosie I'm ready to start the 3rd book if I'm as enthralled as I was with the first 2 I will be amazed you bring the characters to life definitely worth 5 stars engrossed from the beginning . Everyone will enjoy these books thank you Rosie .
Well Rosie I'm ready to start the 3rd book if I'm as enthralled as I was with the first 2 I will be amazed you bring the characters to life definitely worth 5 stars engrossed from the beginning . Everyone will enjoy these books thank you Rosie .
April 9, 2018
Lovely to read.
Enjoyed this book as much as the first. The stories were extremely powerful in this edition. I had nursed somebody who worked in a munitions factory. Extremely accurate information in the book, loved the characters.
Enjoyed this book as much as the first. The stories were extremely powerful in this edition. I had nursed somebody who worked in a munitions factory. Extremely accurate information in the book, loved the characters.
March 2, 2024
Thoroughly enjoyed this book about the women in England who were working in the factories with munitions. They contributed greatly to the cause of WWI. Well written and especially enjoyed the part of the story about the women footballers!
May 6, 2024
Historical novel based on the women who worked in ammunitions factories during WWI. The stories of the sacrifices women made to help the war effort never cease to amaze me. This book told about the girls and women who took jobs to help Britain win the war. Well written with intertwined stories.
April 28, 2018
a very good read and most enjoyable and you can a little in this book which i found interesting
May 2, 2018
Canary girls
Another follow on enjoyable book was nice as knew all the characters and to see what happened to every one.
Another follow on enjoyable book was nice as knew all the characters and to see what happened to every one.
August 17, 2018
A delightful book, easy quick reading and second in the books about the girls working in the ammunition factory during WW2.
October 10, 2018
I have read all the books in this series and live each one. You get vested in each person's life and can't wait to read more! Great series! Really shows the true life of those whom lived during WWII!
June 2, 2020
Canary girls.
Really good book. Kept you really interested to the end. Marvellous characters. Looking forward to reading the next book soon.
Really good book. Kept you really interested to the end. Marvellous characters. Looking forward to reading the next book soon.
July 16, 2020
Loved it! This is the second book in the Bomb Girls quartet and it is an excellent read - dramatic, emotional and absorbing, with a real shock at the end.
July 18, 2020
Emotional
Rosie Archer you’ve done it again, reduced me to tears with another fantastic & emotional read. Now to start on book 3 of the sequel
Rosie Archer you’ve done it again, reduced me to tears with another fantastic & emotional read. Now to start on book 3 of the sequel
June 26, 2021
I just couldn't put it down book.2 is just ad good ad book 1
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