The Railway Girls

by Leah Fleming

FROM THE ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF THE LAST PEARL AND DANCING AT THE VICTORY CAFE, this is a beautiful novel about family secrets, betrayal and redemption. Deep in the dales of the West Riding Fells lies Scarsbeck, a remote village peopled by a close-knit community of colourful Ellie Birkett, steadfastly resisting her mother's attempts to marry her off; Vicar Hardy, wrestling with the temptations of the flesh; Ezra Bulstrode, village headmaster, with an unhealthy dedication to the education of his young students; and enigmatic woman Beth Wildman, who believes she can foresee the future. Surrounded by wild moorland and the majestic Yorkshire peaks, time seems to stand still in this magical corner of the world. But change is on its way. The dales echo with fearsome noise; construction scars the the railway is coming - right through Scarsbeck village. And with the arrival of a huge workforce charged with building the railway, the peaceful idyll is shattered for ever.Praise for Leah Fleming 'I enjoyed it enormously.It's a moving and compelling story about a lifetime's journey in search of the truth' RACHEL HORE 'A born storyteller' KATE ATKINSON

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical

384 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 16, 2017

About the author

Leah Fleming was born in Lancashire and is married with three sons and a daughter. She writes from an old farmhouse in the Yorkshire Dales and an olive grove in Crete.

See more at: http://authors.simonandschuster.com.a...

Reviews

[Thebooktrail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visit the locations in the novel


Having been on the Settle – Carlisle railway and knowing a small part of the history, what a lovely find this book was! Some is of course fictional but it’s heavily based and inspired by the author who states why she had to write this novel and why she loves the story of the railway. The book has been published before as Trouble on the Wind under her other name Helene Wiggan so be aware of that, but I’m not surprised why she decided to release it again under her well-known name as it’s just as relevant as it was then, perhaps more so!

It’s a timeless story which you can really feel goes back to the real history and heritage of this part of the world. The railway seems so everyday now but it was once at the heart of a community and the people who helped build it. The story takes you back and evokes the essence of the hard work and grit it must have taken to live in the countryside and have this modern day saviour or scourge, which ever way you saw it, built across your landscape.

The essence of Yorkshire family life, charm and grit shines through, the farming communities and the villagers who are going to bear the brunt of this development. It’s a fascinating piece of history all wrapped up in a fictional bow, but one with a real homage to a great event in history which you can really revisit thanks to Leah Fleming!

This book was previously published as Trouble on The Wind in 1997

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was... alright. The writing wasn't very good, and the actual flow of the story didn't always work, but there were good parts to it as well, and some interesting characters. In the end, I finished the book, which means it has to be a three star at least. I don't finish two stars!

All in all, I'd say there were some major problems with the actual fabric of the story. There were big incidents which should have had consequences which didn't and I feel like they were just put in for dramatic effect. Plus, things were pretty predictable. I knew most of how it would end, despite the author's attempts to put some twists in. They sort of fell flat for me.

Still, I enjoyed parts of the novel, and liked a few characters. A mixed bag!

[Diane Fordham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first outing with Leah Fleming. I found the book in a second hand book shop and thought it looked reasonably interesting but did not hold much hope of a spectacular read, I assumed a fairly gently romp through history. I have say that I was pleasantly surprised with some of the more gritty storylines, but I found the narrative a little hard to swallow with most of the characters coming across as very similar. Perhaps not an author that I would purposely seek out, but not one I would shy away from either. Overall an enjoyable read.

[Helen Birkbeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I'm a female railway fan who likes history and lives in Yorkshire, I naturally pounced on this. I enjoyed the story, the characters and the beautiful descriptions of the scenery, and it was all fairly believable, though it's sad that child abuse had to be included. We all know it happened, and still does, sadly, but do modern authors have to put it in everything? Surely there are other forms of personal failing.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An early book written under her other pen name. Good story and an easy read.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic book from Leah Fleming. I always enjoy her books.

[Seren Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great research, didn't want it to end. Great charachters.

[Sue Gates · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't get into this book, didn't finish reading it!

[Wednesday · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book - it was a relatively easy read, entertaining and informative. It tells of a time of huge change in rural Yorkshire when the railways were pushing through the rural landscape. Following the lives of both the locals and the incoming Navies, we get to meet a large number of interesting characters whose lives are forced to intertwine. A good read.