What do you think?
Rate this book
The Surplus Girls
After the loss of war, can there be hope for the future?
Manchester, 1922.
Belinda Layton is a surplus girl. One of the many women whose dreams of marriage perished in the Great War, with the death of her beloved fiancé, Ben. After four years of mourning, she's ready to face the future, even though Ben's family is not happy to see her move on, and her own only cares about getting hold of her meagre factory wages.
Then, Belinda joins a secretarial class and a whole new world opens up to her as she quickly finds herself drawn to beguiling bookshop owner Richard Carson. But after all the loss and devastation she has experienced, can she really trust him with her heart?
365 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 2, 2020
85 people are currently reading
256 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
December 22, 2019
Set in Manchester, 1922
The surplus girls were women who after World War I had either, lost their loved ones during the war or there weren't enough single men left to marry. Belinda had lost her fiance Ben in the war and four years later, shes still in mourning for him. She works for Mr Butterfield in the mill yard. She decides to try and better herself, so she starts taking secretarial classes at night. Her Saturday job helps to pay for them. But when she meets the owners nephew, Richard Carson, her life is about to change.
Belinda has had to struggle since the deaths of her fiance, Ben. She has to provide for both Ben's family and her own. The detail of the era seemed true to the time. The characters are true to life and well rounded. I really felt for Belinda and her daily struggles to make ends meet and trying to keep everyone happy. I really enjoyed the story and I will be reading more from the author in future.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Atlantic Books and the author Polly Heron for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The surplus girls were women who after World War I had either, lost their loved ones during the war or there weren't enough single men left to marry. Belinda had lost her fiance Ben in the war and four years later, shes still in mourning for him. She works for Mr Butterfield in the mill yard. She decides to try and better herself, so she starts taking secretarial classes at night. Her Saturday job helps to pay for them. But when she meets the owners nephew, Richard Carson, her life is about to change.
Belinda has had to struggle since the deaths of her fiance, Ben. She has to provide for both Ben's family and her own. The detail of the era seemed true to the time. The characters are true to life and well rounded. I really felt for Belinda and her daily struggles to make ends meet and trying to keep everyone happy. I really enjoyed the story and I will be reading more from the author in future.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Atlantic Books and the author Polly Heron for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 19, 2021
Manchester, 1922.
Belinda Layton lost her fiancé Ben Sloan during WW I and she lives with his mother and grandmother. Grandma Beattie and Auntie Enid treat her like a member of the family, but they put pressure on her to live in the past, she’s still young and she wants to move on. Nothing drastic, Belinda wants to stop wearing black, start night school and look for a better job. Belinda’s classed as a surplus girl, her prospects of marriage probably ended when Ben died and her chances of marrying again are extremely slim due to so many young men passing away in the war.
Belinda’s family’s poor, she had to leave school at 13 and start work at the mill. A real shame as she rather smart, she could have gone to high school and found work in an office. Her family still depend on Belinda for money, her father doesn’t want her to study and he’s a horrible man.
The secretarial school run by the two spinster ladies opens up a whole new world for Belinda and she’s given a chance to do work experience in a bookshop owned by Mr. Tyrell. Poor Belinda, nothing ever goes as planned, she’s soon faced with further challenges and will she have a chance of falling in love again?
The Surplus Girls, is a very slow old fashioned story, life would have been like that in 1922, all very prim, proper, with lots of starch and three stars from me. https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/
Belinda Layton lost her fiancé Ben Sloan during WW I and she lives with his mother and grandmother. Grandma Beattie and Auntie Enid treat her like a member of the family, but they put pressure on her to live in the past, she’s still young and she wants to move on. Nothing drastic, Belinda wants to stop wearing black, start night school and look for a better job. Belinda’s classed as a surplus girl, her prospects of marriage probably ended when Ben died and her chances of marrying again are extremely slim due to so many young men passing away in the war.
Belinda’s family’s poor, she had to leave school at 13 and start work at the mill. A real shame as she rather smart, she could have gone to high school and found work in an office. Her family still depend on Belinda for money, her father doesn’t want her to study and he’s a horrible man.
The secretarial school run by the two spinster ladies opens up a whole new world for Belinda and she’s given a chance to do work experience in a bookshop owned by Mr. Tyrell. Poor Belinda, nothing ever goes as planned, she’s soon faced with further challenges and will she have a chance of falling in love again?
The Surplus Girls, is a very slow old fashioned story, life would have been like that in 1922, all very prim, proper, with lots of starch and three stars from me. https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/
January 12, 2020
I was halfway through this book before it really caught my interest.
It's about Belinda who lost her fiance in the war and became one of 'the surplus girls' which the world was full of at the time. She works at the mill and lives with her fiance's mother and grandmother. The book starts four years after the war and they are still wearing black and mourning their loss. These women expect Belinda to stay the same way.
She wants to move on. Initially just to wear something with a bit of color but this is regarded as an awful travesty by the two older women.
Her own family live in abject poverty with an absolutely useless father who drags them down more and more as time goes on. Everything gets left to Belinda and she does her best because she loves them in spite of everything.
The whole book was full of doom and gloom and I sometimes found myself having to take a break from it to lift my spirits. There is a bit of light at the end of the tunnel but it's also the end of the book.
I read that it's a series of three but I'm not sure I'll read the others.
It's about Belinda who lost her fiance in the war and became one of 'the surplus girls' which the world was full of at the time. She works at the mill and lives with her fiance's mother and grandmother. The book starts four years after the war and they are still wearing black and mourning their loss. These women expect Belinda to stay the same way.
She wants to move on. Initially just to wear something with a bit of color but this is regarded as an awful travesty by the two older women.
Her own family live in abject poverty with an absolutely useless father who drags them down more and more as time goes on. Everything gets left to Belinda and she does her best because she loves them in spite of everything.
The whole book was full of doom and gloom and I sometimes found myself having to take a break from it to lift my spirits. There is a bit of light at the end of the tunnel but it's also the end of the book.
I read that it's a series of three but I'm not sure I'll read the others.
July 25, 2020
Facing a future that looks far different from the hopeful one she imagined with her fiancé before the war, Belinda struggles to move on when those around her are determined to keep her in her place as a grieving woman shouldering the burden of two households. This is a lovely tale that explores the plight of women whose lives were impacted by the tremendous loss of life in WWI. The heroine is compassionate and engaging, the supporting characters well-drawn, and the setting of post-war Manchester is finely detailed. The heroine’s struggles with the expectations of those around her, her own sense of duty, and her hope for the future make for a bittersweet read.
December 31, 2019
The surplus girls is the name that was given to the young women left behind without partners after WW1. This particular story tells the life of Belinda Layton. After losing her fiancé Ben she is struggling to find a place in the world where she can do better then working at the Mill. Her father is a lazy work shy man who drinks away any money the family work so hard for. Belinda’s mother is so down trodden she’s all but given up. Disappointed that her father had refused her permission to finish her education she was happy in the knowledge that after the war she would be a married woman and hopefully have a family of her own to look after. This dream crumbled the day she heard of Ben’s untimely death. The story tells of the emotional rollercoaster ride Belinda has trying to improve her life without upsetting her family. The way Polly writes draws you right into the book and you can’t help but feel for Belinda as she struggles to make her dreams of a better life happen. I recommend this book it’s a great read.
December 4, 2019
This is a sad story of the girls left behind after ww1 with no men to marry,i have enjoyed reading about Belinda and the struggle she had after losing her fiance Ben in the war she not only has to support his family but also her own and that is not easy as all her family do is argue and cause trouble.Belinda wants to come out of her widow clothes but has a fight with bens mother and grandmother but she wants to wear colour and to rejoin the living not to live in black.I can recommend this book 5*
January 9, 2020
Eventful saga focusing on the female lives that were irrevocably changed by WWI. Informative & involving.
This is the first in a trio of sagas set in the aftermath of WWI when the devastating loss of young men on the frontline irrevocably changed the lives of the women and families awaiting their return. Manchester, 1922 and twenty-year-old working-class lass, Belinda Layton, is one such young women whose expectations for the future were torn apart after her fiancé, Ben, perished in the Great War four years earlier. Facing a future without a husband to support her, Belinda is one of many surplus girls, with no husband or training and lifetime of responsibilities. Living with her fiancés mother and grandmother, Auntie Enid and Grandma Beattie, and working in a mill, Belinda is contributing to both their household and supporting her own family who are dirt poor thanks to her feckless father who drinks what little he earns. An encounter with a former teacher who had high hopes of Belinda becoming an office girl highlights her less than enviable predicament and the financial trap of effectively never having money to call her own.
Despite her heart remaining in the past, still clad head to toe in mourning four years after her fiancés death, Belinda knows she has a duty to herself and Ben to make the best of her future and try and better herself. But it seems those around her disagree, with both her own family and Ben’s carping about getting ideas above her station and everyone having their rightful place, which in the case of Belinda it seems is in the mill and in the eyes of Ben’s family, in black. Hemmed in by other peoples’ expectations, at the age of twenty Belinda is too old to be considered for an office junior position albeit one at a lower wage than she currently earns at the mill.
Belinda’s dilemma coincides with the decision by the middle-aged spinster Hesketh sisters - brusque and forthright, Miss Prudence and sensitive and kind-hearted, Miss Patience - whose own personal circumstances see them open a business school, teaching secretarial evening classes and equipping a generation of young women with the skills to support themselves. As a temporary office post in a local bookshop aimed at providing Belinda with experience leads to affairs of the heart and the business school meets opposition after some nasty rumours start to circulate, the story has plenty to occupy reader attention. And that’s aside from Belinda’s domestic problems, the difficulty of breaking the news that it is time to move on to Ben’s family and struggling to keep a roof over her own parents heads.
Belinda is a hugely sympathetic character and an empathetic protagonist with her compassion, integrity and determination admirable. Pulled in all sorts of directions by those around her she has been thrust into a life of maturity and taking responsibility for the plight of her family. Although she doesn’t think she is a strong woman or doing anything out of the ordinary, a fact which also contributes to her appeal, Belinda’s story, as that of the Misses Heskeths is moving and inspirational. Significantly the entire supporting cast, not just Belinda’s immediate family, are well-defined and one aspect of the story that impresses is Polly Heron’s attention to following all of their individual stories to some degree.
Although the story contained far more romance than I had expected from the premise it was undoubtedly balanced out by several more important themes, with the novel’s authentic portrayal of class and social standing in the era and the difficulty of bettering oneself made apparent. Along with providing a clear-eyed look at the welfare options awaiting the very poorest with the Board of Guardians and the threat of life in the workhouse there is some pertinent social history of the period within the novel. The story also highlights the tensions that arose when women in employment were forced to surrender their jobs for a returning soldier and those that objected were branded unpatriotic.
Uncertainty, romance, conflicted loyalties and a story that takes its protagonist on a journey for independence is as relevant to modern day society as it was a century earlier. Involving, tightly plotted and full of vivid characters to love and hate!
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
This is the first in a trio of sagas set in the aftermath of WWI when the devastating loss of young men on the frontline irrevocably changed the lives of the women and families awaiting their return. Manchester, 1922 and twenty-year-old working-class lass, Belinda Layton, is one such young women whose expectations for the future were torn apart after her fiancé, Ben, perished in the Great War four years earlier. Facing a future without a husband to support her, Belinda is one of many surplus girls, with no husband or training and lifetime of responsibilities. Living with her fiancés mother and grandmother, Auntie Enid and Grandma Beattie, and working in a mill, Belinda is contributing to both their household and supporting her own family who are dirt poor thanks to her feckless father who drinks what little he earns. An encounter with a former teacher who had high hopes of Belinda becoming an office girl highlights her less than enviable predicament and the financial trap of effectively never having money to call her own.
Despite her heart remaining in the past, still clad head to toe in mourning four years after her fiancés death, Belinda knows she has a duty to herself and Ben to make the best of her future and try and better herself. But it seems those around her disagree, with both her own family and Ben’s carping about getting ideas above her station and everyone having their rightful place, which in the case of Belinda it seems is in the mill and in the eyes of Ben’s family, in black. Hemmed in by other peoples’ expectations, at the age of twenty Belinda is too old to be considered for an office junior position albeit one at a lower wage than she currently earns at the mill.
Belinda’s dilemma coincides with the decision by the middle-aged spinster Hesketh sisters - brusque and forthright, Miss Prudence and sensitive and kind-hearted, Miss Patience - whose own personal circumstances see them open a business school, teaching secretarial evening classes and equipping a generation of young women with the skills to support themselves. As a temporary office post in a local bookshop aimed at providing Belinda with experience leads to affairs of the heart and the business school meets opposition after some nasty rumours start to circulate, the story has plenty to occupy reader attention. And that’s aside from Belinda’s domestic problems, the difficulty of breaking the news that it is time to move on to Ben’s family and struggling to keep a roof over her own parents heads.
Belinda is a hugely sympathetic character and an empathetic protagonist with her compassion, integrity and determination admirable. Pulled in all sorts of directions by those around her she has been thrust into a life of maturity and taking responsibility for the plight of her family. Although she doesn’t think she is a strong woman or doing anything out of the ordinary, a fact which also contributes to her appeal, Belinda’s story, as that of the Misses Heskeths is moving and inspirational. Significantly the entire supporting cast, not just Belinda’s immediate family, are well-defined and one aspect of the story that impresses is Polly Heron’s attention to following all of their individual stories to some degree.
Although the story contained far more romance than I had expected from the premise it was undoubtedly balanced out by several more important themes, with the novel’s authentic portrayal of class and social standing in the era and the difficulty of bettering oneself made apparent. Along with providing a clear-eyed look at the welfare options awaiting the very poorest with the Board of Guardians and the threat of life in the workhouse there is some pertinent social history of the period within the novel. The story also highlights the tensions that arose when women in employment were forced to surrender their jobs for a returning soldier and those that objected were branded unpatriotic.
Uncertainty, romance, conflicted loyalties and a story that takes its protagonist on a journey for independence is as relevant to modern day society as it was a century earlier. Involving, tightly plotted and full of vivid characters to love and hate!
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
January 21, 2020
This is not my usual kind of read. I read it in between thrillers to stop me having bad dreams!
I absolutely loved this book. Belinda was such a great main character and I really identified with her and sympathised about her family situation.
It was so interesting reading about the surplus girls. It’s not something I have ever really thought about. But all those women with no men to marry and being disadvantaged with being women at the same time. It makes me so glad we live in different times now.
Shocking about Belinda’s Dad in the end. He very nearly killed the whole family!
Loved every minute of this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone who would like a glance into a time post war!
I absolutely loved this book. Belinda was such a great main character and I really identified with her and sympathised about her family situation.
It was so interesting reading about the surplus girls. It’s not something I have ever really thought about. But all those women with no men to marry and being disadvantaged with being women at the same time. It makes me so glad we live in different times now.
Shocking about Belinda’s Dad in the end. He very nearly killed the whole family!
Loved every minute of this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone who would like a glance into a time post war!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2020
Belinda Leyton has lost her fiancé during the first war and she is in mourning alongside his mother and grandmother but she is still a "Surplus girl" one who has been left over in the wake of the war.
Trying to earn a bit of money to help her troubled family and her adopted "in laws" she tries to better herself at the Hesketh business school by learning typing but that leads her into the world of office work and that is how she meets Richard Carson and Gabriel Linkworth...
A sweet, touching story about second chance love against the odds and will appeal to those who enjoy such historical novel greats as Cox, Cookson and many others in that tradition.
Trying to earn a bit of money to help her troubled family and her adopted "in laws" she tries to better herself at the Hesketh business school by learning typing but that leads her into the world of office work and that is how she meets Richard Carson and Gabriel Linkworth...
A sweet, touching story about second chance love against the odds and will appeal to those who enjoy such historical novel greats as Cox, Cookson and many others in that tradition.
September 20, 2020
Got to the second chapter . Felt like the story dragged a bit from the first chapter. Will see if I read this again.
December 20, 2024
The switching between third and first person hugely detracted from the story for me.
December 7, 2019
The story of Belinda Layton. Set in Manchester 1922, Belinda still in mourning four years on after the loss of her fiance Ben, lives in End Cottage with his grandma Beattie and auntie Enid. Working for Mr Butterfield in the mill yard and working Saturday's to give her family in Cromwell street money. A decision to better herself she starts a night business school for secretarial courses with the two miss hesketh and the book shop on beech road run by mr tyrell on Saturday's helps her to pay for them. Then along comes his handsome nephew Richard Carson who she is drawn to and her life is about to change. The Surplus Girls gave me so much enjoyment throughout my reading, a story of love, family and tragedy. This author has certainly hit my soft spot, wonderful book and worthy stars.
December 29, 2022
It’s an OK book. 2.5 stars seemed a bit mean so I’ve rounded it up to 3.
Some books from this genre really grab the reader this one barely served to pass some time I had on my hands … it’s one of those same old, same old stories that’s been done to death.
Some books from this genre really grab the reader this one barely served to pass some time I had on my hands … it’s one of those same old, same old stories that’s been done to death.
September 11, 2021
In the aftermath of the Great War when a generation of young men lost their lives there was a huge number of surplus girls who would never have the chance to marry, either because they had lost husbands, fiancés and boyfriends in the war, or quite simply that there just weren't enough eligible men to go around.
Belinda Layton is mourning the loss of her fiancé, Ben, who died in France in 1918. Whilst living with Ben's mother, and grandmother, helps to keep Ben's memory very much alive, Belinda is still only a young woman who feels that there is more to life than wearing mourning clothes forever. Belinda's home background is one of constant hardship and struggle, and so she becomes determined to make life better for herself, and in doing so she hopes to pull her own family out of poverty. In the hope of improving her employment prospects, Belinda makes the controversial decision to enrol in a newly established secretarial college, however, this decision doesn't sit happily with either Ben's family, or her own hapless relatives who rely on Belinda wages from her job in the mill.
The Surplus Girls is set in the 1920s, when there was so much social and economic change, and I think that this story reminds us just how far women have come in the last hundred years, when in 1922, even for a woman to enroll in a secretarial college to learn typing, shorthand and book keeping was viewed with distaste by some parts of society. Rich in historical detail, The Surplus Girls brings to vibrant life the strength of those people who made the suburbs of Manchester their home. The harsh background of mills and poverty, the snippets of northern humour, and the sheer grit and determination which is so characteristic of this area all help to make this into such an engaging historical saga.
Beautifully written by an author who knows how to bring northern history alive in the imagination, The Surplus Girls is the first in a series of historical sagas about this forgotten generation of young women.
Belinda Layton is mourning the loss of her fiancé, Ben, who died in France in 1918. Whilst living with Ben's mother, and grandmother, helps to keep Ben's memory very much alive, Belinda is still only a young woman who feels that there is more to life than wearing mourning clothes forever. Belinda's home background is one of constant hardship and struggle, and so she becomes determined to make life better for herself, and in doing so she hopes to pull her own family out of poverty. In the hope of improving her employment prospects, Belinda makes the controversial decision to enrol in a newly established secretarial college, however, this decision doesn't sit happily with either Ben's family, or her own hapless relatives who rely on Belinda wages from her job in the mill.
The Surplus Girls is set in the 1920s, when there was so much social and economic change, and I think that this story reminds us just how far women have come in the last hundred years, when in 1922, even for a woman to enroll in a secretarial college to learn typing, shorthand and book keeping was viewed with distaste by some parts of society. Rich in historical detail, The Surplus Girls brings to vibrant life the strength of those people who made the suburbs of Manchester their home. The harsh background of mills and poverty, the snippets of northern humour, and the sheer grit and determination which is so characteristic of this area all help to make this into such an engaging historical saga.
Beautifully written by an author who knows how to bring northern history alive in the imagination, The Surplus Girls is the first in a series of historical sagas about this forgotten generation of young women.
January 4, 2020
Set in Manchester, 1922 The Surplus Girls features Belinda Layton who sadly lost her fiance Ben during the war. She lives with Ben’s mother and grandmother but still financially supports her parents and siblings who live close by. She works long hours in a mill and longs to improve her situation by changing her career to an office worker. First, she must study and start right at the bottom but she has the foresight to see that long term her circumstances would greatly improve.
Belinda is a ‘Surplus Girl’ a term given to women who lost partners in the war. With millions of men losing their lives, there was a surplus of young women who had to support themselves. In the lower social classes any woman wanting to ‘better herself’ was frowned upon. Bereaved women felt obliged to remain in mourning attire and were discouraged from moving on with their lives out of respect for their loved ones.
Polly Heron demonstrates the plight of these women and how difficult it was for them to restart their lives after bereavement. Belinda is a likeable, hard-working girl and you just want things to turn out well for her. I loved her ambition and dedication to educate herself and secure a career to give her independence.
All the characters are multidimensional and the story features different social classes which added interest to the plot. This is an informative and heartwarming read featuring women who show great courage against adversity.
The Surplus Girls is highly recommended for lovers of historical family saga’s set around wartime Britain. It is the first book of a trilogy and I am really looking forward to the next installment in the series.
Belinda is a ‘Surplus Girl’ a term given to women who lost partners in the war. With millions of men losing their lives, there was a surplus of young women who had to support themselves. In the lower social classes any woman wanting to ‘better herself’ was frowned upon. Bereaved women felt obliged to remain in mourning attire and were discouraged from moving on with their lives out of respect for their loved ones.
Polly Heron demonstrates the plight of these women and how difficult it was for them to restart their lives after bereavement. Belinda is a likeable, hard-working girl and you just want things to turn out well for her. I loved her ambition and dedication to educate herself and secure a career to give her independence.
All the characters are multidimensional and the story features different social classes which added interest to the plot. This is an informative and heartwarming read featuring women who show great courage against adversity.
The Surplus Girls is highly recommended for lovers of historical family saga’s set around wartime Britain. It is the first book of a trilogy and I am really looking forward to the next installment in the series.
September 28, 2020
Following the First World War there was thought to be many “surplus women” who would not have the chance to marry and have families because of the large number of men killed in battle. This is a novel which concerns that problem in the case of Belinda Layton, oldest child of the challenging Layton family. Beginning in January 1922, Belinda still mourns her much loved fiance Ben and lives with his mother and grandmother rather than her family. She still makes contributions to her family’s housekeeping, as her feckless father brings in little money and drinks more. This is a highly intelligent story of a young woman desperately trying to improve her lot in a world where there are few opportunities for uneducated women, and many men are coping with the legacy of a traumatic war. Polly Heron is so skilful at creating characters that the reader grows to care about that when challenging things happen it can be so moving. Not that anyone is perfect; there are stubborn women clinging to the past, young people already gaining a bad reputation and some resourceful older ladies. There is humour, love and much more in this book of a group of people trying to find a better way to live. I am so pleased to have had the opportunity to read and review this book.
The book begins with Belinda working an extra Saturday shift in order to buy coloured fabric to break away from the black mourning clothes she has been wearing since Ben’s death. She has to cope with an abusive foreman, and a home life physically dominated by overwhelming grief. Visiting her own family shows her how little money her mother struggles to manage, with several younger siblings, and how difficult her life is in small rooms. Life for those struggling on small wages was very tough in the 1920s, and Belinda dispairs for herself in future as an unmarried woman, but equally for her mother who is unable to depend on her husband. Meanwhile a pair of unmarried sisters suffer the loss of their father, and have to think laterally in order to preserve their home. When Belinda enters their lives she finds a whole new way of life offered , and an attractive young man. Meanwhile a young man is struggling to remember his very identity following a huge trauma in the War, and discovers that some answers only lead to more questions.
This is a lively book which raises many questions about women who are seen as lower class by their clothes and lack of education. The desperation of the poor is explored, but not in a lengthy or extended way. There are twists and turns in this book which reflects real life well, as people must try to cope with difficult situations, and show various reactions. The research into the period is excellent, as both the settings and clothes are carefully detailed, but never in so much detail as to be tedious. This is a lively and well written book which will appeal to those who love “sagas” but also those interested in the very human and social realities of the time. Belinda is a well drawn character, and I also enjoyed reading Patience’s story. This is a novel which feels very authentic, and I look forward to reading future books in this series.
The book begins with Belinda working an extra Saturday shift in order to buy coloured fabric to break away from the black mourning clothes she has been wearing since Ben’s death. She has to cope with an abusive foreman, and a home life physically dominated by overwhelming grief. Visiting her own family shows her how little money her mother struggles to manage, with several younger siblings, and how difficult her life is in small rooms. Life for those struggling on small wages was very tough in the 1920s, and Belinda dispairs for herself in future as an unmarried woman, but equally for her mother who is unable to depend on her husband. Meanwhile a pair of unmarried sisters suffer the loss of their father, and have to think laterally in order to preserve their home. When Belinda enters their lives she finds a whole new way of life offered , and an attractive young man. Meanwhile a young man is struggling to remember his very identity following a huge trauma in the War, and discovers that some answers only lead to more questions.
This is a lively book which raises many questions about women who are seen as lower class by their clothes and lack of education. The desperation of the poor is explored, but not in a lengthy or extended way. There are twists and turns in this book which reflects real life well, as people must try to cope with difficult situations, and show various reactions. The research into the period is excellent, as both the settings and clothes are carefully detailed, but never in so much detail as to be tedious. This is a lively and well written book which will appeal to those who love “sagas” but also those interested in the very human and social realities of the time. Belinda is a well drawn character, and I also enjoyed reading Patience’s story. This is a novel which feels very authentic, and I look forward to reading future books in this series.
January 5, 2020
I love a saga and that period after the First World War is such an interesting one, both for returning soldiers and the women who all of a sudden found themselves contemplating a future with no men left to marry. Therefore I was very drawn towards The Surplus Girls.
It's Manchester in 1922 and Belinda Layton is a mill worker. Having lost her fiancé in the war, she's faced with a life of having to fend for herself and for that reason she wants to try and better herself by getting an office job. But at 20 she's considered too old for the office junior jobs which are the starting point in office work so she joins the brand new business school set up by Miss Hesketh and Miss Patience Hesketh (that's how they introduce themselves as Patience is the younger of the two spinster sisters) hoping to improve her situation in life.
Poor Belinda. She's stuck between a rock and a hard place really. She has a difficult family background so she's always trying to help out there, but she lives with her late fiancé's mother and grandmother who are determined to prolong their mourning forever, including Belinda in that lifelong mourning. Imagine, a 20 year old unable to wear colour, unable to move on to another relationship. Belinda is such a lovely character even though her situation would try the patience of a saint! Thankfully, she is able to find a new position in a bookshop and this leads to all sorts of new experiences for her.
I thought the characters in this book were very well drawn and from all walks of life. I think the most interesting were the Misses Hesketh, middle-aged and well to do, yet actually rather poor. Despite that, they constantly tried to help others including Belinda and her family.
The author has plotted her story well and really highlighted how different life was only just over 100 years ago. There's also a clever little twist towards the end. I liked that there was such positivity in the story despite the circumstances in which the characters found themselves. This is my first book by this author (in either of her guises) and I'd definitely read another as this was a really pleasant and engaging read.
It's Manchester in 1922 and Belinda Layton is a mill worker. Having lost her fiancé in the war, she's faced with a life of having to fend for herself and for that reason she wants to try and better herself by getting an office job. But at 20 she's considered too old for the office junior jobs which are the starting point in office work so she joins the brand new business school set up by Miss Hesketh and Miss Patience Hesketh (that's how they introduce themselves as Patience is the younger of the two spinster sisters) hoping to improve her situation in life.
Poor Belinda. She's stuck between a rock and a hard place really. She has a difficult family background so she's always trying to help out there, but she lives with her late fiancé's mother and grandmother who are determined to prolong their mourning forever, including Belinda in that lifelong mourning. Imagine, a 20 year old unable to wear colour, unable to move on to another relationship. Belinda is such a lovely character even though her situation would try the patience of a saint! Thankfully, she is able to find a new position in a bookshop and this leads to all sorts of new experiences for her.
I thought the characters in this book were very well drawn and from all walks of life. I think the most interesting were the Misses Hesketh, middle-aged and well to do, yet actually rather poor. Despite that, they constantly tried to help others including Belinda and her family.
The author has plotted her story well and really highlighted how different life was only just over 100 years ago. There's also a clever little twist towards the end. I liked that there was such positivity in the story despite the circumstances in which the characters found themselves. This is my first book by this author (in either of her guises) and I'd definitely read another as this was a really pleasant and engaging read.
February 3, 2020
Right at the end of the 1914-18 war, Belinda’s man was pulled into the French earth to feed the poppies. For 4 years she mourned, this is the heart warming tale of how she will move on, the emotional and genderist challenges to be overcome. Representing the many “surplus women” left without a man to marry, this looks at the negative sides of this outcome in the harsh environment of post war Europe.
How do you move on after the death of your partner? This book gives a top tip of what not to do, don’t move in with his Mam and G-Mam, dress in black and mourn for an eternity. Having said that, the characters surrounding Belinda all served the story well, providing contrasting and likeable personalities too. The sorrow of the bereaved Mam and G-Mam seeps the reader in sadness whilst posing a conundrum for Belinda. An unfortunate consequence of being engaged to Mr Dead is that Belinda now lives with the near in-laws, she doesn’t want to upset them but 4 years is enough sadness and she wants to be happy again. The female characters support Belinda, but the in-laws kindness stifles her ability to move on. Contrasting this are hateful useless males such as her Dad, with his boozing selfish ways, taking her money despite not actually supporting her in any way. Throw in a perverted boss and the scene is set. I would have liked to see a warmer side to the bad male characters.
The writing style is in northern English, I enjoyed the authenticity this added but felt like it was more like Boltonian than Mancunian, which is a good thing. The first person draws you into Belinda’s thoughts, how she thinks of others before herself, a very likeable character with a positive disposition, she wouldn’t last long in actual Manchester.
This is a well written straightforward read, recommended to those who seek a novel which explores taking a positive attitude when faced with trauma and adversity. As a reader you just want to see her make it through to the end.
How do you move on after the death of your partner? This book gives a top tip of what not to do, don’t move in with his Mam and G-Mam, dress in black and mourn for an eternity. Having said that, the characters surrounding Belinda all served the story well, providing contrasting and likeable personalities too. The sorrow of the bereaved Mam and G-Mam seeps the reader in sadness whilst posing a conundrum for Belinda. An unfortunate consequence of being engaged to Mr Dead is that Belinda now lives with the near in-laws, she doesn’t want to upset them but 4 years is enough sadness and she wants to be happy again. The female characters support Belinda, but the in-laws kindness stifles her ability to move on. Contrasting this are hateful useless males such as her Dad, with his boozing selfish ways, taking her money despite not actually supporting her in any way. Throw in a perverted boss and the scene is set. I would have liked to see a warmer side to the bad male characters.
The writing style is in northern English, I enjoyed the authenticity this added but felt like it was more like Boltonian than Mancunian, which is a good thing. The first person draws you into Belinda’s thoughts, how she thinks of others before herself, a very likeable character with a positive disposition, she wouldn’t last long in actual Manchester.
This is a well written straightforward read, recommended to those who seek a novel which explores taking a positive attitude when faced with trauma and adversity. As a reader you just want to see her make it through to the end.
January 2, 2020
This is the first in a trio of sagas set in the 1920's and what a way to start! Full of inspiring female characters and a great way to look back at a time in history when women were being written off as 'surplus girls' as they'd lost their husbands or fiancees in the Great War.
Belinda is the surplus girl, who is in her 4th year of grieving for her beloved Ben. As she reaches her 21st birthday she is finding life tough working at the mill, under the extremely creepy and vile Mr Butterfield, and starts to want a little more from life. All her plans for life with Ben are gone, so she wants to start taking care of herself and signs up for a secretarial course which promises to give her more of a future and won't need to rely on anyone else.
Running the secretarial course are Patience and Prudence, 2 more wonderful characters, who come up with the brilliant idea of training young girls, in a way to ensure they don't lose their house. They've seen how things are difficult for these young women and I just loved how smart/devious (!) they were in getting their plans put into action!
As Belinda begins a work placement in a local bookshop, she gains so much confidence in herself and is beginning to see there might be a life after Ben, although she is still very much beholden to people around her - her own family rely on her financially, and she never shirks from that responsibility, and Ben's family are still very much grieving and expect her to keep doing the same without realising that she cannot grieve forever.
I really enjoyed the issues within this story - the pressures and expectations women were having to deal with at the time in history and how difficult times led people to desperate measures. The women in this story were some really impressive characters who were very hardworking and didn't let situations get on top of them.
Belinda is the surplus girl, who is in her 4th year of grieving for her beloved Ben. As she reaches her 21st birthday she is finding life tough working at the mill, under the extremely creepy and vile Mr Butterfield, and starts to want a little more from life. All her plans for life with Ben are gone, so she wants to start taking care of herself and signs up for a secretarial course which promises to give her more of a future and won't need to rely on anyone else.
Running the secretarial course are Patience and Prudence, 2 more wonderful characters, who come up with the brilliant idea of training young girls, in a way to ensure they don't lose their house. They've seen how things are difficult for these young women and I just loved how smart/devious (!) they were in getting their plans put into action!
As Belinda begins a work placement in a local bookshop, she gains so much confidence in herself and is beginning to see there might be a life after Ben, although she is still very much beholden to people around her - her own family rely on her financially, and she never shirks from that responsibility, and Ben's family are still very much grieving and expect her to keep doing the same without realising that she cannot grieve forever.
I really enjoyed the issues within this story - the pressures and expectations women were having to deal with at the time in history and how difficult times led people to desperate measures. The women in this story were some really impressive characters who were very hardworking and didn't let situations get on top of them.
January 10, 2020
I'd never heard of the term Surplus Girls before and I imagine it must have felt quite hurtful at the time to be referred to in this way. Many of these very young women had lost fiance's and husbands in the war and faced a future of uncertainty with little prospect of moving on or being able to financially support themselves.
Belinda Layton the protagonist, is one such young woman who has lost her fiance. She moved out of her family home after her fiance Ben was killed in the Great War to live with Ben's mother and grandmother, known to Bel as Auntie Enid and Grandma Beattie. Belinda's own home was overcrowded with a sister and several brothers still living at home. Belinda' father liked to fritter away any spare money they had at the pub and there was little money left to feed the family and pay the rent.
There are a lot of supporting characters in the book from varying backgrounds. Belinda's humble beginnings started as a cotton mill worker before she took the momentous decision to leave and try to better herself by joining a newly formed secretarial school. The story behind the formation of the secretarial school was equally fascinating, run by two middle aged spinsters who were trying to save their home and keep a roof over their head, constantly trying to outwit their greedy brother who would gladly have left them with nothing.
There are so many different story threads going on in this book which makes it entertaining and compelling. So many disputes going on throughout, and most of them over money and property. It is very reflective of real life in that many families have fallen out throughout the generations over wills and legacies and who should get what and this story covers that aspect of life brilliantly.
It highlights the differences between the working class and the wealthier middle classes at the time so well. There is lots of dialogue in the book which I really like. It was almost like listening to a radio play except I was reading it and doing all the voices.
There are funny moments, tender moments, great sadness at times and great tension in one part towards the end. There is also a little romance in there for good measure but not too much which suits me fine. An absolutely brilliant book which I really enjoyed reading.
I understand this is the first book in a trilogy of stories about the Surplus Girls and I'm really looking forward to the next one.
Belinda Layton the protagonist, is one such young woman who has lost her fiance. She moved out of her family home after her fiance Ben was killed in the Great War to live with Ben's mother and grandmother, known to Bel as Auntie Enid and Grandma Beattie. Belinda's own home was overcrowded with a sister and several brothers still living at home. Belinda' father liked to fritter away any spare money they had at the pub and there was little money left to feed the family and pay the rent.
There are a lot of supporting characters in the book from varying backgrounds. Belinda's humble beginnings started as a cotton mill worker before she took the momentous decision to leave and try to better herself by joining a newly formed secretarial school. The story behind the formation of the secretarial school was equally fascinating, run by two middle aged spinsters who were trying to save their home and keep a roof over their head, constantly trying to outwit their greedy brother who would gladly have left them with nothing.
There are so many different story threads going on in this book which makes it entertaining and compelling. So many disputes going on throughout, and most of them over money and property. It is very reflective of real life in that many families have fallen out throughout the generations over wills and legacies and who should get what and this story covers that aspect of life brilliantly.
It highlights the differences between the working class and the wealthier middle classes at the time so well. There is lots of dialogue in the book which I really like. It was almost like listening to a radio play except I was reading it and doing all the voices.
There are funny moments, tender moments, great sadness at times and great tension in one part towards the end. There is also a little romance in there for good measure but not too much which suits me fine. An absolutely brilliant book which I really enjoyed reading.
I understand this is the first book in a trilogy of stories about the Surplus Girls and I'm really looking forward to the next one.
January 9, 2020
You maybe asking yourself "what is a surplus girl?", well its a term where after the first world war many thousands of girls and women lost the love of their lives. They were left behind to pick up the pieces and mourn their loved ones and after the war there was more women than men, so they were "surplus girls". They often had no husband, no training in the workplace, but still had responsibilities to their parents (financially).
Belinda is one of those women, losing her fiance Ben, she lives with his mother and grandmother and they expect her to wear the black clothes of mourning all the time. She works at the mill but has aspirations to work in an office. After a chance meeting she joins classes for girls wanting to learn all about office work. Here, although she gets on well, she is always labelled as the girl from the poor end of town. After doing work on a Saturday (unpaid) she meets and works for the owner of the local bookshop. But nothing stays the same, life move on, and Belinda is left wondering if she will be in mourning for Ben forever or will she find someone to love.
Things were so much different then, people were coming to terms with losing loved ones and the period of mourning was so much longer than it is now. Women didn't have the freedom they have now and were married to find a better way of life, but in the case of Belindas mum she didn't get what she hoped for.
Set in Manchester in the 1920s, it has all the grit and northern charm that will appeal to fans of saga books. The only criticism I have is that the chapters/paragraphs that were written as if they were in Gabriel's voice would have been easier to read if they had his name at the start of the chapter/paragraph. Apart from that an interesting read.
Belinda is one of those women, losing her fiance Ben, she lives with his mother and grandmother and they expect her to wear the black clothes of mourning all the time. She works at the mill but has aspirations to work in an office. After a chance meeting she joins classes for girls wanting to learn all about office work. Here, although she gets on well, she is always labelled as the girl from the poor end of town. After doing work on a Saturday (unpaid) she meets and works for the owner of the local bookshop. But nothing stays the same, life move on, and Belinda is left wondering if she will be in mourning for Ben forever or will she find someone to love.
Things were so much different then, people were coming to terms with losing loved ones and the period of mourning was so much longer than it is now. Women didn't have the freedom they have now and were married to find a better way of life, but in the case of Belindas mum she didn't get what she hoped for.
Set in Manchester in the 1920s, it has all the grit and northern charm that will appeal to fans of saga books. The only criticism I have is that the chapters/paragraphs that were written as if they were in Gabriel's voice would have been easier to read if they had his name at the start of the chapter/paragraph. Apart from that an interesting read.
January 15, 2020
Somehow the setting just doesn't manage to ring true, it all feels a little more late 1940s than early 1920s and I can't put my finger on why. Yes it has situations that are very much of the time but it just all feels so much more "modern" than it's supposed setting. Good job then that this is a book about people first and foremost.
Belinda Layton is having a tough go of it, her father turns out to be a ne'er-do-well who is rapidly dragging his family down with him. Her eldest brother seems to think she should move back home to "do her bit" now he has moved out and her beloved fiance dies during the First World War. Throw in a supervisor at the mill with wandering hands and a lecherous eye and she has to do something. A chance meeting with her old teacher, Miss Kirby, leads her to the door of the Misses Hesketh and their newly minted Secretarial School and the perfect opportunity to pull herself out of the mire.
To be honest I got a little fed up with Belinda and her relentless optimism. She is everything a "Northern Girl" is supposed to be but it just feels overdone. Throw this against the foil of a worn down Mother and a surly sister and she starts to look even more "saintly". It does become wearing after a time.
Strangely the people I found myself wanting to know more about, the Misses Hesketh, we are only given the odd tantalising glimpse of. In the blurb it is mentioned that this is intended to be the first of a saga so hopefully we will get to learn more about them.
It isn't a bad read or a boring read it just is.
THIS IS AN HONEST AND UNBIASED REVIEW OF A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK RECEIVED VIA READERS FIRST.
Belinda Layton is having a tough go of it, her father turns out to be a ne'er-do-well who is rapidly dragging his family down with him. Her eldest brother seems to think she should move back home to "do her bit" now he has moved out and her beloved fiance dies during the First World War. Throw in a supervisor at the mill with wandering hands and a lecherous eye and she has to do something. A chance meeting with her old teacher, Miss Kirby, leads her to the door of the Misses Hesketh and their newly minted Secretarial School and the perfect opportunity to pull herself out of the mire.
To be honest I got a little fed up with Belinda and her relentless optimism. She is everything a "Northern Girl" is supposed to be but it just feels overdone. Throw this against the foil of a worn down Mother and a surly sister and she starts to look even more "saintly". It does become wearing after a time.
Strangely the people I found myself wanting to know more about, the Misses Hesketh, we are only given the odd tantalising glimpse of. In the blurb it is mentioned that this is intended to be the first of a saga so hopefully we will get to learn more about them.
It isn't a bad read or a boring read it just is.
THIS IS AN HONEST AND UNBIASED REVIEW OF A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK RECEIVED VIA READERS FIRST.
January 2, 2020
This is a great read, and in preparing for this review post I've discovered it's first in a trilogy so now I'm really excited!
Belinda Layton was looking forward to a rosy future with her fiance, Ben, until the horrors of the first World War put paid to their plans. Bel finds herself living with Ben's mother and grandmother who have more than most .. but life is hard. Four years after the war has finished and they are still in deepest mourning and expect Bel to follow suit, but she's young and wants a better future for herself - is that so wrong?
As you probably know by now, I have a fondness for domestic fiction set around both world wars, and this is an excellent example of something that little bit different. Polly Heron spins a fine tale, showing an understanding of the hardships of the working classes and how hard it was for anyone, but especially women, to better themselves. Society was very different almost a century ago, and the author demonstrates this perfectly in a wonderful story of a young woman who wants just that little bit more, aiming for a better life than her mother before her. This is a well written, enthralling read which captivated my attention from first to last. I found myself rooting for Bel and, despite the setbacks she faces, desperately wanted her to succeed. A riveting read, fully worth four shining stars and recommended by me as a series well worth following.
Belinda Layton was looking forward to a rosy future with her fiance, Ben, until the horrors of the first World War put paid to their plans. Bel finds herself living with Ben's mother and grandmother who have more than most .. but life is hard. Four years after the war has finished and they are still in deepest mourning and expect Bel to follow suit, but she's young and wants a better future for herself - is that so wrong?
As you probably know by now, I have a fondness for domestic fiction set around both world wars, and this is an excellent example of something that little bit different. Polly Heron spins a fine tale, showing an understanding of the hardships of the working classes and how hard it was for anyone, but especially women, to better themselves. Society was very different almost a century ago, and the author demonstrates this perfectly in a wonderful story of a young woman who wants just that little bit more, aiming for a better life than her mother before her. This is a well written, enthralling read which captivated my attention from first to last. I found myself rooting for Bel and, despite the setbacks she faces, desperately wanted her to succeed. A riveting read, fully worth four shining stars and recommended by me as a series well worth following.
January 14, 2020
An Enthralling read
A story set around the women left behind after WW1, we see Belinda struggle after her fiance died in the war and Prudence and Patience with the death of their father.
Within the first sixty pages alone I was near bawling. So distraught with the events unfolding already. These poor girls were having hell of it with what is happening but they are strong willed and have many wits about them.
I was getting so angry at what is expected of Belinda to have to take care of her family especially when they just don't ever seem grateful and just want her money. There was also a sense of hope when a man suffering with amnesia appeared. Who was he. Was he possibly Belinda's fiancee deceased for four years perhaps missing instead or another twist to the enthralling story-line.
I indeed enjoyed the ending and the quickness that ensued in the story really ramping up after the bookshop. I really delved into it after meeting Gabriel and found myself hoping for a good outcome for Belinda. I was pleasantly surprised to see the young boys really trying as well.
But I will admit it wasn't the kind of book I was disappearing into i found it very easy to read a chapter and put it down without thinking about it too much I couldn't immerse myself completely in this story until about half way through but I did enjoy it thoroughly and would wholeheartedly read another Polly Heron book.
A story set around the women left behind after WW1, we see Belinda struggle after her fiance died in the war and Prudence and Patience with the death of their father.
Within the first sixty pages alone I was near bawling. So distraught with the events unfolding already. These poor girls were having hell of it with what is happening but they are strong willed and have many wits about them.
I was getting so angry at what is expected of Belinda to have to take care of her family especially when they just don't ever seem grateful and just want her money. There was also a sense of hope when a man suffering with amnesia appeared. Who was he. Was he possibly Belinda's fiancee deceased for four years perhaps missing instead or another twist to the enthralling story-line.
I indeed enjoyed the ending and the quickness that ensued in the story really ramping up after the bookshop. I really delved into it after meeting Gabriel and found myself hoping for a good outcome for Belinda. I was pleasantly surprised to see the young boys really trying as well.
But I will admit it wasn't the kind of book I was disappearing into i found it very easy to read a chapter and put it down without thinking about it too much I couldn't immerse myself completely in this story until about half way through but I did enjoy it thoroughly and would wholeheartedly read another Polly Heron book.
January 4, 2020
This book based in Manchester in 1922 tells the story of Belinda Layton. After losing her fiance and love of her life, Ben, in the war Belinda has spent four years dressed in black and mourning his passing. Now one of the surplus girls, those girls whose men hopes and dreams have perished in the war, Belinda begins to realise that she has to make a new life for herself. Ben's family are not very happy about her moving on but as time goes by they come to see her heart and realise her wanting to move on does not mean she has forgotten him. Having always hoped to work in an office she decides to join a secretarial evening course to gain the skills she needs to get a better job. The evening course is run by two ladies who are right characters and have an interesting story of their own! Belinda is sent to work in a bookshop to gain some work experience and it is here as she finally begins to move on that she thinks she has found a new love in her life.
I am sure there must of been lots of women left in Belinda's position after the war, so it was interesting and sad to consider what their lives must of been like and how difficult to make new lives for themselves. I really enjoyed reading this book, it is a lovely story.
I am sure there must of been lots of women left in Belinda's position after the war, so it was interesting and sad to consider what their lives must of been like and how difficult to make new lives for themselves. I really enjoyed reading this book, it is a lovely story.
January 28, 2020
A warm hug of a book.
Belinda is in mourning, having lost her fiancé to the Great War. This is the tale of Belinda’s struggle to escape the period of mourning and the problems of being a female in a man’s world. Belinda suffers from a boss who believes it’s acceptable to touch and grab her hand when paying her her wages and a father who believes he has a right to her wages to spend on the horses or at the pub. She is wracked by guilt as she buys some coloured fabric to make a blouse that isn’t the traditional black mourning colour. Can she find a way out? How far we have come in terms of women’s liberties.
A stark reminder of how different and difficult things were directly after the war and the depth and breadth of people that the horrors impacted. This book tackles the issue of surplus’s girls, the women who were left behind after a war that took a generation of men, their brothers, their fathers, their potential husbands. This book is set very much in a time where women had little power over their money, lives and bodies. Belinda’s positive attitude sees her through and she manages to change the course of her life through positivity, caring and sheer determination. A story about the triumph of good over bad, an enjoyable read.
Belinda is in mourning, having lost her fiancé to the Great War. This is the tale of Belinda’s struggle to escape the period of mourning and the problems of being a female in a man’s world. Belinda suffers from a boss who believes it’s acceptable to touch and grab her hand when paying her her wages and a father who believes he has a right to her wages to spend on the horses or at the pub. She is wracked by guilt as she buys some coloured fabric to make a blouse that isn’t the traditional black mourning colour. Can she find a way out? How far we have come in terms of women’s liberties.
A stark reminder of how different and difficult things were directly after the war and the depth and breadth of people that the horrors impacted. This book tackles the issue of surplus’s girls, the women who were left behind after a war that took a generation of men, their brothers, their fathers, their potential husbands. This book is set very much in a time where women had little power over their money, lives and bodies. Belinda’s positive attitude sees her through and she manages to change the course of her life through positivity, caring and sheer determination. A story about the triumph of good over bad, an enjoyable read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2020
With so many men killed at the front there are many girls who are mourning their lost loves. This novel tells us the story of Belinda and how four years after the war, having grieved deeply for her lost fiancé, she is ready to try and inject a bit of colour back into her life.
We see how she is determined to undertake an education which will allow her to progress from factory to clerical work but is burdened by her family who are dependent upon her financially, as well as by the expectations of her fiancé’s family who expect her to only live a life of grief, a burden made heavier by the support they have given her over the years.
The novel is beautifully written, the historical accuracy adds extra depth to this story with domestic and workplace details, societal norms and expectations creating a most realistic setting.
Polly Heron draws her characters beautifully, a wide range of good and bad from all strata of society. They really pull readers into the story and keep them there as you root for Belinda’s success. Chock-full of potential romance and real jeopardy, I thoroughly enjoyed this beautifully told tale.
We see how she is determined to undertake an education which will allow her to progress from factory to clerical work but is burdened by her family who are dependent upon her financially, as well as by the expectations of her fiancé’s family who expect her to only live a life of grief, a burden made heavier by the support they have given her over the years.
The novel is beautifully written, the historical accuracy adds extra depth to this story with domestic and workplace details, societal norms and expectations creating a most realistic setting.
Polly Heron draws her characters beautifully, a wide range of good and bad from all strata of society. They really pull readers into the story and keep them there as you root for Belinda’s success. Chock-full of potential romance and real jeopardy, I thoroughly enjoyed this beautifully told tale.
January 6, 2020
This book is set in Manchester,England starting in 1922, the start of the book talks about different families until they join together.
The main character is Belinda Layton. She had lost her fiancée during the war but she lived with Ben’s mother and grandmother and coming out of mourning just wasn’t going to be done, not even a small mauve to the pocket edges.
Belinda worked hard at the mills and hard been doing Saturday cleaning there to be able to raise some extra money towards Christmas. Her family had next to nothing,the father drank most of the money away.
Belinda applied to start a secretarial class and here you meet the two misses Hesketh’s. They are running the secretarial classes from their home. This had been left to Lawrence their brother but he wanted them to leave, by setting up the course and making it look like his idea was preventing him doing so.
This is a nice book and the character of Belinda you can really get behind and want to see her do well.
Would certainly recommend
The main character is Belinda Layton. She had lost her fiancée during the war but she lived with Ben’s mother and grandmother and coming out of mourning just wasn’t going to be done, not even a small mauve to the pocket edges.
Belinda worked hard at the mills and hard been doing Saturday cleaning there to be able to raise some extra money towards Christmas. Her family had next to nothing,the father drank most of the money away.
Belinda applied to start a secretarial class and here you meet the two misses Hesketh’s. They are running the secretarial classes from their home. This had been left to Lawrence their brother but he wanted them to leave, by setting up the course and making it look like his idea was preventing him doing so.
This is a nice book and the character of Belinda you can really get behind and want to see her do well.
Would certainly recommend
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2020
The Surplus Girls is the first book of a trilogy set in the 1920s. The title is based on how women lost their husbands (and fiancées too) during World War I. These women were then labelled “surplus girls”.
The main character (Belinda) continues to grieve after the death of her beloved fiancé (Ben), after he died four years ago.
Belinda becomes tired of working at the mill, especially under the creepy and perverted gaze of Mr. Butterfield. She promises herself to become more independent and sings up for a secretarial course.
Patience and Prudence are the two characters who are in charge of the secretarial course. They train young girls so that they can continue to live independently and not lose their home after the loss of war.
Belinda begins to work in a local bookshop. Although still reluctant, she is starting to see a life after the loss of Ben and maybe even hope for new Romance.
The main character (Belinda) continues to grieve after the death of her beloved fiancé (Ben), after he died four years ago.
Belinda becomes tired of working at the mill, especially under the creepy and perverted gaze of Mr. Butterfield. She promises herself to become more independent and sings up for a secretarial course.
Patience and Prudence are the two characters who are in charge of the secretarial course. They train young girls so that they can continue to live independently and not lose their home after the loss of war.
Belinda begins to work in a local bookshop. Although still reluctant, she is starting to see a life after the loss of Ben and maybe even hope for new Romance.
January 13, 2020
Enjoyable and interesting.
I was expecting a family saga, and that is what I got. But this book is so much more than that.
In addition to the protagonist, the book reveals the lives of several other, very different, women of that time, all of whom are on a journey for independence, whether by choice or necessity.
We get an insight to how the war has affected the lives of these women and the struggles they face in the social climate of 1922.
It’s not all about the women. The author hasn’t forgotten the men, and the story is sprinkled with men who have varying views about (and attitudes to) women.
I liked the fact that the story isn’t over-romanticised. But there is some romance, and with a couple of neat little twists.
Overall, an enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to the next in the series.
Thank you to Readers First, Corvus, and Polly Heron for the ARC in return for my honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews