Triumph of the Shipyard Girls (The Shipyard Girls #8) by Nancy Revell
Genre: Historical fiction, WW2, Sagas
Read: 29th June 2020
Purchase: Amazon
(publication date: 19th March 2020)
★★★★★ 5 stars
An addictive read from the start, TRIUMPH OF THE SHIPYARD GIRLS by Nancy Revell is the eighth in the series but it is my first. However, I didn't feel as if I had missed anything as readers' memories are refreshed to past events therefore giving me a little more insight. I was all ready to recommend that it could be read as a standalone, because it really did read as one...until I got the end. And then I was like NOOO! You can't end it there! lol So now I am hanging for the next book to see what happens.
The prologue takes readers back to 1936 for a hard-hitting opening that is both shocking and heartbreaking before picking up on Christmas Day 1942 in the wake of Tommy and Polly's wedding. The couple had their honeymoon the week before the wedding as Tommy returned to his job as a mine clearance diver for the war on Boxing Day. When Polly returns home after her wedding night and bidding her new husband goodbye, she is greeted with the sad news that Tommy's grandfather Arthur passed away in his sleep.
Helen is the granddaughter of the owners of the Shipyard and shares a love hate relationship with her mother, Miriam. The woman is hateful, to be honest, as she continues a hold over Helen and the women welders of the the Shipyard, as well as Helen's beloved father who now lives in Glasgow. But secrets make you bitter, as they seem to have done so with her mother, but now Helen has stumbled across one her mother appears to know nothing about. Her main confidante is Dr John Parker. It is obvious from the beginning, even to me who has come into the series partway, that John adores Helen but thanks to her spiteful mother's barbs she doesn't believe that he could love a woman like her. There are two types of women for men - those they choose to marry and those they keep for sleeping with. And according to Miriam Crawford, her daughter is not marrying as a man prefers "unsullied goods" in a wife. Aside from that, it is obvious both Helen and John adore each other but I wish they would get on with it as Helen's indecision drove me mad. John will be dead before Helen declares her feelings for him!
Bel is a relative newcomer to the yard and appears to be enjoying her work there, though her mother Pearl is not so thrilled. The two women have a secret that could rock another's world as the past is about to come to light for them all. Having being married to Teddy who was lost to the war, Bel is now married to his twin Joe with toddler LuLu (Lucille) from her first marriage, but yearns for a child of their own. After a year with no joy, Bel is both thrilled and jealous when another in their fold falls pregnant.
Rosie Miller and her younger sister Charlotte are the at the forefront of this story as Charlotte grows older and begins to question anomalies she has noticed with regard to her schooling, Rosie's work and friendship with Lily. Charlotte appears to have an obsession with Lily, who she has come to see as a mother figure of sorts, bombarding Rosie with endless questions she isn't sure how to answer. Rosie has worked hard to shelter her sister from the truth...but is she doing the right thing? Or are some secrets best left untold?
Then throughout the story there are flashback chapters following on from the opening prologue, revealing a little more about Rosie's troubled past, her decision to place Charlotte in a boarding school in the middle of nowhere, her early days as an apprentice welder as well as working in Lily's bordello.
The strength of the women welders against the backdrop of the shadow of war and relentless bombing of the Luftwaffe continues to shine through despite the troubles they are faced with. Life amidst air raids where homes are destroyed, lives are lost, production is delayed in the shipyard but the girls maintain their dignity and their courage throughout it all. I may not have read the first seven books of this series, but I was immediately drawn to each and every character and I found myself invested in their stories.
Then just when you think you have it all worked out and know what it coming next...readers are given a shock twist at the very end that no one will see coming! It's not like it's a thriller where you expect it to end with a twist! But that final page left me wanting more and I look forward to the next book "A Christmas Wish for the Shipyard Girls" coming in October 2020 to see how that pans out and how it will affect a key character.
TRIUMPH OF THE SHIPYARD GIRLS is a wonderfully lighthearted read that is addictive from start to finish. Once I started, I did not want to put it down. The stories within the pages are both heartwarming and heartbreaking and through it all the women continue to shine with dignity and strength in the face of war.
After reading TRIUMPH OF THE SHIPYARD GIRLS, I have added the rest of the series to my ever-growing TBR list and hope to slot them in when I can. I know I will enjoy them just as much as I have this one.
Recommended for fans of historical fiction, particularly WW2 era and sagas.
I would like to thank #NancyRevell, #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK and #CornerstoneDigital for an ARC of #TriumphOfTheShipyardGirls in exchange for an honest review.
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