The Biscuit Girls

Author: Hunter Davies
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1473501423
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 354

Book Description
Ivy, Dulcie, Barbara, Ann, Dorothy and Jean all had different reasons for applying to work at Carr’s biscuits, but once they had put on their overalls and walked through the factory gates they discovered a community full of life, laughter and friendship. To those who didn’t know, the biscuit factory that towered over Carlisle might look like just another slice of the industrial North, a noisy and chaotic place with workers trooping in and out at all hours. For the biscuit girls it was a place where they worked hard, but also where they gossiped, got into scrapes and made lifelong friends. Outside the factory walls there might be difficult husbands or demanding kids, and sometimes even heartbreak and tragedy, but they knew there would always be an escape from their troubles at Carr's. Some, like Barbara, only applied because she needed the extra cash, until things got a bit easier at home. Her supervisor cross examined her about who would be looking after the kids while she was at work, but let her have the job. Like many of the women who joined up ‘temporary’ Barbara went on to stay at Carrs for 32 years. Beginning in the 1940s, these heartwarming and vividly-remembered stories have all been told by the women themselves to Hunter Davies.

The Biscuit Factory Girls at War

Author: Elsie Mason
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1409196518
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 286

Book Description
Home is where the heart is... Beryl was the first Farley clan bride, finding a home in the arms of loving, attentive, elder son Tony. Yet even now, wrapped in Tony's embrace, Beryl has never quite been able to forget the past she ran away from, nor the shocking family secret she tried to bury. With Tony away fighting the Jerries alongside his brothers, it's up to Beryl and her sisters-in-law to keep the family afloat. Hard, gruelling work doesn't faze her, but the sudden arrival of a devastating letter does... Will Beryl be able to hold her family together and face up to her past? Or will the war take away the one thing she holds most dear - the one person she never thought she deserved? The perfect family saga, set on the Newcastle streets that inspired Catherine Cookson's bestselling classic The Fifteen Streets - This is the second in brand new series for fans of Nancy Revell, Elaine Everest and Daisy Styles. * * * * * * * Readers are LOVING the first Biscuit Factory Girls saga... "Could not put it down" 5* "A brilliant story from a brilliant author" 5* "I enjoyed every bit of this book" 5* "The end had me in tears" 5* "Stays with you long after you've turned the last page" 5*

The Dublin Girls

Author: Cathy Mansell
Publisher: Review
ISBN: 1472266412
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 291

Book Description
Dramatic, emotional and romantic, if you love Lorna Cook, Tracy Rees and Jenny Ashcroft, you'll love this gripping and heartrending novel from Cathy Mansell, author of A Place to Belong. 'Glorious - a cross between Maeve Binchy and Catherine Cookson' 5* early reader review 'A superb saga' PETERBOROUGH TELEGRAPH 'A heart-warming story full of characters you'll come to love' ROSIE GOODWIN 'Page-turning and compelling... Most highly recommended' MARGARET KAINE 'Rarely have I read a book where every character springs from the pages so authentically' JEAN CHAPMAN 'A warm-hearted, engaging story' MARGARET JAMES, WRITING MAGAZINE In 1950s Dublin, life is hard and jobs are like gold dust. Nineteen-year-old Nell Flynn is training to be a nurse and planning to marry her boyfriend, Liam Connor, when her mother dies, leaving her younger sisters destitute. To save them from the workhouse, Nell returns to the family home - a mere two rooms at the top of a condemned tenement. Nell finds work at a biscuit factory and, at first, they scrape through each week. But then eight-year-old Róisín, delicate from birth, is admitted to hospital with rheumatic fever and fifteen-year-old Kate, rebellious, headstrong and resentful of Nell taking her mother's place, runs away. When Liam finds work in London, Nell stays to struggle on alone - her unwavering devotion to her sisters stronger even than her love for him. She's determined that one day the Dublin girls will be reunited and only then will she be free to follow her heart. Look for more gripping, heartwrenching page-turners from Cathy Mansell - don't miss A Place to Belong, out now.

The Daring Ladies of Lowell

Author: Kate Alcott
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 038553650X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 283

Book Description
“Alice is cast in the mold of a character created by an earlier Alcott, the passionate and spunky Jo March. A refreshingly old-fashioned heroine, she makes THE DARING LADIES OF LOWELL appealing” --The New York Times Book Review “Offers up a compelling slice of both feminist and Industrial Age history”--Christian Science Monitor From the New York Times bestselling author of THE DRESSMAKER comes a moving historical novel about a bold young woman drawn to the looms of Lowell, Massachusetts--and to the one man with whom she has no business falling in love. Eager to escape life on her family’s farm, Alice Barrow moves to Lowell in 1832 and throws herself into the hard work demanded of “the mill girls.” In spite of the long hours, she discovers a vibrant new life and a true friend—a saucy, strong-willed girl name Lovey Cornell. But conditions at the factory become increasingly dangerous, and Alice finds the courage to represent the workers and their grievances. Although mill owner, Hiram Fiske, pays no heed, Alice attracts the attention of his eldest son, the handsome and reserved Samuel Fiske. Their mutual attraction is intense, tempting Alice to dream of a different future for herself. This dream is shattered when Lovey is found strangled to death. A sensational trial follows, bringing all the unrest that’s brewing to the surface. Alice finds herself torn between her commitment to the girls in the mill and her blossoming relationship with Samuel. Based on the actual murder of a mill girl and the subsequent trial in 1833, THE DARING LADIES OF LOWELL brilliantly captures a transitional moment in America’s history while also exploring the complex nature of love, loyalty, and the enduring power of friendship.

Factory Girl

Author: Barbara Greenwood
Publisher: Kids Can Press
ISBN: 9781553376491
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
At the dingy, overcrowded Acme Garment Factory, Emily Watson stands for eleven hours a day clipping threads from blouses. Every time the boss passes, he shouts at her to snip faster. But if Emily snips too fast, she could ruin the garment and be docked pay. If she works too slowly, she will be fired. She desperately needs this job. Without the four dollars a week it brings, her family will starve. When a reporter arrives, determined to expose the terrible conditions in the factory, Emily finds herself caught between the desperate immigrant girls with whom she works and the hope of change. Then tragedy strikes, and Emily must decide where her loyalties lie. Emily's fictional experiences are interwoven with non-fiction sections describing family life in a slum, the fight to improve social conditions, the plight of working children then and now, and much more. Rarely seen archival photos accompany this story of the past as only Barbara Greenwood can tell it.

Factory Girls

Author: Michelle Gallen
Publisher: Algonquin Books
ISBN: 1643753479
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 372

Book Description
A funny, fierce, and unforgettable read about a young woman working a summer job in a shirt factory in Northern Ireland, while tensions rise both inside and outside the factory walls. Winner of the Comedy Women in Print 2022-23 Published Novel Award It’s the summer of 1994, and all smart-mouthed Maeve Murray wants are good final exam results so she can earn her ticket out of the wee Northern Irish town she has grown up in during the Troubles. She hopes she will soon be in London studying journalism—away from her crowded home, the silence and sadness surrounding her sister’s death, and most of all, away from the violence of her divided community. As a first step, Maeve’s taken a job in a shirt factory working alongside Protestants with her best friends. But getting the right exam results is only part of Maeve’s problem—she’s got to survive a tit-for-tat paramilitary campaign, iron 100 shirts an hour all day every day, and deal with the attentions of Handy Andy Strawbridge, her slick and untrustworthy English boss. Then, as the British loyalist marching season raises tensions among the Catholic and Protestant workforce, Maeve realizes something is going on behind the scenes at the factory. What seems to be a great opportunity to earn money turns out to be a crucible in which Maeve faces the test of a lifetime. Seeking justice for herself and her fellow workers may just be Maeve’s one-way ticket out of town. Bitingly hilarious, clear-eyed, and steeped in the vernacular of its time and place, Factory Girls tackles questions of wealth and power, religion and nationalism, and how young women maintain hope for themselves and the future during divided, violent times. Shortlisted for the 2023 Royal Society of Literature Encore Award (for second novels) and the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize

The Girls From Mersey View

Author: Lyn Andrews
Publisher: Headline
ISBN: 1472269659
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 246

Book Description
In her nostalgic and heart-warming saga, Sunday Times bestselling author Lyn Andrews evokes the ups and downs of life in the back streets of 1930s Liverpool 'An outstanding storyteller' Woman's Weekly Liverpool, 1935. Monica and Joan Copperfield are firm friends. Monica dreams of a better life as a hairdresser - though her parents are suspicious of such a glamorous profession. Joan has her eye on a job at Crawford's biscuit factory, with cheap chocolate biscuits as an irresistible perk. When Monica catches the eye of her boss's son, she's flattered. But could he ever be serious about a back-street girl? Meanwhile Glaswegian Jim is keen on Joan - but she's grown up around a bad marriage, and is suspicious of romance. Yet Jim's kindness and sense of humour are hard to resist . . . Shocking secrets, lifelong friendships and the unbreakable spirit of a working-class community facing war are woven irresistibly together in Lyn Andrews' evocative novel. Readers are loving The Girls From Mersey View 'What a delightful story' ***** 'I loved the characters and the setting. This is a story of hope and friendship and I highly recommend' ***** 'What a delight this book was to read ... an inspirational story' ***** 'I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone' *****

Understanding Women

Author: Romy Miller
Publisher: Book Factory
ISBN: 1932420215
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 143

Book Description
Romy Miller is a woman. She understands women. Now, she can help you do the same. Understanding Women: The Definitive Guide to Meeting, Dating and Dumping, if Necessary will turn you into a dating machine and help you go from loser to lover in no time flat. Taking a straightforward approach, this book leaves no excuses for you to not only succeed with women but to understand them as well. This new edition shows how to gain the knowledge and confidence you need to get out there and get the happiness and relationship you deserve. Isn't it time to step up to the plate and take a swing? Isn't it time to start looking at dating from a different perspective? Don't you want to look forward to dating? Now, you can!

Fire at the Triangle Factory

Author: Holly Littlefield
Publisher: Millbrook Press
ISBN: 9780876148686
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 56

Book Description
Two fourteen-year-old girls, sewing machine operators at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company, are caught in the famous Triangle fire of 1911.

Minding Frankie

Author: Maeve Binchy
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 0307595161
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 401

Book Description
New York Times Bestseller A tale of joy, heartbreak and hope, about a motherless girl collectively raised by a close-knit Dublin community. When Noel learns that his terminally ill former flame is pregnant with his child, he agrees to take guardianship of the baby girl once she’s born. But as a single father battling demons of his own, Noel can’t do it alone. Fortunately, he has a competent, caring network of friends, family and neighbors: Lisa, his unlucky-in-love classmate, who moves in with him to help him care for little Frankie around the clock; his American cousin, Emily, always there with a pep talk; the newly retired Dr. Hat, with more time on his hands than he knows what to do with; Dr. Declan and Fiona and their baby son, Frankie’s first friend; and many eager babysitters, including old friends Signora and Aidan and Frankie’s doting grandparents, Josie and Charles. But not everyone is pleased with the unconventional arrangement, especially a nosy social worker, Moira, who is convinced that Frankie would be better off in a foster home. Now it’s up to Noel to persuade her that everyone in town has something special to offer when it comes to minding Frankie. "Joyful, quintessential Binchy." —O, The Oprah Magazine