Best friends Louisa, Jeannie, and Kate worked at the Clarks Shoe Factory before WWI. The owners of Clarks, as well as several villagers, are Quakers. The workers and others in the village debated whether to fight in the war or stay out of it. Almost everyone in town worked at Clarks in some form or another.

I enjoyed this story, which took place at the start of WWI. This is the first in a new series about girls who work at Clarks. I learned more about the role of the Clarks Factory in Street, Somerset. I love Clarks shoes and it was interesting to learn more about the history of the company. There were a lot of debates between the Quakers and the members of the Church of England. As WWI starts the debates begin about fighting vs. not fighting. The Quakers are pacifists and the owners of the company are pacifists. There are the beginnings of unions as the workers begin to fight for equal pay. The girls start dating and try to figure out what they will do after the war. I love the girl's friendship and how they all do their best to help support each other. The writer does a great job of creating intriguing characters from various backgrounds.
I look forward to the next in this series.

Thanks to @boldwoodbooks, @netgalley, and the author of this arc.

Kate, Jeanne, and Louisa are friends who work in the Clark Shoe factory. They are typical girls of this age. working, helping out their families and of course looking for the perfect man. Kate has a bad home situation, Jeannes family are Friends as are many families in the town. Louisa has her eye on Mattie but her father will not let her see him as he also belongs to the Friends. With the war raging they must all face decisions about fighting a war and honoring a religion that does not believe in fighting. A good read and a lesson in history.

The Clarks Factory Girls is a new wartime saga series by May Ellis and as I’m on the book tour for the second in the series, I wanted to read the first one, before I started the second. I’m unsure whether our friends across the pond know that Clarks Shoes used to be a massive thing in the UK (although maybe not as much these days). Almost everyone I knew had a pair of Clarks shoes as their first ever pair, and school shoes in particular would, more often than not, have been a pair of Clarks.

Anyway, this series immerses us into the lives of characters who lived and worked in the village of Street in Somerset in the UK, where Clarks had its first factory. Louisa, Jeannie, and Kate have been friends since they were all at school together and now work side by side in the machine shop in the Clarks factory in 1914.

Throughout the book, we learn how the community, factories and individuals coped with the onset of war and the challenges that it brought, whether personal or professional. I enjoyed reading about the Quakers and how their beliefs differed from those of their neighbours.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review The Clarks Factory Girls at War by May Ellis.

I have to say that I really enjoy this genre of stories, and The Clark’s Factory Girls at War certainly didn’t disappoint. Three friends, Louisa, Kate and Jeannie are two years working together in the machine room of the Clark’s Shoe Factory. But, as Britan declares war on Germany the future looks ominous for not just the girls but for the whole of the Clark’s workforce. And this is where the story differs from most of these books. The Clark family were Quakers and as such, so were a lot of the workforce. Quakers are pacifists and so they were not all in a rush to sign up for war. But wars happen regardless of people’s religion, and so the seeds are soon for tensions and divisiveness amongst the once harmonious area of Street in Somerset.
This was a great read and I would give it 4⭐️.
Any thanks to #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks for my ARC of this book.

I read the newest book in this series before reading this one! Still could stand alone but I knew what happened to the girls and their families as I read this book! Good story line and gives a different side and view on war and it's repercussions. Must first read previous book....note to self!!
Many thanx to NetGalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to read and review this book

The book is set in Somerset during World War One, and features the lives of three seventeen year old young women; Kate, Jeannie and Louisa. The friendship between them is the main theme of the book and it was well presented. They have been friends since school and I loved the loyalty to one another that they shared.

There is much about the Quaker religion which was very interesting, particularly during a period of war. They were staunch pacifists and refused to go to war which could cause much difficulty within the community and were sometimes labelled as cowards for their beliefs.
The author depicted the period in which the book is set extremely well.
I have really enjoyed getting to know the characters in this book and I can hardly wait to get started on the next book in the series Courage for the Clarks Factory Girls.

What a refreshing book. I had the feel I was in the early 1900s. The characters were well written fir that era. You could envisage being in the factory and how they worked. The morals of the time we’re shown numerous times which sometimes had a negative impact compared to today. Well written and enjoyable.

Really enjoyed reading this book. The characters were interesting and was nice to get to know them. Would recommend this book.

I haven't given much thought to how war affects Quakers as I know they don't believe in participating. This book gave me a unique look into the feelings of those living in Quaker communities during times of conflict.

In this whimsical historical fiction novel, readers travel to a factory town in the early days of World War I. The town is divided by religion, but Louisa, Jennie, and Kate are friends despite this. Louisa in particular pushes back against this divide, falling in love with Mattie (Jennie’s brother’s best friend), while the other girls try to find their own places in the world and push back in their own ways. As war breaks out, however, things become more difficult for the girls and the Clarks Shoe Factory as more men enlist and others feel the pressure to do the same. Wartime is never easy, however, and the girls all experience some individual challenges and struggles as the world changes around them. Ellis’s characters are the star of the novel, and the many friendships and relationships are the driving force behind the characters’ actions. Louisa, Jennie, and Kate’s friendship is really wonderful and genuine, and their differences add to their depth as characters and the complexity of their friendship. Ellis’s worldbuilding and the religious divide in the town is another great element that adds conflict and change to the characters’ stories as an unique facet of this charming historical fiction novel.

I loved reading this book and learing more about the era and the show factory. I look forward to the next one.

Interesting WWI book

I enjoyed reading The Clark Factory Girls at War. The many details about the lives of these friends working at the Clark shoe factory revealed rich details about their mostly unfair situation, less pay than boys and men, having to do the house work and make meals when fathers and brothers didn't, etc. I found the start a bit slow and was getting a bit confused about the characters, so hence 4 not 5 stars. However, the last half of the book went a lot quicker. I am looking forward to the next installment in the series.

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time-constrained e-arc via Netgalley. This review is optional and my own opinion.

This is the first in a new series set in the Clarks factory in Somerset around the early parts of the First World War which focuses on three friends; Louisa, Jeanie and Kate. The factory is at the heart of the story as each character works there but there are clear divides on religious grounds. Clearly, this causes tensions and arguments especially as the Clark family are quakers and espouse their pacifist viewpoint which is at odds with some of the workers who must decide whether to support the war effort. For these young women this has heart wrenching consequences as they form relationships with local lads who must decide whether to volunteer fight. Tragedy also strikes in other ways and each of the three girls has emotional turmoil to face but their friendship remains true.

As a fan of historical fiction, I found this new series interesting and was intrigued about the workings of the Clarks factory. I hadn't realised that this national brand has its origins in Somerset so was fascinated by the description of the working conditions and the benevolence of the Clark family. Not only did they provide work, they also supported the workers with housing and cultural activities. That being said, there were aspects that felt like they didn't belong in this era, although the treatment of women is weaved successfully throughout the narrative. The writing is clear with some repetitious phrases but it wasn't always obvious as to where we were timewise in the progress of the war. My only other criticism is that the book seemed to "fizzle out" as the author was leaving more of the story for future books in the series. I would probably read the next instalment but I hope future instalments have a stronger cliff hanger. With thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

This is the first of a new series and a new author to me. It is set at the Clarks shoe factory in Street. It follows the same format as many saga series set during WWII which is about 3 friends. I enjoyed the book, but not sure I will read the next as I have a few various series books I am reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Life-long friends Louisa, Jeannie and Kate are following in the footsteps of their families, working at the Clarks shoe factory in the Somerset village of Street. When war is declared in 1914 the village is shocked. It is a close nit community and the war against Germany is causing a divide. The Clark family who own the factory are Quakers and pacifists and do not believe in war. Whilst a lot of the villages men go of to fight for King and Country, it’s left to the women to keep the factory going, alongside some of those men who because of religious or politic views won’t be signing up.

I really liked this book, it brought back so many memories from when I was a child and my Nan who lived through both the first and second world wars would tell me of going to work in the munitions factories whilst the men when away to fight. The men might have been fighting for their lives abroad but so were the women, who were fighting to keep a home going and put food on the table for those left behind all the while worrying if their husbands, sons, lovers would even return.

I grew up in a small Britain city, where a Clarks factory dominated the skyline until the late 80's. It employed a large number of the town and was how lots of local people made their bread and butter. So I was really interested to read this book.

What a wonderful book telling the story about Clarks and the families that work for Clarks. Also what a great start to a series.

Jeannie, Louisa & Kate have been friends since they started at school together. They work all together in the Clark’s factory. Over the course of the book we see what happens to them. The Quaker community do not believe in the War and of course the sons will expect a hard time from others who feel they should be fighting in the War. We see the girls getting boyfriends which might not suit who their parents think they should be with.

The characters were very engaging and it was interesting to read about a community that all worked for Clark’s. The book flowed and it all worked well together.

Would recommend this book and look forward to reading the next book.

I read The Clarks Factory Girls at War because I thought it would be interesting to learn about the Clarks shoe factory. I did learn that the Clarks did a lot for that community, including on site school time for the younger factory workers, who had dropped out of school, low rent housing and other benefits for workers.

The novel told the stories of three young friends and their families and their boyfriends. The writing style seemed to be more simplistic and aimed toward teens, but I would not recommend it to teens. It was loaded with foul language, lying and "kissy,kissy," as Kate would say and roving hands. The grammar was very bad. I realize that these were working class characters, but I grew up in a working-class neighborhood, and my neighbors knew how to use verbs and pronouns. Sometimes it was difficult to know who was talking because "she" was used too often without an antecedent.

The most disappointing part of this book was that there really wasn't an ending. The reader is expected to read the next book to find out what happens to these girls, their boyfriends and families. I enjoy series and sagas, but only if each story is complete in one book.

I am sorry to give such a negative review, as I was given a free book by NetGalley and the publisher.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:

I was so excited to start a new wartime series and this did not disappoint, I need the next in the series already!!

We really get to know the girls, their difference in faith, character and home life bring them together and their friendship was so sweet and endearing.

Of course we can’t forget the other big character ‘Clarks’ a staple in most homes, I enjoyed reading about its early years.

The author has brought a solid start to the series and I’m looking forward to what happens next.

The Clark’s Factory Girls at War - May Ellis 👞

“Can love blossom in times of trouble”

I did find this book a little slow going to start with but once I got into it I enjoyed it.

This story follows three young ladies, and their families working at Clark’s factory during WWI. The characters were all really interesting and I loved the strong bond between the friends, even if they did have different religious beliefs.
This was an easy read and felt very natural, following along with the girls lives, and romantic relationships with the historical facts about the Clark’s family and the Quakers.

The book seemed to end without much resolution but I think this story will continue.

Thanks @netgalley and @theboldbookclub for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

May Ellis has done a fabulous job with the writing of this novel. She is a new author to me but I enjoyed the setting being 1914 in Somerset. It is a heartbreaking story so be prepared to shed some tears.