I really enjoyed this, it was interesting to see the war from a different point of view and the struggles people with certain beliefs had, I'm looking forward to the next book in the series

Fantastic new series, following 3 girls who work at the factory, they become good friends but are from different family backgrounds.
Definately worth a read if you enjoy learning about social history and the plight of women

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. I was able to find the audio version through my local library.
Ugh I was enjoying this book when I first read it. But wow. I don't know what it is but these type of story plot books that I usually like but lately I have been gifted a lot that have thrown in homosexual story plots and I don't want to read about that. They should list on there that it has it in there instead of sneaking it in there. Very dishonest. But it just feels out of place in these types of books. These books in the past are usually clean and a great historical fiction read. But this one just made me upset and I did not finish.

As a fan of a good historical saga, especially set around war times, I was intrigued by this especially as I haven’t read anything from this author before.
I have to admit, even with as much reading as I do, and being a history fan, I had limited knowledge of the Quakers (Friends) and their ideas around war (life). I love reading a story that gives me something to learn as well as entertaining.

Clarks is such a well known name, this was also something that had grabbed my attention initially. Reading about the community it created within the workplace, and the wider area was also interesting even though the characters are fictional.

At first, I struggled with the book, I found it a little slow going but it did pick up pace as it progressed. The characters are nice and likeable. Louisa, Jeannie, and Kate become firm friends through their work despite coming from different backgrounds.

There are many strands to the storyline, and as this is the first in a series, I presume we will see how each develop over the coming books.

A historical glimpse into factory and community life at this time, it references believes and ideas at the time which may surprise readers to learn, highlighting the issues with inequalities in gender, age, religious beliefs etc.

An interesting start to this series!

This was another historical romance set in the First World War, about three young girls who work in the Clarks boots factory. Louisa, Kate and Jeannie have known each other all their lives but they each come from different backgrounds. Louisa, an Anglican, is attracted to Mattie, a handsome Quaker, but her parents are not exactly pleased. Poor Kate has to look after her sick mother while her abusive father complains and gets drunk. He also becomes violent at times. Jeannie, another Friend, is envious of Louisa, and adores Mattie.

Religious conflict is strong in this town with the factory run by the Clarks, who are Quakers, at its centre. Alice Clark, a member of this enlightened family and a historian and Suffragette, is one of the directors of the factory, giving hope to the girls that women can achieve more. I enjoyed reading about the history of the factory, which is intertwined with the story.

War creates difficulty for the Quakers, who must decide between sticking to their pacifist beliefs or joining the armed forces. It is a heartwrenching decision for some.

I didn’t realise that religious differences between Quakers and Anglicans were so strong even in the early 20th century. I may have some Quakers in my background so that part of the book was really interesting.

I enjoyed this and I am looking forward to the sequel.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Anybody who knows me well knows that not only am I a book geek who loves discovering new authors but I am also a historical fiction nerd with a particular interest in stories set during the early 20th Century. So imagine my excitement when I read the synopsis of 'The Clarks Factory Girls At War' by May Ellis. The synopsis intrigued me and so without further ado, I grabbed a cup of tea, grabbed my Kindle and settled down for what proved to be a superb few hours of reading. I absolutely adored reading 'The Clarks Factory Girls At War' but more about that in a bit.

It took me no time at all to get into 'The Clarks Factory Girls At War'. In fact by the time I got to the end of the first chapter, I realised three things - firstly that I was reading something special, secondly that I was going to become addicted to the story and thirdly that I wouldn't be able to put the book to one side for any length of time. I was spot on with all three predictions. I picked the book up and didn't put it down again for a couple of hours. I was blown away by the story and by the range of characters. This was one of those books that really got under my skin to the extent that if I wasn't reading the book then I was thinking about it. The more of the book that I read, the more I wanted to read and the quicker the pages seemed to turn. I was so wrapped up in the story and in the lives of the different characters that I lost all track of time and just how fast I was getting through the book. All too quickly I reached the end of 'The Clarks Factory Gitrls at War'. I found 'The Clarks Factory Girls At War' to be a gripping and superb piece of historical fiction.

'The Clarks Factory Girls At War' is superbly written and then some. May certainly knows how to grab the reader's attention and draw them into what proves to be one hell of a story. May clearly cares about her characters and this shines through in the very vivid and realistic way in which she describes them. She makes her characters seem just as real as you and I. In fact the main three girls - Jeannie, Kate and Louisa- ended up feeling more like friends than characters in a book. May has clearly done an awful lot of research into the time period during which the story takes place and this helps the story seem that bit more authentic. I even learnt something from this story as I hadn't realised that the Clarks company was founded by a Quaker family and I enjoyed learning about the Quakers religion. My home town is a Quaker town too. Some tough subjects are discussed in the book but May does this with care, compassion and sensitivity. I love the way in which May makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action. That's how I felt anyway.

In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Clarks Factory Girls At War' and I wholeheartedly recommend the book to other readers. I will be reading much more of May's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

This was such an enjoyable read and I can't wait to hear more about the girls in the shoe factory - this is the first in a promising new series about the Clarks factory girls.

Our three main characters, the factory girls - Kate, Louisa and Jeannie are mere teenagers, but are already employees at the factory sewing the linings into shoes - which certainly puts things into perspective, making you realise just how resilient they had to be in the face of war.

The time period has been meticulously researched by the author and became a learning curve for me too - I had no idea of the Temperance Movement and the Peace Testimony - Google became my friend throughout book.

The Clarks Factory Girls At War is a fantastic historical fiction read, full of heartbreak and hope.

A good historical novel set in 1914, WW1. The girls that work in the Clarks shoe factory, this is the first in a new series and if this book is anything to go by the whole series will be well worth reading. 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for this ARC

This book is based at the very start of World War 1 and tells the story of 3 girls who are workers ar the Clarks factory in Street.
It follows both their work and their home lives, and the relationships they have with their families, and with each other.
It was great to learn some of the history of Clarks, and I will be looking out for the sequel to this book, to learn more.
An interesting read, with a great backdrop.

I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, for a book tour with Rachel's Random Resources.

This saga follows the lives of the young ladies working at the Clarks shoe factory during WWI.

At the beginning of the story, it seemed that the characters had already established strong bonds of friendship with each other, and that was something that really resonated with me. Even though they were going through testing times and each fighting their own battles, they seemed grateful for everything they had. I also enjoyed the romance in the story, and it seemed that each character was going on their own personal journey in that regard. I also felt that there was some personal growth and development with each character as the story progressed.

I did find this a pleasant read, it was heartwarming, and full of the importance of love and friendship. Thank you to Boldwood Books, NetGalley, Rachel's Random Resources, and to the author, for the opportunity to read and review this.

This is the first book I have read by this author and May certainly doesn't disappoint. The start of a new series and will be looking out for more.

An interesting read of three very different friends set during WW1. Liked the mix of fact and fiction

I liked this story and the writing style of May Ellis. It is my first novel by the author. I was interested as I have read an enormous amount of books set during both wars and yet have not read much at all about the Quakers or Friends and their points of view about the war. I was also interested in learning about the Clarks factory and it's part in the community. I appreciated that none of the Clark family were really characters in the book, as in, they were talked about but the author didn't put words in their mouths.

The characters were very realistic although a little bit hard to keep track of in the beginning. The fact that they were 16 gave me a little bit of reluctance to read about them although I suspect this will be a series and they will grow a lot from now until the war ends in a future novel.

The whole storyline, in my opinion, would have been better set in the second world war. I know that, staying true to the Clarks factory would mean that the author had to set it in WW1 to make it historically accurate, but with the conversations and dresses and general thoughts and attitudes, I think it reflects a slightly later time.

The storyline started slowly and then got really good and well paced, and then unfortunately went into a bit of a depressive cycle. I didn't like the fact that almost none of the storylines had an ending. I know that with a series, the major plot points are continuous, but I would have liked some of them to reach an ending. I'm not sure if I can wait for three more years of war or 3 more books (?) in order to see if Louisa gets her happy ever after, Kate gets shot of her abusive father, Ted reveals he is a spy/undercover agent/secret squirrel job or if Lucas gets outed.
As a rating for the book by itself, I would have given it more stars, had it been a more satisfying ending and not just leaving us with nothing. 3.5 stars for me
Thanks to Netgalley and the author and publisher for a temporary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this ebook.
I got totally engrossed in this story of three female friends working in Clarks Factory during WWI. The women's personalities jumped off the page and felt very real. I enjoyed this start to a new saga series. I recommend to all wartime saga readers. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

In all honesty although I did enjoy this read somewhat, I wasn't gripped and I found it a chore to get through at times.

The book follows three friends as they navigate their way through WW1 factory life.

Louisa, Kate and Jeannie are a lovely little trio of friends and I enjoyed following their journeys and dynamics throughout the book although I feel the book just lacked something. There were some really interesting situations in this book and embarrassingly so, I was unaware that during this time period girls were under the control of their fathers until they were 21. There was a lot of emphasis on the religious beliefs throughout this book, and again something I was lacking in awareness of. This book has opened my eyes to history, culture and religion back in the day and for that I am grateful.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for an ARC copy of this book.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I enjoyed reading this book, the first in a new series.

Three friends are working in the Clarks factory. Then war begins. This causes a divide in the village because of who own the factory.

The three friends now have to think about and decide which side they are to be a part of, the decision is made more difficult as those they love are enlisting. But the Quaker men aren’t.

I highly recommend this book.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 The Clarks Factory Girls at War marks my introduction to this author and the kickoff of a new series by May Ellis.

In this novel, Kate, Louisa, and Jeannie take the spotlight as teenage workers at the Clarks shoe factory in Somerset. As their loved ones enlist in the war, tensions arise when some friends and employers, who are Quakers, refuse to fight, sparking debates and disputes.

I was surprised to learn about the presence of Quakers in the UK during the wars! Exploring their beliefs and the conflicts they faced with Church of England members was enlightening. The deep friendship among these young women, despite their differing faiths, resonated with me, highlighting the need for such unity even in today's world.

Don't miss out on your own copy of this engaging read!

Historical drama,set in Street at the Clarks factory during World War One. Three friends work there and we follow their live and loves.

This was an interesting read that covered a number of problems that occurred in a small community. Louisa Jeannie and Kate are the teenaged main characters. They all work in Clark’s boot and shoe factory and have done since leaving school at 14 years old. I hadn’t realised that there was such animosity from people attending the Church of England towards the Quakers. This story covered the usual teenage angst years concerning boyfriends and parents. Also, the discrepancy between wages for males and females. It also covers the beginning of the First World War and arguments about who should sign up. What I did like was the strong bond of friendship between the girls and how they were always there for each other. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a great book to start a series about the girls that worked in the Clark’s factory during World War One. Louisa, Jeannie and Kate were friends from school and stayed close after they left and went to work at the factory. The girls all have their own set of problems but are always there for each other. I haven’t read this author before but I look forward to following on with the girls in this series.