The Railway Girls by Maisie Thomas

"But look at them now. Their railway jobs had brought them together and the determination of their group of railway girls to stick like glue and support each other had overcome their differences of class. Never mind Hitler and the war. Never mind rationing. Right here, right now, her world was a good place, because she had made a true friend".

The Railway Girls by Maisie Thomas is the first novel in the Railway Girls series. It has strong female protagonists - from different social backgrounds and age groups. It is a timeless tale of friendship and loyalty, loss and challenges, fulfilment and courage.

This is a character-driven historical fiction at its best. Thomas portrays the railway girls and the challenges they face as women in the men's workplace.

Thomas's historical yarn follows a group of women who will become the eponymous "railway girls". We meet them in March 1940, standing in front of the war memorial. 

"They are of varying ages and backgrounds and come from different social classes - a solicitor's wife, a factory owner's daughter, a sewing machinist, a debutante, a working-class housewife, a clerk, a young wife who has been wrapped in cotton wool, and a girl who wasn't tall enough for the switchboard. On the surface, they form a diverse group, but they have one thing in common: their willingness and determination, under threat of invasion, to do their bit in this new world war by rising to the challenge of working as railway girls.

Unity, strength, courage and sacrifice".

We follow the lives and fortunes of several characters, each of whom has their own distinctive voice.

Mabel Brawdshaw is the heiress to Bradshaw's Ball Bearings, who is "widely expected to bag herself a penniless lordling, or at the very least an honourable, and become the mother of an unutterably respectable family". Instead, she wants to join the war effort and "do her bit". Her parents are shocked and even forbid her to leave home, but relent under pressure, and her Pops announces, "I can't have it said that my daughter tried to dodge doing her duty". 

At first Mabel appears as aloof and overindulged, but she is hiding a tragic secret which nearly destroyed her presence of mind.

Joan is always in the shadow of her more glamorous, self-assured sister who can never do wrong in their grandma's eyes. A new job as a station clerk might be just the thing to bring her out of her shell and gain confidence. She might be slightly disheartened to be appointed to work in the admin, but realises that clerking is more relevant than she had imagined. "When you thought about it, there must be masses of admin involved in keeping the railways running, and anything that kept trains moving was essential work".

Dot is in her forties, and is taken for granted by everyone in her big family. She is maternal and warm, and so wonderful, you just want to have a Dot in your life. Her sons are fighting, and she is constantly worried about them. Her husband is unsupportive and enjoys deriding her for everything. For him she is the continual source of awful jokes and taunts. 

The job gives her a new purpose in life.

"Ah. Yes. A wonderful mother. That was the trouble, wasn't it? She was everybody's mum... She was mum to anyone and everyone who needed help, advice or a slice of toast. 

But she didn't want to be mum at work. She wanted to be... herself. Dot. Dorothy Green... Capable, reliable, hard-working. Not a mother hen. Just a railway girl".

These are our three main protaginists, with a whole gallery of supportive characters, each adding a realistic backstory or detail to the plotline.

As the story progresses, we watch the railway girls gaining confidence and strength from their circle of friendship and reliance on each other, their pride in the job they are doing and great unity. Working at the railway gives them a sharper sense of who they are.

Maisie Thomas's voice is compelling, her writing is perceptive and insightful. Certain pages in the book made me think of my own friendships. When Mabel visits the elderly Mrs Kennedy, she ponders that her "company has taught her an important lesson; namely, that friendship wasn't necessarily something that occurred only between people of the same age." I kept nodding my head and thinking of my dearest friend Anne, who was also old enough to be my grandmother. She was a remarkable lady and a wonderful friend, and I enjoyed her company very much. She's been gone for the last five years, and I miss her. We shared love of books and food, and she was the kindest, generous person. 

Good books have this power to make you think beyond the book.

The second and third books in the series are already out, and I believe the fourth one is going to be published in November. I bought the second book recently, and am looking forward to meeting Mabel and the other railways girls again.

If you know someone who enjoys family sagas and fiction set during the WWII, then you can't go wrong with this book. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to Maisie Thomas for my copy of the book!