Thursday 21 February 2013

Review: The Clippie Girls - Margaret Dickinson

Sisters in love. A family at war. A city in peril.
Rose and Myrtle Sylvester look up to their older sister, Peggy. She is the sensible, reliable one in the household of women headed by their grandmother, Grace Booth, and their mother, Mary Sylvester. When war is declared in 1939 they must face the hardships together and huge changes in their lives are inevitable. For Rose, there is the chance to fulfil her dream of becoming a clippie on Sheffield’s trams like Peggy. But for Myrtle, the studious, clever one in the family, war may shatter her ambitions.
When the tram on which Peggy is a conductress is caught in a bomb blast, she bravely helps to rescue her passengers. The shock waves that ripple through the family will affect each and every one of them and life will never be the same again.

My thoughts:
This was a family saga about 3 sisters, their mother and grandmother, in the time of WWII.

The war starts and sisters Peggy and Rose becomes clippies (conductresses). Peggy is the oldest, pretty levelheaded and careful. I liked her and understood why she was not over the heals in love with the man she was going out with. While Rose is the hellion (well almost) and who is in love with her sister's boyfriend. As you can see tension from the start.

Then we have a grandmother who says what she wants and has very firm opinions about things. A mother who stands in her own mother's shadow and the youngest sister who loves to study.

But it's mostly about Peggy and Rose. Their lives during the war as it changes everything. It's a book about friendship, love, family and heartache.

When the book reached a certain point I did not want to put it down. I needed to know what would happen to certain characters and I feared my heart would break.

Conclusion:
A good family saga.

Cover
meh, but at least it shows what it's about


Genre: Women's fiction
Pages: 438
Published: February 14th 2013 by Pan Publishing
Source: For review

45 comments:

  1. And did your heart break? You've got me all curious and nervous now!

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  2. I love family sagas. I don't know, but I just do. I may have to check it out! Seems to be up my alley.

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  3. Oh nice! I've just read a book during this period, it was so interesting too.

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  4. I've never hadn't heard of this book but it sounds like something I'd really like. I've never heard of clippies either - what a cute name.

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    1. Me neither, a totally new word for me, but it sure makes sense when I think of it

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  5. I haven't read a book like this in ages. Sometimes I forget to get out of the genre rut, so it's good to have new titles (like this) to look at.

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    1. Totally. I can't stay in just one genre, even if I would love too

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  6. Some interesting stuff here. I don't really like the cover, too typical, i guess
    But i love historical fiction so might give this one a try
    Your reader,
    Soma
    http://insomnia-of-books.blogspot.com/

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    1. Well that's why I said it was meh, but at the same time it's good cos it shows what it's about

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  7. This sounds like a great family book and some romance thrown in! I love it when a book sucks me in and I don't want to put it down.

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    1. So good towards the end cos I did not know what would happen!

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  8. Yeah the cover isn't exactly a showstopper it looks like Hermione. However, I adore books set in WWII and I don't get to read much about what the women did on the homefront. I think I will really like the Grandma!

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    1. She was actually more of a ...not nice, but then she got nice, and then now. Lol, it was a ride

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  9. The first sentence of your thoughts had me hooked!

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  10. The cover almost looks like an older Hermione Granger. LOL

    Oh I love a book that you can't put down and yet are worried to go on because it might tear your heart out. Good anxiety. Sounds like a good book!

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    1. Lol, I never saw that before now.

      There was something and it sure tore me up. A war was going on so drama is obvious

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  11. Well, they didn't cut off her head on the cover at least. ;)

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  12. This would be neat with the generations there. :) Thank you.

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  13. I do love 20th century historical fiction.

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  14. I think I'd like this because of the historical era and the generational drama. Thanks for telling us about it because I hadn't heard of it before!

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  15. You can't hold back on whether or not your heart broke? That is cruel!!!!

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  16. I like books that span a family and this does sound good.

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  17. I usually don't read books labeled women's fiction, but this is one I actually would enjoy.

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    1. I do not know if that is the right label, I just put it there ;)

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  18. I'm not a fan of the cover either, but it does sound like a book I'd enjoy!

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    1. WWII fic too :) So yes I knew you might be interested ;) I can't believe how much I have read in the last year, when I was supposed to read WWI

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  19. I'm with you on the BORING cover...I would not look twice at it that's for sure and the title isn't great either, but knowing that you didn't want to put it down will have me looking at it again if I happen to come across it.

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    1. There was just something that happened and I had to know, I just had to know

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  20. The cover is meh but the female family saga sounds interesting. didn't want to put it down, sold me. Thanks :)

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  21. this sounds really cool! I'm wondering if it's available in the us.

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