Uncon bookray book for attendees of Birmingham uncon 2016.


list of participants

Heaven-ali
Megmac
Wyldetwo
Katisha50
earthcaroleanne
Lyzzybee

I absolutely loved this book.

Housewife Jessie had left the Cadbury factory on her marriage to upholsterer Bill, however when Bill is injured in a factory accident, just before the outbreak of WW1 she finds herself feeling increasingly anxious about money. Bill’s recovery progresses slowly, and their savings won’t last forever. With the outbreak of war George Cadbury decides to allow married women back to the factory in place of the men who have joined up. Jessie returns to the Cadbury factory alongside other married women and very young girls, like Helen Daw who at fourteen is now expected to earn her way. Helen is a poor, nervous scrap – who under the Cadbury’s scheme of work, exercise and fresh air begins to thrive – but she is also tragically naïve and ill-equipped to cope when life treats her cruelly.

Leonora Lime is an unmarried woman who has worked at the Cadbury factory for years. She longs to wear the green blouse of the forewomen, and is eager to grab any chance she can to show her bosses her true leadership potential. Living alone in the house she once shared with her parents, Leonora spends Thursday evenings with the Baileys; neighbours who knew her growing up, with whom she shares all the news from the factory. Keen to impress, Miss Lime rallies the women under her to pack ‘comforts’ for the soldiers at the front.

My full review on my blog: https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2016/02/03/comforts-for-the-troops-fiona-joseph-2015/


Will pass on to Meg at the Birmingham bc meet up.

If you have found this book, thank you for taking the time to look it up on the internet. Now please tell us what you thought of the book and what your plans for it are.

This book is such a hidden gem. I thought it might have been too twee for my tastes but it is not at all and feels very realistic.

Passing to Jen (Wyldetwo) next)

Got this from megmac at last week's meet-up. It sounds like a great read, look forward to it!

I loved all the local references in this book, but even if I'd not recognised them it would still have been an enjoyable read. It was a good story based on extensive research, and gave me insights into the lives of working women during after g WW1.

Will pass this book to Katisha50 when I see her tonight for an Uncon committee meeting!

This arrived at the weekend.

Comforts for the Troops is a gentle and interesting read. It had a mixture of everything, romance, family issues, horrors of war, friendships, humor... I enjoyed the three women’s situations.

Lyzzybee already has her own copy of this which means I'm last. I'll put a message on the forum.

Sending a box of Birmingham Unconvention authors

Thanks so much for sending this along. So much that is written about WWI is terribly dire - we'll see if this continues that trend.

I received this in a bookcrossing Birmingham Unconvention authors bookbox, and knew nothing other than that it involved WWI. I found this very moving and considerably less depressing than so much which is written about the Great War. I found the characters very human and believable in all their quirkiness. A good read, I'll get some people in my household to read it and then will see where it goes.

YAY! The other day I lazily checked postal information and discovered that rather than costing 80 chf to send a book to Belarus, it would cost a relatively reasonable amount. So it's been parcelled and waiting for a month, but now it is (hopefully) on its way. This was selected from the Women in Fiction VBB - thanks so much for selecting it, I hope you enjoy it as I did. I also hope the fact that postal services seem to be functioning also means you and yours are well and healthy. All the best!

Received today. Thank you!