Today i’m very excited to be on the blog tour for the amazing The Waterway Girls. This is the first book i have read by Milly Adams and it certainly won’t be my last. If you are a fan of World War Two fiction or sagas you will love this book! The Waterway Girls is out now in paperback and ebook.
Book Blurb:
THE FIRST NOVEL IN MILLY ADAMS’ BRAND NEW SAGA SERIES. Perfect for fans of Daisy Styles and Nancy Revell.
War lands them in the same boat. Can they pull together?
October 1943, West London
Nineteen-year-old Polly Holmes is leaving poor bombed London behind to join the war effort on Britain’s canals.
Stepping aboard the Marigold amid pouring rain, there’s lots for Polly to get to grips with. Not least her fellow crew: strong and impetuous Verity, whose bark is worse than her bite, and seasoned skipper Bet.
With her sweetheart away fighting in the RAF and her beloved brother killed in action, there’s plenty of heartache to be healed on the waterway. And as Polly rolls up her sleeves and gets stuck into life on board the narrowboat – making the gruelling journey London up to Birmingham – she will soon discover that a world of new beginnings awaits amid the anguish of the war.
My Review:
I really enjoyed this fantastic trip into the forgotten world of the Boaters who helped transport various materials on the canals in World war Two which was considered much safer than using the roads, especially as petrol was scarce. It was fascinating to learn more about their world and culture, the different roles everyone played in day to day life and the hardships they endured whilst working on the canals. Some of the descriptions regarding these hardships were very poignant to read about and I often had a lump in my throat when i was reading them. It’s hard to believe in this day and age, where people are quick to blame and sue, that people actually used to work like this. The descrimination and abuse the boaters received was also very upsetting to read about. They were often mocked for their dirty apperances which were just caused from the hard work that they did.
The book features three very strong, firery female characters which i enjoyed reading about. They were very happy to work hard and pull their weight to prove that they could do just as good a job as the male boaters could. They were also not afraid to stand up for other people when they felt it was needed and lend a helping hand which was a really admirable trait. The three girls form a really strong friendship which helped them in the day to day hardship of their lives. Some of the exploits they get up to were hilarious to read about and actually caused me to laugh out loud at times. I started off not liking the two main boaters in the story as they seemed unnecessarily rude at the beginning but as i got to know them more i started to warm to them and ended up really liking them. I liked how loyal they are and how they look after the girls whilst they are on the Canal.
The book has a great pace to it which makes it really easy to read and to become absorbed in the story. There is always something happening or some new thing that the girls are doing that keeps the book interesting and fresh. The change to the story about half way through the book was surprising and definetly added a new element to the story, taking it on a new direction which i hadn’t expected.
The ending was brilliant and exactly how i wanted the book to end. I really like that the characters all got the ending i felt they deserved and was very excited to learn that there is to be a sequel to this book where i will get to spend more time with such terrific characters!
Thank you to Becky McCarthy at Penguin Random house for my copy of this book and for inviting me on the blog tour. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definetly be reading more from MIlly Adams in the future.
About the Author:
Milly Adams lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband, dog and cat. Her children live nearby. Her grandchildren are fun and lead her astray. She insists that it is that way round. Milly Adams is also the author of Above Us The Sky and Sisters At War.
Follow the Blog Tour:
If you like the sound of this book from my review, do check out what the other bloggers on the tour have to say!
Over The Rainbow Blog 
Have seen this book doing the rounds and it looks great. I enjoy a book that still has things to teach us about the past.
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I know I love historical fiction, particularly for ww2 so always great to learn a new part of it x
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Great review love the sound of this one! 😊
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