PUBLICATION DAY PUSH: Poor Girls - Clare Whitfield

 

Don't get angry.

Get rich.

1922. Twenty-four-year-old Eleanor Mackridge is horrified by the future mapped out for her - to serve the upper classes or find a husband. During the war, she found freedom in joining the workforce at home, but now women are being put back in their place.

Until Eleanor crosses paths with a member of the notorious female-led gang the Forty Elephants: bold women who wear diamonds and fur, drink champagne and gin, who take what they want without asking. Now, she sees a new future for herself: she can serve, marry - or steal.

After all, men will only let you down. Diamonds are forever.

In Poor Girls, Clare Whitfield exposes the criminal underbelly of 1920s London - but this isn't a morality tale, it's an adventure for the willingly wicked.

What did I think?

Having absolutely loved Clare Whitfield's stunning debut novel, People of Abandoned Character, I was very excited to read Poor Girls and I was not disappointed.  It's a book that hooked me from the start and refused to let go even after turning the final page...I am still thinking of Nell (Eleanor Mackridge) and her escapades.

Inspired by a true story and real women, Clare Whitfield weaves a wonderful tale of crime, family, friendship and adventure that entertains the reader from start to finish.  I had previously read about Alice Diamond and the Forty Elephants so I knew a little about these remarkable female criminals.  Of course, you don't need to have any prior knowledge to read Poor Girls as Clare Whitfield lays out the history in such a vivid way.

The class divide is very noticeable in the 1920s; you either have money or you don't.  Eleanor Mackridge falls into the latter category and finds herself waiting on the rich, snooty and downright rude.  After one snide comment too many, Eleanor quits her job in a moment of fury but all is not lost as she has been noticed by the Forty Elephants.  Eleanor's life is about to change...some say for the better, some say for the worse but it's certainly a life filled with danger and adventure.

I absolutely adored Nell (previously Eleanor) and her quest for adventure and fun; she may be a fictional character but she was brought to life just as much as the real historical figures who feature in the novel.  I loved the camaraderie between the girls in the cell but with that old saying rattling around in my head: "there's no honour among thieves", I worried for Nell but whether or not I was right to worry you will just have to read the book to find out.

Hugely atmospheric and wildly adventurous, Poor Girls is a stunning novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.  It's a cross-genre novel that's part historical fiction brought wonderfully to life and crime fiction that has you rooting for the criminal.  A very highly recommended read.

I received an ARC to read and review for the publication day push and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy link: https://geni.us/poorgirlspb

About the author:

Clare Whitfield was born in 1978 in Morden (at the bottom of the Northern line) in Greater London. After university she worked at a publishing company before going on to hold various positions in buying and marketing. She now lives in Hampshire with her family. Her debut novel, People of Abandoned Character, won the Goldsboro Glass Bell Award and is also published by Head of Zeus.

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BLOG TOUR: Got What Was Coming - Hilly Barmby

 

Got What Was Coming alternates between past and present.

Three young women, Mali, Star and Abeba, receive an email from the school they’d attended as kids. It is an invitation to the tenth anniversary of the inauguration of ‘The Second Chance Cafe’, which they’d set up to help disenfranchised kids.

It is an exciting but ultimately tragic story that covers the complex lives and inter-relationships of four teenage girls and their mothers. The book reaches its climax with the death of another girl and the realisation of the role the others all played in her death and the impact on their lives through to adulthood.

What did I think?

Since I first discovered Hilly Barmby's book, I just can't get enough of them so I was delighted to received an early copy of her new self-published novel, Got What Was Coming and it's no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It's a very intriguing story with three main characters who are are all very different.  Mali, Star and Abeba may not have started off as friends at school but they are linked by a tragic event.  Via a dual timeline we find out exactly what happened in the past to make them into the women they are today.

With bullying at the heart of the story, it's often difficult to read as events play out and the tragedy is fully revealed.  It's very thought-provoking to see that although a particular person may not have been an active bully they are most definitely complicit by either standing by and doing nothing or pushing another person into the bully's sights to draw attention away from themselves.  

Incredibly poignant and compelling, Got What Was Coming is an eye-opening and thought-provoking story about human nature and the regrets that shape who we are today.  Never has that well-known phrase 'survival of the fittest' held so much meaning and chilled me to the core.  A highly recommended read and one that will stay with me for a long time.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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