The Great War. 1914. Slowly men left Britain's factories to enlist and arsenals hired women to replace them. The slogan: Be the Girl Behind the Man Behind the Gun.
Canary Girls by Jennifer Chiaverini is well researched historical fiction that engages the reader with a slice of history one might not know. Former cooks, maids, shop girls, and housewives sought better wages and more independence than they ever had. The "munitionettes" worked grueling shifts, handled explosives (TNT), and endangered their health for the sake of their nation. (cover blurb)
Identified by their yellow skin and hacking cough, the Canary Girls prove resilient in their work, friendships, lives, and play in the arsenal ladies football club, the Thornshire Canaries. The bosses wife joins the administration and is a staunch advocate for the ladies.
This book is interesting and entertaining. I cared about the ladies and their situations - worries about children at home, husbands on the front, and managing to live in tough conditions.
