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The Factory Voice

by Jeanette Lynes

3.27 · rating details · 45 ratings · 16 reviews

The lives and dreams of four vital, engaging, women revolve around mysterious events at a Fort William military aircraft factory in 1941.

Loyalty and betrayal, love and worthiness, friendship and ambition are the themes which connect the characters in this lively, quirky, fast-paced novel.

Wrapped around the stories of these four women, is a mystery. Something's gone wrong

...more

Paperback, 295 pages

Published May 1st 2009 by Coteau Books

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Mar 01, 2011

Rhiannon Ryder rated it

I like a good Canadian read when I can get it, and so my mother in law took on the impressive task of gifting me with two Canadian reads this Christmas. Impressive because my house literally groans under the weight of a vast and varied collection of books scaring most people off giving me books (other than the hubby who can peruse said collection at will), and also because a good Canadian read usually means you have to dig a little deeper than the best seller shelf at the local bookstore.
...moreI like a good Canadian read when I can get it, and so my mother in law took on the impressive task of gifting me with two Canadian reads this Christmas. Impressive because my house literally groans under the weight of a vast and varied collection of books scaring most people off giving me books (other than the hubby who can peruse said collection at will), and also because a good Canadian read usually means you have to dig a little deeper than the best seller shelf at the local bookstore.

Fun fact about The Factory Voice? Author Jeanette Lynes was an author in residence at the Saskatoon Public Library and actually completed one of the drafts of the book while in residence there!

Following the lives of a handful of people thrown together building Mosquito planes in Fort Williams, Ontario, during World War 2, The Factory Voice captures the shift in society happening during the time period. Young Audrey runs away from an intended marriage to a ranch hand in her home province of Alberta to the "Glamours" of Ontario and a life of her own choosing, Ruby dreams of the day she can become a reporter and leave her stenography and this little town behind, Florence wants to become her own person and escape the stigma from her revolutionary seamstress mother, and Muriel wants to best her Chief Engineer position at the plant by being the first to perfect landing skis.

In a time period of tremendous social change, these women represent some of the biggest changes as well as the things that never change in society. Their voices cover everything from their persistence in achieving goals their mothers never dreamed of as well as being pretty and meeting someone besides. It was an engaging read, and it really transported me to the early forties in setting and language, which is always an impressive feat when your sitting on a subway in bustling downtown Toronto.

What surprised me the most was how their small daily activities had me riveted, the more I read the more I couldn't put it down. Character pieces usually don't evoke that reaction out of me, but this one did, I hated to put the book down in the end, I wanted more about these girls, more about their lives. It came as no surprise to me that this book was long listed for the Scotiabank Giller Prize or that it was named one of the top 100 books of 2009 by the Globe and Mail.

An excellent book to share, I'd highly recommend it for your girlfriends, aunts, mothers and grandmothers(less)

· see review

Oct 21, 2011

Dianne rated it

Shelves: 2011

This is the story of four women, Audrey, Muriel, Ruby and Florence, all of whom work at Fort William Aviation, a military aircraft factory in Ontario. The year is 1941 and women are filling the jobs left vacant by the men who have gone off to war.

These women couldn't be more different in situation and personality. The authour has created fresh, believable characters as unique as any you would find in real life. These are the kind of people who work their way into your head and stay the...moreThis is the story of four women, Audrey, Muriel, Ruby and Florence, all of whom work at Fort William Aviation, a military aircraft factory in Ontario. The year is 1941 and women are filling the jobs left vacant by the men who have gone off to war.

These women couldn't be more different in situation and personality. The authour has created fresh, believable characters as unique as any you would find in real life. These are the kind of people who work their way into your head and stay there long after you turn the last page of the book. I'm always impressed when an authour can do that - we've all read lots who can't - especially in a debut novel as this one is.

Audrey is 16 and.....zippy. She's eager to grow up and get a job and start living her life. Speaking pretty much every thought that crosses her mind, she blows into the factory like a mini-hurricane and endears herself to almost everyone.

Ruby is a typist and writer of the employee newsletter "The Factory Voice". Ruby has big dreams and can't wait for the day when she can put this drudgery and all these sad little people behind her. She knows she is meant for something better.

Muriel is 36 years old, has overcome polio, earned herself a Masters degree in Aeronautical Engineering and is starting a new job as Chief Engineer at the plant. She's a more complex character than some of the others and is my favorite. I'd like to read more about her.

The fourth woman is Florence. She's been at the factory for five weeks, but remains on probation because she has a German last name. The other workers wear yellow head scarves; those on probation wear red and Florence hates sticking out in the crowd. Awkward and uncomfortable around people, she just wants to be left alone to do her job.

Around these four is told a story that has something for everyone. Drama, romance, intrigue, a little heartbreak and a little victory. I liked this book, even if a couple of characters made me wanna smack'em sometimes. It's a good story - different, interesting, worth reading. And isn't that just a great cover? (less)

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Nov 06, 2011

Mrsgaskell rated it

Recommended to Mrsgaskell by: Pooker3

Shelves: bookcrossing, canadiana, 8-star

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read! Set during World War II at an aviation plant in Fort William (now Thunder Bay), Ontario, it portrays an interesting period of Canadian history, and particularly women's roles on the home front. The story is told from the points of view of four very different women. There's Audrey, a spunky, engaging, underage runaway from Alberta who is hired as snack-cart girl, as well as unofficial spy for the head stenographer. Ruby, the head stenographer, is a local girl...more

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Oct 08, 2011

Pooker rated it

Shelves: canada, fiction

I've given this book four stars mostly because of the pure delight it was for me to read a book set in Fort William (now part of Thunder Bay). I don't think I've before had the pleasure of reading a book set in the city in which I spent my teenaged years in the late 60s. I loved the place and the time I spent there. So it was indeed delightful to read of the characters going to Chippewa Park, Hillcrest Park and Chapples Department Store and travelling down streets familiar to me.

Ther...moreI've given this book four stars mostly because of the pure delight it was for me to read a book set in Fort William (now part of Thunder Bay). I don't think I've before had the pleasure of reading a book set in the city in which I spent my teenaged years in the late 60s. I loved the place and the time I spent there. So it was indeed delightful to read of the characters going to Chippewa Park, Hillcrest Park and Chapples Department Store and travelling down streets familiar to me.

There is nothing deep or particularly life-changing in the reading of this novel, but it is a darned good story about the lives and roles of women in Canada during the Second World War. There are four main female characters in the novel and some secondary male characters who provide some love interest as well as a bit of mystery and intrigue.

There's Audrey, a bit of a hick from the prairies, who has stolen her mother's savings to escape farm life, hopped a train and ended up in Fort William where there are jobs to be had working for Fort William Aviation. Audrey wants to get a job making planes so she can see how the wings are attached.

Then there's Ruby, the spoiled little rich girl, former "Miss Fort William" and daughter of the factory owner. Ruby works in her father's business as head stenographer. But she too wants something else. She wants to be a reporter and hopes that a big story in her little newsletter, "The Factory Voice" will be her stepping stone. In the meantime, one of Ruby's jobs is to hire women to work in the factory. She hires Audrey, not as a wing-attacher to Audrey's initial annoyance, but as the snack cart girl who in the course of hawking her muffins (persians not yet having been invented), Ruby hopes will bring her factory scuttlebutt for the newsletter. Audrey is enamoured with the lilac-scented, exquisitely lipsticked Ruby and so is anxious to please her.

Florence Voutilainen is the big homely girl from "the other side of the tracks". She's a crackerjack riveter but seems destined to forever wear the probationary factory "red scarf" because of suspicions her mother is a "Red Finn".

Muriel, "Queen of the Mosquitoes" is an engineer. She arrives in Fort William to take over the job as Chief Engineer at Fort William Aviation at the same time as Audrey. In fact they arrive on the same train.

The story is fast paced and sometimes quite funny. There's lots of intriguing bits concerning the roles that the male characters play in these women's lives. Particularly interesting was Thaddeus Brink, an escapee from prison who just happens to have been a former love of Muriel and who befriends "the daughter" Flo.

However, most interesting of all, which I discovered by happenstance (not being able to place "Fort William Aviation" in my memory map of Fort William, I Googled. CanCar I do remember!). I discovered that Muriel's story is based on the real life of one Elizabeth McGill, "Queen of the Hurricanes" and the first female airplane designer in Canada. How cool is that!

(less)

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Jan 21, 2012

Sandra rated it

Shelves: canlit, read-2009

Set in Fort William-Port Artur-Thunder Bay area of northern Ontario and at the Fort William Aviation head office and plant. Characters include strong women like Muriel with a Master's in Aeronautical Engineering, Audrey who ran away from her home in Alberta to becaome the snack wagon girl, Ruby Kozak who writes the "Voice" and wants to be an investigative journalist and Florence Voutilainen who learns to blow the trumpet from Thaddeus Brink, an escapee from Angler detainee camp. Authen...more

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Jan 14, 2011

Bunxena rated it

Recommends it for: fans of books with multiple female protagonists, or those who read WW2 homefront novels

Recommended to Bunxena by: CBC Between the Covers

Shelves: audio, cbc-radiocanada, oh-canada, online-and-podcasts, 2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Note: this review is of the book as it appeared on the CBC podcast "Between the Covers".

This book tells the story of four women whose lives are connected by the aircraft factory at Fort William, now Thunder Bay, Ontario, during the Second World War. Ruby is the daughter of the factory owner, essentially head of Personnel, and writes a little newsletter called The Factory Voice, hoping for a story to give her a ticket out of town. Audrey is a fresh-faced kid from Spruce Grov...moreNote: this review is of the book as it appeared on the CBC podcast "Between the Covers".

This book tells the story of four women whose lives are connected by the aircraft factory at Fort William, now Thunder Bay, Ontario, during the Second World War. Ruby is the daughter of the factory owner, essentially head of Personnel, and writes a little newsletter called The Factory Voice, hoping for a story to give her a ticket out of town. Audrey is a fresh-faced kid from Spruce Grove, Alberta, who drives the snack wagon and is enlisted by Ruby to sniff out stories. Muriel is the chief engineer, an extremely intelligent woman whose goal is to design better landing gear for aircraft. Florence is a childhood friend of Ruby's and works on the riveting line, enjoying the independence her income gives her and the skills she is learning. Throughout the book the characters' stories connect and separate, and we get different perspectives on situations as the narrative focus changes.

It took me a couple of installments (each Between the Covers episode is about 15 minutes long) to really get into the book, mainly because I had to get used to the narrator's voice. Since there was only one narrator, a lot of the book felt the same. The parts that worked best were the parts with Audrey, and to a lesser extent Ruby. Perhaps this book would have been more effective in audio format if there had been a different voice for each female character, to signal that the focus had changed.

The book itself was enjoyable. The female protagonists are very likeable, and it's always nice to see female engineers, especially ones who design aircraft! The part where Muriel takes a test flight in a Mosquito was probably my favourite: the detail was good and it felt like you were right there in the plane with her. I also enjoyed the newsletter articles, which were written with a great deal of pep and vigour. The only thing I would really quibble with in terms of plot is that I didn't think Muriel should have been connected with both of the coincidental males, Thaddeus Brink and Roper McLaughlin. One improbable coincidence per character please.

I would recommend this book, more likely in print format, to those who enjoy books with lots of female characters, multiple narrative perspectives and WW2 homefront kind of novels.(less)

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Sep 07, 2009

Vionna rated it

This is definitely a character driven book, from Audrey who is such a zany young girl with an attitude for life; Ruby who is so ambitious and somewhat snobbish, Florence who has such a hard cross to bear and finally Muriel whose engineering accomplishments are quite unbelievable for a young woman during that period of time - WW2. The plot was on the slim side, but overall a good read. I hope she hones her skills as a novelist as well as a poet.

· see review

Oct 31, 2009

Alexis rated it

Shelves: 2009

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did as the concept was so interesting. It followed a bunch of characters working at an aviation factory in Ontario during the Second World War. However, the plot lines just didn't keep me hooked in. Some good characters, but I wasn't as interested as I wanted to be.

· see review

Aug 02, 2011

Tracy added it

Not bad. It was very simple story with simple characters. The book moved along at a decent pace and never really seem to have a great climax. Things just happened and ended. Parts that could have been truly sad or exciting, didn't really read that way for me.

· see review

Mar 21, 2011

Jack Coleman rated it

Recommended to Jack by: Book Club Selection

Funny look at Women's participation in the war effort.(WW2)
I liked the some of the characters and the History but the story
doesn't have the umph to make it memorable.

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Jul 17, 2011

Gwnhwyfer marked it as to-read

Shelves: adult, canadian, fiction, historical-fiction, war

I've picked up this book to read twice now, but just as I get into it, something distracts me. <sigh> I will read this book...one day. ;)

· see review

Jun 09, 2011

Samantha Adkins rated it

A lively tale involving four fascinating female characters. Brilliantly researched, beautiful phrasing, and overall extremely entertaining.

· see review

Jul 13, 2010

Kate rated it

Shelves: canadian, novels, for-work, published-2000s

Fun at times, and interesting for the history, but I didn't really understand the... point of it?

· see review

Jul 08, 2010

Rhea Tregebov rated it

Fascinating history of this period.

· see review

Jan 28, 2012

Peter rated it

A delight.....

· see review

Jul 19, 2011

Carrie Marcotte rated it

Shelves: canadian-literature, giller-list, historical-fiction, library-book

What an enjoyable book written in a unique way. Love the story of women factory workers during war-time.

· see review

Feb 08, 2012

Lisa marked it as to-read

Feb 04, 2012

Mandie marked it as to-read

Jan 22, 2012

Bev Cadene rated it

Jan 18, 2012

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Jan 16, 2012

Sue rated it

Dec 10, 2011

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Dec 09, 2011

Shannon rated it

Shelves: book-list-2010

Nov 04, 2011

Eileen rated it

Oct 21, 2011

Terry marked it as to-read

Oct 05, 2011

Colleen is currently reading it

Sep 25, 2011

Valerie marked it as to-read

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Aug 25, 2011

Tamara marked it as to-read

Shelves: amazon

Aug 19, 2011

Sarah marked it as to-read

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About Jeanette Lynes

Jeanette Lynes is an award-winning author and has published half a dozen collections of her poetry, as well as both appearing in and editing several anthologies. The Factory Voice is her first published work of fiction.

She has served in writer-in-residence positions in Saskatoon and Dawson Creek, BC. She holds a Ph.D in English from York University and an MFA in Creative Writing from t...more

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