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Ally for Life
As the solitary Land Girl on a farm in 1940s New Zealand, Alice fights her own battles to prove her farming abilities while working alongside stern and heartless men. Being trampled by an escaped sheep only seems to confirm what her new boss presumed; she's useless. And being caught naked in the freezing pond was the last thing Alice needed...
But every war, big or small, has its victims, and despite an alcoholic mother and troubled past, Alice is determined not to be the victim again, ever. Can she trust the conscientious objector, Fergus? Are his feelings for her genuine, or is she part of a plan to escape the World War II soldier ballots? And will a winter storm be Alice's downfall or the impetus to discovering inner strength?
But every war, big or small, has its victims, and despite an alcoholic mother and troubled past, Alice is determined not to be the victim again, ever. Can she trust the conscientious objector, Fergus? Are his feelings for her genuine, or is she part of a plan to escape the World War II soldier ballots? And will a winter storm be Alice's downfall or the impetus to discovering inner strength?
352 pages, Paperback
Published November 22, 2022
13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 22, 2023
Charming and nostalgic, I loved this next instalment of the Kiwi Land Girls series 🐑
Alice’s journey is certainly not one I would’ve expected when first meeting her in Wings of Grace, but her growth and the friends she made along the way were a pleasure to read about.
Looking forward to the next one!
Alice’s journey is certainly not one I would’ve expected when first meeting her in Wings of Grace, but her growth and the friends she made along the way were a pleasure to read about.
Looking forward to the next one!
January 12, 2025
This was okay. Really, I can’t give it any more than that. It was pleasant enough, the sort of book to keep me occupied on a few rainy nights tucked up in bed.
Like the first book in the series, Wings of Grace, the characters and plot had a lot of potential. I could sympathise with aspects of Alice’s character as she fought to make a way for herself in a world dominated by men — which also happen to be the very thing she’s afraid of. She’s uncertain, shy and nervous, and it was heartening to see her growing in courage a little, however, the arc didn’t feel complete to me. She faces challenges, to be sure, but by the end of the book she still seemed much the same as she was at the start. I wanted to see a girl really proud of who she was and what she’d achieved, unashamed of herself. But I just didn’t get that picture.
And frankly, I was surprised at Alice’s choice of love interest and husband. She’s been a victim of sexual assault in the past, and for this I really felt for her. I was rooting for a kind, calm, patient man to come along and guide Alice to healing, but was Fergus that? Perhaps, but arguably not. For one, the guy gave me the creeps. If I have to hear one more time about the man’s “dimple smiling” at her, I’m gonna have to bang my head on a brick wall to erase the memory. The character was given hardly any other characteristics than having a dimple and winking at her a lot. I know the winking thing was supposed to make him friendly and familiar, but to me it did the opposite. In real life, if a man winks at me, especially one I don’t know, it comes across as really creepy. I wish the author hadn’t pushed the winking so heavily to make him seem romantic.
The other thing I hated about Fergus: he was forward. Like, really forward, considering Alice’s trauma at the hands of men. Within a few encounters with him, all of which were purely as colleagues, he comes up to her door at night, to ‘check she’s okay’, and then heavily suggests she let him ‘kiss her goodnight’. I was expecting — and hoping— Alice would run a mile at that, but she didn’t. I was surprised that she was unbothered by this plainly creepy coercion, and felt it was inconsistent with her character.
Fergus didn’t ask her feelings about anything, including the consummation of their new marriage when it occurred. I felt sorry for Alice, after what she had suffered, that there was no question or concern as to if she actually felt comfortable with doing it. He just went on ahead and luckily things turned out alright.
We’re told Alice is twenty-two, but often it felt as if she could have been twelve. Here’s a literal excerpt after the ‘goodnight kiss’, during her wonderings about love and marriage. ‘Fergus had kissed her. Did that mean he loved her?’ Really, I am flabbergasted. Just how old ARE we?
Ok, and the other thing that I admit irked me was Alice and Fergus’ response towards the war. I understand the viewpoint of conscientious objectors, and I think they were within their rights to object. I won’t go into that here. But it was Alice’s way of thinking. Somehow, in the book, getting married and owning land seemed to exempt a man from the fight? So she marries Fergus ‘to protect him’ and moves to a scrap of a farm with him, and here, she thinks ‘Fergus couldn’t be sent away. He was her husband.’ As if, by being a man’s spouse, she could somehow save him from war. Like, honey, no. How many young women across the globe had to farewell their husbands or sweethearts, sometimes never to see them again? They just had to face it, and it was horrible and unfair and heartbreaking. What made Alice so special, that by being her husband, Fergus would be free from that?
So I’ve complained about the romance a lot, and honestly I think it’s because this book would have been fine without it. I was all for seeing Alice blossom into a powerful and confident woman of her accord, without a man. What was disappointing too was that there seemed no resolving of her past trauma. I was expecting her to tell her husband about it eventually, and heal through that, but it was like it was just shamefully tucked away under the rug.
More of a focus on the other land girls would have been good, considering the series is titled ‘Kiwi Land Girls’. But the book occupied me for the few days it took to read. I think I’ll give the other books in the series a miss, though.
Like the first book in the series, Wings of Grace, the characters and plot had a lot of potential. I could sympathise with aspects of Alice’s character as she fought to make a way for herself in a world dominated by men — which also happen to be the very thing she’s afraid of. She’s uncertain, shy and nervous, and it was heartening to see her growing in courage a little, however, the arc didn’t feel complete to me. She faces challenges, to be sure, but by the end of the book she still seemed much the same as she was at the start. I wanted to see a girl really proud of who she was and what she’d achieved, unashamed of herself. But I just didn’t get that picture.
And frankly, I was surprised at Alice’s choice of love interest and husband. She’s been a victim of sexual assault in the past, and for this I really felt for her. I was rooting for a kind, calm, patient man to come along and guide Alice to healing, but was Fergus that? Perhaps, but arguably not. For one, the guy gave me the creeps. If I have to hear one more time about the man’s “dimple smiling” at her, I’m gonna have to bang my head on a brick wall to erase the memory. The character was given hardly any other characteristics than having a dimple and winking at her a lot. I know the winking thing was supposed to make him friendly and familiar, but to me it did the opposite. In real life, if a man winks at me, especially one I don’t know, it comes across as really creepy. I wish the author hadn’t pushed the winking so heavily to make him seem romantic.
The other thing I hated about Fergus: he was forward. Like, really forward, considering Alice’s trauma at the hands of men. Within a few encounters with him, all of which were purely as colleagues, he comes up to her door at night, to ‘check she’s okay’, and then heavily suggests she let him ‘kiss her goodnight’. I was expecting — and hoping— Alice would run a mile at that, but she didn’t. I was surprised that she was unbothered by this plainly creepy coercion, and felt it was inconsistent with her character.
Fergus didn’t ask her feelings about anything, including the consummation of their new marriage when it occurred. I felt sorry for Alice, after what she had suffered, that there was no question or concern as to if she actually felt comfortable with doing it. He just went on ahead and luckily things turned out alright.
We’re told Alice is twenty-two, but often it felt as if she could have been twelve. Here’s a literal excerpt after the ‘goodnight kiss’, during her wonderings about love and marriage. ‘Fergus had kissed her. Did that mean he loved her?’ Really, I am flabbergasted. Just how old ARE we?
Ok, and the other thing that I admit irked me was Alice and Fergus’ response towards the war. I understand the viewpoint of conscientious objectors, and I think they were within their rights to object. I won’t go into that here. But it was Alice’s way of thinking. Somehow, in the book, getting married and owning land seemed to exempt a man from the fight? So she marries Fergus ‘to protect him’ and moves to a scrap of a farm with him, and here, she thinks ‘Fergus couldn’t be sent away. He was her husband.’ As if, by being a man’s spouse, she could somehow save him from war. Like, honey, no. How many young women across the globe had to farewell their husbands or sweethearts, sometimes never to see them again? They just had to face it, and it was horrible and unfair and heartbreaking. What made Alice so special, that by being her husband, Fergus would be free from that?
So I’ve complained about the romance a lot, and honestly I think it’s because this book would have been fine without it. I was all for seeing Alice blossom into a powerful and confident woman of her accord, without a man. What was disappointing too was that there seemed no resolving of her past trauma. I was expecting her to tell her husband about it eventually, and heal through that, but it was like it was just shamefully tucked away under the rug.
More of a focus on the other land girls would have been good, considering the series is titled ‘Kiwi Land Girls’. But the book occupied me for the few days it took to read. I think I’ll give the other books in the series a miss, though.
December 17, 2022
After reading the first book in this land girls series, I was delighted to be able to read book two and continue my immersion in the authentic land girls' world set in 1940s New Zealand. I feel like 'Ally for Life' was even better than 'Wings of Grace' and its narrative drive had me wanting to turn the pages right until the very end. Again, I felt like the characters were well drawn and the farm details really helped me to envisage life as a land girl in New Zealand. I enjoyed the romance in the book very much and was able to relate well to Alice's adventure and her growth during her time in her new placement. In the last few pages, the excerpt from book three, 'Battle of Hearts,' reassured me that my land girls experience was not over and I can't wait to read the next one.
May 11, 2023
🐏Exciting work to do while the men are off fighting🐑
An interesting and at times exciting read, especially if, like me, you are interested in New Zealand and its history.
The best parts of this story revolve around the back breaking and sometimes life threatening work that the young heroine has to tackle as a New Zealand land girl
on a sheep station when most able bodied men are away fighting in World War II. For me, the challenges of the work and overcoming her fear of men when she's literally surrounded by them on the farm are what kept me interested. The romance was slow build and nice but I did not think it was all that memorable.
An interesting and at times exciting read, especially if, like me, you are interested in New Zealand and its history.
The best parts of this story revolve around the back breaking and sometimes life threatening work that the young heroine has to tackle as a New Zealand land girl
on a sheep station when most able bodied men are away fighting in World War II. For me, the challenges of the work and overcoming her fear of men when she's literally surrounded by them on the farm are what kept me interested. The romance was slow build and nice but I did not think it was all that memorable.
February 19, 2026
good read.
I love historical fiction and appreciate Tania Roberts’s ability to keep her great storyline moving and factual. I’m also thankful for those who stayed home to work the land and provide the soldiers and their families’ needs.
I love historical fiction and appreciate Tania Roberts’s ability to keep her great storyline moving and factual. I’m also thankful for those who stayed home to work the land and provide the soldiers and their families’ needs.
June 28, 2023
Well written, took a bit to get going but a nice novella. Could have had a bit more detail and length for me. The main character was quite engaging if not relatable in some ways. I found the background characters also could have been more rounded out in a longer book. I loved the history and new zealand touches.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews