The Waterway Girls

Waterway Girls #1

by Milly Adams

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.

Genres: Historical Fiction

520 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 7, 2017

Reviews

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good read. The characters are well written and the amount of research done for the book was incredible. I was a bit disappointed with the ending as it all seemed to be wrapped up in a couple of pages but then I read the note at the back in which the author says she hopes readers enjoy the series, so I'm expecting another book to follow because we really need to know what happens to the people we've traveled through the story with.
I have to mention that there is a lot, and I mean a lot, about the canals, their workings and also the boats themselves. There is a page at the front explaining some of the terms used and I had to keep going back to check what I was reading. It did get a bit tiresome and once or twice I felt a bit bogged down with all the information.
Having said that if there is a follow on I will definitely read it as I want to know what happens to Polly and Verity. Does romance work out for them? Does Joe settle down and what becomes of Bet?
Hopefully these questions will be answered.

[Joanna Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic book, I loved the way the relationships between the girls grew and also how they were accepted by the 'boaters'. Initially I was a bit put off by all the narrow boat terms and descriptions of procedures, but after the first few chapters this grew less and I enjoyed being in the company of the waterway girls.

[Lisa Guiry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely light read. Enjoyed the storyline and all the characters messed well together. I didn't get bored at all through this as i taught id might as it's over 500pages. But i really liked this book alot.

[Emma Crowley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arrow publishing, an imprint of Penguin Random House, are really on the ball at the moment with their historical sagas as everything I have read from them lately I have really enjoyed. I'm a big fan of Nancy Revell's Shipyard Girls series and now have discovered the wonderful writing of Milly Adams in her new series The Waterway Girls. It often strikes me how can authors find another aspect of World War Two to write about that hasn't been written abut over and over? But here Milly Adams has written of a facet that I had never heard of before and it was great to not just read of the same story told over and over again.

The Waterway Girls of the title were the women employed by the Ministry of War Transport's Women's Training Scheme to work the canals during war time. They were trained up and then transported all manner of goods, materials and equipment needed in the long fight to defeat Hitler. The women worked the canals from London to Birmingham in this case and their stories were brought to life in a most realistic, engaging and interesting way that soon I was lost in the story and enjoying every bit of it.

It is October 1943 and Polly Holmes originally from Woking in Surrey feels like she is finally beginning to do something useful for the war effort. She has enlisted and with further training and several canal trips under her belt she should see herself qualified to work the waterways alongside other strong and willing women. Life on board the long motorboats will prove to be anything but easy but Polly is willing to take everything on board and relishes the many challenges ahead. Her twin brother Will had been killed in action several months before and life at home for her family has not been the same since. Her mother has descended into this frenzy of needing to have everything perfect while all signs of her son have disappeared from her home. Her mother doesn't want Polly to volunteer but needs must and for Polly's own sanity she wants to break away from the confines of home. Her father can retreat to the solitude of his allotment and shed and Polly feels she needs that release as well only her chosen option is very different.

From the outset I loved Polly's character. She wasn't the strongest of people when we first meet her but over the course of the book she gained plenty of strength, guts and determination. I don't think she knew quite the rough ride that was in store for her but she dealt with everything with good grace. Time and commitment are needed for the job along with the ability to work alongside each other in close quarters and with the canals being the crucial arteries for the transport of so much vital goods and equipment women made of stern stuff were needed. It was enjoyable to read of the changes Polly and her co workers under went with plenty of drama's thrown in along the way to keep readers on their toes.

Polly throws herself into all aspects of the job and she soon feels being on the waterways makes her part of a different world. Really it was dramatically different from anything she had ever known and I thought Milly Adams writing was so rich in detail that very in depth research must have been undertaken before she even began writing the book. It was very useful to have a map of the waterways at the front of the book but also a glossary of terms associated with the canals. Normally this would put me off reading a book as I would think the story would be too heavy if a glossary was necessary but here it really was such a useful addition. I found myself referring back and forth many times in order to understand certain terms better and to enhance the picture I was building up in my head. Polly works alongside Bet (Elisabeth) Burrows who is in charge of the boat and overseeing the training of the girls. She was a real mother figure yet at the same time she commanded respect as she was the boss and the one with the most experience. I liked how Polly and fellow co-worker Verity Clement gave the respect and understanding Bet required yet at night times when they wanted to let their hair down after a hard days slog Bet joined in and relaxed and became their friend. Bet knew when was the time to be serious and get the job done well and safely and when was the time to relax and enjoy the brief moments of respite and pleasure.

As for Verity she was a character who took me a very long time to warm to, she blew so hot and cold and the argy bargy and comments back and forth between herself and Polly at times did little to endear herself to me. She came from a privileged background but clearly she was running/escaping from something that had deeply affected her in that she attempted to put the past behind her and not discuss anything that had gone on. It took me quite some time to realise that her prickly, abrupt manner was all a front and that with time, patience and a series of incidents which would make the women a tight unit that maybe Verity would come out from her shell of hardness and smart comments and be the nice person she had been before. Her abrasive attitude certainly covers a slight lack of confidence coupled with a deep rooted unhappiness.

If the women had gotten along all the time and life was always a bed of roses on the canal it wouldn't have made for much of a book. Coupled with this, the fact Milly Adams throws in lots of little sub plots featuring the people who have worked the canals all their lives prior to the war and the arrival of the women makes for a very good read. Saul, Jack and Ganfer of the Swansong made appearances every now and again but as I suspect with real life at the time there was a slight distance between the regular workers of the canals and the people who were viewed as the newbies or imposters. I did think the inclusion of these characters and their story lines made the book even more gritty and true to life.

The only fault I found with the book was that I felt the mid section became quite repetitive, it seemed to go on a bit with nothing much happening bar repeating what the girls got up to on a daily basis like opening the locks or cleaning this and that. I understand the detail needed to be there and life at the time was probably repetitive, tough and strained but I felt it made the mid section drag slightly. Also despite having the glossary at some points I became confused and overwhelmed with all the terms and it just became a bit too much for me. The story became bogged down in technical terms before the last section focused more on the personal side of things. Pushing these issues aside I would recommend The Waterways Girls, it is ideal for fans of Daisy Styles and Nancy Revell.

I became fully invested in the lives of Polly, Bet and Verity and I loved seeing the transformations they were undergoing. They were completely different characters by the time I reached the end of the book and I felt I had been with them every step of the way and battled every emotion just as they did day in and day out. The fact I did feel I had travelled back in time to a point in the war that many people more than likely don't know about is testament to the accomplished and impressive writing from the author. The Waterway Girls ended on a cliffhanger with plenty of unanswered questions which guaranteed there will be a return visit in the future and I for one will definitely be back to see how things pan out for a group of women I loved spending time with.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book depicting war work on the canals,facing hard work and rationing the girls work together although they have their ups and downs they do become firm friends.I love to read of the different war work that the girls and women undertook to help the war effort,well done to Milly Adams well worth 5*

[Elizabeth Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having just read another book about the role women played during WW2, I was drawn to this title. I found the book too technical initially, due to my ignorance of canals and locks, but it is essential to the story and to be aware of the hard work it entailed. Not one to give up on a book I ploughed along and quite enjoyed it. Well done to the author for the research, and well done to the women who pulled together during the war.

[Julie Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Waterway Girls recognizes darkness including war, deaths of loved ones, poverty, domestic violence, child abuse, and misogyny. But it does all of this with the nostalgia filter that speaks of courage, sacrifice, and doing one's but to uphold those fighting and especially the community left behind. I don't want to say that it's lighter toned but it does make individual contributions a central focus and moves the historical context from something that people are still faced with these days into something that was direct products of its time.

Polly Holmes has recently lost her twin brother and her fiance is also off fighting. Polly decides that she wants to help on the home front. She uses her training on boats to become a waterway girl. These were women who transported cargo from one place to another. Polly sails from London to Manchester but she doesn't travel alone. She travels with Bet Burrows, the sturdy lead and Verity Clement, an upper class woman with a severe attitude problem and buried secrets. The three women navigate their way through an unusual, detailed, and sometimes harsh environment, face disagreements with each other and focus on their own issues.

The Waterway Girls is the type of novel that blends the political and the personal. One way that Adams does this is by focusing on the setting. The time is marked by great change where many men fought in the war and others had to do their bit to support them like taking jobs, organizing air raid defense and shelters, joining home guard defense, gathering supplies, organizing entertainment, building gardens, hosting evacuees and many other ways.

However the book doesn't just focus on the war. It focuses on waterfront life. The various riverside towns and their people are brilliantly described but thankfully without making them cloying or overly sentimental. The book captures the duties, terminology, and socio-cultural lives of the people whose lives revolve around the river in which they live near.

The book also explores personal conflicts inhabited by the people involved. We see extreme poverty which causes many to resort to crime and violence to pay the bills. There is a subplot about an abusive man who threatens his family, particularly his young son who bonds with the protagonists.

The main characters are affected by the war and exposure to river life. Bet, Polly, and Verity are three of many people whose lives are irrevocably changed by fighting the war on the home front.

Because of this change, many previous lines are erased. Women gain physical strength, persevere despite stress, and gain agency. Bet is very knowledgeable about seamanship and is able to pursue these interests without being sidelined by male employers. She is able to command a boat and guide its crew and become the person that she always wanted to be.

Polly also gains independence and strength through her work. She turns her grief into action as she works to deliver cargo. Her interest in boating and waterfront life comes to practical use. Polly also uses her loss to empathetically bond with many of the people that she encounters, particularly in sharing their loss. Polly is someone who turned her tragedy into triumph.

By far the strongest character development is found in Verity. She comes from an upper class background which causes her to be initially sheltered and set apart from her colleagues. Her argumentative standoffish nature cost them one crew member before Polly’s arrival. Just as Polly has to learn independence, and Bet has to learn leadership, Verity has to learn how to be part of a team.

The Waterway Girls gives plenty of insights over how WWII was fought on the home front and how it changed the people who lived through it.

[Jaffareadstoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

When nineteen year old Polly Holmes leaves her home in bombed out London and joins a female crew of canal boat operatives in October 1943, she is little prepared for the changes that this decision will bring to her life. At first, due to an uncomfortable feud with Verity, a fellow crew member, Polly struggles to become accustomed to life on the canal. But gradually, under the watchful eye of skipper, Bet, the young crew members start to work together as a team and the arduous journey of taking the narrow boat from London to Birmingham is filled with excitement and adventure.

In The Waterway Girls the author brings together a group of feisty young women and describes vividly the hardships and trepidation that accompanied them on their canal journey. Life was tough, not just for the women who were recruited by the Ministry of Transport’s waterways training scheme, but also for the established canal folk who had, for so long, made the canal systems their home. Tensions run high and for Polly, Bet and Verity life on the canal is never without its complications.

Before reading this novel, I was unaware of the WW2 initiative of training women to crew canal boats in order to keep freight and other cargo on the move during the worst of the war years. Rather as the Land Girls kept the agricultural side of things going, so the Waterway Girls ensured that cargo and merchandise travelled safely from depot to destination, often in hazardous conditions.

I think that the author captures time and place really well and combines the descriptions of eventful life on the canals with the personal stories of the crew members. There is heartache a plenty ahead of them, but there is also a sense of hopefulness, as they each become accustomed to a new way of life.

The Waterway Girls is the start of a new saga series by this author and I am sure it will appeal to her many fans.

[Angela Sandford · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Waterway Girls showed me yet again, something I didn’t know about the 2nd World War - that women helped operate the canals.....and gruelling work it was for them too. Carrying vital wartime supplies up and down the waterways in narrowboats - working alongside the ‘boaters’

In this book, Polly signs up, after the loss of her twin brother. Bet, her trainer, gets her started immediately. Working alongside the very temperamental Lady Verity. Their first job is to deliver steel to Birmingham, and pick up coal on the way back. The job is tougher than Polly imagined. Blistered, bruised and with calloused hands. Operating the locks on a bike with a split saddle and constantly deflated tyres! Having to tow the butty (the boat being towed without an engine) by hand....by rope over the shoulder through the locks....it really was hard slog.

Would Polly ever really start to ‘feel’ anything again, after losing her twin Will? And why were Bet and Verity on the narrowboats? It seems she’s not the only one who’s here to grieve. And what about the boater Saul? She really thought she was starting to feel something.....is it love?......

Milky Adams has done a perfect job with providing the essential facts of the canals, along with a charming piece of fiction - I loved both with equal measure! Everything seemed so authentic, even down to the dialect. I particularly loved the “ow do” the boaters shouted to one another across the cut ( canal ) spot on! I will definitely look out for more of Milly Adams books 👍

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[CarolG · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay but not high on my list of favourites. The subject matter was unusual in that I had never heard about the "girls" who worked on the canals during WWII and the description of the conditions they worked under was really interesting. What they went through was absolutely admirable. In fact I got so curious I did a search on the internet and found some old pictures and some news articles about them. But the book just didn't do much for me. I didn't feel a connection with any of the characters and probably won't continue with the series. Also, I wasn't a big fan of the cover - I thought it was kind of cheesy. Another reviewer had referred to a book called The Shipyard Girls and when I looked it up, the cover was almost exactly the same - different author and publisher but nearly the same pose - and apparently there's also a Polly in that story. Strange. A lot of people seem to love this series so I suppose it's each to their own.

[Rob Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent read.

We live and work on our narrowboat al year round. Not anything like the old working boats in this book, writing software and my own attempts at canal books.
The picture painted in these pages gives a vivid imagining on what life would have been like for the Idle Women and the full time boaters.
With some romance,drama, and mystery thrown in for good measure, i found it a real page turner.
Onlly one small critique on the technical side:
"She raised the engine speed then released the throttle" - narrowboats don't have a throttle as such, this one line is misleading.
But i can forgive the author, she is only a 'banker' after all. ;^)

[LINDA HADDOCK · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nilly Admas

This is the first book I've read by Milly Adams. It was an ok book.It was very interesting to read about water ways woman as never heard of them before. What a slog these ladies had, hauling loads of coal, wood etc from port to port for the war effort. I truly admire them.
As for the writer of the book,not sure about her as yet, will have to try and read other books by her. I felt that I was losing my way in the book several times and didn't hold my interest for long but persevered with it. I understand that there are more books in this series so will be interested in these and see if I can get to grips with them better

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the plot has promise, and the characters could perhaps grow as the book progresses, but I only made it 16% of the way through (thanks to Kindle for the specificity). I battled through poor writing (inconsistent character voices) and lazy editing (not just typos, but disconnected character responses) until the 'phonetic' transcription of the boaters' accents turned me off completely. Tidy it up and remove the patronising 'oos' instead of 'us' and I'll give it another go.

[Nat Newman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is so overstuffed with factoids that it's almost impossible to read. I stuck with it because I'm interested in the history but oh my gods, what a gruelling effort. Also, it's hard to tell who the audience is. Some things seem to be aimed at a YA reader, but then it would switch to a more adult voice. Potentially the writing improves as the series progresses but I'm not sure I have the wherewithal to find out.

[Jane Bunting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed learning about how the canals helped with the war effort. I didn't know that young ladies did this hard job during the war.
Total respect to those that actually did the job in the war, I hope their families are proud of them.
This story is thought provoking, it shows how working together, learning about each other, valuing others, helped the girls to get through hard times and definitely hard work. Wonderful story

[Trudie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this! Hooked from the very first page I struggled to put this down. one page made me smile, another made me cry. This has been so beautifully written that I really could believe I was there with Polly and Verity on their narrowboat and butty. I am so glad that the 2nd in the series is released soon and that we won't have to wait long for the 3rd either! I can't wait!

[Leanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three strong and firey females are the protagonist in this story and I liked them all. The characters are well written and the plot is full of information. I enjoyed how much research has been put into this and the boating terms. I had a hard time switching off because I kept thinking about what would happen next in the life's of Polly, Verity and Bet.

[Booklover BEV · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

Enjoyed reading this book loved all about the canals a truly delightful read and look forward to the next in the series

[Peter J Nicolls · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good easy read.

[Carmen Rotaru · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful story describing the lives of the waterway girls, the friendship, the hardship and the war effort made by these strong young girls.

[Sharon Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Found this boring

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

so enjoyed this book, read it in two days, all ready started next one in series

[Lynn Hutchinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book set in 1943 about the girls who took over in the war from the regular boaters carrying coal etc on the canals. It was clearly a really hard, filthy job.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read, starting the second book of the series.

[Suzy Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this. Not so much for the romance side of it but for the history of how the girls worked on the waterways. I wasn’t aware of women working on the canals. Enlightening.

[Layla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though this is a WW2 fiction books and I love reading WW2 fiction.. I just couldn’t get into this book. May try again I the future...