A Christmas Wish for Land Girls

Land Girls #3

by Jenny Holmes

Winter, 1942. Land Girls Brenda and Una have relocated higher up the Yorkshire dales, to work on the remote hillside farms. Despite the bitter cold, there's warmth to be found in old friends and new faces - and plans for a cosy Christmas are afoot. But then a child evacuee goes missing in the snow, and everyone must rally round to find the boy before it's too late. The Land Girls fervently hope for a happy outcome... but will their wish come true this Christmas?

A heart-warming, romantic story of friendship, camaraderie and triumph over adversity that fans of Donna Douglas, Daisy Styles and Call the Midwife will adore.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

444 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2018

About the author

Jenny Holmes lives in a beautiful part of Yorkshire and sets her sagas in the industrial heartland nearby. She enjoys horse riding, gardening and walking her dog in the dales. She also writes children's books as Jenny Oldfield.

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved reading the Land Girls books and will be a little sad when they end but i must say well done to Jenny Holmes.The girls are still working hard but change is in the air Joyce wants to move on from fieldhead she wants a challenge.So off she goes to see Mrs Mostyn to ask then she finds that her friend Brenda also wants a move..As the girls work hard and meet new faces there is concern when young lad goes missing during freezing temperatures,There is also a moment of fear when two young people argue and evie runs from cliff only to end up trapped but help comes in the shape of Joyce's farmer Laurence and his dogs.I will recommend these books as they are excellent.5*

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved reading the Land Girls books and will be a little sad when they end but i must say well done to Jenny Holmes.The girls are still working hard but change is in the air Joyce wants to move on from fieldhead she wants a challenge.So off she goes to see Mrs Mostyn to ask then she finds that her friend Brenda also wants a move..As the girls work hard and meet new faces there is concern when young lad goes missing during freezing temperatures,There is also a moment of fear when two young people argue and evie runs from cliff only to end up trapped but help comes in the shape of Joyce's farmer Laurence and his dogs.I will recommend these books as they are excellent.5*

[Sandy McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent Christmas read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful story set in Yorkshire during World War 2. It focuses on a group of Land Girls, their romances, as well as life on remote farms in the Dales over Christmas.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel, apparently a wartime saga about a group of girls working and living together, is taken a step further by this exciting and dramatic plot. A group of Land Girls has already been set up, with their romances, hard work and fearsome situations, living in and near a small town, in previous novels. In this book the land girls become dispersed, with two members moving to a distant village and farms which are indeterminate distances away from habitation. New characters are added which show different sides of the wartime experience. While there are shortages of some basics, absent friends and other elements of the wartime experience, this is not a war novel as such, but there is much to involve a reader with an interest in the period.
Joyce is one of the strongest characters in the previous novels, as she is a sensible and sympathetic land girl, working on farms where she has much experience and knowledge. Her romantic relationship does not feature heavily in this book, but her security allows her to understand and help others. She chooses to go further afield, to a farm where the farmer is taciturn and has a much younger, silent wife. Brenda also continues to be the most mobile land girl, for while she has found an isolated farm with a farmer and his spoilt daughter she also manages to retain and use her trusty motor bike. The worse tragedy happens involving a friend, and she can only remain steadfast in the face of sorrow. The two girls become involved in the life of the very small village, with a charming young vet and others. There is a rather stern Vicar, who is housing an evacuee with problems. One of the new characters introduced is Evelyn, a worker with the trees and countryside around. As with many of these books, dramatic events punctuate the book, with a rather exciting climax.
This is a genuinely engaging book, which keeps the reader thoroughly involved and intrigued. This type of book depends on the strength of the characters, and this book succeeds apparently effortlessly in making the reader feel invested in the people in this story. The characters are varied, with all their faults and strengths well described, and feel very human. Even the minor characters on the edge of the narrative have their interest and value, from their reactions to events and their development. The plot is simple, where even minor events assume great significance as they affect people that the reader feels genuine interest and involvement with throughout the book. Other characters from the previous novels make their entrances, especially as they coincide with Joyce and Brenda. Social events, emergencies and upheavals see people discovering much about other people, not always positive traits, but also some great strengths. Despite the title it is certainly about far more than the immediate Christmas season being more about a period of several months in local lives. This allows the situations and characters to really develop, and it is certainly not limited to a sentimental season. I enjoyed this book immensely, even the bleak parts, and I recommend it as a good, fairly escapist read.

[Shreedevi Gurumurty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winter, 1942. Brenda and Joyce are just two of the girls who have joined the Women’s Land Army and are doing their bit for the war effort. But after months working on farms in the Yorkshire Dales, they’re looking for a fresh challenge.Despite the bitter cold of their new billets high in the remote fells, their fear for those away fighting, and concern for family and friends, there is warmth to be found in faces old and new, and plans for a jolly Christmas are afoot.But when a child evacuee goes missing in the snow and tragedy strikes close to home, can their dearest wish – that all their loved ones stay safe this Christmas – possibly come true?The farmwork placed upon the shoulders of women was strenuous, nothing like many had done before.During WWII, Land Girls spent a large part of their time looking after different farm animals. In many cases Land Girls had to feed motherless lambs and sheer sheep.Other tasks included recording the yields of the cow to delivering the milk to the local community. This again shows the level (and range) of responsibility which a typical Land Girl had on her shoulders as well as illustrating some of the skills which she would have developed over the years.Dealing with animals was a mixed experience for the different Land Girls. For those who had come from a country background, then working with animals came ‘second nature’ to them. However, for those ‘town gals’, working with animals was another kettle of fish! 'Flax growing’ was the growing of a 5 petal light blue flower with a stem of 3-4 feet. This plant was then manufactured into linen (a strong and durable fabric) in the factory, which was key for the production of clothes, during times of shortages. The plant was brought in from farmers, stacked in barns and sent to the factories for threshing.The Land Girls’ role was to pull the plant from the ground and prepare the plant for the factories.Other work around the farm included the cutting and laying of hedges. Land Girls cleared waste land and ditches and cut back trees.Market gardening is growing produce to sell.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book.
The author based a lot around what she knew from her mothers stories about being in the Land Girl’s!

Tales of wonderful friendships and support in bleaker times.

I love how the characters are introduced at the beginning of the book. It’s so easy to fall in love with them all, only to be dashed by some of their ‘true colours’ as the story unfolds.

It reminded me of ‘Call The Midwife’, I think it may be down to the sense of camaraderie.

Everyone has a battle of their own going on besides the obvious one, being WW1, there is love, loss, lies and heartache. Beautifully written, i absorbed it all and didn’t want to put it down.

In the end it made me smile and pleased to have read it.

[Nicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gentle tale of Land Girls in the Yorkshire Dales in the middle of the Second World War. This book shows how hard the girls worked and the sometimes primitive living conditions they endured. It also throws in the requisite romances, although there is a twist in the tale for one love affair. Throw in an unhappy evacuee and a family tragedy and you've got a full set of drama for these plucky girls.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oddly, my library doesn't have the first 2 in this series. However, this book easily stands alone, with only a couple of references to past events.

In this story, 2 of the land girls move on to other posts in another area not far from where the earlier books are set. There they meet a lumberjill, an evacuee, and the families of the farmers they are working for.

[Mummalovesbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice easy festive read.
I’m not a fan of book series and there were a few too many characters for my liking but I enjoyed the main characters and the storyline.
I love books set in this time era and I liked the setting.
A nice pleasant read.

[Paige Slater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the character and especially alma who lived in fear. Wish they moved joyce downstairs once they formed a friendship same with Brenda.
Never would of guessed the ending that was shocking and I couldn't stop reading which the middle of the book was the same.

[Jean Walton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tale that reminds us that things have been tough for this country before but we got through two world wars and I think we'll win the war on Covid-19 too if we pull together. There were ups and downs in this story but ultimately I found it quite uplifting.

[Angharad Elin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice festive, easy read, although perhaps too many characters, as I struggled to remember who was who. You always know that there are too many characters when there is a Character Guide at the beginning of the book 😁

[Tiffany Hebron · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant tale. I really enjoyed it

[Pauline Chamberlain · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good saga easy to read and follow

[Vanessa-Ann Dowsett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have really loved this series. I wonder if there is to be a forth as there was an authors note at the end. Would like to find out how the ladies get on.

[Pat Langhelt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book kept me up till late last night to finish it

[Joella Hawkswell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as well written as the first one, the story was a little dull although I usually love series books that follow a trail of characters.

[Gaynorplatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

Amazing read love this Arthur the books are easy reads and you get lost in the times as if you were there

[Erika Jayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a first for me by this author but won't be my last!

Winter, 1942. Brenda and Joyce are just two of the girls who have joined the Women’s Land Army and are doing their bit for the war effort. But after months working on farms in the Yorkshire Dales, they’re looking for a fresh challenge.

However, moving to billets high up in the remote fells means fewer creature comforts – and new hardships. Brenda and Joyce are about to discover that they will need more than a stiff upper lip to get through the winter months . . . and the drama they simply can’t escape.

Despite the bitter cold, their fear for those away fighting and concern for family and friends, there is warmth to be found in faces old and new, and plans for a jolly Christmas are afoot.

But when a child evacuee goes missing in the snow and tragedy strikes close to home, can their dearest wish – that all their loved ones stay safe this Christmas – possibly come true?


I absolutely loved this story... a heart-warming romantic tale of friendship, fellowship and victory over adversity.

I didn't realise this was part of a series... and didn't feel as though I had missed anything, so this can be read as a stand-alone, but saying that... I'll be hunting down the previous books to find out what's gone on before this instalment.

I look forward to more of this author's work.

Thank-You Netgalley for my ARC.

[Amanda Gee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realise this was part of a series but can certainly be read as a stand alone.
A heart warming tale of friendship and victory in adversity. A well written story with fabulous characterisation, I would certainly read more by this author.

[Laurie Petrucci · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had high hopes for a cosy read but it fell very flat for me. Didn’t have much Christmas in it at all and just fell short in all ways for me. Having read a lot of this genre I suppose I have spoiled myself but still, not great.

Wouldn’t read again.