The Jam Factory Girls

Mary Wood

WHEN two factory girls form an unexpected friendship with the daughter of their boss, it binds them all together in ways they could never have imagined.

Inspired by her own early years in the East End of London, bestselling author Mary Wood sweeps us away to the struggles of three young women in London’s Bermondsey in the time leading up to the First World War for a story full of love, loss, hardship and hope.

Wood, who lives in Blackpool during the summer and Spain during the winter, worked in the probation service in both Lancaster and Blackpool and her hard-hitting and emotional historical sagas reflect her own experiences with people from all walks of life, helping her to bring a realism and grittiness to her writing.

In The Jam Factory Girls, it’s 1910 and we meet 18-year-old Elsie Makin whose alcoholic mother Kitty has to work on the streets because she has no other way to help feed and clothe her children. Two of Elsie’s brothers, 17-year-old Cecil and four-year-old Bert, are robust boys but eight-year-old Jimmy is always ailing.

HARD-HITTING STORY:
Mary Wood

Caring for her siblings and working long hours at Swift’s Jam factory in Bermondsey is exhausting but, thankfully, her lifelong friendship with workmate Dot Grimes, whose dad regularly knocks her about, helps to smooth over life’s rough edges.

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When Elsie and Dot – whose factory tasks involves the back-breaking work of washing jam jars and sorting through the fruit to be bottled ­– meet headstrong Millicent ‘Millie’ Swift, they are nervous to be in the presence of the boss’s daughter but Millie is eager to learn about jam making.

And against all expectations, Elsie and Dot are surprised to feel so drawn to Millie who is shocked to discover the conditions under which some of her father’s workforce live and the hardships they suffer on a daily basis. As their clandestine friendship grows, Elsie and Dot begin to wonder if two East End girls should be socialising in such circles but when disaster strikes,

long-held secrets are revealed which could change all their lives forever. Wood excels at storytelling and this hard-hitting tale is full of heartbreak, rich period detail, and the harsh realities of life in the early 20^th century as Elsie and Dot rely on their close friendship to see them through the best and the worst of times.

Written with insight, warmth and the empathy gained from the author’s years working with a cross-section of society, The Jam Factory Girls is an emotional rollercoaster from first page to last, and the perfect companion for winter nights.
(Pan, paperback, £7.99)