Secrets of the Jam Factory Girls

Mary Wood 

THE close bond between two young women, born on opposite sides of the tracks, will be tested to the limit in the second book of an emotion-packed saga series from favourite storyteller Mary Wood.

Inspired by her own early years in the East End of London, Wood sweeps us back to the struggles of workers at a jam factory in London’s Bermondsey in the time leading up to the First World War for a another story full of love, loss, hardship and betrayal.

Wood (pictured below), who lives between Blackpool and Spain, 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 follow-up to The Jam Factory Girls, we move forward to 1912, and find that working class Elsie Makin has toiled her way up at Swift’s Jam Factory in Bermondsey from the shop floor to the top, and believes it’s now her time to shine. But when she is involved in an incident involving her wealthy half-sister Millie Swift’s new husband, Len, she is forced to keep it secret… the truth could threaten their sisterly bond.

Dot Grimes is dogged by fear, coming to terms with her mother’s rejection of her. She should be enjoying the happiness she craves with her beloved Cecil (Cess)… instead, she’s trapped in an asylum, haunted by the horrifying cries of inmates. 

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All she wants is to get married, but what chance is there for her if she’s locked away? And Millie, meanwhile, is trying to build a life with Len… but the man she loves is not all he seems. Can the factory girls create the future they all desire?

Wood excels at storytelling and this hard-hitting tale is full of heartbreak, drama, rich period detail, and the harsh realities of life in the early 20^th century as Elsie, Dot and Millie 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, this new visit to Bermondsey is an emotional rollercoaster from first page to last, and will leave readers longing for the next exciting chapter of the women’s lives.
(Pan, paperback, £7.99)