The Quality Street Girls by Penny Thorpe

Happy Sunday!  Sunday is the day I feature a book that I was unable to when it was released. Before I do that, though, A Curio Killing by Mary Ellen Hughes and Fiddling with Fate by Kathleen Ernst are out today.  Wanda Brunstetter has just released An Amish Friends Christmas Cookbook with delectable recipes including pumpkin cinnamon rolls and blackberry pie.  The pictures will have your mouth watering.

The Quality Street Girls by Penny Thorpe takes readers back to October 1936.  Irene “Reenie” Calder is a farmer’s daughter who turns sixteen today and her birthday present from her mother is a job at Mackintosh’s Quality Street factory.  Reenie is excited about her new job, but rules and Reenie do not go well together.   She is quick to complete her work which does not earn her friends on the line.  She is always coming up with ideas for things to be done more efficiently and faster.  Then, she meets the Time and Motion man, Peter McKenzie and becomes fascinated with his job. 

 

Diana Moore has worked hard to rise in the factory, and she is now responsible for one of the lines in the factory.  Diana has a stepbrother who spends too much time in the local pub (on her dime), and she has a secret that if it came to light would have costly consequences.  Frances Roth, an overlooker at the factory, has resented Diana since they were children and would like nothing more than for her to get her comeuppance.  Mary and Bess are two sisters working on Diana’s line.  Mary is a worrier who watches over the flighty Bess.  Bess is the daring sister who enjoys spending time with Diana’s troublesome stepbrother, Tommo. 

 

An accident at the Quality Street factory causes them to shut down the machines which could mean no sweet treats in the shops for Christmas buyers. The ladies will need to work quickly if they are meet the demand.  A vengeful foe threatens all of them and all they hold dear.  Will there be a Merry Christmas for the Quality Street Girls?

 

The Quality Street Girls is a sweet story.  I enjoyed reading this historical novel which took me back to the late 1930s in Halifax.  There are historical references that capture the time period such as King Edward VIII stepping down for the women he loved, Wallace Simpson.  Reenie Calder is a go getter with a bright outlook. She has spark and gumption.  She is full of ideas which are not well received at the factory.  I just loved her enthusiasm.  Diana is a strong woman with more responsibility and, of course, her secret.  I enjoyed watching these two diverse women evolve.  Of course, Frances Roth is a bitter woman (there has to be a villain) who spends her days plotting ways to cause trouble (such a shame).   It was interesting learning about the Quality Street chocolates.  This is the first novel that I have read by Penny Thorpe and it will not my last.  I found The Quality Street Girls to be a fascinating story with mouthwatering confections, family strife, inventive ideas, high spirits, and hard working women.

I hope I have introduced you to a new author and book today.  The Quality Street Girls is available through Amazon (Amazon UK).  I am sharing my thoughts on Wonton Terror by Vivien Chen.  It is the fourth A Noodle Shop Mystery.    Thank you for visiting today.  I hope you have a fulfilling day.  I am off to order some chocolates from Russell Stover (this book has me hankering for milk chocolate english walnut & pecan clusters).  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader