The Beantown Girls

It's 1944, and there is a war, and those topics alone typically stop me from reading certain books. SO MANY TIMES I've started reviews with, I'm not a "historical fiction fan but....." BUT, THIS BOOK. This has officially turned me into a HUGE historical fiction fan. I adored every character, I looked forward to reading it every night and rushed to get back to it. And I am SO MAD that it had to end. The emotions in this one are so easy to feel - I found myself laughing out loud, and my husband kept asking if I was getting sick. Oh the sniffles! I NEVER cry at books! What is happening to me! Oh, AND ... my all time most favorite thing on the planet: Food Trucks! Yes, my friends, World War II food trucks. I loved Band of Brothers, I will drop everything to read/watch/talk about it. It's not often I get really into war stories, but when you flat out fall in love with the characters - it's easy. And this book, a sort of Band of Sisters, but Red Cross girls, is something I really got into - and although I might have teared up during some really tight spots in the story, I flat out bawled when this book was over. It's real, it's gritty, it's relatable, it's full of all the feelings. A new favorite for sure! Fiona Denning is the captain of The Beantown Girls, a group of Red Cross Clubmobile girls that drive a (yes!) food truck throughout the war bringing doughnuts, coffee, candy and cigarettes, but most of all - much needed morale - to the soldiers on the front lines of the war. Fiona thought her life was all put together and headed in a pretty secure direction, when her fiancé Danny heads off to war and soon becomes missing in action. In the blink of an eye her entire life plan has changed. Along with her two best friends, Dottie, as shy musician, and Viv, an outspoken diva of sorts, the three Boston girls join the Clubmobile program and their entire lives change. For Fiona, she wants answers. What happened to Danny and where is he? And is he still alive? For the other girls, it's about finding themselves, a little adventure, and wanting to do something for those who are sacrificing so much. What they find is all of that and more - love, danger, friendship and just learning to live in the moment. I cannot even stress how great of a story this is. It's easily my favorite historical fiction book to date. The girls and the soldiers are forever embedded in my list of favorite casts of book characters. The story is at times terrifying and heartbreaking, but also so much fun as the girls are so easily lovable. The writing is fresh, and enticing and I devoured every word and wish there were more! Bravo Jane Healey!

This is the 2nd book by Jane Healey I've read & I enjoyed it very much. It's getting 4 stars simply because of one scene (spoiler alert!). Toward the end the "girls" and their driver happen upon a house in the woods on Christmas Eve. At first I was amused that the occupants were Elizabeth & her son Fritz (IYKYK). What a fun little homage to an amazing real event! But then the author lifts the story & rewrites the event using her own characters. I found that very disappointing and distracting.

I absolutely loved this book! This author is new to me, but I'm quickly catching up on all of her books. Jane Healey is an immensely talented writer; her talent for descriptive narrative is phenomenal. In Beantown Girls, I felt the dirt and the mud, the cold and the heat, the beauty of Paris and the glamour of the nightlife and the heartbreak of losing a warrior without ever leaving my chair. I can't wait to read more of this author's work

Great historical fiction story. I totally enjoyed it. It has drama, suspense, sadness and love.

This is the fourth Jane Healey book I’ve read. I really enjoy her subject matter and especially her writing style which brings the stories to life. I look forward to her next work.

Good. I’m not sure of the accuracy since they had plenty of food, coffee and tea in 1944 in London

I loved this book. I was captivated by the first page… and to know it was based on truth even more special.

I really enjoyed Healey's The Saturday Evening Girls Club, which followed the experiences of four young women in Boston in the early 1900s. And as a fan of historical novels set in World War II (such as Susan Elia MacNeal's Maggie Hope spy novels), it seemed like a no-brainer for me to buy The Beantown Girls, set in 1944. I'm glad I read it, but it doesn't measure up to Healey's earlier work. The basic setup: Three friends from Boston go to Europe as Red Cross Clubmobile girls. They have adventures. Or a little longer: Fiona's fiancee has gone missing, with his plane shot down in Europe. Frustrated that she cannot DO anything other than worry, she decides to join up to do something to help. One of the few options for an attractive college-educated young woman is to volunteer on what today we'd call traveling RVs, where the Clubmobile Girls distribute coffee, donuts, cigarettes, gum, and especially morale to soldiers. Fiona convinces her best friends, Viv and Dottie, to come along -- and so we readers vicariously learn about their training (the donut machines were horrible, with buckets of boiling lard), friendship and romances (look at all those handsome soldiers!), and struggles for respect and competence (not the least of which is learning to drive). And, of course, there is the ever-present worry about what happened to Fiona's fiancee, as well as the horrors of war. It's all a good premise, and Healey captures much of the experiences these women endured. (It helps, she adds in the appendix, that many of them wrote long letters home.) Some scenes in particular are excruciatingly eloquent, such as when a soldier sees children playing in a field that hasn't yet been swept for mines and runs over to shoo them away from danger... and moments later, there's nothing left of him but a half-eaten donut. I found myself willing to believe in -- and care about -- the characters. I certainly wanted all of them to be happy, and it didn't bother me too much that some of their situations were predictable. Yet I found myself cussing at the novel, for a few reasons. One is that the characters never sound like they're in the 1940s. Someone "channels her grief into her work," which is not an expression I heard from my parents' friends (all of whom were touched by WWII); and another character "reaches out to" someone else. Maybe those expressions WERE used, but it threw me out of the story. That wasn't the only irritation. Okay, I can accept that some women might go into this gig with the idea that it's her job to always be decorative and smile at the troops. But you're going into a war zone, Viv; did you really imagine that you could accomplish that while keeping your nail polish perfect? Yes, she changes, but I found it hard to believe someone would be that naive in expectations. But THOSE ARE QUIBBLES. I cared about the characters' fates. I learned about the Red Cross Clubmobiles, about which I previously knew nothing. The story engaged me enough that I went out of my way to manufacture Reading Time. So while I won't insist you buy this novel, I won't talk you out of it, either.

Loved this book so much!! It is a fictitious storyline with the characters, but the circumstances were real, and I had no idea that the Red Cross hired women to do this job! Very interesting, as well as entertaining, and I also appreciated the fact that the tragedies of war were not glossed over but included in the storyline even though it was often lighthearted.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book which I found to be realistic but also had a sense of humour

Doughnuts and coffee served in the middle of a war and amongst the worst of it - men soul-battered and body-wounded received so much pleasure with that touch of home. These women really existed it and though it might seem strange the idea is quite lovely and the author presents it exactly that way. These incredible women were an oasis - pure and simple. Though the book is also peppered with romance both in the idealistic way and also between the girls and the men they find and fall for along the way, it doesn’t detract from the incredible work these women did in the worst of circumstances. I found myself moved despite the predicable plot. The author presents us with bravery and it works.

I wasn't sure after reading the first couple of chapters but once the three main characters arrive in London during 1944 for their Red Cross training I was reeled into the story. I had never heard of the Clubmobile girls before and was fascinated to learn of their service during the war. I enjoyed reading about the friendships formed and felt Healey portrayed the fear and heartbreak of the time very well. My only issue was the dialogue that at times I felt didn't flow, but the research that went into the story and the plot made it a worthy read and I would highly recommend it.

This was a captivating story that I found difficult to put down. I have not read much historical fiction so was pleasantly surprised to be so engaged even through the gritty parts. This book would make a great movie which would further celebrate the brave Red Cross women behind enemy lines.