Jeannie's War by Carol MacLean

Title: Jeannie’s War
Author: Carol MacLean
Publication: Hera Books, ebook, 2022
Genre: Historical Fiction
Setting: WWII Scotland

Description: It is 1939 and the country is now at war with Germany. Jeannie Dougal lives with her widowed mother and siblings on Kiltie Street in the Glasgow tenements. Her younger brother and sister have been evacuated to the countryside with other children while 15-year-old Kathy yearns to be grown up and is cruising for a bruising. Their older brother Jimmy has joined the army and Jeannie wants to do her bit for the war so she gets a job at a factory making washers and bolts. This is against the advice of her new beau, Arthur Dunn, who has rushed Jeanie into an engagement. Jeannie is surprised by his zeal as they barely know each other but she is flattered by the attention of a man from an affluent family, not suspecting he primarily wants her to keep an eye on his frail mother when he is gone. Although the hours are long and the factory work is difficult, Jeannie makes three friends, Eileen, Janet, and Annie, all with their own challenges. These friendships become very important to Jeannie as she tries to navigate her engagement, Kathy’s secretive behavior, difficulties at work, and Bill, a persistent Canadian soldier who’s an immediate hit with her family.

My Impression: This book is part of a subgenre of British historical fiction set during WWII that focus on women and their families on the home front, often a series about sisters or a group of friends who may be working together or from the same community, coping with the challenges of war. In some books of this type by Lilian Harry or Katie Flynn, the characters may not have much money but there is a warmth and camaraderie that compensates for inadequate finances. The books evoke a nostalgia for a time when people knew their neighbors and looked out for each other, staying cheerful despite hard times. I liked Jeannie’s War because it was not always predictable: in particular, the handsome, well-off young man interested in Jeannie does not behave like a hero:

Arthur opened the door and she ran into his arms. She pressed herself against him, glad of his solid warmth, and raised up on tiptoe to kiss him. For a moment, he returned the pressure of her lips before pushing her away.

“Mother will see us,” he said. “Let us not be unseemly.”

Jeannie was deflated. They hadn’t seen each other since New Year. Surely, they were allowed a kiss?

Hello! Every other soldier in Britain is trying to get married before he is deployed or at least have a good time whenever he has leave, so it is distinctly odd that Arthur acts as if quiet Jeannie is a more-thanner when all she wants is a kiss or two. Of course, it’s a warning to Jeannie to break the engagement but she is inexperienced, plus thinks she is irrevocably committed. Unfortunately, her mother is dazzled by Arthur’s middle-class status so does not provide a much-needed voice of reason and Jeannie is hesitant about asking her new friends for advice.

Munitions Factory, 1941

I appreciated that the author didn’t hide the fact that Jeannie’s work at the factory is difficult and stressful, and not merely a vehicle to bring lively friends into the story. However, the work and new acquaintances help Jeannie mature, which is necessary if she is going to challenge her domineering fiancé.  Jeannie’s new friends bond over work but have secrets or troubles of their own – Annie is deeply ashamed of a family member and Eileen is convinced her parents are indifferent to her. The only jarring note is when Eileen reflects that it is only “her emotional needs that went unmet” – this seemed an anachronistic attitude and phrase when everyone else in the book is keeping a stiff upper lip! Minor characters are well depicted: the elderly woman who gives Isa and Bob a home when they are evacuated to Perthshire (you know I like evacuation stories); the critical supervisor at the factory who makes Jeannie cry; and my favorite, annoying Mr. Woodley, the air raid warden who always seems to be dropping by to criticize but it turns out he has a crush on Jeannie’s mother.

This is my eleventh book in the 2022 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge hosted by Marg at The Intrepid Reader.

Source: I was provided a copy of this book by Rachel’s Random Resources for review purposes.  Visit other stops on the tour:

Purchase Links: Book Depository * Amazon * B&N.com * Kobo

Munitions Factory photo courtesy of https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/474989091921986119