The September Girls by Maureen Lee

The story starts off, with the Gaffrey family, Colm, the father, Brenna, the mother and is heavily pregnant with their third child, Fergus, aged six and Tyrone, aged four. Having taken a risk and been too trusting, they now find themselves stranded at Liverpool docks. Just off the ferry from Ireland.

As it is mentioned in the book, there are better ways off starting a new life, like not sending the money ahead to Colm’s brother Paddy. This shows a good life lesson, of not being too trusting.

This story also shows, things are not always as they seem, especially in the case of Marcus and Eleanor Allardyce.

The story has a quick, strong and solid start, it goes straight into, where the two women, one being Brenna, who is rescued by Nancy, the Allardyce’s house keeper, and the other being Eleanor, are having their babies, Sybil Allardyce and Cara Gaffrey, and as the month is September, hence the title of the book. Interweaved into this part, we find out about both of the mother’s backgrounds, it all cleverly slots together.

It is sad to read about, how the nuns treat the two boys, Fergus and Tyrone, it surely wouldn’t be allowed nowadays.

As I read on, it turns out, Paddy, who due to an unfortunate incident his life had ended, but not until after, he had acquired a bit of good luck, that will change the Gaffrey family’s circumstances for the better. It is nice to read this, but can it undo all the bad feelings towards him for his behaviour? Answer is ‘Yes, it can’, now the family have found out Paddy’s surprise for them.

This story is a very good example of, ‘money can’t buy you happiness’. Brenna is happy, but she hasn’t got a lot, but what she has, she is going to love it, and be satisfied with her lot in life.

On the flip side, to prove the point further. Marcus has the money he craved, but his life is an unhappy one.

It is good to see the story make this point, as it proves, ‘money isn’t everything in life, yes it helps, but you can still be optimistic and positive, with very little money, as Brenna is most of the time. I just hope what little luck there is, lasts.

This book highlights the progress in educating children with special needs, which has developed over the years since the pre- second world war era, in the 1920s. education as a whole has come a long way since then as well. It is good to acknowledge.

In this story, just because Marcus is unhappy, it doesn’t give him the right to play a very dangerous game, to fantasise about another woman is not the correct thing to do. Especially as both are married.

I am glad to see eventually, they find out what is the matter with Anthony, the Allardyce’s oldest son, before it was too late. It is also good to see him get the help he needs as well.

There is one part that seemed strange to me. It is written that Paris is easily reached on the night train, from London, by Lily, Eleanor’s friend, who spends most of her time in London. The logistics of getting to Paris by the night train, seems impossible, as there was no channel tunnel in the 1920s. there were Ferry’s and you would have to travel by train from the ferry port to Paris. Getting to Paris back then wouldn’t have been as easy as it is today. I have heard of ‘Boat trains’, where the train was driven on to the boat and ferried across to foreign ports, but I am not sure they were around in the 1920s, when this story is set.

There is a funny part at the very beginning of chapter four, which made me wonder, ‘Does any woman, like being told she is in the wrong? answer ‘No, she does not’. Brenna sticks to that stereotype really well.

One part in chapter four, made me gasp and hasn’t stood the test of time, over the years since the 1920s, but for this book it adds a bit of realism to it. The part where Colm, states to himself that, his new friend Elizabeth, Lizzie for short, Phelan, ‘was the cleverest person he had ever met, despite only being a woman’. How times have changed, for the better, which is reassuring to see.

After a settled, but shaky start to the book, the lives of the main characters, are not perfect, but they all know where they stand, until all of a sudden, it seems their lives take a turn for the worse. This happens quickly and close together, like the stories have been building up, only to end in a big bang for Brenna and Eleanor.

It shows, whether you are rich or poor, lives can be parallel to each other, and money can’t buy you out of some problems, this is a good life lesson.

If you lose track of the story, it can be confusing, as to whose house the two women are in, but you can soon pick it up as to what is happening.

The story, all of a sudden, jumps years, where Cara and Sybil are celebrating their seventh birthdays. A lot has happened, but the story, only tells us what is in the now, and there is not much explanation as to how, it got to be how it has progressed.

It is a shame to read about Tyrone’s antics. This shows things were different, in all sorts of ways back in the 1920s. We know lads today, get up to mischief, but it is in another way, befitting to more modern times, nowadays.

In part two, the story jumps again to when Sybil and Cara are now 19 years of age. Again a lot has changed, including Tyrone, who is now married to Maria. Although the story is about the two girls, as they were born in September, and as per the title of the book, the story is mostly about their lives, so to cover too much about the other siblings, the book would warrant another title.

The second world war is about to start, during the part of the story where Neville Chamberlain, is announcing the start of the war, there is a throwaway line, where it comes to light that Brenna’s old neighbour Katie Macbride, had passed away a few years back. I originally read about Katie in the story, when she did a ‘Fortune telling’ reading for Brenna. Brenna just wondered now if Katie would have predicted the war was going to happen. Although this all together is to set up the news that Katie has passed away, but it does seem to me that the character in the book was forgotten, and to suddenly be remembered again, for the purpose, of just saying, whether she would have predicted the atrocity that was unfolding.

As the story of the war continues, Cara and Sybil, have joined up. the story gives a frank and realistic insight into army camp life, during the girls training. This is a good thing, and helps us understand how life was in the army for women.

I like initiative shown, when a bus journey was taken instead of them doing the 20-mile march.

When Cara and the rest of the girls were on the bus, and when Cara returns to Liverpool by train, there is a lot of singing going on. This seems over the top, but if that is what happened to keep spirits up, the singing had to be included in the book, so to keep it truthful, for what went on in the war.

The war carries on, and after some leave in Liverpool, Cara is back in the billet with two other girls from the previous camp, Cross and Fielding.

They are learning to drive, and it is made apparent, that Fielding is short in statue. A funny part is described as people move out of the way, when she is driving, because the vehicle looks driverless.

Cara is now in Malta and her life moves on at a fast pace, meeting Christopher (Kit for short) Farthing, making a commitment, without telling her family. It is nice to read, Sybil, agree to the invite, despite her mind being Liverpool. The fact that there is a connection between the two girls cannot be denied, even if they don’t see eye to eye. This is made very clear in the story.

Most, if not all have heard of Churchill, and what he successfully achieved during the second world war, but it is not clear, what parliamentary party he belonged to. This book implies ha was a labour party prime minister, but I have since found out, through research, he was actually a conservative one, with labour’s Clement Attlee as his Deputy. This makes this book very interesting and got me thinking more about Churchill, other than what is more commonly known about him. The party he belonged to seemed irrelevant, until the story, made me aware, that we have a party politics system. This intrigued me enough, so I wanted to find out. I like the fact this story made me ask a question, I never before realised I wanted to ask and say ‘Which party in politics did Churchill belong to?’

It turns this book, for me into a fascinating read.

As the war story in the book is progressing, we hear more about Cara’s brother Fergus’s time in France. As this affects Cara’s family it is fair to hear more about, what he is referred to as a war hero, which he is because he threw himself over a young lad in a ditch, during an air raid in France.

Cara’s life has now taken a severe, change of direction, having met Kit in Malta and with an, even more of a reason to marry him on the way. The story is written in such a way, that I felt I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for impending doom. Sadly, Cara returns to England alone. Some things that are meant to bring ‘Good luck’ don’t, or in the circumstances are at a loss.

With all the air raids bombarding Liverpool, it is good to see that life goes on, Cara, being in her predicament, shows that not everything evolves around the war, people just get on with their lives, as best they can.

It is nice to see that Fielding, survived the raid in Malta, which was a nice surprise to read, and Cara, being able to take her new born baby girl, Kitty, to meet her, was lovely in the beginning anyway, but we soon find out there is a war on and there are not, in this case, many good options available for injured service women returning home from the army. 

Brenna’s reaction is realistic, and in keeping with her character, but I could see why Cara couldn’t tell her mum what was happening in her life.

In chapter 12 we find out things have changed for Cara, some information has come to light, that is somewhat unexpected, and now Marcus is no longer in the picture, his legacy, throws up a generous gesture for Cara, much to the annoyance of Sybil. Whilst reading this chapter, it is strange, when I remember how they all met, and how far they have come.

As I read on, I see, that a father’s/ grandad’s urge to keep his daughter and grand-daughter safe is stronger than his desire to keep his actions a secret. Having sent Cara and Kitty to Lizzie’s flat, he can protect them, but at the cost of being found out. Cara has to contemplate her family’s future. I did question why he sent them, but I can see their lives are more important to him, than his other life.

This book never ceases to throw up surprises in amongst all the doom and gloom of the war, there is some good news, as life goes on, but some people may not see it acceptable life choices however, it is good to Brenna begin to realise at last, her children have grown up, into adults and that she no longer has control over them.

The story shows that, tragedy can occur, by any means, just because there is a war on it doesn’t mean a person who has enlisted in the army, gets killed by fighting the enemy. As we see in the story, just going to a party, sadly can be fatal.

Sometimes during this book, it is like the author has, all of a sudden, come up with an idea, but instead of going back and changing what she has already written, she writes the outcome and refers back to how it came about. During these parts, I forgot that this is a book actually written by someone, and going back and re-writing some of it, would have ruined the already smooth flow of the storyline. Some of it would have, run the risk of being, long-winded and over explained.

It was nice to see Cara find happiness and Sybil’s wedding day to come, at the end of this book, and I realised that Katie MacBrides predictions and Nancy’s ever helping hand were a constant, running through the storyline, and I hope Katie’s last prediction, comes true, it looks like it will, if it indeed, means the person Brenna thinks it does.

It seems also that Nancy’s work is done, the families are happy, independent and ready to embrace the new chapters in their lives. With the book ending on VE day things can only get better, and they don’t need Nancy anymore, sadly, just as well really.