“‘You’d be surprised what wins a war, girls. Courage, bravery, fearlessness. Morale.'”
Cleethorpes, September 1940. Not a place I have previously visited, physically or figuratively, having not been familiar with the ‘Seaside Girls’ saga until this instalment. However, despite Jessie, Ginny and Frances being well established friends, each with their own intricate back-stories, by the time I had finished the first chapters, I felt they had very much welcomed me into their gang.
I love saga novels, although in such a well-established genre it must be really difficult to find ways to keep the stories fresh. Thankfully, that doesn’t seem to be a problem for Tracy Baines. We saga readers have seen brave women rising to all sorts of challenges in the midst of warfare, but I’ll be honest, I was intrigued to learn more about the experiences of performers during this time period. Singing, dancing and acting might not typically be seen as dangerous or particularly scary professions (unless you’re a massive introvert like me), but having to keep singing, quite literally keeping calm and carrying on, whilst bombs rain down outside the theatre walls, certainly isn’t for the faint hearted. Lucky for us (and London’s West End), Jessie is anything but.
“Sometimes it was hard to tell who were friends, and who were enemies. Sometimes they might be one and the same.”
Even though I was new to this saga, all of the characters had such rich histories and unique details that I instantly felt as though I’d known them for years. Although having said that, the complexity of all the characters certainly keeps the reader on their toes. I would reach a point of thinking I had the plot all worked out, but the author kept dropping little crumbs of mystery like Hansel and Gretel, which kept me guessing until the very end. Whilst all the characters are fantastic in their own way, I had a very love-hate relationship with Adele, who was, dare I say it, possibly my favourite? We’ve all met a version of Adele in some form, and of course we all hate them from the word ‘go’, but it’s a testament to Tracy Baines’ storytelling that I quickly became curious to know more about her journey to the stage, and was intrigued to peel back the layers of her personality whilst trying to anticipate what decision she might make next.
Similarly, Billy is such a well-established ‘baddie’ (albeit a charming one), that even as someone meeting these characters for the first time, I got the measure of him pretty quickly, or so I thought. Without spoiling anything for those who haven’t finished it yet, I must say I love a redemption arc, especially one which was so surprising to me as a newbie, that I can only imagine how much of a twist this will have come as for existing fans of this series. It must be so difficult for authors to keep plots fresh and the readers on their toes, when you have such a well-established story and characters your readers are so familiar with, but that is definitely not the case in this series. I might have been late to the ‘Seaside Girls’ party, but the rich characters and exciting plots which made this instalment un-put-down-able, have me absolutely hooked, and I can’t wait to find out what where life takes Jessie, Ginny and Frances next time.
Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/underfiresocial
Author Bio –
Tracy Baines is the bestselling saga writer of The Seaside Girls series. She was born and brought up in Cleethorpes and spent her early years in the theatre world which inspired her writing.
Social Media Links –
Facebook: @TracyBaines
Twitter: @tracyfbaines
Instagram: @TracyBainesAuthor
Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/TracyBainesNews
Bookbub profile: @tracyfbaines
Will the war put a stop to the Seaside Girls?
It’s all change for the Seaside Girls…Singer Jessie Delaney has finally got her big break in London’s West End and is determined to make the most of her golden opportunity, even with the start of the Blitz.
Lonely, and lacking the guidance of friends and family, Jessie hopes that seasoned performer Adele Bailey will help her find her feet. But, when fame beckons friendships are tested and loyalties are divided.
Ginny Thompson returns home to Sheffield to care for her sick but abusive father. Will she survive the wrath of her father and the blitz and return to her passion of entertaining the troops on the stage?
Meanwhile, back in Cleethorpes Frances Randolph is busy running the Palace Theatre whilst her husband serves his King and Country wondering if her life in the spotlight is over forever.
Will Jessie make the right choices as she navigates her way to the top – and can Ginny and Frances find their way back to the limelight?
Clyde's Corner 