This had a fantastic Derry Girls vibe; it was a good coming of age story that was both funny and profound.

Although it was slightly darker than Derry Girls since I felt like it delved further into the Troubles in Factory Girls, there's flashbacks to when the main character, Maeve, was just a child and seeing all of the riots and ( )

Eighteen year old Maeve Murray has her future planned out. Waiting for her A-level results to be published, she decides to take a summer job in a shirt factory with her closest friends Aoife and Caroline to earn some money before she moves to London to pursue higher education with the intention of embarking on a career in journalism. She can’t wait to get out of her Northern Ireland town and start a new life. Her first step towards independence is getting a summer job (despite the fact that she has to deal with an unpleasant boss whose treatment of his female employees is disrespectful to say the least) and renting a flat with her friend Caroline near her (temporary) workplace. Over the next few months, we follow Maeve as she adjusts to life as a factory worker, meets new people and makes new friends all the while hoping for a better future.

Michelle Gallen’s Factory Girls is an entertaining novel. Maeve is spirited (a bit brash at times) and resourceful. She observes and learns from her experiences, not all of which are pleasant. Set in the summer of 1994, in a small town in Northern Ireland during the last years of the Troubles, this novel gives us a vivid picture of the social and political landscape during those turbulent years. The author touches upon themes of divisiveness between the factions (more political than religious), sectarianism, bias, conflict, sexism and economic hardship, through an engaging narrative and a protagonist you keep rooting for. The narrative is shared from Maeve’s perspectives and we get to know more about her from her memories, which are presented to us through flashbacks. Maeve’s experiences in the factory in a mixed group of people which she considers to be a learning experience that will help her when she moves to London. A likeable protagonist, a cast of interesting characters, a good dose of humor and wit, and the historical context is what works for this novel. However, it took a bit of time to get into the story and I felt that the initial fifty percent of the novel suffers from minor repetitiveness. It also took a while to get used to the dialect. Despite some minor flaws, I did enjoy Michelle Galen’s Factory Girls. I can’t help wonder if we will get more stories from the author featuring Maeve, as she embarks on a new life.

Many thanks to Michelle Gallen, Algonquin Books and NetGalley for the advance copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel is due to be released in the USA on November 29, 2022.

My Rating : 3.5⭐️

#FactoryGirls ( )

Excellent book set in Northern Island at the time of peace talks. Follows 3 friends who are waiting for A level results and work in a factory for the summer. ( )

Although it's set in 1990s Northern Ireland, this novel has the feel of YA dystopian fiction. Dystopian fiction works because it's at least somewhat believable/based on reality, but a story that feels like dystopian fiction but is set in the real world is unsettling to me. My teen history buff son has recently been talking about the ills of colonialism and what the world would look like without it. This novel fits well with that conversation. ( )

This witty and deeply political novel set in Northern Ireland during The Troubles was such a laugh-out-loud joy to read! Maeve Murray is awaiting the results of her senior year exams to find out if she can leave all her/the Troubles behind to attend college in London. In the meanwhile, she moves out of her parents' sad house, where her older sister had committed suicide, and into a flat with one of her two best friends. The apartment is directly across the street from a shirt-making factory, where the girls take summer jobs. Maeve is immediately given the eye by and wildly attracted to the slimy factory owner, though she knows there's a lot that's really off about him. She's also profoundly shaken, as a Taig (Catholic) by her proximity to Prods (Protestant), which has not ever happened in her home or school life. It's a very informative novel about everyday Northern Irish small town life filled with sectarian violence and hatred, but the story overflows with humor, feminism, new words to learn (wean, gleek, scundered, cleastered – all understandable in context) and the best revenge. Thanks to the Wilmington Memorial Library for a delightful webinar with the author on March 25th! ( )