Scan barcode
A review by mishale1
Factory Girls by Michelle Gallen
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I found this author and this book because I recently finished Derry Girls on Netflix and had googled “books like Derry Girls”. This very much takes place in the times of Derry Girls which was during the 1990’s and “The Troubles” in Ireland. It even included a group of teenager girls who had grown up with The Troubles in the background of their everyday life. But the comparison between Derry Girls and Factory Girls probably end there. This book focuses much much more on the violence and sadness and much less on anything heartwarming or funny. That definitely makes sense. That’s fair. And this book was well written and had strong, unique, memorable and mostly likable characters. But I did get a big bogged down by the sadness of it all.
Maeve and her best friends Eoife and Caroline have just graduated highschool. They actually won’t get their final grades for several months. So they have time to wait and spend together in their hometown. It’s the last summer before they go off to different colleges. The girls decide to get jobs at a factory making shirts together. It’s a hard job and it doesn’t pay much. It’s also their first experience with Catholic and Protestants side by side. It’s an interesting opportunity for everyone to try to get to know each other as people.
It’s especially important to Maeve as she’s planning to go to England. She’s trying to get along with people different than her.
They have a sleazy boss that made me uncomfortable for the girls every time he was around.
Maeve also has an extra incentive to leave: her sister died a few years ago and the sadness of her death is such a huge part of her life with her family. Maeve needs some distance from it.
I found Maeve to be a feisty character with a heck of a mouth on her lol I really loved her best friend Eofie and her co-worked Fidelma.
Maeve and her best friends Eoife and Caroline have just graduated highschool. They actually won’t get their final grades for several months. So they have time to wait and spend together in their hometown. It’s the last summer before they go off to different colleges. The girls decide to get jobs at a factory making shirts together. It’s a hard job and it doesn’t pay much. It’s also their first experience with Catholic and Protestants side by side. It’s an interesting opportunity for everyone to try to get to know each other as people.
It’s especially important to Maeve as she’s planning to go to England. She’s trying to get along with people different than her.
They have a sleazy boss that made me uncomfortable for the girls every time he was around.
Maeve also has an extra incentive to leave: her sister died a few years ago and the sadness of her death is such a huge part of her life with her family. Maeve needs some distance from it.
I found Maeve to be a feisty character with a heck of a mouth on her lol I really loved her best friend Eofie and her co-worked Fidelma.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry and Violence
Moderate: Grief, Death, Suicide, and Sexual harassment