Scan barcode
A review by readingtimeatthezoo
The Women's Pages by Victoria Purman
4.0
I felt like I was in a history class reading this one, and I mean that in a good way J
The Women’s Pages is set in Sydney, Australia. It’s 1945 and the end of the war has finally been announced. It’s a time to celebrate and welcome home all the fathers, sons, brother and uncles who have all been bravely fighting overseas for their country.
As much as this should be a happy time, it’s also a difficult time for all the women left behind during the war. The women who stepped up and worked in the factories that now have to give up those jobs, the women whose husbands have returned yet aren’t the same men who left all those years earlier, and then of course the grief for those women whose loved ones haven’t returned at all.
This is a beautifully written book about post-war life told from the side of these women. In particular the brave and feisty Tilly, a journalist at one of Sydney’s major newspapers. Desperate for news on her husband’s fate, yet at the same time desperate to make a difference for both herself and other women as more than just housewives. Tilly knows there is so much more important news to cover than the latest frocks and makeup.
Tilly is the daughter of a watersider, her father works the wharves and the ships on Sydney Harbour, and something she is immensely proud of and speaks out on whenever she can. Her father has spent his life giving his all, fighting for justice for the workers on the wharves, for better working conditions and better pay conditions and what ultimately becomes the union movement in Australia. It is another piece of Sydney’s history that Purman weaves brilliantly into the story.
For those of you that love historical fiction, especially those that are set around WWII, this one is a great read. The detail that has gone into the surrounding backstories is amazing. I learnt so much about how the war affected us in Australia. It actually made me feel embarrassed to realise how little I really did know. It certainly has also given me a greater appreciation for all those strong females that helped forge ahead the change for equality that we mostly enjoy today.
Thank you so much to Harper Collins Australia for the opportunity to read The Women’s Pages and celebrate the release of a wonderful Australian book by a wonderful Australian author.
The Women’s Pages is set in Sydney, Australia. It’s 1945 and the end of the war has finally been announced. It’s a time to celebrate and welcome home all the fathers, sons, brother and uncles who have all been bravely fighting overseas for their country.
As much as this should be a happy time, it’s also a difficult time for all the women left behind during the war. The women who stepped up and worked in the factories that now have to give up those jobs, the women whose husbands have returned yet aren’t the same men who left all those years earlier, and then of course the grief for those women whose loved ones haven’t returned at all.
This is a beautifully written book about post-war life told from the side of these women. In particular the brave and feisty Tilly, a journalist at one of Sydney’s major newspapers. Desperate for news on her husband’s fate, yet at the same time desperate to make a difference for both herself and other women as more than just housewives. Tilly knows there is so much more important news to cover than the latest frocks and makeup.
Tilly is the daughter of a watersider, her father works the wharves and the ships on Sydney Harbour, and something she is immensely proud of and speaks out on whenever she can. Her father has spent his life giving his all, fighting for justice for the workers on the wharves, for better working conditions and better pay conditions and what ultimately becomes the union movement in Australia. It is another piece of Sydney’s history that Purman weaves brilliantly into the story.
For those of you that love historical fiction, especially those that are set around WWII, this one is a great read. The detail that has gone into the surrounding backstories is amazing. I learnt so much about how the war affected us in Australia. It actually made me feel embarrassed to realise how little I really did know. It certainly has also given me a greater appreciation for all those strong females that helped forge ahead the change for equality that we mostly enjoy today.
Thank you so much to Harper Collins Australia for the opportunity to read The Women’s Pages and celebrate the release of a wonderful Australian book by a wonderful Australian author.