This is a great book filled with heartwarming characters. The author creates them with such distinctive personalities
The family dynamics were amazing
A great read

I love a war period book and this author captures the drama of the era perfectly. The horror and devastation of living under constant threat. Her characters are so well developed and you are taken in immediately. Ticks all the boxes with a bit of family scandal thrown in for good measure!

set in the North of England during the war made this a very enjoyable book to read. The characters and setting were true to life and it was easy to get into the story. I admit I love reading war time books and this was another very good one. I am giving this 4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this e ARC

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

A lovely saga, really enjoyed reading it. Loved the characters and the storyline. Hope to read more from the author in the future and would love to see more of the girls too.

This didn’t do it for me. The very fact that the main character insisted on moving to Newcastle during a war from a relatively safe Norfolk annoyed me a lot. Reeked of selfish recklessness and we’ve all had too much of that over the last year

I love reading books set during wartime a d this didn’t fail to disappoint. Although very predictable at the end it was still a lovely heartwarming story.

An excellent read set in South Shields I know it well. I love a story where you get into the characters and you can relate to them in some way. Excellent read would like to see more of this saga being written

I do like a book that you feel that you can visualise quite easily the characters speaking in the local accent and even getting the 'pet' names, you can tell that the author was from the area - Elsie Mason has got this spot on with this book. I thoroughly enjoyed every character from Irene to her formidable mother in law Ma Ada (who had a heart of gold) to eccentric Arthur. The story rolled easily through the pages showing us how diverse South Shields was from the biscuit factory to the shipyards during the War. We were able to dip in and out of all their lives but still the main story was kept in tact. There is so much more to learn about these people as they are warm characters.

I was excited to read THE BISCUIT FACTORY GIRLS by Elsie Mason but sadly it failed to live up to my expectations. I have read many a wartime drama set all over the UK and I love them all, but this one just didn't hit the mark with me.

It was too slow to begin with, taking four chapters for Tom and Irene to travel to Tyneside and meet his family, then another couple for her to start work at the biscuit factory and endless vicious glaring from her sister in law for no real reason. And then, nothing really happened. It is supposed to be during the war but snitching and sniping seems to be more prevalent than air raids. I had no real sense of it being wartime and just didn't feel connected to the story or its characters in any way.

I didn't like any of the family, except maybe Sam. Beryl was OK but advised Irene to make it up with bitchy Megan rather than get on the wrong side of her. Megan was a total bitch and Ma...I didn't much like her either. Tom featured so little he may not be there at all. Same with the rest of the menfolk. And when Megan sneakily opens Irene's mail and seals it back up again, there's no fallout from that...just a "like it or lump it" kind of attitude.

I really didn't care much for the story, such as it was, or the people in it. In fact, I don't much care to outline the story either because it really just didn't do it for it. The mention of Catherine Cookson in the premise is what attracted me but it is nothing compared to her brilliant stories, so I fail to see how it can compare.

I DNF at 50%...which by then, it should have well and truly enthralled me. And it didn't.

I would like to thank #ElsieMason, #NetGalley and #Orion for an ARC of #TheBiscuitFactoryGirls in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it’s interesting characters from all areas of the country and world. They all had believable backgrounds and were linked together in a story that I really did enjoy from the first moment I opened it to read. I would highly recommend this to read.

I so wanted to like this book as I know the area in which it is set. Sadly I didn't. I found the title to be loose; very little of the biscuit factory was mentioned in the second half of the book. Apart from Mavis no-one from the factory remained as a character. The lead role also worked in the ice cream shop and became best friends with the owners daughter so it could just have easily been called 'The Ice Cream girls'. I found the bitter feud between the main character and her sister-in-law petty and boring and I admit to skim reading quite a lot of bits where they were arguing. Set in a ship building town during the war it held so much promise but sadly was weak and did not deliver.

Wartime drama,set in the North of England during the bombing of the shipyards. Good characters and family life is well portrayed.

A great book with fantastic characters, some you love, some you hate. A very enjoyable read, hope there will be a sequel.

I have wanted to read this book since i added it to my wishlist on amazon(but price put me off) to see it on Netgalley i was elated. Irene and Tom Farley have travelled north to Tom's home town after their wedding as Irene is determined to live with Toms family.As they arrive so have the bombs and tom is worried about his family and hurries to the streets he grew up in,he see's his home is still standing.Tom takes Irene into his family home and as they are greeted by all his family Irene sees a little lady sitting and knows this is her mother-in-law Ada Farley.This book is full of action most of it in the farley home women clash but to have a sister-in-law who hates you without knowing you hurts Irene.I have loved reading this story strong women and the end had me in tears.

This was a really great saga that once I started it I didn’t want to put it down. The characters were all great and a great story. I recommend this book.

booklover BEV

I loved reading this book. Tom and Irene Farley newly weds travel to Tyneside South Shields for Irene to stay with his family. War is raging and Tom has to report back to airbase in Lincoln and Grantham, he would prefer her to go to hunworth in Norfolk where she would be safer but Irene wants to get to know his big family and settle in to welcome her husband home when this war is over. She's in for a big shock when they arrive Tyneside docks getting bombed due to the ship building industry filled with greasy pall of smoke over the rooftops, has she made a big mistake luckily his family home was still standing, time for her to meet Ma Ada and all the family three brothers and wives. She was here to fit in. From Sunderland myself I found this book a fascinating read as I share many visits to south shields over my years, the shops and market ,beach all familiar to me. Ma Ada insisted she has to work for her keep and gets started in the wights biscuit factory this is a big difference from been a land girl. As we continue with the story its brings it all to life how they all managed, I enjoyed every bit of this book right to the end. A superb read.