I loved this book. It was a brilliant glimpse into this period of history. Reading almost as a novel or piece of fiction, the women's stories are compelling and, by the end of it, you just want to meet them and ask them more about their experiences. What I found especially interesting was the sense of community and support that working at the factory seemed to inspire. These women are still friends today, 60 years on. There is, as the subtitle suggests though, a harsher, darker side with illness, loss and poverty suffered by most of the women at some point. It is to the book's great credit however that these aspects are not dealt with in an all-consuming way. Indeed, the feeling you come away with is a positive one and a sense that, in spite of their hardships, these women enjoyed their time working at Tate & Lyle. They had fun and I think it's wonderful to see a memoir such as this that touches upon the positive as well as the negative aspects of life in 1950s East End London. Recommended.
