The Beantown Girls

There are lots of fiction books about WWII and sometimes it seems like they tell the same story with different characters. The Beantown Girls looked at the war from the perspective of women who were part of the Red Cross Clubmobile Girls. I have never read a book about this group of brave women who went to Europe during the war to help the morale of the soldiers by providing doughnuts, coffee, cigarettes and mostly a pretty American girl to talk to. This is a story about bravery during war time, friendship and love.

Fiona, Dotty and Viviana were best friends in Boston. They decided to join the Red Cross group for different reasons but they joined together and were able to stay together. Fiona's fiance was missing in action and she wanted show more to try to find him, Viviana wanted more out of her life and Dotty went to be with her friends. They were chosen for their strength and their beauty but were soon faced with unexpected challenges from how to drive the truck to the process of making doughnuts. They encountered lots of problems but were able to help so many soldiers and make so many new friends that they all felt they had made the right decision. As the three friends begin to understand the real reasons they all came to the front, their courage and friendship will see them through some of the best and worst times of their lives.

This was a wonderful well written and well-researched books based on a real women who joined the Red Cross and went to Europe during WWII. The book made me laugh and it made me cry and had three main characters who I won't soon forget.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own. show less

This was an excellent piece of historical fiction about the "donut dollies" of the Red Cross who served donuts and coffee to the troops during WWII through the Red Cross Clubmobile. The book focused on 3 very different young women who were assigned a truck together. They fast became friends and traveled from London to Northern Britain and finally to France, ending up just miles from Berlin. I was surprised that they served so close to the front(s). The book was a bit too sweet, in that all 3 found their loves while serving; however, all in all it was a great read!

I read Jane Healey’s first book THE SATURDAY EVENING GIRLS CLUB and really enjoyed it – gave it a 4-star rating. But THE BEANTOWN GIRLS I absolutely LOVED – 5-star review (and more if I could). I was torn between wanting to know how things turned out for each of the girls and not wanting to leave their world. These girls were my friends for a few days – and today had to let them go.
This is a compelling read that takes the reader to the European Theatre of Operations in the last days of WWII. And for those who do not like alternating times and/or perspectives, you will like this one – straight timeline (1944) and one perspective (Fiona’s).
Healey tells the story of Fiona Denning whose life is running smoothly until her show more fiancé is reported missing after having been shot down in Germany. She can’t just accept not knowing his fate so she, along with her friends Viv and Dottie, volunteer overseas as a Red Cross Clubmobile girl. Viv is outgoing, beautiful, and a talented artist. Dottie is a very shy music teacher and astonishes everyone with her beautiful singing voice. Healey takes the reader through the training and deployment of these young women. Fascinating read!
These charming girls never imagined what their deployment would really be like. They make new friends, they lose friends. There is romance, there is heartbreak. Celebration, devastation. They learn their own strengths and the value of friendship. None of them will go unchanged by their experiences.

I had never heard of the Red Cross Clubmobile girls. Jane Healey did extensive research of these little known heroines of WWII. How had we never heard of them! I loved the story even though it was somewhat predictable. But while reading it, I felt the emotions the characters were feeling. I rejoiced with them and cried with them. A beautifully written page-turning read. show less

There is just so much written about WWII, but this book tells the story of an arm of the Red Cross of which I had never been made aware. Sending young women to England and then the continent to disperse donuts and coffee to boost the morale of the soldiers. It was really interesting. Base on some historical facts and individuals, it demonstrated the courage and bravery of individual women.

During the last year of WWII, Fiona, Viviana, and Dottie volunteer with the Red Cross as Clubmobile girls. Fiona's fiancé has been missing in action for over a year and she is determined to find out more. Viviana is an outspoken vivacious girl while Dottie is shy and reluctant to share her musical talents. As Clubmobile girls, they travel from fort to station, delivering donuts, coffee, and supplies to boost troop morale.

This was a quick read. It featured strong female characters, which I loved. I've read a lot of WWII books, and this is the first time I've heard of the Red Cross Clubmobile girls. Overall, well worth picking up!

Melrose author Jane Healey's fine touch with historical novels (Saturday Evening Girl's Club, 2017) expands in this story of Red Cross volunteers serving in both liberated and combat areas in Europe in 1944-45. Her three heroines, Fiona, Dottie, and Viv, are all college pals from Boston who bake donuts, brew coffee, jitterbug, and drive and maintain enormous trucks through bombed-out regions of England, France, and Germany. Fiona's fiancé, a pilot, has been missing since his plane was shot down, and she strives to get near him and to find out his fate and ultimately, her own. There's a larger cast of well-drawn characters - other "Donut Dollies", soldiers, romantic interests, and a particularly touching encounter with the ill-fated show more bandleader Glenn Miller. The reader is not spared the horror and misery of war and loss, and the plot is surprisingly suspenseful. show less

I'm a sucker for World War II genre fiction and this one was fairly well written with a well-plotted story. It tells the story of three girls from Boston who join the Red Cross after one of them, Fiona Denning, learns that her fiance has been shot down over Germany and is missing in action. Fiona thinks, somewhat unrealistically, that she will be sent immediately to France and from there can find her missing boy friend.

However, things don't go quite like she plans. The girls' training turns out to be one disastrous mistake after another. So they are initially assigned to work at the air fields in England. There, however, they prove their mettle and finally are sent to France and then follow the troops into the midst of the Battle of the show more Bulge where the tale of their escape from Bastogne kept even cynical me enthralled.

Like all good fiction of this sort, this one has a happy ending - just not the happy ending you anticipate. show less