Huth follows three girls who are sent to a farm as part of the war effort in Great Britain. Prue is flighty and promiscuous (in a casual and thoughtless way that seems to me to be unrealistic for the time period in question), Ag is studious and serious, and Stella is searching for what it means to be in love. Through their interactions with one another, the farmer and his wife, and the farmer's son, Joe, who has been given a medical deferment because of his asthma, the girls develop from soft and silly to mature and a bit hardened by life.

The details of life on the farm are interesting and quite realistic. The relationships between the girls and Joe a bit less so. I did enjoy the flow of the story, though, and the unexpected outcome beat the formulaic one I was bracing for. By and large, an easy and enjoyable read. ( )

An entertaining book set during WWII in England. The farming life may seem familiar if you've read other books set during that time, such as James Herriot's memoirs. Three young women from very different backgrounds come to a farm to serve as "Land Girls," paid volunteer laborers meant to help farmers as young men laborers and assistants were called up for military service.

A frame story wraps around the tale, where two of the three are waiting for the third to turn up for their annual reunion luncheon in a modern restaurant.

There's certainly a good helping of references about the farm work and the way the Land Girls operated, but there's more about the romantic/sexual/emotional lives of the young women and the family around them. Nothing graphic, really, but certainly modern-novelish.

A good light read which appears to have been well-researched.

This is the story of three women - Prue, Ag and Stella - who served in England during WWII as land girls. Land girls volunteered to serve their country by working at rural farms since so many men were serving in the military who had previously helped farmers. These three women from disparate backgrounds lived and worked at the farm owned by the Lawrences and their son, Joe. Joe's asthma prevented him from enlisting in the military to his great disappointment. Despite their differences, these women bonded with each other and the Lawrences and shared a work ethic that impressed the family. The work was demanding and included caring for cows, pigs and chickens, all of which were foreign to city girls.

This was an interesting glimpse into WWII in the farming communities, and the toll it took. The women's love interests were a significant part of the novel, and the epilogue answered every question. I liked all the characters, and felt a particular compassion for the elderly farm hand, Ratty Tyler, at the Lawrence farm as his wife descended from ill-tempered harridan into madness. ( )

This book is a captivating tale of life as a land girl during the second world war. Prue, Ag and Stella have very different personalities, opinions and interests, but as they work together on Hallows Farm they become close friends.

The characters are well-rounded and clearly delineated. Each has their positive points and their flaws and it is a strength of the writing that one character (particularly among the three land girls) is not given greater prominence than the other two.

The story, while mainly being a narrative exploring the work of the land girls, does have a few twists and turns which enhances the interest of the story.

I have always found the opening to this book intriguing as it places great weight on an incident which, later on in the novel, does not seem to be very significant. After several re-reads, I have still not worked out why this incident is highlighted at the start of the novel, and my curiosity keeps me returning for more, in the hope that on this read I will understand the author's intent. For me, a book that bears re-reading is a good book, a book that still gets me thinking after several re-reads is an even better one.

Un face à face classique ruraux/citadins écrit avec beaucoup d'humour et de tendresse. ( )