Poor Girls
Meet the female Peaky Blinders in this gripping and darkly funny thriller
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published:7th Nov '24
Should be back in stock very soon
New historical crime from award-winning writer Clare Whitfield, based on a real-life all-female London crime gang. Twenty-one-year-old Eleanor Mackridge leaves behind her working-class family to reinvent herself as 'Nell the Mack' in the Forty Elephants.
'Funny, fast-paced and dark... with dialogue that absolutely crackles’ ELODIE HARPER
'A brave, bold novel' ARAMINTA HALL
Don't get angry.
Get rich.
1922. Twenty-four-year-old Eleanor Mackridge is horrified by the future mapped out for her – to serve the upper classes or find a husband. During the war, she found freedom in joining the workforce at home, but now women are being put back in their place.
Until Eleanor crosses paths with a member of the notorious female-led gang the Forty Elephants: bold women who wear diamonds and fur, drink champagne and gin, who take what they want without asking. Now, she sees a new future for herself: she can serve, marry – or steal.
After all, men will only let you down. Diamonds are forever.
In Poor Girls, Clare Whitfield exposes the criminal underbelly of 1920s London – but this isn't a morality tale, it's an adventure for the willingly wicked.
'Memorable, outrageous and full of heart. Loved it – every time I put it down I couldn’t wait to pick it up again.’ ELENI KYRIACOU
'Wonderfully roguish characters, and great period detail. Really enjoyable.' IAN MOORE
'A richly vivid and picaresque masterwork, Poor Girls is by turns humorous, horrifying and humane.' TOM MEAD
'A compulsive read... A real page turner.' CAITLIN DAVIES
Join the growing fans of the Forty Elephants…
‘Clare Whitfield's best book to date.’ Reader Review
‘What a ride, this book is so much fun.’ Reader Review
‘Will make you laugh but also shed a tear.’ Reader Review
‘I highly recommend it to anyone drawn to tales of resilience, ambition, and rebellion.’ Reader Review
‘Such a brilliant book, everyone should read it!’ Reader Review
‘Glamorous and uncompromising.’ Reader review
'Poor Girls is a brave, bold novel, illuminating the present through the past. It shows us how women have so often had to take the rights that society refuses to give them. You'll fall hard for Nell and the Forty Elephants.' * Araminta Hall *
‘Funny, fast-paced and dark, Poor Girls is a riveting read, with dialogue that absolutely crackles and a fabulously unsentimental heroine in Nell.’ * Elodie Harper *
A pacy, entertaining caper with well-drawn characters * Good Housekeeping *
Vivid, witty, and full of wonderfully drawn characters * Woman&Home *
'The story moves along at a terrific pace with wonderfully roguish characters, and great period detail. Really enjoyable.' * Ian Moore *
'A richly vivid and picaresque masterwork, Poor Girls is by turns humorous, horrifying and humane.' * Tom Mead *
‘A compulsive read. Brighton waitress Eleanor is recruited by the female crime syndicate the Forty Elephants into a world of champagne, diamonds and furs. But there’s a price to pay for postwar women who wanted to become something - how far will she go, and will she get away with it? A real page turner.’ * Caitlin Davies *
‘An addictive, thrilling five-star read with a plot that races along and is packed with unexpected turns. Nell and her friends in the girl-gang the Forty Elephants are unapologetically out for themselves, stealing, drinking and partying their way to infamy, and all the time defying expectations of what it means to be a woman in 1922. Memorable, outrageous and full of heart. Loved it – every time I put it down I couldn’t wait to pick it up again.’ * Eleni Kyriacou *
Captivating * Crime Monthly *
ISBN: 9781837930869
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
416 pages