I really enjoyed Poor Girls. It drew me in immediately, and I devoured it in one sitting. I just couldn't put it down.

Clare has a beautifully descriptive writing style that captures your attention and doesn't let go.
This is the first book I've read from her, but it definitely won't be the last.

Nell was the perfect main character, full of sass, strength, emotion, and mischief.
I loved her friends Effie, Lily & Charlie. They had a great dynamic, fun relationship.

It was also interesting reading how things were in that time. Poor women were treated terribly.

I highly recommend.

4 stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley, Aria & Aries (Head of Zeus) and Clare Whitfield for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A dark and twisty thriller that kept me guessing until the very end. The atmosphere was tense, and the plot twists were perfectly executed.

Based on the real life Forty Elephants gang, this is set between the wars in London and we follow the life of Eleanor, who becomes Nell and her friends as they rob upscale department stores and jewellery shops. Evading detection thanks to the planning by the legendary Alice Diamond who runs the whole operation, they work in teams, donning disguises, playing various roles and putting on accents to change they way they're perceived. The aim is to get rid of the stolen goods immediately via trusted 'fences' and then hit another area of the city the next day. Always moving, always changing.

But when the girls start to dream bigger than the Forty Elephants scheme they start to get in above their heads and it's only a matter of time before they'll face their day in court

This was really entertaining, and enlightening! Who knew that bloomers were so useful back in the day!

1922. Twenty-four-year-old Eleanor Mackridge aka Nell 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.

I really like the main protagonist Nell despite her criminality. Unlike the majority of her Forty Elephants colleagues she wasn't from a family who were involved in crime so I felt she brought a different dynamic to the group.

I knew nothing about the Forty Elephants before reading this book.

The book definitely portrays the themes of the times well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the advanced copy.

Initially I wasn't sure I'd like this book, as I'm not keen on books set in the past using modern colloquiallisms, but I persevered and actually its a very good read. Set in the early 1920s, Eleanor is not thrilled with her life. She worked in munitions in the war, earning good money, but after the ware women were shovelled back into their former roles as servants or mothers. Her father has returned from war a damaged man and her French mother is working hard to keep them all.

Eleanor wants more, she doesn't like serving in the teashop, where she has a chance encounter with a spivvy young man who seems to epitomise all she cannot have. However, after a night with him she finds herself standing in the hotel corridor with no clothes and the police chasing him. Managing to get home, she finds stolen jewellery in her coat, and from there she is drawn into the underworld of the Forty Elephants. Not a career her mother approves of, but Nell finds the mix of booze, drugs and stealing to be irresistable. And its a great life ... if you don't get caught.

Nell is an appealing character, railing against the mores of the day that were so constrictive for women. The story is told in a sympathetic and interesting manner, gripping the reader as Nell makes her new life. I enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries, Head of Zeus for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to read Poor Girls as I’ve read previous books about the all female gang The Forty Elephants and found them fascinating.
Poor Girls begins in Brighton in 1922 where Eleanor lives with her family and works at the Grand Hotel. Her life feels dull since work at the munitions factory during the war ended. An encounter with a man in Brighton soon leads to her recruitment to the South London all female gang the Forty Elephants.
I loved the social history aspect of the novel and the focus on the role of women in society after the First World War. The character of Eleanor/Nell was interesting and I was intrigued about how she was drawn into the Forty Elephants. I loved the first quarter of the book but I found as the novel progressed I lost interest in the gang and the plot weakened. A really interesting idea but sadly the novel did not hold my interest..
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley, publishers and authors for an ARC of Poor Girls.
This is an interesting book from the perspective of women in the 1920s who have turned to a life of crime.
I enjoyed this book, gruesome and explicit parts and all.
Highly recommend.

I knew nothing of the Forty Elephants before reading this book. I was fascinated to learn they were a real life, all female London crime syndicate, who specialised in theft and are believed to have been active from the late 19th century to the 1950s. Clare Whitfield cleverly uses Eleanor’s recruitment and training into the gang to divulge information about how they used to operate. I still can’t believe they managed to hide furs in their bloomers!

The book brilliantly combines real life and fictional characters. Kate Meyrick, the famous club owner is referred to on more than one occasion. This reminded me of Kate Atkinson’s Shrines of Gaiety, whose character of Nellie is based on Kate Meyrick and the book is set at a similar time. Gang leader Alice Diamond is also a real life character whose life and rise to ‘gangland boss’ is captivating.

I found the story great fun, I enjoyed reading about the girls’ exploits and also their friendships and solidarity to each other. As well as offering an exciting story the novel also offers an insight into the social history of the time, following the war. Young women had very little opportunity to live independently from men and earn their own living. The war had given some women a taste of employment and freedom from the home, which they were reluctant to give up once the war was over. For some women, like Eleanor, crime was the only way for them to experience the freedom they yearned.

An exciting story and a well researched snapshot of London life in the 1920s, it’s a must for any fan of historical fiction.

I was already interested in the history of the Forty Elephants, so this really appealed to me in a ‘good for them’ way. Of course, the reality was far from glamorous, or as feminist as it appears on the surface - as the MC soon discovers.

Although I loved the story, I felt that it was broken down into several mignettes, rather than a coherent plot - as if the writer was trying to fit as much historical fact into the story as possible. Characters were introduced then swiftly dropped and you didn’t feel that you really got to know anyone apart from Nell.

Eleanor, or Nell, was a fascinating character and i loved following her on her 'adventures'. You really do root for her and the rest of the cell, having seen how bad their childhoods were.

I would have liked a less open-ended finale, as i don't think that there will be a sequel.

Eleanor is part of a poor family struggling after the war to come to terms with her life, working as a waitress and being polite to customers isn't always easy. One day after a particularly bad day she resigns and help comes from an unexpected guest who invites her to London. The prospect of earning a great deal of money, being part of a gang and having friends is too much for her and she is soon part of a notorious female gang of thieves called the forty elephants. Never shy of a challenge she becomes very good at her job and almost forgets her family back in Yorkshire. Their moto is if you don't have it...steal it. As the girls are in and out of prison Nell (Eleanor) sees changes coming and it is only after her own arrest that the light dawns that there might be other ways of earning a living but will she be able to follow them? An interesting read and a handbook for shoplifters although it did become a bit repetitive after a while

After all, men will only let you down. Diamonds are forever.
Twenty year old Eleanor Mackridge is horrified by the future mapped out for her - to serve the upper classes or find a man to marry. But she has never paid attention to what society expects of her. When she crosses paths with a member of the notorious female-led gang the Forty Elephants, she becomes in awe of these bold women who wear diamonds, drink champagne and take what they want without asking.
Now she sees a new future for herself which means she needn't serve or marry but steal!
I loved this book, I love the 20s era of bobbed hair, Charleston dresses and jazz so I'm in my element. It certainly opened my eyes up to a side of life in this era that I didn't know anything about. I don't blame Eleanor for choosing a different way of life, she certainly had more fun than most

The story begins by introducing us to Eleanor, who works as a waitress in her home town of Brighton at a fairly up-market hotel serving the upper class their tea and scones. She seems deeply unfulfilled by her life, that is, until she notices a handsome man in the restaurant where she works who she bumps into later on the sea front. The world he introduces her too will see her take on a whole new persona, renaming herself 'Nell, and finding a strong bond with women who become more like sisters to her than her own sister by blood.

I absolutely loved Nell's character. She is a loveable rogue in the truest sense of the expression. Despite making some rather questionable choices when she takes on her new life in London, at the heart of it, she is just a young woman trying to break the mould in a time period when women were expected to be seen and not heard, have babies, made the dinner and keep the house clean. I think any woman in this day and age can relate to that, although we might not all take up the same extra curricular activities that Nell does!

I really enjoyed reading about all the other characters Nell meets in her new life as well. The three woman she takes up residence with and starts working alongside form such a strong bond which only deepens as the story progresses. I'd never heard of the Forty Elephants before but it prompted me to do my own research into this fascinating group. I really enjoy a fiction book that has its roots based on actual events and characters.

Simply a fantastic read, one I throughly enjoyed and would recommend to anyone that like a historical read with great characters and a really heart warming ending.

Beautifully written historical fiction of women in the 1920's coming into their own! Nell finding out who she truly is even if it means leaving family behind in a time when Women are expected to be seen and not heard - it felt very relevant to todays narrative and still historical at the same time. I really enjoyed this read

had high hopes for Poor Girls by Clare Whitfield, especially after thoroughly enjoying People of Abandoned Character, which I read earlier in the year. Unfortunately, Poor Girls didn’t come close to reaching the same standard. While I appreciate what Whitfield was attempting to do, the execution felt disappointing in many ways.

First off, the characters were a major letdown. They were flat, one-dimensional, and difficult to invest in emotionally. I couldn’t bring myself to care about their journeys, which made it hard to stay engaged with the narrative. The lack of depth in the characters really hindered the story, as they felt more like caricatures than real people.

The historical elements, which could have added richness and context to the story, were clumsily integrated. Rather than being woven into the plot, they felt more like a history lesson inserted awkwardly into the narrative. This left the book feeling less like a compelling historical fiction and more like an educational pamphlet at times ~ which was disappointing given the promising setting.

Overall, the plot was also lacking. There was no real sense of direction or momentum. It felt like a series of disjointed events without much of a central driving force, which made it hard to stay invested. It was, quite frankly, boring.

Sex and drugs and jazz! Inspired by a real early 20th century gang of criminal women know as The Forty Elephants, led by 'Queen' Alice Diamond Claire Whitfield has written a novel about fictional character Eleanor (Nel) Meckridge who escapes from being a put upon seaside hotel waitress to join a group of women stealing from high end London shops and hotels. Having struggled against the behaviour of the upper classes towards her when Nel was a waitress she finds that the gang she has joined is just as stratified and hierarchical as the mileu she has run away from. Whilst an enjoyable tale of Nel trying to take control of her life it is marred by thinly drawn stock characters and regular and unbelievable 21st century style consciousness raising and speechifying about freedom and rights. I understand Wright's fascination with these women and desire to bring their exploits to a wider audience but sometimes truth is better and might have been more satisfying and interesting than fiction.

Based on the real all female crime gang, the Forty Elephants, from 1920s London, we follow Nell, a young 19-year-old working class woman from Brighton working as a waitress serving the snobbish upper class.

Nell can’t resist when the opportunity comes to move to London and join the infamous gang, always seeking a new adventure.

This story was fascinating from the start. The way the glitz and glamour of gang life entwined and clashed with the dark gritty underbelly of 1920s London was cleverly written.

I absolutely adored the sisterhood and found family vibes between Nell and her ‘cell’; the group of girls who operated and worked together as one. Each character was fascinating and I loved how many of them were got to meet. The girls were unique, colourful and complex, each bringing something different to the plot. I was particularly fascinated by how they learnt the tricks of the trade, from how they stole clothes from department stores and jewels from the jewellers.

Overall, this was a fun and wicked story. I really enjoyed the writing style and characters, and I was hooked throughout. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this and I would highly recommend for historical fiction fans.

DNF at 30%

I don't like not finishing books, I really don't. I admit that I have been in an awful reading mood this year so it's often impossible to determine if it's the book or the reader (i.e. me, obviously) who is at fault. But I struggled so hard with Poor Girls, which is a shame as I was really looking. forward to it.

The story being likened to a female Peaky Blinders intrigued me from the get-go. Even though I'm afraid I turned the first episode off after barely twenty minutes. But I like the idea of a female gang of thieves and whatnots roaming the streets, taking what they wanted, and living the life. On top of that, I enjoyed the knowledge that the upper wealthy classes would soon be collapsing after the war, and the poorer people, who worked so hard during the war, would finally be getting an opportunity to maybe move up a little in the world.

Unfortunately for me, I just wasn't getting along with this story. I didn't particularly like any of the characters, not even Eleanor, which I felt was somewhat of a problem. She seemed horribly naive and I have no doubt that the actual girls leading that particular life Eleanor stumbled into would have had her for breakfast. The pace was excruciatingly slow for me, and I don't deal well with that at all lately. I needed a bit more oomph, stuff happening, and even after 30% there seemed to be so very little of that, and my fickle mood just became horribly twitchy. I'm sorry to say at that point I just lost interest, and rather than forcing myself to continue something I wasn't enjoying, I decided to admit defeat.

I've read other reviews. I'm most definitely in the minority so far. So it seems it is me, and not the book. I'm sorry I couldn't be more positive.

If you’re looking for a darkly funny historical thriller, look no further. Poor Girls is a story inspired by the real-life female crime syndicate, The Forty Elephants and follows the character of Nell as she leaves her life in Brighton behind for a more lucrative career as a thief in 1920s London.
When I started the book, I wasn’t expecting it to be so witty and engaging from only the first few chapters, but Clare Whitfield very effectively draws you into Nells' life. 
Nell is a character most women will relate to. She’s clever, angry and restless. After being useful during the war, she’s struggling to fit back into the role men expect of her. When she meets the girls of the Forty Elephants, she takes to the role of a ‘hoister’ easily and chases the thrill of thieving and making a good living from it. 
I really loved the camaraderie between the girls in this book. While the story is primarily Nells, there are some great side characters that never feel flimsy. Effie and PC Bevan are two particularly interesting ones that stuck out for me. 
While it may err in portraying the overly glamorous side of this thieving lifestyle, there are hints of the danger these girls faced if they were caught. Prison is a looming threat that Nell is terrified of, and there’s one effective line of foreshadowing near the start of the book where Nell's sister names her Icarus…

Overall, it's a very entertaining read, with strong characters and and ‘eat the rich’ message that will appeal to a lot of readers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for my ARC copy!

This book has a lot of reference to the 1922 - maybe I missed the blurb but it isnt one I would normally go for!

This is a brilliant, fast paced telling of the Forty Elephants, with richly drawn characters (who though fictional) give an authentic portrayal of how this gang actually operated, and vividly reveals the social and economic situations of women during the 20s.

This book is very Great Gatsby - think glitz, glam and gangs!

Poor Girls is certainly a captivating read for readers who like to explore independent authors. You will be swept away by the gripping story of a young woman's journey to break free from society's expectations and forge her own path in the Roaring Twenties, amid the glamor and danger of a bygone era.