The railway girl cover

The railway girl

by Carson, Nancy (Historical fiction writer)

Lucy Piddock meets Arthur Goodrich, solid, kind and dependable; a stonemason by trade working in his father's Black Country business. Arthur seems to be the ideal match, but he lights no flame in Lucy's heart. Anyone else would be satisfied. But Lucy wants more. She dares to dream of love and hankers for Dickie Dempster, the debonair young guard she meets who works on the newly constructed railway. Prompted by Lucy's rejection, Arthur leaves home to seek a new life and a new love in Bristol, leaving Lucy free to pursue her dream of happiness with Dickie. Free to make her own choices, Lucy finds the water muddied by tragedy, and must re-examine where her heart really lies.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?