The Women on Platform Two
Fiction
Simon and Schuster
March 11, 2025
Hardcover/Audiobook
336
Purchased/Library
In 1970s Dublin, all forms of contraception are strictly forbidden, but an intrepid group of women will risk everything to change that in this sweeping, timely novel inspired by a remarkable and little-known true story.
Dublin, 1969: Maura has just married Dr. Christy Davenport and they look forward to growing their family. But as her husband’s vicious temper emerges, Maura worries that her home might never be safe for a child. Meanwhile, her close friend Bernie, a mother of three, learns the devastating news that if she conceives again, her health complications could prove fatal.
Dublin, 2023: A close call makes Saoirse realize that she may never want to be a mother. Little does she know that only a few decades ago, a group of women made this option possible for her. And she’s about to meet one of them…
The Women on Platform Two is a haunting, powerful story of feminine resistance and resilience that reminds us all of where we started—and how far we still have to go.
My review:
What a timely and engaging novel! Based on a true story about the courageous women in Ireland in the early 1970's, who fought to legalize birth control. We follow three women, all of whom have interesting stories. Two of the women are in the earlier timeline, and one is in present day as she meets one of the older women on a train. The reason that woman is on that train has a special significance, and she begins to tell her story to this younger woman. The story goes back in time and we meet the two women who have very different circumstances and reasons they cannot be pregnant. They form a close friendship, and this carries over to meeting other like minded women desperate for birth control to be made legal. These women are harassed and ridiculed beyond measure as they work to help themselves and their countrymen (women). I was completely caught up in their stories, and feared for their safety and lives. This story is well written, and the pacing keeps the story moving as we move back and forth in timelines and characters. I love when a historical fiction novel can teach me about something I never was aware of, and this one does it in a heartbreaking and beautiful way!
With all that is happening right now with women's rights, this novel comes at the perfect time to remind us that female friendships and empowerment are most important for change to occur. Read if you like strong female characters, friendship, and bonding over a common cause.
