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What started as a university project has culminated in a book for Central Hawke’s Bay woman Lynda Taylor.
Taylor’s The Cinderella Service is due to hit bookstores on Tuesday, a timely Anzac release for the World War II-inspired fiction for young adults.
Lynda Taylor said she hoped the book would empower people to learn more about New Zealand land girls.
Her inspiration to write the book came after she returned to study in her early 50s, completing a Bachelor of Arts in English and a master’s in creative writing at Massey University.
The bones of the book formed her master’s project, as she delved into the topic of New Zealand’s Land Girls.
The Land Girls movement was formed in World War II after it became apparent there was an acute labour shortage and a reduction in food production due to the mobilisation of male farm workers.
“I thought if I’m not in the know about this at the age I am, I imagine there are a lot of other people not in the know.”
Taylor, who previously worked as a research and archives assistant at the National Army Museum in Waiouru, handled letters written by soldiers on active service and letters from home.
She said this experience bolstered the authenticity of her copy.
The story follows the story of main character, Emerald, known as Emma, as she works as a land girl during the 1940s.
“When there weren’t enough volunteers to work on the farms to keep them running, young girls were conscripted to work on farms — they had no choice.”
The story follows the 19-year-old’s transition from urban life in Napier with her widowed mother to rural life in Waipukurau.
“It’s about her feeling nervous and apprehensive, never having left home before, and there is all that emotional stuff going on, but also she is having to learn things that were totally unfamiliar to her — and some of it’s not very nice.”
Author Lynda Taylor said she hoped the book would help with people's understanding about women's involvement in World War II.
Alongside the protagonist’s work on the land, the story also follows her concerns for her sweetheart on the frontline.
“It brings out all the stress and strain of trying to support her sweetheart, he is dealing with all sorts of horrible things, and also keeping herself on track.”
She said the women and girls were not issued defence service numbers, which meant they didn’t attest to serve their country like the uniformed women, hence the lack of recognition.
Taylor worked to bring their experiences to life through her character and said she didn’t realise the extent of their contribution to food exports.
“I want their story known because they contributed hugely to keeping the farms running, keeping food production up and not just to New Zealand.”
Taylor said one of the more interesting aspects of writing the book was learning about the farming methods used at the time.
She said this was a huge consideration when writing the book because she needed to be historically accurate to not offend the reader.
She said she leaned on her rural neighbours, whom she described as “older folks who came through the war years”, to share farming practices of the time accurately.
Taylor hoped the book would act as an inspiration for young adults to tackle challenges as they moved out of home, much like her protagonist.
“I feel like this book is an encouragement to all young people, even though it’s based in 1940s New Zealand.”
Taylor will be doing a book signing at Beattie and Forbes Booksellers in Ahuriri on April 23.
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.
