Hey, everyone. Welcome to the show. Great to
be here. So I wanted to start with something
maybe a bit provocative. What happens when the
life you, you know, meticulously planned just
starts to unravel and it reveals desires you
never even knew you had? That's a powerful question.
And it really hits the emotional core of the
book we're diving into today. Exactly. We're
talking about Laura Anthony's novel, The Women
on Platform 2. Yeah, it's contemporary fiction,
but it has these really interesting elements
of sort of historical reflection woven in. Right.
So the main story follows Sworz, right? Present
day. She's grappling with some pretty big life
choices. And then almost out of the blue, she
finds this scrapbook. The scrapbook belonging
to Mora. Exactly. Mora, an Irish woman living
back in the mid 20th century. And that's the
hook, isn't it? how Anthony weaves these two
stories together. It really is. Through Maura's
scrapbook, her entries, swores, and, well, us
as readers, we get this really intimate look.
Into what life was like. Yeah, the societal pressures,
the very personal struggles women faced in Ireland
back then. It's quite eye -opening. It feels
like a really clever way to explore how women's
lives have... you know, changed or maybe haven't
changed in some ways. Absolutely. And one thing
I think the book does exceptionally well is the
portrayal of Maura's inner world. It's just so
vivid. Oh, completely. You really feel like you
understand her evolving perspective on her own
life, the limitations she faced. Anthony makes
her experiences feel so immediate, so real, even
though they're set, what, decades ago? Decades,
yeah. And what I also really appreciated was
the subtlety. The way she draws parallels and
contrasts, too, between Solaris' modern problems
and Maura's historical ones. Yes. It makes you
stop and think, doesn't it? It does. Like, how
much has actually changed? Yeah. And what core
challenges maybe persist across generations for
women? That's such a key point. It avoids being
too simple, you know? Like, then was bad, now
is good. It's much more nuanced. It really encourages
you to reflect on the complexities. And the secondary
characters, like... Bernie and Geraldine, they
add so much depth. We really do. They give you
different angles on the world Moira was navigating.
Enriches her story quite a bit. Definitely. Now,
if I had to pick one tiny thing, and it's more
of a structural observation. Okay. Sometimes
the transitions, jumping between Sawarzi's present
day and Moira's past entries, they felt maybe
a little abrupt. Just occasionally. I can see
that. It just like momentarily pulled me out
of the immersion of whichever storyline I was
in. That's fair. I mean, handling dual narratives
like that, getting the rhythm just right. It's
tricky. It's a delicate balance. Yeah. But I
felt overall the richness of both stories, the
depth there. It kind of compensated for any slight.
clunkiness in the transitions for me anyway.
Oh, I agree. Ultimately, it didn't detract significantly,
which is why overall I'd give the women on platform
to a pretty strong rating, like four out of five
stars. Yeah, I'd probably land somewhere similar.
It's definitely thought provoking and emotionally
resonant, too. It gives you this compelling glimpse
into two women's lives, their unique challenges
in different times. It really leaves you thinking
about the choices women make and the societies
they. Well, have to navigate. It's that connection
across time, isn't it? Yeah. The threads linking
individual struggles within these bigger social
pictures. Exactly. So, look, if this deep dive
has piqued your interest, if you want to get
the full story for yourself. Which we recommend.
We do. We put an Amazon link for the Women on
Platform 2 right there in the description for
this deep dive. Easy to find. And hey, if you
enjoyed this discussion, this exploration of
the themes and characters. Please do consider
liking and subscribing to the show. Yep. So you
don't miss out on our future deep dives. We've
got lots more interesting stuff coming up. Absolutely.
And thanks truly for joining us today as we unpack
the layers of this novel. We love doing these.
We really do. And we'd love to hear from you,
too. What stood out? Was there a moment or an
idea from our chat that resonated? Or maybe something
you saw differently in the book. Yeah. let us
know share your thoughts in the comment section
below or maybe share this with someone else you
think might enjoy it we always appreciate hearing
different perspectives it keeps the conversation
going it really does yeah so until our next deep
dive keep exploring keep exploring those stories
that shape how we see the world and maybe even
ourselves see you next time