The Nurses of Lark Lane by Pam Howes

Happy Sunday!  The following titles release on August 6:  A Bias for Murder by Sally Goldenbaum, A Song of Joy by Lauraine Snelling, A Perfect Silhouette by Judith Miller, Mountains of Grace by Kelly Irvin and Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood.  The Time for Murder is Meow by T.C. LoTempio releases on August 8.  My TBR list has more books on it then I can read in my lifetime!

The Nurses of Lark Lane by Pam Howes takes readers to Liverpool, England in 1955.  Alice Dawson is still married to Jack and struggling to take care of the family.  Cathy Lomax has dreamed of becoming a nurse and is hoping her O levels will be good enough to qualify her for nursing school.  But with Jack is spending his pension on alcohol and cigarettes and Alice pregnant once again, Cathy must leave school to begin working at Lewis’s Department Store.  Cathy begins dating Gianni Romano who zips her around town on his motorbike.  Cathy learns about a program at the Royal Hospital where she can get taken on as a cadet nurse.  The program requires Cathy to live in.  She is hoping that without her being in the home, it will cause her mother will finally do something about Jack.  The only fly in the ointment is Gianni who wishes to settle down.  Cathy wants to finish her schooling before marrying because she is afraid of ending up in a situation like her mother’s.  Will Alice ever stand up to Jack?  What is Cathy’s destiny?

Lewis's Department Store

The Nurses of Lark Lane is the third book in Lark Lane series.  This is a series that is best read in order.  It was nice to catch up with Alice, Cathy, Millie, Brian and Granny Lomax.  I enjoyed reading Cathy’s story.  I admire her for having the goal of becoming a nurse that would allow her to have a different life.  Cathy has had a rough time since her father, Terry passed away and Alice (her mother) married Jack Dawson.  Alice made a mistake marrying the cheating louse and everyone in the family is having to pay for bad judgement.  Cathy was lucky to have Granny Lomax living nearby to give her encouragement and provide a safe haven.  The Nurses of Lark Lane is well-written with steady pacing.  Once I started reading it, I stayed up late because I wanted to see how the book would end.  It is a dramatic and emotional story featuring family drama, friendships, work life and romance.  The author captured the era with the clothing, hair styles, make up, movies, slang, and attitudes. The characters are realistic and developed.  There are characters that readers will love and those we will dislike intensely (like Jack).  I hope that this is not the last book in the series (if it is then I wish the author had provided an epilogue). The Nurses of Lark Lane is a compelling novel with the Romeo Gianni, a gentle granny, a sympathetic sibling, the smashed scoundrel, and a motivated young woman.

The first two novels in the Lark Lane series are The Factory Girls of Lark Lane and The Shop Girls of Lark Lane.  All three books are available through the Kindle Unlimited program.  Thank you for reading my review today.  I am featuring The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs by Katherine Howe tomorrow as part of the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour.  I hope you have a sparkling day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

The Shop Girls of Lark Lane by Pam Howes

Happy Mother's Day!  I am enjoying the day with my mother, Roberta. Did you do something special for your mother or mother figure in your life? The Book Supremacy by Kate Carlisle will be out on June 4 (hooray) along with A Patchwork of Clues by Sally Goldenbaum, The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair, and The Summer Country by Lauren Willig.  Lost and Found by Danielle Steel releases on June 25.  So many books and so little time to read them.

The Shop Girls of Lark Lane by Pam Howes takes readers to Liverpool, England in August of 1945.  Alice Lomax has enjoyed time off with her recently demobbed husband, Terry and their four year old daughter, Cathy.  Alice must return to work at Lewis’s which leaves Terry taking care of Cathy who does not know him.  They are in for a struggle until Cathy gets to know and trust Terry.  Sadie Romano works with Alice at Lewis’s which remained open during the war and it has the bomb scars to prove it.  Rationing is still in effect and items are in scarce supply.  Sadie is a single mother raising her son, Gianni.  She hopes to never see Luca Romano, Gianni’s Italian father, but luck is not with Sadie.  Luca wants to be a part of Gianni’s life, but Sadie is wary of trusting him.  Terry obtains a used motorbike to get back and forth to his new job over Alice’s objections.   Then one day the unthinkable happens leaving Alice a widow with a young child to raise.  What does the future hold for these two women? 

 

The Shop Girls of Lark Lane is the second book in the Lark Lane series.  I do recommend reading The Factory Girls of Lark Lane first.  Otherwise, you will be missing necessary background information on the characters.  I do want readers to know this book is dark and realistic (not an upbeat, perky story).  It shows what life was like for women after World War II.  I thought The Shop Girls of Lark Lane was a slow starter.  I had a hard time getting into the story, but I wanted to keep reading to see what would happen next.  The book picks up as you get further into it.  I like the main characters which consist of Alice, Sadie, Millie, Granny Lomax, and Brian.   Alice is lucky to have such good friends and a helpful mother-in-law.  It is a shame that Alice does not always appreciate Granny Lomax.  Brian is helpful as well with young Cathy and around the house.  Millie has met the love of her life and has plans with him for a new future in Canada.  Sadie is worried when Gianni’s circus performer Italian father returns to Liverpool.  I do not want to say too much and spoil The Shop Girls of Lark Lane for you.   At the end of the book, readers are left wondering what will happen next for Alice (cliffhanger).  I look forward to reading The Nurses of Lark Lane when it comes out.  The Shop Girls of Lark Lane is an emotional and realistic novel that tug at your heartstrings.

The Nurses of Lark Lane will be out on June 13.  All three books in the Lark Lane series are available on Kindle Unlimited.  Thank you for stopping by today.  I will share my review of Blessing in Disguise by Danielle Steel tomorrow.  May you have a glorious day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

The Factory Girls of Lark Lane: The Lark Lane Series

Good Day!  The Christmas Remedy by Cindy Woodsmall and Erin Woodsmall will be published on October 23.  Did you know you can follow your favorite authors on Bookbub?  You can then get updates when new books are released.  

The Factory Girls of Lark Lane by Pam Howes takes us back to December of 1940 in Liverpool, England.  Alice Turner and her best friend Millie Markham work at Rootes Munitions Factory.  While Alice’s sweetheart, Terry Lomax  is home on leave they are getting married at the Mount Pleasant Registry Office.  After a one night honeymoon, Terry returns to the division and Alice must continue with her life at home without him.   Alice lives at home with her mother and younger brother, Brian.  Her older brother, Rodney is fighting in France.  Life is difficult at home with air raids, rationing and missing loved ones.  Alice’s life changes when she discovers she is pregnant.  As the war proceeds on with no end in sight, someone dear to Alice is missing in action, her mother’s health declines and she finds it is a struggle to keep a roof over their head and food in the cupboard.  Alice feels blessed to have Millie’s friendship during these trying times.  How will they overcome these challenges and survive the war?

The Factory Girls of Lark Lane is a well-written novel that transports readers back in time.  I found that the author captured time and place.  Ms. Howes did her research.  I felt The Factory Girls of Lark Lane is an accurate portrayal of home life during World War II.  I did struggle with some of the British slang (such as “sarnie”).  Millie and Alice’s friendship is heartwarming and enriches the story.  They are close friends who help each through the worst times of their lives and are there to celebrate the good times too.  We see the importance of family and neighbors.  It was amazing how neighbors and co-workers’ band together to take care of their own.  Rationing made it difficult to prepare meals and people had to get creative.  The National Loaf was the bread they had to eat (with white flour severely rationed) and new clothes were a thing of the past.  The ending did feel incomplete to me, but this is only the first book in the series. The Factory Girls of Lark Lane is an emotional story that will tug on your heartstrings and it will hold your attention until the very end.  I look forward to the story continuing in The Shop Girls of Lark Lane (will be out on December 12). 

The Factory Girls of Lark Lane is available on Kindle Unlimited.  Readers who enjoy books by Rosie Clarke, Donna Douglas and Nadine Dorries will enjoy Pam Howes novels.  Thank you for joining me today.  I will return tomorrow with my review of The Sound of Distant Thunder by Jan Drexler.  It is the first book in The Amish of Weaver's Creek series.  Have a lovely day and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader