Can she follow her dreams – against all the odds?
Liverpool, 1955. With her abusive husband drinking all her wages, Alice faces a daily struggle to provide for her family. Her eldest daughter Cathy has always longed to be a nurse, but when the family’s poverty means she’s forced to leave school and get a job – without the qualifications she needs – it looks like her dreams are over.
But Cathy isn’t willing to give up without a fight, and with the support of old friend – and new love – Gianni, she manages to secure a place as a cadet nurse, learning as she works.
Cathy knows that without her around, her mam must stand up to her violent husband alone – and that with less money coming in, Alice will be in danger of losing everything. What’s more, since nursing students must be unmarried, and Gianni is desperate to settle down, it’s not just her mam who hopes that Cathy will come home…
Can Cathy find a way to have it all, or will becoming a nurse mean leaving her family – and love – behind her?
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGaley for my copy of The Nurses of Lark Lane to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
The Nurses of Lark Lane is the concluding part in The Lark Lane trilogy by Pam Howes and as with the previous two books I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. It was a deeply satisfying finale to what has been a brilliant series. I was very pleased with the eventual outcome as I feel I have become so invested in what happens to the characters given I have been with them on an incredible journey right from the very beginning. As with most books that form part of a series The Nurses of Lark Lane can be read as a standalone story but honestly I think to truly appreciate every character and what they go through and to understand and comprehend all the various plots and how they interconnect I would say start with book one The Factory Girls of Lark Lane.
I would definitely class this series as a multi generational saga which began following the conclusion of World War Two with a focus on Alice and her friend Millie and now we have come full circle bringing us up to the late 1950's as Alice's oldest daughter Cathy steps into the spotlight. She faces many challenges and obstacles but always remains true to her beliefs and goals. Those being to fight for and retain her independence and to make something of herself with a good solid career.
I thought book two left us very much on a cliffhanger as Alice was experiencing so much emotional turmoil in her marriage to the despicable monster that was Jack. I felt every bit of her anguish, worry and distress at the situation she found herself and really wanted her to buck up and finally see the light. She clearly needed to remove herself from the desperate situation she found herself in but there seemed to be a reluctance on her part as well as many other things going against her. When we return to Alice and her family I thought everything remained the same, in fact the situation had probably gotten worse. I wondered where was the woman who previously had picked herself up off the ground and made something of herself following the death of her first husband?
She seemed to be a totally different character from the ambitious young girl we had first been introduced to but I suppose when one is in a position of being constantly worn down and being told you are not good enough you begin to think maybe these things could be true. Jack remained an absolute horror of a character and now that he is physically incapacitated his temper, anger and cruel streak seem to rear their head more often. It was obvious he detested Alice and the children he had with her and as for Cathy she was like a thorn in his side. Time and time again as with the previous books I thought why on earth can't Alice just kick him to the curb? Surely she must realise the true extent of his character and what he gets up to when he thinks she is not fully clued in to what is going on.
Although Cathy is just a teenager at aged 15 she can clearly see what is going on and uses every available opportunity to escape to her Granny Lomax where comfort, solace and support is always on offer. I always felt when reading this story that Cathy was much older than she was simply because she was so mature and wise although that's not to say she didn't waver over what was the right decision or not. That's natural for anybody but I thought she was a stand out character throughout and I enjoyed how the book shifted its attention to focus more on her and the developing relationship she has with childhood friend Gianni whose mother Sadie was a firm friend of both Alice and Millie.
Saying that given how the majority of the series had so far focused on Alice I thought she kind of disappeared midway through the book and then reappeared towards the end. Of course there were mentions of her but I would have loved even more chapters from her point of view. I understand that the author has been taking us on a journey following one family and she has done this so successfully but given how crucial Alice was to everything and how she formed the backbone to the series I just wanted her to feature that little bit more in this book. If I couldn't have that, I had the next best thing in Cathy because I really felt she stepped up to the plate when it mattered the most.
Cathy really took an awful lot on her shoulders and she deserves nothing but admiration for that. One questions whether she had to grow up too soon but really she had no choice as she could see what was happening to her family. That Alice was being broken down piece by piece and that if Cathy didn't help out financially and with the care of the children then God knows what would have happened. Throughout it all her love for Gianni deepens and I thought the development of their relationship was just perfect. It was like he was the antidote and total opposite to her home life and she could seek comfort, reassurance, support and love from him whenever she needed that time away from her daily struggles. Cathy was an ambitious person and she knew what direction she wished her life to go in. Her dreams of becoming a nurse could have been halted due to Jack and the family situation instead she sought alternative routes and she enrols on a course for cadet nurses. I loved the scenes set in the college as Cathy learns new skills but also at the same time tries to maintain a balanced relationship with Gianni. It showed that if you want something badly enough you will persist at it.
I thought the various things that went on to happen with the Gianni and Cathy storyline were brilliant and they kept the reader on their toes guessing what would happen. In the background there was always her own family situation lurking and I thought how everything came together so dramatically was brilliant. I loved how Cathy was so dogged in her opinions and stance, she wanted to be a nurse at whatever cost. Some people may view her as being very one sided and that she wasn't willing to give or take at all, but I think she had no other choice and was right to be like that. She was looking to the future for security and independence and being reliant on someone else wasn't going to help her achieve this. As for Gianni I think he was just very muddled in his heart and mind and there were things he needed to get out of his system and explore before he could even really focus on what Cathy was trying to get across to him. So much happened between them towards the end that I wondered could a sensible and satisfactory resolution ever be found or would stubbornness and being obstinate rule the day.
I would definitely recommend The Nurses of Lark Lane as a book to read during the summer. In fact if you haven't read anything by Pam Howes everything she has written in the historical fiction genre has been brilliant and this book proved to be no different. I am gutted to leave such incredible characters behind but I think the time is right and their journey is complete. I'm already looking forward to where Pam Howes will take us next in future books.
All Amazon UK book titles in bold/italics are Affiliate links which will earn me a few pence if anyone clicks through and makes a purchase - any money earned will go towards buying books or gifts for giveaways.
No comments:
Post a Comment