All’s fair in love and war… but what happens when the war is over?
After the heartbreak of World War Two, newlywed midwife Cathy hoped Liverpool life would offer some joy. But a terrible miscarriage and the escape of her abusive stepfather Jack from prison make happiness hard to find.
Meanwhile, Cathy’s beloved granny is ailing. Whilst at the hospital, Cathy sees her midwifery friends, who are planning to open a home for unmarried mothers. After losing a baby of her own Cathy would love to help, but for now, she must take care of her grandmother.
As her granny’s health worsens, she writes Cathy a letter. The day her grandmother dies, Cathy goes home and opens the envelope: Thank you for giving me a reason to live. Everything I have in the world is yours now, my darling. Cathy is devastated but determined to honour her granny’s memory, hoping the maternity home can be her legacy.
Just as Cathy and her friends are about to open their doors to the first expectant mothers, Jack is spotted in Liverpool. It’s only a matter of time until her cruel stepfather catches up with her, determined to pay her back for getting him locked up in prison. Can Cathy keep herself and her grandmother’s legacy safe, and see Jack sent away for good at last?
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of The Midwives of Lark Lane to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
The Midwives of Lark Lane is the fourth instalment in the Lark Lane series by Pam Howes. I have really enjoyed this series as it has shown such great development since book one in terms of both the story lines and characters. I feel as if I have gotten to know all the characters so well and I am deeply invested in everything that has happened to them. They have all been through so much but there is still plenty that occurs in this new book. For those that are new to this series the prologue gives a quick recap of all that has happened and it was also a great refresher for me as it had been several months since I last read about Cathy and her family. I really enjoy how several strands of the overall story have ran through each book and that things don't get abruptly or easily resolved or cut off. Instead it seems true to life in that issues and problems take time to find their resolution and that the fairytale happily ever after isn't always so easy to find. Admittedly a lot of the things that befall Cathy and her family wouldn't happen to the majority of us but still I think these books have been realistic and I have come to care a great deal about the characters.
It is now June 1960 and whereas the earlier books focused on Cathy's mam Alice, Cathy herself is now a mature young woman and married to Gianni and has her own daughter Lucy. Plenty of trauma and heartache have befallen the family but they now hope to put everything firmly in the past and move forward with nothing but positivity in their lives. But yet there are dark shadows still determined to linger and maybe there are a few more struggles to get through before happiness, peace and fulfilment can be found and maintained. Cathy's longed for nursing career had been put on hold when she discovered she was pregnant although she still keeps in contact with the many friends she has made on her course and who continue to specialise in midwifery which Cathy herself one day hopes to pursue.
Instead now Cathy has moved from Liverpool and the safety net of her family to be with Gianni on the fairground that his family runs. Life at the fairground is one of a nomadic existence where they pack up and move from place to place very regularly. To be honest I didn't think Cathy was really cut out for this as she liked her home comforts and was a very sociable person who liked to be near her friends and family and especially Granny Lomax who has done so much for her in the past. Yes there are plenty of people around at the fair but they are so busy with their daily jobs and keeping the fair running that being cooped up in a caravan with a young child really wasn't going to suit Cathy for very long. Yet on the other hand Cathy's love and devotion towards Gianni deserves much credit as she was putting her family before her own needs. But I could see from the outset that something would have to happen as things for Cathy couldn't go on the way they were.
A tragic event leads to that change and Cathy finds herself back home in Liverpool while Gianni continues his work on the fairground. You couldn't doubt the love that had for each other but it was clear that each had their own path to lead for a little while before some form of reunification could occur. I enjoyed reading of how Cathy settles back down to life at home and how she pushed events to the back of her mind and was able to get on with becoming a midwife. Anyone could see that this was her true calling and passion and the stories of the various women she meets through her job were heart-warming but also sad on certain occasions. The story progresses over several years and there are plenty of ebbs and flows. At certain points it felt as if nothing much was happening and that one or two chapters were just filling in before the story got going again. As for that dark shadow I previously mentioned there was definitely threatening and menacing undercurrents flowing through the book and they came in the form of Alice's ex husband Jack and stepfather to Cathy.
Jack has been in prison for several years following events from the previous book but chapters told from his viewpoint indicate that he is not content and his sinister and evil ways may just about to rear their ugly heads once again. I have never liked the character of Jack and even more so than in this book, there is not one good thing to be said about his character. He is mean to the core, never happy with his lot and always out for revenge. I felt worried for everyone as we come to know the inner thoughts and workings of Jack's mind and what he has in store. I was fearful that his plans may come true and all the happiness and goals that Cathy, her family and friends have worked towards would coming crashing down around them. The tension was well built up and I enjoyed how Jack's element of the story became intertwined with Cathy's very much unbeknownst to her. The unease, unrest and suspicion grew and grew until you just knew something had to give but you hoped that things could hopefully turn out in a positive way. Especially as Cathy and her close work colleagues were so close to seeing their personal long term dream come true. This long term goal aspect of the book was a lovely storyline and how it all came to fruition was just so heart-warming and inspiring. All working together for one common aim and inspiring and helping others as they do so.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Midwives of Lark Lane and I think it is the right time to end this series as everything has come full circle and to add any more would just be stretching things out unnecessarily. In the last quarter of the book the pace really picked up and there was a lot of tying up of loose ends and resolving of things that had been niggling away at me. The threads are pulled together and as Cathy herself is a firm believer of fate she has to remain strong and hope that what life has in store for her will entail things working out OK or maybe Jack will get his own way and enact the revenge he has so desperately wanted to do for long. Long time fans of Pam Howes will love this read and new fans will want to go back and discover the full story of Cathy and her family.
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