The war is over, but there’s heartbreak ahead…
Liverpool, 1945. As the war draws to a close, Alice and Terry Lomax are building a new life with their young daughter Cathy. After years away fighting, Terry is a stranger to his daughter and must work hard to win her trust and love.
Alice and old friend Sadie work in the haberdashery of Lewis’s department store, where bomb damage scars the walls and rationing is still in force. Yet Lewis’s remains open, a sign of strength in the midst of Liverpool’s post-war ruins.
Though memories of those lost in the war are fresh, Alice and Sadie look forward to the future. But then a tragic accident leaves Alice a widow, and the father of Sadie’s child – a man she hoped never to see again – is back in Liverpool…
With Alice struggling to start again alone, and Sadie desperate to protect her son, can these two shop girls overcome their troubles and keep their hopes alive – even with all the odds against them?
The Shop Girls of Lark Lane is a heart-wrenching family saga about the strength of friendship and the costs of war. If you love Nadine Dorries, Diney Costeloe and Kitty Neale, you won’t want to miss Pam Howes!
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My Review
This is book two in the series and after reading The Factory Girls of Lark Lane I was really looking forward to this. In many ways I enjoyed it even more than book one.
Terry, Alice and their daughter, Cathy are trying to become a normal family after Terry returns from war. It is difficult as his daughter barely knows him. He has been away her whole young life. Terry himself is struggling to get used to life back home. Then when tragedy strikes, Alice has to re-build her life. Luckily she has a strong network of friends who are there for her through all her ups and downs.
Alice is such a strong woman and definitely my favourite. I found myself hoping throughout that everything would turn out well for her. This book gave me so many different emotions throughout, happiness, sadness and even in parts, anger. Without giving spoilers there is one character that made me so mad!
I have really enjoyed the development of Alice's brother, Brian, he is growing throughout these books and I am enjoying reading more of his character. What I love about these books is all of the characters are so well written and I enjoy reading what is going on in each of their lives.
The Shop Girls of Lark Lane can be read as a standalone although my advise would be to read The Factory Girls first to get more of the back story. I can't wait to read more from Pam Howes. If you are a fan of wartime sagas this is a must read.
About The Author
Pam Howes was born in Cheshire. She is an ex Interior Designer who began writing seriously in the mid nineties. The idea for her first novel, set in the sixties, was inspired by her time as a teenager, working in a local record store and hanging around with musicians who frequented the business. That first novel evolved into a series set in the fictional town of Pickford, based on her home town of Stockport. Three Steps to Heaven; 'Til I Kissed You; Always On My Mind; Not Fade Away, and That'll Be The Day, follow the lives and loves through the decades of fictional Rock'n'Roll band The Raiders. Pam is a big fan of sixties music and it's this love that compelled her to write the series. A stand-alone true-life romance, Fast Movin' Train, set in the nineties, was published in early 2012. Pam is mum to three adult daughters, grandma to seven assorted grandchildren, and roadie to one musician partner.
Thank you to Bookouture via NetGalley for the chance to read a digital ARC of this novel.
