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 poverty means she's forced to leave school and get a job it looks like her dreams are over. But Cathy isn't willing to give up, and with the support of old friend - and new love - Gianni, she manages to secure a place as a cadet nurse. Now, though, her mam must stand up to her violent husband alone - and 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?
The Nurses of Lark Lane is a heart-breaking saga about a family's battle to survive.
A heart-wrenching family saga about the strength of friendship and the costs of war.
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.
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...
A heart-wrenching family saga about women in World War 2, the strength of friendship, and hope.
1940, Liverpool: Alice Turner and her best friend, Millie Markham, work for the war effort at Rootes munitions factory, making shell caps and Halifax bombers. Alice's sweetheart Terry is home from the front for a brief period of leave. But the honeymoon is soon over. Terry must go back to the dangers of Nazi-occupied France, and the ever-present air raid sirens quickly bring Alice back down to earth. When a terrible explosion at the factory leads to a tragic death, Millie receives devastating news, and a loved one is announced missing in action, the heartbreak of war is suddenly all too real. Alice must believe Terry will make it home to keep up her strength. Her mother and Millie need all her support, and morale at the factory is at an all-time low. Can Alice and Millie help one another make it through these dark times, even as the war stretches on with no sign of an ending?
Sisters Carol and Jackie haven't had the easiest of childhoods, but as they grow up and begin their own lives, both hope for happier times ahead. Stylish Carol works in Lewis' department store, while Jackie dreams of a career on the stage. But the sisters are heartbroken when they discover they have been dating the same man and an unexpected pregnancy causes a rift between them. As the sisters' troubles spiral, will their sisterly bond be destroyed forever?
Liverpool,1951: Dora Rodgers is settling into a new life with her daughters Carol and Jackie, moving on from the betrayal of her husband. But then an unexpected knock at the door rips her family in two. Carol is taken away by a welfare officer to live with Dora's estranged husband Joe. Dora is determined to fight for her child, but she struggles to cope when shocking news from Joe breaks her heart once more.
Liverpool, 1946: The blackout blinds may be coming down, but one family is about to face devastating misfortune. Dora Evans is finally marrying the love of her life and her dreams of opening a dressmaking business look as if they might come true. With twin daughters on the way, Dora has everything she's ever wanted. But then tragedy strikes: one of Dora's babies dies in infancy, and a catastrophic fire changes their lives forever. Can Dora save herself, her marriage and her daughter?
