Christmas Angels

I love all of Nadine Dorries books. This is the coming together of the Four Streets trilogy and The Lovely Lane series. A thoroughly enjoyable story that I would highly recommend

Another wonderful book in the Lovely Lane series .  I absolutely loved it and it sucked me right into the story from the first page .  Nadine Dorries is a wonderful writer and she writes her books in such a way that you literally feel you are in the book with the nurses , domestics and families of lovely Lane .  This is fabulous book set in St Angela’s hospital at Christmas time . There is both happiness , sadness and hope through this book and anyone who reads it will find it hard not to shed a tear or two .  A massive five stars from me .

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the Publishers, Head of Zeus, for the review copy which was given in exchange for an honest review.  Also thank you to Suzanne from Head of Zeus for organising the blog tour.

This is the fourth book in the Lovely Lane series.  It can be read as a standalone, but it does make more sense for the story and characters to have read the others first.  

We are back at the hospital of St Angelus, and it is the run up to Christmas.  There is a Sister vacancy available on the Paediatric Ward and Sister Antrobus has her eye on the job, although Matron has other ideas.  The nurses, Dana, Beth, Pammy and Victoria are all very busy with it being near Christmas.  There is also the matter of the Best Decorated Ward competition, which each ward are determined to win.  On a more serious side, a young baby is found abandoned and bought into the hospital seriously ill.  No one has taken responsibility as to him being their baby and all the nurses, particularly Sister Haycock have made it their responsibility to get him better.  Matron also has her worries with Sister Tapps.  She has not had a Christmas off for so many years, preferring to spend her Christmas with the children on her Ward.  Matron decides to close Sister Tapps Ward over Christmas, moving what children are to remain in hospital to Sister Paige’s Ward.  This is a big shock to Sister Tapps as she doesn’t want to spend Christmas anywhere else, but as time goes on she begins to see that she may have more important things to worry about.

This was my first Lovely Lane book.  I have read other books from this author, but not from this series.   I did at first get a bit confused with all the different characters as I wasn’t sure if these nurses were in any of the other books, but I soon settled into the story and got to know the characters.  Based in the 1950’s, the story begins with a dockyard family, Maura and Tommy Doherty and their two girls Kitty and Angela.  It just grabbed me right from the first word.  Maura was trying to tend to her youngest daughter Angela who was suffering from what seemed a very bad chest infection.  The NHS was still in its infancy, and whilst they could now get free healthcare, it was still a lot different to how we receive it today.  

There are so many stories within the book, all rolling into one.  Everything flowed so well and I just could not put the book down.  The writing makes you feel like you are right there, on the wards, with all the nurses and the children.  Each nurse had their own story going, and whilst there were a lot of happy tales, there was also so much sadness.  I won’t risk any spoilers by going into too much detail, but safe to say it was very moving by the end.   I was reading this book at every little opportunity I had and some were while I was waiting for appointments or out in public.  I found it so hard not to burst into tears with the story and to be honest I probably didn’t really take in the wonderful writing that it was by the end.  I will have to find a quiet corner at home, with a box of tissues, just to reread the last quarter of the book so I can appreciate the tender writing of such a sad time.

On a happier note, the book is very Christmassy!  There are lots of trees and decorations, particularly with the Best Dressed Ward competition.  There is also lots of carols and singing, with the nurses going round the wards on Christmas Eve singing Christmas Carols to the patients left in hospital.  This was such a wonderful image, and I’ve seen this happening on films!! – it’s a shame that this doesn’t still happen today on the wards – or does it?!  I’ve never been in hospital at Christmas so perhaps it does happen still!!  What a wonderful sight that must be and how lovely it must have been, particularly for all the children in hospital over Christmas!

If you are going to read any book over Christmas, make it this one.  It a story of love, friendship and sadness and I defy anyone who reads this not to shed a tear or two.  A wonderful Christmas story about the nurses of Lovely Lane!  Fabulous!

Five Stars!

Lovely, lovely, lovely. Further tales of the staff and patients of St Angelus Hospital and the families living in the Liverpool dock area, during the 1950s. With romance blossoming, Christmas carol concerts, a missing baby, a demanding mother and the best decorated ward competition; this is a truly heartwarming and riveting read, with Christmas thrown in! Well-written and well-rounded characters bring the book to life, as you find yourself routing for them, desperately hoping that it all turns out happily in the end. A must read for fans of ‘Call the Midwife’, I loved this book! Highly recommended read, which would make a lovely Christmas gift too.

I must admit that I shed a tear or two when I was reading this book. It's not that it's all doom and gloom but it is an emotional rollercoaster of a read which I thoroughly enjoyed. I especially like reading about fifties post war Britain, the period where this book is set and the author certainly has the magic touch to bring everything to life.

This is the 4th book in the Lovely Lane Series and another wonderful read. We join the nurses of St Angelus and the wider community in the build up to Christmas. Matron is concerned that Sister Tapps never takes a break from her nursing career and has made it possible for her to be off all over the Christmas holiday.
At the time it was common for nursing staff not to be able to work after marriage so the Matrons and Sisters were often single ladies who made their hospital their life. It was interesting to read about how the nursing homes were like families and then the sisters rooms were again their homes. It was also astonishing to read that the children's wards only allowed family visiting once a week. The poor families must have been devastated to have their children taken in- especially those that were in for lengthy spells.
I loved the characters and the warmth that they feel for Sister Tapps. You could feel her anguish about being taken away from her beloved job and the problems it causes.
It really explores family relationships, romance, post war life and conditions and nursing practice. There is a real sense of community decorating the wards and you really felt a part of the build up. This is a really nice series and I will be keen to read more.