Tin Noses Shop

In this poignant sequel to The Butter Cross, the aftermath of war is further explored as beloved characters return. Our focus now turns to Captain Nigel Lascelles. Shockingly disfigured by shrapnel, he returned from the trenches of Ypres seeking the solace and acceptance only a loving wife may offer. But when privileged and vivacious Daisy vowed For better, for worse, in sickness and in health, she never imagined this – and her failure brings lasting consequences. At the heart of the story once again are unmarried mother Winifred Pasley and her sensitive, precocious daughter Nellie. Loyal and kind, they refuse to let Captain Lascelles sink into oblivion. Their visits have helped to cheer him; now released from the asylum, he finds acceptance and friendship as their neighbour. In Tin Noses Shop the shadow of the Great War stretches over people still broken and losses too great to bear. Lives collide. Tragedies play out – some in plain view and others buried deep in shame and secrecy. The story is told, like The Butter Cross, through the eyes of Nellie, now known as Helen. As the years pass Helen grows up to carve her own future, fiercely intelligent and piercingly observant as always. Or is she? Told with the rich period detail and compassionate sensuality that is Alison James’s trademark, the events and people in Tin Noses Shop will linger with you long after you put it down.