REVIEW: Oh My Goodness! I just finished The War Nurse by Tracey Enerson Wood. It was such a good book. This one is Historical Fiction but, it was not in your face and I believe even those that don’t like war stories will like this one. 

I loved finding out about the early days of x-ray technology and that it was very new during WWI. I knew there wasn’t any penicillin then and it was also during the 1918 influenza outbreak. It was interesting to see how the nurses handled those situations and prevented themselves from getting sick. It reminded me of the covid epidemic we are fighting.

There was a love story that took place in the background. Julia was the head nurse and Fred was over the whole hospital. They liked each other but, it was inappropriate and grounds for dismissal for Julia from the Red Cross. Of course gossip flew and they were the favorites of many staff members. 

This book took place in France and not to far from Paris. It was an enjoyable read and I had hard time putting it down. I think it has something for everyone and it isn’t a heavy story at all. I enjoyed the glimpses of life in France back in the War time. 

I received a copy of this book from #BookBrowse/#Sourcebooks for use in a book discussion. All opinions are my own.. Thank you!

SYNOPSIS: Based on a true story, The War Nurse is a sweeping historical novel by USA Today bestselling author Tracey Enerson Wood that takes readers on an unforgettable journey through WWI France.

She asked dozens of young women to lay their lives on the line during the Great War. Can she protect them?

Superintendent of Nurses Julia Stimson must recruit sixty-four nurses to relieve the battle-worn British, months before American troops are ready to be deployed. She knows that the young nurses serving near the front lines of will face a challenging situation, but nothing could have prepared her for the chaos that awaits when they arrive at British Base Hospital 12 in Rouen, France. The primitive conditions, a convoluted, ineffective system, and horrific battle wounds are enough to discourage the most hardened nurses, and Julia can do nothing but lead by example―even as the military doctors undermine her authority and make her question her very place in the hospital tent.

When trainloads of soldiers stricken by a mysterious respiratory illness arrive one after the other, overwhelming the hospital’s limited resources, and threatening the health of her staff, Julia faces an unthinkable choice―to step outside the bounds of her profession and risk the career she has fought so hard for, or to watch the people she cares for most die in her arms.

Fans of Martha Hall Kelly’s Lost Roses and Marie Benedict’s Lady Clementine will devour this mesmerizing celebration of some of the most overlooked heroes in history: the fierce, determined, and brave nurses who treated soldiers in World War I.