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Oct 10, 2023LiterarySquirrel rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
An unexpectedly emotional and realistic telling of what nurses went through during the Spanish Flu. This novel is a beautiful display of the fragility of life.
Aug 15, 2023Em2012 rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
Found this book difficult to read. Didn't finish.
May 23, 2023Tica77 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This book is certainly well researched and touches on the effects of influenza on pregnant women in 1918. I found it to be a very technical read and did not enjoy the author’s writing style. It felt disjointed and choppy. She should have…
Apr 24, 2023
“You can’t be a little bit dead. If you’re not in the ground yet, you’re one hundred percent alive,” says Bridie Sweeney to Nurse Julia Power during three relentless days in a makeshift hospital ward caring for expectant mothers afflicted…
Apr 11, 2023sunnyblonde rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A staunch reminder of how hard life was for women back then , and likely still is in Ireland in some respects. There is mention that "she doesn't love you unless she gives you 12 kids!". Well written.
Mar 22, 2023
Is it too soon to read a book centered around a pandemic and political uncertainty? Most likely... but this compelling story is one of survival, is set in a post WWI Dublin, and features a gritty, yet compassionate quality in its prose.
Mar 14, 2023WPL_JessB rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Read this book was (very appropriately) like a fever dream. Taking place over the span of 3 days in the maternity ward, Donoghue takes readers through the gritty world of the Spanish Influenza pandemic of 1918. This book was powerful and…
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Feb 26, 2023tammygfarmgirl rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
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Feb 24, 2023busymom51 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Nurse Julia Powers is a maternity nurse in Dublin's poorest hospital. The Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918 is raging as the world is dealing with World War I and its aftermath. The women in Julia's care are pregnant and also fighting this…
Feb 10, 2023danskpige54 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Very good reading about pandemic 1918 and the Irish cause.
Sep 24, 2022pnelson384 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Very well written book about the pandemic of 1918 set in a hospital in Dublin, Ireland. The main character is a maternity nurse/midwife, and the story is told over three days in which she must try to save women and infants who are battling…
Jul 21, 2022WensP rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Wonderful read, very captivating and telling for these times.
Mar 08, 2022kozakd rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Wonderful, heartbreaking, thought provoking on so many levels for so many reasons. The characters come to life and the writing flows easily as their stories are told. We are reminded of the strength of women through the ages, through…
Feb 13, 2022
I couldn’t have predicted that I would be utterly fascinated by a novel set in a 1917 influenza maternity ward, one that shows a few days of the granular medical work that takes place there, but here we are. I LOVED this book. There were…
Feb 07, 2022micro1039 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Fantastic book! Since I was just in the hospital recently and know how overworked our medical staff is during this time of COVID, I could appreciate what the protagonist and the hospital in the story were facing. The makeshift wards and…
Feb 05, 2022srd10 rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
"The Pull of the Stars" did not work after approximately 120 pages of gynecological description. A medical book would be of more interest."
Jan 21, 2022
The dialog is weird. Quotation marks are not used, you've been warned.
Jan 20, 2022WPL_Kylie rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This book was a lot, especially reading it during the COVID pandemic. Taking place during the Spanish Flu pandemic, Nurse Julia Power works in an understaffed Maternity/Fever ward for pregnant women who have the flu. The book takes place…
Dec 27, 2021Westerville_MindyB rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Sooo good, you feel like you are right in that ward room for better or worse. Beautifully written. 😭❤️
Dec 23, 2021Alibrarylady rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
enjoyed this book
Nov 23, 2021niewegec rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This novel was incredibly well done and actually so on point with what is happening in the world today with Covid. I loved that the story revolves around three remarkable and fierce women who are trying to make a difference during the…
Nov 18, 2021lilypad_1 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Very interesting although I have always been squeamish about the delivery process. Sounds like they were smarter than we are regarding enforcing social distancing, staying away from inside venues, wearing masks and having ventilation.…
Sep 27, 2021cknightkc rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
THE PULL OF THE STARS is a compelling historical fiction drama set during the 1918 influenza pandemic. As I read it, I couldn’t help but compare it to what’s happening today in the time of COVID. Set over 3 days, this character-driven…
Sep 19, 2021DanglingConversations rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
The first half of the book is a fascinating read. Nursing in Dublin just after WWI when the Spanish flu was decimating the world. Julie is an unusual woman who thinks for herself but is working in a strict hierarchical system both as a…
Aug 18, 2021BWilsoned rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Though not a light subject this story is a fast read. The main character is naive, empathetic, and such a tireless nurse. Not just about the flu, Donoghue weaves in love, family, Irish independence, and the detestable methods of the…