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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I greatly enjoyed this book. I was not a huge fan of Lost Roses but I did love Lilac Girls. I thought this was as good as Lilic Girls and brought to life a period in history I don’t know much about and never had much of an interest in. Now I want to learn all I can about the civil war area.
This was such a great audiobook- the narration was fantastic! Although it’s # 3 in Lilac Girls series, it can definitely be read on its own.
“… knowledge has no enemy but the ignorant.” ― Martha Hall Kelly, Sunflower Sisters
Martha Hall Kelly’s million-copy bestseller Lilac Girls introduced readers to Caroline Ferriday, an American philanthropist who helped young girls released from Ravensbrück concentration camp. Now, in Sunflower Sisters, Kelly tells the story of her ancestor Georgeanna “Georgey” Woolsey, a Union nurse who joins the war effort with her sister, Eliza, and crosses paths with Jemma, a young enslaved girl who is sold off and conscripted into the army, and Ann-May Wilson, her cruel plantation mistress.
Inspired by true accounts, the novel provides a vivid, detailed look at the Civil War experience, from the inhumane plantations, to a war-torn New York City, to the horrors of the battlefield. Once again, she highlights the impactful role of women throughout history.
At 544 pages, Sunflower Girls is a trifle daunting, but it is well worth the time investment. If you enjoyed Lilac Girls, you are going to love the conclusion of the trilogy. (I somehow missed the middle book in the trilogy, Lost Sisters, and I’ll be going back to catch up.) I particularly loved the author’s note, in which Kelly writes about the true historical figures who filled the pages of this spectacular novel. It is an impeccably researched, sweeping saga about slavery, friendship, and family loyalty during the civil war. Oh, I almost forgot about the espionage! I loved the characters and wish I could have known them personally. It is a satisfying, vibrant and page-turning read. 4 stars.
Published Date: March 2021
Genre: Historical fiction
Read-alikes: Varina by Charles Frazier, Sisters of Shiloh by Kathy Hepinstall, March by Geraldine Brooks, How I Fought the Strong by Margaret McMullan
* I received a complimentary review copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. The opinions are my own.
Martha Hall Kelly’s million-copy bestseller Lilac Girls introduced readers to Caroline Ferriday, an American philanthropist who helped young girls released from Ravensbrück concentration camp. Now, in Sunflower Sisters, Kelly tells the story of her ancestor Georgeanna “Georgey” Woolsey, a Union nurse who joins the war effort with her sister, Eliza, and crosses paths with Jemma, a young enslaved girl who is sold off and conscripted into the army, and Ann-May Wilson, her cruel plantation mistress.
Inspired by true accounts, the novel provides a vivid, detailed look at the Civil War experience, from the inhumane plantations, to a war-torn New York City, to the horrors of the battlefield. Once again, she highlights the impactful role of women throughout history.
At 544 pages, Sunflower Girls is a trifle daunting, but it is well worth the time investment. If you enjoyed Lilac Girls, you are going to love the conclusion of the trilogy. (I somehow missed the middle book in the trilogy, Lost Sisters, and I’ll be going back to catch up.) I particularly loved the author’s note, in which Kelly writes about the true historical figures who filled the pages of this spectacular novel. It is an impeccably researched, sweeping saga about slavery, friendship, and family loyalty during the civil war. Oh, I almost forgot about the espionage! I loved the characters and wish I could have known them personally. It is a satisfying, vibrant and page-turning read. 4 stars.
Published Date: March 2021
Genre: Historical fiction
Read-alikes: Varina by Charles Frazier, Sisters of Shiloh by Kathy Hepinstall, March by Geraldine Brooks, How I Fought the Strong by Margaret McMullan
* I received a complimentary review copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. The opinions are my own.
Thank goodness for historians. This book took me awhile to get through, but it was wonderful. Wonderful in that there were people who fought civil injustice, people who didn't accept stereotypes and broke through barriers, and there were people that for some reason thought to save their letters and journals and document it all so we could learn from it 100+ years later. Although truthfully, I suppose we're still fighting many of the same battles today.
I read some of this book, and listened to the audio for most. Do not miss the author note at the end.
I read some of this book, and listened to the audio for most. Do not miss the author note at the end.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
Martha Hall Kelly concludes her trilogy about the real-life heroines of the Woolsey family in Sunflower Sisters. When the Civil War breaks out, Georgeanna “Georgy” Woolsey signs up to become a nurse to help tend to wounded soldiers, despite the antagonism of male doctors who believed women should not be there. We also follow the tales of Anne-May Wilson, a plantation owner in Maryland and Jemma, one of of Anne-May's slaves. The lives of the three women overlap over the course of the war, as each tries to do what she thinks is best.
This book is the third in the Lilac Girls trilogy but comes first chronologically and can be read without having read without having read the first two. Lilac Girls is my all-time favorite book, and Sunflower Sisters can't quite reach that high bar, but it is an excellent book in its own right. Georgy and her sisters are quite remarkable women! They definitely all left their mark on society, making the world a better place for them having been in it. I love that Eliza preserved so many of the letters between members of the Woolsey family, so that Martha Hall Kelly was able to learn so much of their lives to help make this book possible. She did a fabulous job researching information for this book, not just for the Woolsey family but to make her fictional characters, Anne-May and Jemma, true to life. You won't want to miss reading this story!
Martha Hall Kelly concludes her trilogy about the real-life heroines of the Woolsey family in Sunflower Sisters. When the Civil War breaks out, Georgeanna “Georgy” Woolsey signs up to become a nurse to help tend to wounded soldiers, despite the antagonism of male doctors who believed women should not be there. We also follow the tales of Anne-May Wilson, a plantation owner in Maryland and Jemma, one of of Anne-May's slaves. The lives of the three women overlap over the course of the war, as each tries to do what she thinks is best.
This book is the third in the Lilac Girls trilogy but comes first chronologically and can be read without having read without having read the first two. Lilac Girls is my all-time favorite book, and Sunflower Sisters can't quite reach that high bar, but it is an excellent book in its own right. Georgy and her sisters are quite remarkable women! They definitely all left their mark on society, making the world a better place for them having been in it. I love that Eliza preserved so many of the letters between members of the Woolsey family, so that Martha Hall Kelly was able to learn so much of their lives to help make this book possible. She did a fabulous job researching information for this book, not just for the Woolsey family but to make her fictional characters, Anne-May and Jemma, true to life. You won't want to miss reading this story!