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aniqah_w's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
bleadenreads's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
3.75
A historical fiction novel set in Dublin, during WW1 and the Spanish flu epidemic in 1918.
We follow Nurse Linda Power, who is working in a maternity ward with expectant mothers infected with flu.
The novel is well structured into red blue brown black, the key stages of the spanish flu, which helped build the tension as you felt as helpless as the characters to the ruthlessness of the flu.
I thought the ending felt rushed - not the climax of the narrative itself, that was done beautifully and was like a punch to the gut, but the ending itself felt like it came out of nowhere and not in line with the character. Would love to hear what you thought!
The lack of speech marks grated me a little, maybe it was to aid the flow of the steam of consciousness from Nurse Power but it actually made it hard to follow. It think it only works when it is rhythmic prose that flows for instance, like Girl Woman Other. So it was a stylistic choice that didn't pay off in my opinion, especially when the author was then forced to use italics and brackets for thoughts.
I've heard people that the name has no relevance but I disagree as they discuss constellations and the etymology of influenza as being linked to the fate of the stars and thereby out of their control, which sums up the setting of the novel really well!
As a huge call the midwife fan (not the newer seasons, they've got too sickly sweet in my opinion) I loved the nursing and midwifery perspective, it felt realistic and also was a point of view that I really enjoyed. I loved the intelligence of Nurse Power with her multitasking and excellent nursing. Would love to hear any recommendations you have for similar perspectives!
The exploration of the mother & baby homes was particularly sinister, especially in light of the recent revelations in the news. The dark reality being almost beyond belief to the characters.
It was weird reading this during a global pandemic, as it wonderfully depicted myths of cures or prevention, the unpredictability of the disease and powerlessness of the medical professionals against the unknown.
We follow Nurse Linda Power, who is working in a maternity ward with expectant mothers infected with flu.
The novel is well structured into red blue brown black, the key stages of the spanish flu, which helped build the tension as you felt as helpless as the characters to the ruthlessness of the flu.
I thought the ending felt rushed - not the climax of the narrative itself, that was done beautifully and was like a punch to the gut, but the ending itself felt like it came out of nowhere and not in line with the character. Would love to hear what you thought!
The lack of speech marks grated me a little, maybe it was to aid the flow of the steam of consciousness from Nurse Power but it actually made it hard to follow. It think it only works when it is rhythmic prose that flows for instance, like Girl Woman Other. So it was a stylistic choice that didn't pay off in my opinion, especially when the author was then forced to use italics and brackets for thoughts.
I've heard people that the name has no relevance but I disagree as they discuss constellations and the etymology of influenza as being linked to the fate of the stars and thereby out of their control, which sums up the setting of the novel really well!
As a huge call the midwife fan (not the newer seasons, they've got too sickly sweet in my opinion) I loved the nursing and midwifery perspective, it felt realistic and also was a point of view that I really enjoyed. I loved the intelligence of Nurse Power with her multitasking and excellent nursing. Would love to hear any recommendations you have for similar perspectives!
The exploration of the mother & baby homes was particularly sinister, especially in light of the recent revelations in the news. The dark reality being almost beyond belief to the characters.
It was weird reading this during a global pandemic, as it wonderfully depicted myths of cures or prevention, the unpredictability of the disease and powerlessness of the medical professionals against the unknown.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
Moderate: Child death
lena04's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Minor: Homophobia and Sexism
rieviolet's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Medical content, Miscarriage, and Religious bigotry
kelly_e's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Title: The Pull of the Stars
Author: Emma Donoghue
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.75
Pub Date: July 21 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Beautiful • Poignant • Timely
📖 S Y N O P S I S
The Pull of the Stars, set in Dublin at the height of the flu pandemic of 1918, spans three days with nurse Julia Power, the expectant mothers, doctor Kathleen Lynn, and volunteer Birdie Sweeney on the maternity ward of an understaffed city-centre hospital. A story of collective trauma and survival, of hope and resilience, of motherhood and friendship, these women will come to change each others' lives.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Initially, I'd have thought reading a story about a pandemic during the current pandemic would have been depressing, but I was wrong! The Pull of the Stars was a exactly what I needed without knowing it. Emma Donoghue's phenomenal and beautiful prose, and her endearing characters are the heart of this book. It is so wonderfully researched and eerily reminiscent to now, providing the comfort and escape I so desperately needed. Despite the darker subject matter, this novel is wholly human. I won't soon be forgetting this cast of characters, each playing an important role throughout. From the very first page, I was sucked into the story, the quick and gripping pace left wanting more.
This was so close to being a 5-star read, but I struggled with the structure. Each section certainly had its place, the length of them felt too long, and the lack of quotation marks at times made it confusing to distinguish between dialogue and thought. After doing a little research I've come to understand the author's intent for the thoughts and dialogue to flow together as one. Even though this structure wasn't for me, it complements the dynamic and chaotic nature of the novel.
Emma Donoghue has certainly become an auto-buy author for me, and I have loved everything I have read so far! Let me just finish by saying the cover artwork is beautiful and pairs perfectly with the stunning story. Also, make sure to check out the author's note at the end as it's another addition making this book so wonderful.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Historical fiction lovers
• Readers looking for a quick read
• anyone who likes admirable characters
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"As far as I could tell, the whole world was a machine grinding to a halt. Across the globe, in hundreds of languages, signs were going up urging people to cover their coughs."
"I gazed up at the sky and let my eyes flicker from one constellation to another, to another, jumping between stepping stones. I thought of the heavenly bodies throwing down their narrow ropes to hook us. I’ve never believed the future was inscribed for each of us the day we were born. If anything were written in the stars, it was we who joined those dots, and our lives were the writing. But baby Garrett, born dead yesterday, and all those whose stories were over before they began, and those who opened their eyes and found they were living in a long nightmare, like Bridie and baby White, who decreed that, I wondered, or at least allowed it?"
Author: Emma Donoghue
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.75
Pub Date: July 21 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Beautiful • Poignant • Timely
📖 S Y N O P S I S
The Pull of the Stars, set in Dublin at the height of the flu pandemic of 1918, spans three days with nurse Julia Power, the expectant mothers, doctor Kathleen Lynn, and volunteer Birdie Sweeney on the maternity ward of an understaffed city-centre hospital. A story of collective trauma and survival, of hope and resilience, of motherhood and friendship, these women will come to change each others' lives.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Initially, I'd have thought reading a story about a pandemic during the current pandemic would have been depressing, but I was wrong! The Pull of the Stars was a exactly what I needed without knowing it. Emma Donoghue's phenomenal and beautiful prose, and her endearing characters are the heart of this book. It is so wonderfully researched and eerily reminiscent to now, providing the comfort and escape I so desperately needed. Despite the darker subject matter, this novel is wholly human. I won't soon be forgetting this cast of characters, each playing an important role throughout. From the very first page, I was sucked into the story, the quick and gripping pace left wanting more.
This was so close to being a 5-star read, but I struggled with the structure. Each section certainly had its place, the length of them felt too long, and the lack of quotation marks at times made it confusing to distinguish between dialogue and thought. After doing a little research I've come to understand the author's intent for the thoughts and dialogue to flow together as one. Even though this structure wasn't for me, it complements the dynamic and chaotic nature of the novel.
Emma Donoghue has certainly become an auto-buy author for me, and I have loved everything I have read so far! Let me just finish by saying the cover artwork is beautiful and pairs perfectly with the stunning story. Also, make sure to check out the author's note at the end as it's another addition making this book so wonderful.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Historical fiction lovers
• Readers looking for a quick read
• anyone who likes admirable characters
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"As far as I could tell, the whole world was a machine grinding to a halt. Across the globe, in hundreds of languages, signs were going up urging people to cover their coughs."
"I gazed up at the sky and let my eyes flicker from one constellation to another, to another, jumping between stepping stones. I thought of the heavenly bodies throwing down their narrow ropes to hook us. I’ve never believed the future was inscribed for each of us the day we were born. If anything were written in the stars, it was we who joined those dots, and our lives were the writing. But baby Garrett, born dead yesterday, and all those whose stories were over before they began, and those who opened their eyes and found they were living in a long nightmare, like Bridie and baby White, who decreed that, I wondered, or at least allowed it?"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Incest, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Blood and Suicide
⚠️ CW: stillbirth, PTSD,kmaron's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Sexism
ekmoore11's review against another edition
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Child death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Rape
carlybellesbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Incest, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Vomit
kayleyhyde's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Medical content, Medical trauma, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Sexism and Religious bigotry
Minor: Sexual assault, Rape, Vomit, Pedophilia, and Mental illness
nedreadsbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The written equivalent of a painted masterpiece depicting a train wreck. Beautiful, captivating, hopeful and tragic all at once.
Set in Dublin, Ireland in 1918, this novel follows a maternity nurse working in a makeshift ward for pregnant patients with influenza during a national pandemic. It follows dramatic losses of life and celebrates successful births while intertwining unique stories and experiences of women during this time.
This book captivated me from beginning to end. Though this whole story takes place over three days, its pace is consistent and does not leave the reader wanting more. The story was beautiful, and it was clear that there was a large amount of research that went into the writing of this novel. Interestingly enough, Emma Donoghue does not use quotation marks in this novel, blurring the lines between thought and speech. I found this slightly unusual at first but was quickly able to pick up the intended meanings.
This novel is quite heavy, and I strongly suggest that potential readers pay attention to previously posted content warnings. If you are comfortable immersing yourself in these experiences, however, this book held a powerful and touching story about human resilience and compassion through difficult times.
Set in Dublin, Ireland in 1918, this novel follows a maternity nurse working in a makeshift ward for pregnant patients with influenza during a national pandemic. It follows dramatic losses of life and celebrates successful births while intertwining unique stories and experiences of women during this time.
This book captivated me from beginning to end. Though this whole story takes place over three days, its pace is consistent and does not leave the reader wanting more. The story was beautiful, and it was clear that there was a large amount of research that went into the writing of this novel. Interestingly enough, Emma Donoghue does not use quotation marks in this novel, blurring the lines between thought and speech. I found this slightly unusual at first but was quickly able to pick up the intended meanings.
This novel is quite heavy, and I strongly suggest that potential readers pay attention to previously posted content warnings. If you are comfortable immersing yourself in these experiences, however, this book held a powerful and touching story about human resilience and compassion through difficult times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Blood, and Grief