Reviews with content warning for Medical content - The Pull of the Stars

The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue was as painfully vivid as it was moving. Not only were the characters fluid and developed, but they were interesting and seemed to come to life on the page. This depiction of every day life was incredible though quite uncomfortable to read. This piece was interesting and powerful, far exceeding my expectations. While I do think you need to make it through the first section of the novel before it picks up, the end is most certainly to leave tears in your eyes for the characters. The progression of the events feels incredibly natural which only helps you to fall in love with the characters more and more as the story continues.

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rachschmitz9's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced

3.75

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clemrain's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-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

4.25

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Misogyny, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Child abuse, Classism, Gore, Violence, War, and Death of parent

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Drug abuse, Excrement, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Rape, and Sexual violence

This shattering story takes place over three strenuous days of a nurse and runner in a maternity ward during the influenza pandemic. It’s a difficult, slow read that dives into the little hours of horrors experienced by the most vulnerable. I don’t really have the words for this book. I had a very vague knowledge of the influenza pandemic. But academic readings don’t do the justice to this tragic period of time. This book does and I think it’s because it’s takes a very small real part of the pandemic and focuses on it. The world is so much more than just the grand scheme of things. I don’t know much about Ireland’s history past the famine most of us are taught about. But of course just like any country, Ireland had its l share of religious trauma. I wanted to scream and yell and cry. The romance was so fleeting but it was impactful. I wish it had been woven into the plot a bit earlier but

it was seamless and quick and sad. Of course Bridie would. Sad end to her, and I don’t exactly appreciate a woman’s death being used as a way to develops another character—even if it’s a woman rather than the regular man in most stories.

Nurse Power is a dear character to me. Complicated and closed, but just doing the most she can while keeping her head on her shoulder. She’s named Power for a reason. Bridie Sweeney, what a darling character. So innocent but so weathered. Beautiful written. It’s a hard read. The old speak and Irish slang had me pause and googling a lot. And there aren’t many books that truly cover such a small space of time in a full novel. As you’d expect it can get very overwhelming and difficult to read. But it’s a rewarding and educational and definitely worth the trek.

muse2323's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced

3.0

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kitkatkick's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

In The Pull of the Stars, Emma Donoghue shows off a masterful understanding of early 1900s society and the women that lived and worked within it, and of the one thread that ties women of every race, class, and nation together: the concept of motherhood.

Through the eyes of Nurse Julia Powers, we see the comings and goings of Irish women in a maternity ward for patients infected with the “Great Flu” of the 1910s. Donoghue skillfully captures the fast-paced and borderline frantic setting of a hospital, especially one cripplingly overwhelmed with patients. Reading her description of a past pandemic in a post-COVID world was an experience in itself. Julia over time is joined by our two other female leads: Birdie Sweeney, a sweet young volunteer with a troubled past, and Dr. Kathleen Lynne, a real-life doctor with ties to the revolutionary movement in Ireland. The relationships between the three are deeply complex as their worldviews collide and occasionally clash. Secondary to them falls a rotating cast of patients in the ward, pregnant mothers from all classes and social standings whose own stories deepen the overall story when they’re all brought into such close comparison.

Donoghue takes on a wide variety of social issues throughout the book- the effects of war, class divisions, poverty, religion, sexism, and the Irish revolutionary movement- and while none are portrayed poorly, it does occasionally feel as though discussions are rife Ed because there is so much to fit in. But one of the main themes of the book, the concept of motherhood and how it applies differently to every woman on Earth, is addressed incredibly. It is never outright glorified or discredited, and Donoghue gives us examples of a wide variety of viewpoints: Julia, with no intention of having her own children but with a deep respect for childbirth and the “blood tax” that women have been paying since the beginning of time; experienced mothers with multiple children already; a first-time mother and a young girl both finding out the details of pregnancy and childbirth in real-time; mothers in a social position stable enough to provide for children and those in a position where neither they nor their child could ever hope to thrive; those who do and don’t want the babies they’ve been given; those that do or don’t support the then-popular Irish saying of “If she loves him, she’ll give him twelve;” and the contrast of those who gave birth successfully and those who did not. No one experience is shown as better than another. The story will leave the reader deeply moved on the subject, no matter the opinion they hold when turning the first page.

Deeply moving is the best phrase I have to describe this book. To address a few smaller details, from a technical perspective the book is unique in that it does not place quotations around dialogue, which does occasionally make that dialogue hard to follow. It is a very poor audiobook in my opinion, due to the graphic depictions of childbirth and other medical practices. To me, any cries or yelling are better read than heard, but others’ mileage may vary. Those graphic depictions may make the book difficult or even inaccessible to more hemophobic readers- I personally had to put it down or pause it several times for that reason, but inevitably I had to pick it up again because I was so ensnared by the story. None of these make the book impossible to read, but they are worth mentioning.

The Pull of the Stars is a deeply-moving and thoughtful read that I would recommend to just about anyone with a soul, and anyone who has ever interacted with a mother or a child.

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littleonepaige's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense

4.0

What an emotional ride this was. I really like books that take place in a short amount of time, this story was told over 3 days in a maternity/flu ward. Lots of current pandemic parallels that had me thinking of spring 2020. This book gripped me way more than I expected and the last section had me crying several times. It is a book about life and death and surviving when the world deals you a shitty hand.

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christyco125's review against another edition

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emotional informative sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

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avisreadsandreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad fast-paced

4.0

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