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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Helen Dawson is my favorite Nightingale. I have loved her story from the beginning. Now, as she has graduated from the nursing program, she is promoted to head nurse in the Casualty Ward or Emergency Room as we would know it. Feeling out of place and young, she strives to move forward with courage and faith, but finds herself at odds with Dr. McKay, the casualty doctor.
Helen has always felt more in common with her husband Charlie's family than her own and at a family Christmas party meets Charlie's cousin Christopher. Finding herself drawn to him, she soon discovers he's nothing like Charlie and she realizes her heart belongs to a doctor.
I loved getting to know Frannie and her story, and getting to know Matron and learning her story really enriched this one. Effie is trouble waiting to happen, Dora and Nick are expecting a baby and war looms. With the threat of war, also comes a risk of the Nightingale hospital closing for good. Helen's meddling mother strives to bring this about, but the nurses and their Matron realize the hospital brings more to the community than simply medical reasons.
This is my favorite of the Nightingale books. These characters have grown and learned and become remarkable women over the course of this series.
The Christmas elements are light here, this isn't solely a Christmas story. Rather, it's a story of discovering one's strength. As always, the books should be read in order. I truly hope that this isn't the last Nightingale story, but if it is, it has ended on a fantastic note.
Helen has always felt more in common with her husband Charlie's family than her own and at a family Christmas party meets Charlie's cousin Christopher. Finding herself drawn to him, she soon discovers he's nothing like Charlie and she realizes her heart belongs to a doctor.
I loved getting to know Frannie and her story, and getting to know Matron and learning her story really enriched this one. Effie is trouble waiting to happen, Dora and Nick are expecting a baby and war looms. With the threat of war, also comes a risk of the Nightingale hospital closing for good. Helen's meddling mother strives to bring this about, but the nurses and their Matron realize the hospital brings more to the community than simply medical reasons.
This is my favorite of the Nightingale books. These characters have grown and learned and become remarkable women over the course of this series.
The Christmas elements are light here, this isn't solely a Christmas story. Rather, it's a story of discovering one's strength. As always, the books should be read in order. I truly hope that this isn't the last Nightingale story, but if it is, it has ended on a fantastic note.
Hach, schön war's wieder! Teil 5 gehört zu denen, die mir mit am besten gefallen haben - obwohl die Unterschiede schon marginal sind. Leider kam Schwester Sutton dieses Mal nur in einem Nebensatz von Manley Henley vor, und auch Millie wird nur einmal kurz erwähnt. Die Rolle des "liebenswerten Schusselchens" ist allerdings jetzt mit Effie neu besetzt, ihre Geschichte mochte ich sehr. Auch Dora kommt nur ganz am Rand vor, dafür ist Helen dieses Mal eine der Hauptfiguren. Die Oberin hat in diesem Teil eine größere Rolle als sonst, und als Vertreterin der älteren Schwesterngeneration hat ihre Freundin Franny, "Schwester Holmes", dieses Mal eine größere Rolle. Habe das Buch wieder sehr gern gehört - und ich hätte es mir nicht unbedingt für die Winter-/Weihnachtszeit aufheben müssen... Ja, es fängt zwar um Weihnachten 1938 an, die Geschichte wird aber bis kurz nach Ausbruch des 2. Weltkrieges im Spätsommer/Frühherbst 1939 erzählt. Ich freue mich schon auf Teil 6, weiß aber nicht, ob ich den jetzt gleich hören soll oder mir diesen Hörgenuß noch ein wenig aufsparen soll - ich hoffe sehr, dass Schwester Sutton wieder vorkommt!
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Nightingale nurses series are one of my favourite comfort reads. When you open the book, you know that you will be thoroughly entertained with drama and ultimately a happy ending. Another great thing about the series is that we get to revisit certain characters (each book focuses on three or four main characters, with other former main characters taking a supportive role). I felt a bit dubious about reading a Christmas story in March, but ultimately it wasn’t a problem. The whole book isn’t centred on Christmas, but unfortunately for the characters, the Christmas of 1938 is likely to be the least pleasant one for some time. The book follows through into 1939 when war is declared and some difficult decisions are being made for both the Nightingale Hospital and its staff.
In this book, we return to Helen Dawson, a registered nurse who has suffered quite a lot in the previous books. This time her overbearing mother decides she should be ward sister in Casualty and what her mother wants, she gets. (Fortunately Helen is as good at nursing as her mother is at persuasion). Despite a rocky start, Helen becomes admired by the staff and she also falls in love again. But is it with the right man? (I’ll give you a hint – for quite a lot of Helen’s scenes, I was telling her not to be an idiot!) Helen’s friends, Millie and Dora take a backseat as married ladies. Dora makes an appearance (and she’s as headstrong as ever) but Millie is only mentioned.
We still keep up with the student nurses through Effie O’Hara, a lovable thing who continually tries to do the right thing by going the wrong way about it. She’s a bit immature, but I think she grew up a little in this book. Her friend Jess who we met in a previous book does make some short appearances.
Two older and wiser characters also come to the fore in this book – Matron Kathleen Fox, has some time to reflect and show she is very definitely human. Her good friend Frannie, sister of the male orthopaedic ward, also has her history revealed. But it’s when that history comes back to her in the present that she has to face the true meaning of what it all meant. I enjoyed being able to see the non-work side of these senior nurses; that they too have loves and stories to tell.
Reading a good series is like slipping on your favourite shoes or dress. It just works and you feel good. Donna Douglas has that power with the Nightingales series to comfort the reader, all while telling some history amongst some fascinating characters. I notice that she has a new book coming out this May, The Nurses of Steeple Street, which is about district nursing in Yorkshire. I can’t wait to read this – hopefully it will be more of the goodness that the Nightingales series has brought us.
Thank you to Random House UK for the eARC. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
In this book, we return to Helen Dawson, a registered nurse who has suffered quite a lot in the previous books. This time her overbearing mother decides she should be ward sister in Casualty and what her mother wants, she gets. (Fortunately Helen is as good at nursing as her mother is at persuasion). Despite a rocky start, Helen becomes admired by the staff and she also falls in love again. But is it with the right man? (I’ll give you a hint – for quite a lot of Helen’s scenes, I was telling her not to be an idiot!) Helen’s friends, Millie and Dora take a backseat as married ladies. Dora makes an appearance (and she’s as headstrong as ever) but Millie is only mentioned.
We still keep up with the student nurses through Effie O’Hara, a lovable thing who continually tries to do the right thing by going the wrong way about it. She’s a bit immature, but I think she grew up a little in this book. Her friend Jess who we met in a previous book does make some short appearances.
Two older and wiser characters also come to the fore in this book – Matron Kathleen Fox, has some time to reflect and show she is very definitely human. Her good friend Frannie, sister of the male orthopaedic ward, also has her history revealed. But it’s when that history comes back to her in the present that she has to face the true meaning of what it all meant. I enjoyed being able to see the non-work side of these senior nurses; that they too have loves and stories to tell.
Reading a good series is like slipping on your favourite shoes or dress. It just works and you feel good. Donna Douglas has that power with the Nightingales series to comfort the reader, all while telling some history amongst some fascinating characters. I notice that she has a new book coming out this May, The Nurses of Steeple Street, which is about district nursing in Yorkshire. I can’t wait to read this – hopefully it will be more of the goodness that the Nightingales series has brought us.
Thank you to Random House UK for the eARC. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
Yes
To start with I wasn't sure on the book but I love call the midwife so was trying to give it ago but the more I got into it the more I wanted to read, I have now added the rest of the books to my wishlist as I need to know more it can't end like that I need to know what happens with Helen.
I requested this book from Netgalley on the basis that I love Call the Midwife and I imagined it would be similar to that. I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed and it did have rather a lot of similarities.
There were quite a lot of slow points in this plot, but luckily they didn't last a lot of pages so it is an easy to read book, you won't get too bored of it too fast, and to be honest the book feels a lot shorter than it really is, I was shocked to see how many pages this book actually has.
The story, whilst not overly festive, is very charming. Especially for fans of, like I said before, Call the Midwife (both the book series and the TV adaptation) whom I'm sure will love it just like I did. The characters are very likable, and you find yourself becoming intrigued by them and their personal lives, especially those of the nurses who aren't such a leading role in the story. I'm intending to buy the rest of the series in the new year when I have the money to and I'm very much looking forward to it.
Would very much recommend this book to fans of Call the Midwife and Pam Weaver.
I rated this book 3 stars on Goodreads.
This book was given to me in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own and are in no way affected by the author or publisher.
Originally posted here: http://thereadingwonderland.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/review-nightingale-christmas-wish-by.html
There were quite a lot of slow points in this plot, but luckily they didn't last a lot of pages so it is an easy to read book, you won't get too bored of it too fast, and to be honest the book feels a lot shorter than it really is, I was shocked to see how many pages this book actually has.
The story, whilst not overly festive, is very charming. Especially for fans of, like I said before, Call the Midwife (both the book series and the TV adaptation) whom I'm sure will love it just like I did. The characters are very likable, and you find yourself becoming intrigued by them and their personal lives, especially those of the nurses who aren't such a leading role in the story. I'm intending to buy the rest of the series in the new year when I have the money to and I'm very much looking forward to it.
Would very much recommend this book to fans of Call the Midwife and Pam Weaver.
I rated this book 3 stars on Goodreads.
This book was given to me in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own and are in no way affected by the author or publisher.
Originally posted here: http://thereadingwonderland.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/review-nightingale-christmas-wish-by.html
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Not my usual choice but I really enjoyed this. The friendships and romances were sweet and fun, even if not everyone gets a happy ending...