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A review by bleadenreads
The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
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