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A review by teacupsandfirereads
Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly
challenging
hopeful
informative
slow-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? It's complicated
3.5
This book is publishing in just under two months and it already has so many wonderful reviews and so many people are looking forward to reading it. I knew that this book was related to Lilac Girls and Lost Roses, but I didn't know it was considered part of the series when I started.
Maybe that helped me enjoy it a bit more. I enjoyed the other two, but I think I liked this one more. It definitely can stand on its own. Something about this story just settled in with me more than the previous. Kelly's writing and research truly show through in this one. The writing is rich and tangible and full of lovely detail. Though fictional liberties were taken, I believe it still stuck to the real facts. The characters were well developed and lovely to get to know.
This story did take me a bit to get into, but once I was in, there was no looking back. I felt like there were a lot of characters and felt lost at times trying to place them as it switched back and forth between POVs. It felt a bit diluted, as though there were many story lines where the central one sometimes got lost.
It was really great to see in depth thoughts and perspectives of the on goings of the Civil War from distinctly different sides. Each main character truly had a story to tell and belonged within the pages. I enjoy that in this one, character lines come together sooner rather than later, because it felt as though you are reading one complete story over fragments of story that loosely intertwine.
Any historical fiction lover will enjoy this one, but especially those who loved Lilac Girls and Lost Roses.
Thank you to the publisher through NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Maybe that helped me enjoy it a bit more. I enjoyed the other two, but I think I liked this one more. It definitely can stand on its own. Something about this story just settled in with me more than the previous. Kelly's writing and research truly show through in this one. The writing is rich and tangible and full of lovely detail. Though fictional liberties were taken, I believe it still stuck to the real facts. The characters were well developed and lovely to get to know.
This story did take me a bit to get into, but once I was in, there was no looking back. I felt like there were a lot of characters and felt lost at times trying to place them as it switched back and forth between POVs. It felt a bit diluted, as though there were many story lines where the central one sometimes got lost.
It was really great to see in depth thoughts and perspectives of the on goings of the Civil War from distinctly different sides. Each main character truly had a story to tell and belonged within the pages. I enjoy that in this one, character lines come together sooner rather than later, because it felt as though you are reading one complete story over fragments of story that loosely intertwine.
Any historical fiction lover will enjoy this one, but especially those who loved Lilac Girls and Lost Roses.
Thank you to the publisher through NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Medical content, and Slavery