Welcome to Litsy!

When you‘re up till 3 am reading a book, that should tell you how good it is. Set in #Ireland, deep into WWII, the Spanish flu, and the torn Irish population between the English and Irish rebels, our main character tried to save the lives of the pregnant women with the flu and their babies. Non-stop, with a serious amount of emotion, extraordinary detail about birthing at this time—when it was still so dangerous even without the flu, and heart. ❤️

The stars are so bright, I‘m dazzled! I looked up and found the Great Bear. I told her, In Italy, they used to blame the influence of the constellations for making them sick—that‘s where influenza comes from.

Bridie took that notion in stride. As if, when it‘s your time, your star gives you a yank—

Book coincidences from books I‘m currently reading: babies born with cleft lips, one in ancient #Turkey (top quote), and one in early 20th century #Ireland (bottom quote).

My next ebook, set in #Ireland, for my trip there next week

Dublin, World War I and Spanish flu epidemic. Nurse / midwife Julia Power works on a maternity / fever ward with women sick with the flu and giving birth.
It was quite interesting to read as a nurse and primigravida myself 😄 I enjoyed both the medical aspects and the characters.
Current #audiostitching project: still unrecognizable 😅
#medical #hisfic #nurse #midwife #ireland #litsylovereads

#bookspin My Antonia. Completed
#doublespin The Pull of the Stars Completed
#bookspinbingo 2
#may2024

#doublespin The Pull of the stars
#may2024

It‘s 1918 and we‘re on the maternity ward of a hospital in Ireland, right in the middle of the flu epidemic. We spend three days with Nurse Julia Powell, Dr Kathleen Lynn, and Bridie, an orphan who comes to volunteer. Nurse Powell narrates a very detailed story of births and deaths, hope and despair. I love nurses as much as the next person, but I might be a little tired of them after the nurses in The Women.

This book is a fascinating look at the 1918 flu, focusing on the US and taking the time to set the stage in politics and medicine before the pandemic occurred. It‘s eminently readable and I didn‘t want to put it down. I do feel like it left a couple threads hanging, but that didn‘t take away from the book for me.

It‘s not often that I wish a book were longer, but the author‘s decision to limit this to three days meant that there were great gaping holes in some storylines. But Donoghue did an excellent job immersing the reader in a hospital ward for pregnant women with the flu. She captures the beauty the chaos the joy and the pain. Ready for book club and wondering how the discussion will go.