Welcome to Litsy!

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.

Interesting graphic novel about the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918.

This was so interesting and eye opening. I found myself both appalled and horrified whilst at the same time unable to put the book down. Truly, a very good and educational read given the pandemic we all just went through. #nonfictionread

This book was ok but didn't love it. The characters were well written although some of their story lines were ended very quickly and with not much thought. Most of the book read a bit too slow for my liking and while parts picked up the majority was on the slower end. I did enjoy reading about the Spanish flu and how alike it was to the pandemic we just had. No rhyme or reason as to why some only got a bit sick and it took others lives.

I don't think I'm going to hit my goal of finishing the book. But I'm heading into part two now. It took a bit but by the end of part one I was starting to get into the book. Hopefully it continues to pick up.

#JoysOfJune #Readathon #MorningReading

Couldn't decide what to read next so I asked our little guy to pick which cover he liked out of four books. He chose this one - so the tagged book it is then. Another stunning day here so I'm going to start this book with a cold drink while the kids run around with their friends. Not sure how much reading I'll actually get done, but I can always dream.

#BeerAndABook #OutsideReading #Starting #SunnyDay #Pandemic

I stayed up reading way too late a few nights because I could not put this down. It was like the direst of cases from Call The Midwife all happening in one room at the same time. Highly recommend it!

Not my pic but wish it was. 😊

• TBR since June 26, 2020

Dublin, 1918: three days in a maternity ward at the height of the Great Flu. A small world of work, risk, death and unlooked-for love, by the bestselling author of The Wonder and ROOM.

In an Ireland doubly ravaged by war and disease, Nurse Julia Power works at an understaffed hospital in the city center, where expectant mothers who have come down with the terrible new Flu are quarantined together.