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There are currently 21 member reviews
for Sisters of the Great War
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Joan H. (Maple Grove, MN)
Sisters of the Great War
This book vividly describes the horrors of war faced by Americans Ruth, a surgical nurse in a field hospital in Belgium, and her sister, Elise, an ambulance driver between the hospital and the front lines in WWI. One had to admire these American sisters facing the horrible conditions that they lived and worked in for several years but I wished the author would have added some more characters. I think some readers will be turned off by some of the blood and gore parts of the book. I have a medical background and even so, I tired of reading so much about the harsh situations in the surgical units. The trials of the ambulance drivers, mostly women, though also horrible, was most interesting. The author did a good job telling of the prejudices, both personal and job wise facing the women of that era. I did like the book.
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Sylvia F. (Lincoln, CA)
Sister of The Great War
Finally a book about women's contribution and selfless dedication to World War1. The author captured the senselessness of war with her paragraph "The generals won't give up until they run out of men
The first few chapters accurately described the lives and expected futures of young females in the beginning of the 20th century. To go from their sheltered lives to serving in a war zone must have been traumatic.
I really liked the description of the female ambulance drivers. I could feel the harsh conditions of the drivers driving the wounded to and from the hospitals. Driving at night in a war zone without headlights was very descriptive. Also this author really described the harsh living conditions of all ambulance drivers and medical staff.
The description of the deplorable conditions the doctors and nurses endured while performing operations and taking care of the wounded was outstanding.
My only criticism of this book, I would have liked to know more about the background of the other doctors and medical staff.
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Florence K.
Sisters of the GREAT WAR
This book is a paean of sorts to the many people who were at the front in the battles of the "war to end all wars." They include the soldiers, the medical staffs, the ambulance staffs, and the volunteers. In lucid prose the author paints vivid pictures of the sights, sounds, smells, screams, operations on the wounded, and the dreaded amputations. The romances are more contrived and there are several gratuitous and graphic sex scenes which I found jarring. All in all this is not an easy read but is a very compelling one indeed.
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Terri O. (Chapel Hill, NC)
Sisters of the Great War
Sisters of the Great War is an unflinching look at life on the front lines of WWI for the women who volunteered to serve. The story follows two American sisters: Ruth is a nurse with ambitions to be a doctor, and Elise is a mechanic and ambulance driver. The descriptions of the war were harrowing and seemed well researched and realistic, especially the medical scenes. The romances were less convincing and were tied up too quickly and neatly (and unrealistically) at the end. All in all, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to people who enjoy middle-brow historical war fiction.
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Mary Jane D. (Arlington Heights, IL)
Easy Historical Read
Sisters of the Great War is an easy read about the adventures of two American sisters who volunteer their talents - one medical and one mechanical- to serve in the WW1 war effort in Belgium. The sisters quickly find their experiences are very different from their expectations and they question their decision but stick it out in terrible conditions.
The character development was very good and found I could relate to both sisters and cared about what happened to them. Conditions in the camps and at the front were described in detailed and realistic terms. It kept my interest and I wanted to keep reading.
I would recommend the book for a fan of historical fiction and romance. Probably not for true students of WW1.
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Shirin M. (Beverly Hills, CA)
Sisters of the Great War
A story that focusses on the contributions that women, and American women in particular, made to the Great War is always a welcome addition as most stories highlight the role and contributions of men. In this book, the author does explore in detail the work done by women in the nursing profession and as ambulance drivers during this period. The changing role of women and the new opportunities that were becoming available are also part of the story. Unfortunately, the story itself lacked depth. A reader could easily predict the outcome after the first few chapters and I found that there was hardly any character development. This book however, may be useful to readers not familiar with this time in history.
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Kate G. (Bronx, NY)
Sisters go to War
World War I gets short shrift compared to all the novels written about World War II. Suzanne Feldman's novel carves out a small part of the first war to end all wars and tells the story of two sisters who leave the comfort of their Baltimore home and got to work as a nurse and an ambulance driver for the British during the battles near Ypres, Belgium. Gruesome at times, the story of the sisters showed how women made their place in a war and society which lead to some of them finally being able to make choices that allowed them lives outside of traditional marriage and motherhood.
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