THE WAR NURSE
She asked dozens of young women to lay their lives on the line during the Great War. Can she protect them?
Superintendent of Nurses Julia Stimson must recruit sixty-five nurses to relieve the battle-worn British, months before American troops are ready to be deployed. She knows that the young nurses serving near the front lines will face a challenging situation, but nothing could have prepared her for the challenges that await when they arrive at British Base Hospital 12 in Rouen, France. The primitive conditions, a convoluted supply system, and horrific battle wounds are enough to discourage the most hardened nurses, and Julia can do nothing but lead by example―even as the military doctors undermine her authority and make her question her very place in the hospital tent.
When trainloads of soldiers stricken by a mysterious respiratory illness arrive one after the other, overwhelming the hospital’s limited resources, and threatening the health of her staff, Julia faces an unthinkable choice―to step outside the bounds of her profession and risk the career she has fought so hard for, or to watch the people she cares for most die in her arms. Based on a true story, The War Nurse is a sweeping historical novel by international bestselling author Tracey Enerson Wood that takes readers on an unforgettable journey through WWI France.
Praise
“Tracey Enerson Wood achieves two particularly difficult things with this novel: a fictionalization of a real person’s life, which is always a challenge–and the feat of writing a character from a century past who is accessible to a modern audience but still entirely of her era. In The War Nurse, based on the true story of pioneering WWI nurse Julia Stimson, we are transported to early 20th century France, where a band of medical professionals struggles to meet the ever-changing demands of a war zone. You will smile, shed a few tears, and learn alongside Julia in this impeccably researched, well-drawn, based-on-a-true-story tale,written by a former RN. As our collective interest in WWI is reawakened, The War Nurse shines an important light on a woman whose story was, until now, lost to time.”
Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Lost Names
“The War Nurse is a fascinating, intimate look at the true story of Julia Catherine Stimson and the incredible work she and her nurses did to save lives during World War I. Through careful research, this book shows the incredible bravery and compassion of women who find themselves in extraordinary situations.” – Julia Kelly, international bestselling author of The Last Garden in England and The Light Over London
“Based on a true story, Wood’s latest highlights Julia’s quick thinking, organizational skills, and endlessly caring heart, bringing life to a brutal era. Fans of Patricia Harman will love Wood’s treatment of medical expertise in a historical setting.” – Booklist
“The War Nurse is a rich, gripping history of one woman’s lifelong battle against systemic prejudice. As Tracey Enerson Wood’s heroine says of herself, ‘I wasn’t a man, for whom the things I wanted to do would have been easy. I was meant to break down the wall in between.'” – Stewart O’Nan, award-winning author of The Good Wife
“Once again, Tracey Enerson Wood, with her impeccable research and evocative prose, kept me glued to the page. Wood has a talent for bringing strong, yet lesser-known women from history, to life. Her fictionalization of WWI nurse Julia Stimson, as well as the supporting cast, transported me back in time, had me smiling, crying, and learning. Fantastic!” – Linda Rosen, author of The Disharmony of Silence
“The War Nurse is a vividly rendered, moving tribute to one woman’s determination to make a difference in the world. Tracey Enerson Wood sets us down in war-ravaged France and immerses us in the lives of a band of courageous nurses braving battles both physical and moral. A riveting and surprisingly timely story of courage, sacrifice, and friendship forged at the front lines.” – Kelly Mustian, author of The Girls in the Stilt House
“If you, like me, are a voyeur of historical drama that unfolds as if the kitchen window flew open and the characters were caught in action, then The War Nurse is for you. Tracey Enerson Wood’s storytelling verisimilitude — the detail, persuasive dialogue, and twinning of history with a hidden love story – prove her skill at immersion, but also that rarest of traits; a big and generous heart that roots for the unsung heroines and heroes of the time. This author shines a light for us all to see our past anew.” – Diane Dewey, author of Fixing the Fates
“If you’ve read The Engineers Wife, Tracey Enerson Wood’s debut, you are already aware of her talent for merging fact and fiction into a story that will make your heart hurt and hold you captive until the very last page. She doesn’t disappoint with The War Nurse. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book!” – Barbara Conrey, USA Today bestselling author of Nowhere Near Goodbye