Publishers Weekly
08/02/2021
Wood (The Engineer’s Wife) draws on the life of Julia Stimson, a real-life college-educated nurse from a prominent family who served in France during WWI, for a tepid sophomore effort. In April 1917, Fred Murphy, chief of surgery at Washington University, informs Julia, head of nursing training, that the school been activated by the U.S. military for emergency duty. Their unit ends up in Rouen, where Julia demonstrates her fine administrative skills by refining the methods used for patient triage, streamlining supply purchasing, and establishing shift schedules and ongoing training for her nurses. When a new, virulent strain of the flu pushes her nurses to their limits, they acquit themselves well. Julia also frets over her developing romance with Fred, wondering if she ever wants to get married and worrying that gossip about their relationship might get her sent home. There’s no shortage of events, though the string of happenings fails to coalesce into an actual plot. Stimson’s historical experiences are rife with dramatic possibilities, but Wood too often misses those in favor of dispensing information about nurse training and practices. It’s a disappointing book about a fascinating woman. Agent: Lucy Cleland, Kneerim & Williams. (July)
From the Publisher
"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
"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
"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
"An incredibly well-researched historical fiction novel with a sympathetic heroine... Any readers who enjoyed the mix of romance, intrigue, and medical accuracy of Call the Midwife would love The War Nurse." — New York Journal of Books
"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
