Reviewed by Emma Crowley
1918. Twenty-year-old Emily Burdon has been training as a nurse in London, learning on the job as she tends to patients from the crowded poorhouses that ring the hospital as well as wounded soldiers returning from the war. She pours her heart into her nursing while she waits for happier times – peace in Europe and the return of her childhood sweetheart Lewis from the Western Front.
But when the deadly Spanish Flu arrives in London on the heels of the war, Emily’s faith and courage are put to the test. All around her men and women in the prime of their lives are wasting away, and until a cure is found there is nothing for Emily and her colleagues to do except make them comfortable, treat them as best they can… and, eventually, ease the pain of their passing.
But then Lewis catches the deadly flu himself on his way back home, just as a new doctor is transferred to head up Emily’s ward. From the distant land of Prince Edward Island in Canada, Dr James Cantor is the first of a generations-old farming family to have left the island, and wartime London feels a long way away from the rugged beauty of his homeland. But despite their differences, he and Emily find common ground in their passion for helping patients and stopping the spread of the disease. But with life forever changed around her and Lewis’ future hanging by a thread, can Emily survive the most terrible epidemic in the history with her life – and heart – intact?
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of When the World Stood Still to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
Kate Eastham is a new author to me and one which I will definitely be going back to read all her previous books and no doubt any future books she writes too. Simply because this book When the World Stood Still was an absolutely brilliant read, so much so that I devoured it in one sitting. The pages just seemed to fly by as I became completely lost in the story and before I knew it I was nearing the end and I had thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it despite the tough subject matter that rings far too true to what we are experiencing in the world and our lives today.
Set in the Marylebourne Infirmary in London, during the last months of the war in 1918, we follow probationer nurse Emily Bardon and her colleagues. The hospital and Emily’s ward are always busy, under staffed and the nurses over worked as soldiers injured in the war constantly arrive for treatment and care. Emily is so dedicated to her job and we can see that from the outset but the next few months will prove challenging and life changing for her and so many others. Is she strong enough to cope with what life is about to throw in her direction or are there just too many curveballs about to come her way?
The character of Emily was so well written and through her eyes and her experiences on the ward we get a deep and detailed insight into what life was like for nurses at the time. There is a perfect balance between all the medical drama and what is going on in Emily’s personal life that keeps the reader gripped and intrigued. Emily loves what she is doing and now that she is engaged to Lewis, who is away fighting, it breaks her heart that when she marries she will have to leave the profession that has come to mean so much to her. Yes, the Sister of the ward is harsh and treats her with contempt at times and blames her for any mishaps but I think that was only because she could see such potential in Emily to make such a good nurse once her probationary period was over and wanted to always get the best from her.
Emily has kept her engagement secret from everybody because if they knew she knows her days would be numbered in the hospital. We get some chapters every now and again from Lewis’ perspective as he is on the battlefield and subsequently gets sick with the Spanish flu. I liked him at first and what he is going through in France was real and vivid but when he arrives back in England, I lost every ounce of respect for him and a different character emerged and not one that I wanted to read because his actions had such an affect on Emily.
I loved the comradeship that Emily had her workmates who became firm friends. Lucy and American girl, Alma, were like sisters to her in a way. Even though at times Alma was a bit aloof and when Emily interprets something she sees with regard to Alma in the wrong way, the reader ultimately thinks the worst of her and it shows we shouldn’t jump to conclusions too quickly. Newly arrived from Canada, Dr.James Cantor was definitely one to watch. He was handsome, kind and caring and I definitely felt the spark of attraction between himself and Emily. He seemed so understanding and wanted desperately to help Emily with her predicament and he aided her through some fairly rough times providing a shoulder to cry on and he offered the soundest of advice. The entire story moved along at great pace with never a lull or a filler in chapter and when the deadly Spanish flu starts to make its presence known things ramped up a gear in intensity and the book truly became unputdownable. Emily has a lot to battle through both personally and professionally and one wonders will her heart survive intact and will her kindness, courage and ambition be enough to help her do this?
I know there have been numerous other books that have been an entire series set around nurses working in British hospitals during both world wars but I haven’t read any of them. So I found this type of read a new and fascinating experience into an aspect of the war I had scant information about prior to reading. I found the work they were doing and the way the hierarchy worked when it came to sisters, matrons and trainees really interesting. I found myself comparing how things have changed today due to so many technological and medical advancements and developments. Yet here we are over 100 years later in 2021, battling a ‘flu’ like they did back in 1918, that has altered our lives beyond all recognition and we wonder will we ever see some sort of normality in our lives once again?
Time and time again, I found myself nodding along in agreement thinking god how little has changed really. We are still dealing with the problems the medical profession and the wider world faced during the Spanish flu pandemic. The detailed descriptions given are all just too frighteningly familiar and it made me think how far we have come only to take so many steps backwards. Back then, they too were wearing masks and were frightened for their lives at the rapid spread of this unknown disease that took hold so quickly and therefore so many lives were lost. It really was like I was reading about the present day even though this was so long ago, the wearing of masks, the need to keep everything clean and infection free if possible, the handwashing, the pain, the fear, the anguish of the unknown. It was all so real and I think had we not being going through what we are experiencing now I don’t know would I have connected and identified with the story as much as I did.
It struck such a chord with me and gave me such a deep appreciation for the work nurses and doctors did at the time with so little medical treatments at their disposal. Yet they selflessly carried on and did their best for each patient. Never knowing whether they would make it or not or when this awful time would end. The harsh realities of what happened were not spared in the slightest with regard to what happened to people when they fell ill and at times some of the scenes were difficult to read and it only made me contemplate even more so not that I hadn’t thought of this before, just what nurses and doctors are experiencing in hospitals all around the world today. One scene in particular when a woman patient Emily was tending too lost her life was hard to read about but this event led to some life altering decisions for Emily which affected the course I would say of the last quarter of the book.
As Emily makes a brave, courageous and gutsy decision the tone of the book changed as well as the setting. In a way I still longed for the hospital setting as I had become so engrossed in it but this change of direction brought about a new slant to the story and overall I was pleased with how the last few chapters progressed to bring about an overall conclusion that Emily deserved. When the World Stood Still was a brilliant book, and one that I won’t forget in a hurry. It has made me desperate to read more books from Kate Eastham and that thrill of discovering and enjoying a new author and wanting to devour their back catalogue was here in abundance for me. I would have no hesitation in recommending this book as I know historical fiction fans will enjoy it as much as I did.
No comments:
Post a Comment