Welp, this book is incredibly well-timed; even though it was begun long before the current pandemic, the connection with and similarities to COVID-19 are inescapable and illuminating.

Told from the point of view of a nurse midwife during the 1918 Flu epidemic, The Pull of the Stars spans three days in a tiny three-bed "ward" for maternity patients who have the flu. The variety of patients that Nurse Julia Power sees and tends to over that brief span of time really demonstrates the fact that flu viruses, like COVID-19, don't discriminate and don't spare any gender, race, or social class. At the same time, the poorer patients do not fare as well, due to underlying conditions to which poverty certainly contributed. Some things never change.

Donoghue does a great job outlining the social conditions and expectations that prevailed at the time, like the non-discussion of issues relating to soldiers returning to society from the Great War and ways they found to deal with it, or not. The inclusion of the text of actual government signs ("THE GOVERNMENT HAS THE SITUATION WELL IN HAND AND THE EPIDEMIC IS ACTUALLY IN DECLINE. THERE IS NO REAL RISK EXCEPT TO THE RECKLESS WHO TRY TO FIGHT THE FLU ON THEIR FEET. IF YOU FEEL YOURSELF SUCCUMBING, REPORT YOURSELF AMD LIE DOWN FOR A FORTNIGHT. WOULD THEY BE DEAD IF THEY'D STAYED IN BED.") adds much, and again, is completely in sync with the current plague. As Julia thinks, "The Line i found most laughable was the one about laying down for a fortnight; who could afford or manage that without a houseful of servants." Touché, Ms. Donoghue. Touché.

Nuanced look at three women living through the influenza of 1918 in Dublin. It is rich in historical detail about midwifery and childbirth at the time as well as about medical practices and beliefs--many of those beliefs suspect and pushed by the government at the time. One of the final plot points was not at all as surprising as it was meant to be.

Interesting read in this current time of COVID-19 to see the parallels and differences in our response to a pandemic 102 years later.

Emma Donoghue deserves every single writing award out there. And some non-writing awards too. Nobel prizes and Oscars, etc.
I was SO jazzed when I heard she had another book coming out and that it was historical fiction. Slammerkin was life altering-- I couldn't remember having such a reaction to a book. The Pull of the Stars gave me a similar feeling. I was Right There with Julia in the ward. When she went home exhausted at the end of the chapter, I felt wrung out and tired too. That awful visceral reaction when describing the birth, literally clenching when talking about how they might have to split the pelvic bone-- I've never given birth but I _felt_ it. The horror when Bridie started sneezing.
This didn't feel like a very long book, but it was intense and chilling and brilliant. I will always recommend Emma Donoghue books and this one is solid gold.

Let's just be honest, ok? Emma Donoghue is not really known for her upbeat novels. Room? The Wonder? I mean, these have pretty bleak premises. However, each book also has some hope and perseverance of the human spirit, and all of that is present in this book as well.

The story was intriguing and timing was perfect, the writing was difficult to navigate. It felt rushed. I enjoyed her last book more

Another mesmerizing book by Emma Donoghue a book about a midwife during the Spanish Flu epidemic.Reading it during the pandemic we are living through makes it even more compelling.The author writes beautifully no matter how harsh the topic.#netgalley#litllebrownuk

An astonishing read, on so many levels, especially as we confront our own time of pandemic. Gloriously researched and powerfully moving, this novel showcases the mastery Emma Donoghue has brought to all of her work. A devastating, haunting, piercingly timely read.

Emma Donoghue set out to write an historical novel as an remembrance to the Centennial of the Spanish Flu pandemic. "The Pull of the Stars” is remarkable. But what I will always remember is that I had a chance to read an Advanced Copy in the throes of Covid-19.

We’ve been told endlessly that the corona-virus is not the flu, that all comparisons to the Spanish flu are misleading and potentially dangerous. Well, let me just enumerate a few of the parallels that Ms. Donoghue shares with us when she had no idea of Covid-19: the angels that are front-line health care, workers, the impact of the shortage of PPE, the burden of women, the efficacy of masks, social distancing, quarantines, business shutdowns, economic disparities, voting rights, as well as inept politicians who talk about foreign elements at work, quack cures, and premature ends to the pandemic. “Influence of the Stars” takes its title from an old Italian definition of influenza. My favorite quote Is, “We all live in an unwalled city.” meaning the pandemic knows no bounds. “

The Pull of the Stars” is certain to be a great hit. Emma Donoghue has already made in indelible mark as a master novelist. Most fell in love with her while reading “Room”. Just a word of caution. While “Room” was devastating in what it was depicting, it was, after all, narrated by a child. “influence of the Stars” is just as devastating but leaves less to the imagination. Set in a hovel of a room in an understaffed state hospital in Dublin, mostly indigent pregnant women are forced into care due to the Spanish flu. The story is graphic, gripping, and tragic. There are a few heroes, including one truly amazing doctor who is a real life wonder-woman. Highly recommended,, but not at all for the faint of heart.

Thanks to Little, Brown and Company and Netgalley for the eARC.

What an appropriate book to read during our current pandemic! Set in 1917, during the Spanish flu, the book follows three characters whose lives intersect in a maternity room for pregnant women with the Flu. ( Beware, the deliveries of these women"s babies are quite graphic.) I loved the book, the characters., the historical period in which it took place and the author"s great detail to the time period. Will strongly recommend.

What a bizarre experience to read about the Spanish Flu amidst our own current pandemic! Some of the similarities were quite striking and I found it fascinating to read about what has changed (and what has not) in the 100+ years since.

I'm always drawn to tales of midwifery and birthing, and this one is almost flawless. The story is captivating and raw and real, and Donoghue paints the character of Julia with authenticity. I wish I could have a peek into the future to see where the road leads these characters.

*My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had previously read ROOM by the same author, and I liked it. But this one held me spellbound. Not a wasted word. Some parallels to today's virus pandemic, but so much more. Action by action, we are shown (not told) how it feels to work in an emergency maternity ward, understaffed, under-equipped, exhausted, and coping with a shortage of doctors who are the only ones allowed to prescribe pain meds. This is about the world-wide flu that hit near the end of World War II, and the details seem awfully realistic. Painfully so. Life, death, and all of it hanging on chance and good preparation. But the writing! I have now ordered several more of Donoghue's novels.

Thank you Net Gallery and the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced Copy of The Book Of Lost Names. Like so many people during the late 1930’s Eve and her parents didn’t see what the Nazi’s would do. Once she does, her specific talents develop. She becomes a forger which allows Jewish Children and others in Peril to escape Nazi occupied France. This was a wonderful story with fully developed characters and evolve over the course of the war. I sobbed through the ending but wished there were a few more chapters to allow Eve, to see the fruits of her labor. I loved this book. I am a great fan of Kristin Harmel. This book does not disappoint. I think it was one of her best.

Reading this novel about the pandemic of 1918 seems all too real in light of the COVID19 Pandemic a century later. Unknowingly, the author's book was ready for publication right on the heels of this more recent virus. The author brings the struggles of Doctors and especially nurses into reality. The darkness of such times is lightened only by the compassion and personal care given to those suffering from this rare flu. It is definitely a timely novel, being able to read the revelation of the past Pandemic while living with the present Pandemic.
This was a difficult read because the narrative did not include dialogue tags or punctuation for dialogue that makes it easier for the reader to follow the context of the story.

I’ve always been a fan of Emma Donaghue’s books, and this one did not disappoint! This book follows Julia Power, a nurse on a Labor and Delivery floor during the 1918 flu pandemic that cares for expectant mothers with the flu. The story follows three days in the ward, and tests Julia in many ways from caring for sick patients to managing her relationships with the people around her.. This book feels incredibly timely and absolutely worth picking up. Once I started it, I couldn’t put it down!

First sentence: Still hours of dark to go when I left the house that morning. I cycled through reeking Dublin streets that were slick with rain. My short green cape kept off the worst, but my coat sleeves were soon wet through.

Premise/plot: Set during the Spanish Influenza of 1918 in Dublin, Ireland, it follows Nurse Julia Power closely over the course of three days in the maternity fever ward. Julia is a midwife; she's used to losing patients--either mothers, or babies, or sometimes both mother and baby. She has a way of marking each loss of a patient; she's diligent and hardworking, but caring as well.

Readers get to know a few other characters as well including one person from history: Dr. Kathleen Lynn (1874–1955).

My thoughts: What an incredibly intense read!!!! For better or worse. There's nothing beautiful or glamorous about being a nurse/midwife. And the women in her ward, in her care, well they're fully fleshed/realized characters. This is like a super-super-super-super-super intense episode of Call the Midwife minus the hope and humor.

There are essentially NO CHAPTERS, just four sections (if I counted right, which is always doubtful!). I'm not sure if the lack of chapters kept me up reading, or, if it was my need to know if anyone would be okay, if the patients would live to see another day or night.

I'm not sure if the narrative style is technically stream of consciousness, but, if I had to guess I'd say it might very well be. It is very in the moment and personal. We see everything through Nurse Power's eyes.

Reading this during COVID is an experience in and of itself. I think that's why it's being published perhaps a little earlier than originally intended?

I noticed just one headline about the flu today, low down on the right: Increase in Reports of Influenza. A masterpiece of understatement, as if it were only the reporting that had increased, or perhaps the pandemic was a figment of the collective imagination. I wondered whether it was the newspaper publisher’s decision to play down the danger or if he’d received orders from above.



That’s what influenza means, she said. Influenza delle stelle—the influence of the stars. Medieval Italians thought the illness proved that the heavens were governing their fates, that people were quite literally star-crossed. I pictured that, the celestial bodies trying to fly us like upside-down kites. Or perhaps just yanking on us for their obscure amusement.



But wasn’t it the whole world’s war now? Hadn’t we caught it from each other, as helpless against it as against other infections? No way to keep one’s distance; no island to hide on. Like the poor, maybe, the war would always be with us. Across the world, one lasting state of noise and terror under the bone man’s reign.



THE PUBLIC IS URGED TO STAY OUT OF PUBLIC PLACES SUCH AS CAFÉS, THEATRES, CINEMAS, AND PUBLIC HOUSES. SEE ONLY THOSE PERSONS ONE NEEDS TO SEE. REFRAIN FROM SHAKING HANDS, LAUGHING, OR CHATTING CLOSELY TOGETHER. IF ONE MUST KISS, DO SO THROUGH A HANDKERCHIEF. SPRINKLE SULPHUR IN THE SHOES. IF IN DOUBT, DON’T STIR OUT.



It occurred to me that in the case of this flu there could be no signing a pact with it; what we waged in hospitals was a war of attrition, a battle over each and every body.



THE GOVERNMENT HAS THE SITUATION WELL IN HAND AND THE EPIDEMIC IS ACTUALLY IN DECLINE. THERE IS NO REAL RISK EXCEPT TO THE RECKLESS WHO TRY TO FIGHT THE FLU ON THEIR FEET. IF YOU FEEL YOURSELF SUCCUMBING, REPORT YOURSELF AND LIE DOWN FOR A FORTNIGHT. WOULD THEY BE DEAD IF THEY’D STAYED IN BED?

This is a brilliant, timely and unputdownable novel set during the 1918 flu pandemic in a poor Dublin hospital during the days leading up to the Armistice, Julia is a nurse whose job it is to look after women with the flu who are just about to give birth. In case you don't know, the Spanish Flu was most lethal for pregnant women. In her tiny ward with just three beds, Julia tries valiantly to save her patients and their babies. She's helped by Bridie, a new volunteer, and Dr. Kathleen Lynn, a rebel on the run from the police.

This is an intense and immersive read, not only because of Donoghue's vividly precise research, characters and story but also because this is oh so relevant to what we're all going through right now with the current pandemic.

As I closed this book I swallowed back tears but was also left with a feeling of hope. A stunningly good book that should be read by everyone.

Vita gloriosa vita. Life glorious life.

There’s an aura throughout this story that is somewhat bleak, while at the same time gripping in the dangers, the then fairly recent uprising that occurred Easter 1916, WWI, the conditions these people face during the 1918 pandemic – something that we have all recently become too familiar with. There’s also so much tender consideration, kindness from this nurse and her young charge that comes to assist the ward where Julia Power works, the Maternity / Fever ward, designated for those women with the flu who are separated from the healthy maternity patients. Along with that, some lovely writing, too.

Julia is a nurse nearing her 30th birthday, and when she arrives at work that morning she’s informed that she will be in charge, for the day, of this newly formed ward, and that the other nurse scheduled is ‘missing in action,’ with two expectant, as well as sick, mothers in her care - one having died during the previous night’s shift. And while no assistant is promised, one eventually appears, Bridie Sweeney.

Bridie is a delight, a wonderful addition, both to Julia and to the reader, as she brings much light to this story. A young woman who isn’t quite sure of her age, having been left in one of the Catholic convents, she’s known little of the world, and nothing about love, the only treatment she’s had at the hands of the nuns has not been kind. Bridie shares her story, little by little with Julia. Julia, being a kind hearted woman, cringes a bit at how unflinchingly Bridie shares the trauma she’s endured, but opens her heart more to her in the process of getting to know her, and begins to look forward to her company. This relationship adds so much light that’s so needed in such a dark time.

But, there’s so much more to this story than I could tell you in a few short paragraphs.

So many of the small details of this might seem too conveniently placed - the lack of disinfectant, the having to make do with other medical necessities normally available, the signs that seem to echo those of our current times, but Donoghue began writing this story in October of 2018, long before this pandemic we are all living through began. So many similarities, the shops closed, companies that appear to be deserted. A changed world from the one they knew, all that and in addition, they were still dealing with the repercussions of the war that only ended in November of that year. Families with losses from both the war and the pandemic.

While I haven’t read all of her books, I’ve read a few others by her - Room, Frog Music, and The Wonder and I have to say that out of all of those, that I think that she’s outdone herself with this one, as much as I enjoyed, loved the others. There is so much tenderness in the way these characters are shown, and so much compassion in how this story is shared, it served as a lovely reminder that there still is love, tenderness and compassion in this world.


Pub Date: 21 Jul 2020

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Little, Brown and Company

A fascinating read. The story of a midwife during the Spanish Flu epidemic...crazy to be reading it during the Covid-19 pandemic! A little to much medical info for me but the characters grabbed my interest and made me want to learn more.

**The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue**- available July, 21st 2020
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This was my first Emma Donoghue book and I really enjoyed it. It was a quick but meaningful read. The story follows a maternity nurse during the 1918 flu in Ireland. While The book sheds light on the corruption of the Catholic Church, the war, and politics taking place in Ireland, the majority of the storyline is about the flu and closely follows one nurse during a few days of her hospital work. As a nurse, I have great appreciation for this book and it pulled at my heart strings for nurses who came before me. I am very proud to be a nurse and I enjoyed comparing how somethings in our profession have improved over the past 100 years, while other things are much the same. Two things really stood out to me. First, in 1918 nurses were not trained how to take blood pressures and would have to call a physician if one was needed. Two, nurses had to boil water and mix their own IV fluids.
I would highly recommend this book to any nurses out there or anyone who enjoys historical fiction. This is a very timely book given the current pandemic.
This is a book who’s main character with stick with me for a while as I continue wonder what happened to her after the book ended.
This ARC ebook was given to me free by #netgalley in exchange for a free review. Thank you to #emmadonoghue and #hacherttebookgroup#littlebrownandcompany #thepullofthestars

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown, and Company for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Reading about the influenza pandemic of 1918, which killed more people than World War I, may seem like a crazy idea in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, but I have found that learning more about the past helps me put the crisis we are living through in perspective. This book is a wonderful piece of historical fiction. It provides context about not only the Great Flu but also what childbirth, mothering, and healthcare was like in Ireland during this time period, and the roles that religion and poverty played in a person's life. The book takes place over the course of a few days, so the story is primarily driven forward by the characters, their backgrounds, and their relationships. Overall, this is a great book and I highly recommend it to anyone who is curious about learning more about the 1918 pandemic through the lens of historical fiction.

Review posted on Goodreads on May 29, 2020.