While I was captivated by the medical terms and childbirth scenes, the last section felt rushed and separate from the rest of the story. Once finished, I wished that Donoghue developed her characters more especially since one of them was based on a real person.

To be honest, a bit of a challenge to read this story during the current pandemic, but Emma Donoghue never disappoints with her beautiful writing and deeply written characters.

Wow, talk about a perfect book for the times even though it's more of a historical fiction than a modern read. I totally enjoyed this one and felt it offered a look into another times that couldn't' be more relevant than what we're dealing with this past year.

Not my favorite of her books but definitely worth the read. I thought that it had a decent read speed and had an easy time keeping my interest. I would recommend but definitely wasn't one of my favorite books this year.

I'm not much of a historical fiction reader but I loved her previous book, Room so I went with my gut. I'm so glad that I did because this book blew me away! It's incredibly well researched, beautifully written and sucked me in immediately. It was a little graphic at times during the child birth scenes but I was able to pull through. It's definitely a book I will never forget.

The Pull of the Stars is a story of the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918 Dublin.
The main character ,nurse Julia Power, is working to save the lives of pregnant women.Bridie , is an aide sent to help her and the two of them grow together as they work together over three days. Well written ,historic fiction. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

1918 Ireland is in complete turmoil, post war and battling against the Spanish flu. Nurse Julia Powers is trying to save as many pregnant women and their children as possible in a flu quarantined ward. As she works tirelessly two unexpected women enter her life on the ward to help her care for the ill mothers.

To be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure if I wanted to read a book about a pandemic, during a pandemic. It took me a little while to get into this book, but I did end up really enjoying the read. The short few days the story is told over, were filled with conflict, love, loss and action. I love a book that packs a punch. It's clear Donoghue put in a great amount of time and research in to this book. At times, I did find that the births were a bit too detailed for my liking. Overall I thought this book was a great read and I will be looking forward to more books by Emma Donoghue

A big thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown and Company for my ARC!

Emma Donoghue packs a lot into this book that only spans a few days in a maternity ward in 1918 Ireland.

Perfect for fans of CALL THE MIDWIFE, Donoghue offers what is clearly a well-researched, detailed look at medical maternity care during the pandemic. It's a fascinating snapshot of life at the time, and the author has managed once again to build an entire world that primarily focuses on one room - a makeshift maternity ward big enough to hold three beds - although we do have glimpses of life outside the hospital.

Despite a clearly grey, dismal situation for all the characters, our main character Julia still manages to bring a sense of hope and caring. Nearly all the characters are really well fleshed out and the plot moves very quickly. The prose is lovely, but the dialogue is not punctuated (so it might take some getting used to.)

For some readers, the timing might be unfortunate (she wrote this in 2018, the centennial of the 1918 pandemic), so if you're weary of everything pandemic related, put this on your TBR shelf for later. For me, I found it a compelling contrast to current medical care (and how, despite advances in medicine, we still found ourselves with over crowded wards and locked down hospitals.)

What I didn't like:
The book came to a quick (and maybe a little unsatisfying) ending. Also, the relationship that developed near the end of the book didn't feel necessary or authentic - it rather popped up out of the blue, so maybe it just caught me off guard, but I don't know that it added to the plot,

Overall:
I love historical fiction, particularly those set in WWII with really strong female characters, so this fits the bit. This is a story about resilience, and it was heartbreaking and grim and yet beautiful.

It needed editing-it was so all over the place, plot wise, that I didn’t know to be invested until that line was already over. Yes, story takes place over two days, but you barely get to know any of them. Also, weird to have a book come out about 1918 pandemic during the 2019 pandemic-probably could have delayed it.

I was wanting to read at least one book set in Ireland in the month of March, and The Pull of Stars fit the bill. I really enjoyed Room when I read it, so I was eager to start this one. This one was truly timely because it is set during the 1918 pandemic. It gave a good historical view of what was going on with the war and pandemic as told through a nurse's eyes as she tries to take care of patients in the maternity section of a poor hospital. The plight of the poor pregnant women was deftly portrayed and I could really place myself in the book along with the characters as they maneuvered the obstacles. I'm glad my daughter-in-law who recently gave birth didn't read this while she was pregnant. I think it would have made her anxious. Thank goodness medicine has progressed a lot in the last 100 years. The characters are well-developed and the female doctor is based on a true person who was a rebel. I loved that these women were strong characters in the face of trying times. Although the topic and time were depressing, this well-written and compelling book was overall hopeful. I would definitely recommend this to fans of historical fiction.

The Pull of the Stars spans just a couple of days during the Spanish Flu epidemic, telling the story of a single 30-year-old maternity nurse, Julie, in Ireland during the Spanish Flu epidemic. Alongside a young volunteer and a female doctor, Julia cares for pregnant women suffering from the flu, including several emergency births.

Though set in a pandemic, this book's message is really about women's rights/healthcare in general. To put it bluntly, the characters are mostly women suffering under the weight of poverty and a lack of reproductive agency. It's pretty consistently bleak throughout.

Maybe I'm weird for reading a book about a pandemic during a pandemic, but I thought it was interesting to see what #PandemicLife was like 100 years ago. Things could be so much worse. Aside from any anxiety-inducing relevance to today, this book was a pretty traumatic read. Something horrific was always happening at this hospital (which unfortunately I’m sure is quite accurate). I wasn't particularly moved by any of the trauma though; I found the characters perfectly likable and appropriately-developed, but I just didn't connect with any of them.

I think this would be a great book for readers with a particular interest in nursing and/or women's healthcare. This book didn't quite work for me but I still count myself an Emma Donoghue fan and look forward to reading more of her books!

2.5 Stars Not my favorite Donoghue novel by a long shot. Interesting plot that just fell flat for me. The story takes place over 3 days, but it felt like 3 years.

This was an amazing story that I couldn’t put down. It’s the story of a young woman named Julia, the narrator , in Ireland during the Influenza epidemic in 1918. She’s a maternity nurse in a tiny makeshift room for women ready to deliver who are also infected with the flu. A young woman, Bridie, comes to help her who is another character I won’t soon forget. The story covers only a few days but is filled with events and characters, sadness and joy, and an ending that left me sobbing. The language is gorgeous, the descriptions so clear I felt I was there..... sometimes so graphic and gory that some may object, but I felt it was all important for the story. I can’t believe the amount of research the author must have had to do to make this book so real. I wish I could give this wonderful book more than 5 stars. So. Highly. Recommended!!

This is only my second book by the author, Room, being the other I’ve read....I am in awe of her ability to write two vastly different books and be amazing at them both.

While I had an ebook copy thanks to Little Brown, I decided to listen to the audiobook and I’m so glad I did. The narration was fantastic.

This was such a unique time period for a historical fiction book for me. Set in Ireland during the 1918 influenza pandemic, the entire book takes place over the span of three days, in a hospital ward where expectant mothers have become infected with the disease. This was truly unlike anything else I’ve ever read.

Having a medical background, I absolutely loved the medical details (although I know not for everyone as it did get fairly graphic) and loved learning about how extremely different things were in the past (the blood transfusion and making saline- if you’ve read it, you know)

This was also so interesting to read given the current state of the world, very timely and relevant to what is happening now.

This is definitely a novel that I will remember for a long time. Living through this pandemic, it was fascinating to see how people coped (or didn’t) through the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918.

The story itself reminded me a little bit of the television show “Call the Midwife”, so if you are a fan of that show you’ll enjoy this book. The main characters were wonderful and were so easily imagined that they were a tribute to the author’s descriptive talent. The dire circumstances of the Dublin hospital and its loyal staff, were a testament to selfless medical personnel who sacrifice personal lives (and sleep) for those in their care.

Never was I made so aware of the grim day to day lives of the truly poor. Today we cannot imagine it, as there are now social services in place for the destitute, so that they have more advantages.

Nurse Julia Power was the star of the novel and she was a woman of strength and moral fiber. Bridie was my favourite character, and reading of her short life was heartrending.

The novel was paradoxical in that it was at once depressing and up-lifting. There were many scenes in which the antiquated medical practices and social mores made me shake my head in incredulity, while other scenes made me want to hug the characters.

Highly recommended to readers who enjoy skillfully rendered historical fiction.

Probably more of a 2.5 stars rating, because the writing is definitely decent - I just was underwhelmed by the story overall. My expectations were high, as I love both historical fiction and Ireland-based stories; but even though the plot is about a lot of interesting things, somehow I just didn't feel emotional buy-in to the characters but more the sense that I should care about them.

The Pull of the Stars is the first book I've read by Emma Donoghue, and it hit a little too close to home. While the parallels between the storyline and 2020 might have pulled some people in, it made it hard for me to read. Overall, I found the plot to be compelling, but to really appreciate it, I'm hoping to return to it in the future.

When I started listening to this book, I was worried it would be depressing, especially with the pandemic going into its second year, but it was not. This is a story that brings on many emotions. Yes, it was sad, there were moments that had my eyes filling up, but there is hope, strength and uplifting moments as well.

The story is set in Dublin, Ireland in 1918, the height of the great flu pandemic that ravaged the world, specifically in a maternity ward. Nurse Julia Power is working on a makeshift ward where expectant mothers who have the flu are brought. Many do not survive, some give birth to stillborn babies, while others give birth to children and they both recover and move forward in a new world. The story takes place over a three day period. Julia is a wonderful character. She is strong and so caring. She is also determined to do whatever is necessary to help her patients, even going against some junior doctors orders. With the ward being understaffed, Bridie Sweeny is brought in to volunteer. Bridie is an orphan who has been raised and is living in a convent home, where she is treated like an indentured servant. She learns quickly and has a gentle, honest way with the patients. My heart went out to Bridie and all that she went through. The third main staff member that graces the ward is Doctor Kathleen Lynn, who is on the run from the police for being involved with the Sinn Fein. She is smart, smart enough to know who she can trust on the ward. This trio of women work hard, do not give up on their patients, try things that are not widely used and care deeply about each and every person that graces the ward.

Medicine was so primitive, there was little that could be done, but they tried. The decisions they had to make in a few moments in order to save someone, had me holding my breath. This was a very atmospheric story and as I stated earlier, very relevant to our times, but it was a character driven story. We see them in their work environment, but we learn about their private lives during conversations they have with one another. These are three very strong willed women who have all faced things that I will never have to face in my lifetime. Caring women facing the worst that the pandemic has to offer, but not giving up. A story of hope and survival. A story of love and caring. A story that I am definitely glad that I read.

I became enchanted with this author after reading her titanic work, Room. The Pull of the Stars did not disappoint! Heady and descriptive, Emma Donoghue knows exactly when and where to pull her punches. I will happily read anything she writes in the future.

I'm always glued to the page when I'm reading Emma Donoghue. She can pull a reader in like almost no one, and this book was no exception. Fantastic escapist read.