Donoghue doesn't disappoint again! Not since ROOM, have i been so pulled into a novel. I was apprehensive reading about the flu, given the times we are currently living in, yet somehow i felt comforted by the 'normalness' and not, of the day to day life and politics that took place over 100 years ago. I came away with even more respect and admiration for nurses and front line workers, and the care that is given to those that suffer.

A young women must learn how to cope as the flu of 1918 takes over the hospital. Will she have the courage to do what is necessary, even when it feels impossible? How much will she find out about herself in the process.
Timely read.

I love Donoghue's historical fiction and this is one of my favorites. It's a difficult story, but so well told and especially appropriate to read during this awful pandemic. A lovely book with strong female characters.

This book covers three days in the life of a maternity ward nurse during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. Topical, no? It was incredibly gripping, and I was on the edge of my seat for a lot of the time which I was not expecting. I didn't LOVE the ending, to be honest, but overall this was definitely a worthwhile read.

Dark, yes. But for me, this was a phenomenal story of women and of one woman in particular. Julia is a tenacious character, vividly written and brought to life on the page. The detail and the specifics of her work and patients boggled my mind and at times, causing to me lose sleep, staying up finishing her story. My favorite book of the year, so far.

This novel is Emma Donoghue at her brightest.
One thing you can always expect when you dive into one of her novels, is that you will turn the last-page as a different person than when you started.
Her fiction is all about finding light in the darkness. About hope. Redemption. Survival. Resiliency.
This novel takes place during one of the Flu Pandemics that changed the world forever. Reading this during the COVID-19 pandemic made it realistic, believable, haunting, and perhaps a little unsettling. But it raises the emotions.
What an astonishing achievement. This book is another winner.

So disappointed! I’m an Emma Donoghue fan, have been since Slammerkin but this one just bored me to tears. Sure the writing was ok, but for me there was too much medical talk and not enough of the relationship.

I do not recommend

I was so excited to have another historical lgbtq book by Emma Donoghue to sink my teeth into and I was not disappointed! Julia Power is a nurse at a hospital in Ireland during the pandemic of 1918. She works in the maternity ward, helping pregnant women who have the flu. Over the course of three days, her life changes completely. She meets Bridie Sweeny, a volunteer whose eagerness to learn and help while they are understaffed makes her a valuable resource. She also meets Dr Lynn, a female doctor and Sinn Fien rebel (who was a real person!)
This book will make you feel all the feels. It's sweet and sad and very applicable right now. I can't imagine a more appropriate time for it to have been published. It was a great read and one I'll be recommending to everyone.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown and Company for the ARC.

This was a great historical fiction story told from the perspective of a nurse working through the Spanish Flu pandemic, with the help of a quirky girl sent in to volunteer. The two work together to save the lives of their maternity patients while creating a bond that neither were expecting.

A special thank you to Libro.fm and Hachette Audio for an audiobook listening copy, and NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In an understaffed and overwhelmed hospital in Dublin, Nurse Julia Power cares for the expectant mothers that have come down with the terrible new Flu. They are quarantined together in a supply room that has been converted into the Maternity/Fever ward.

Julia is given a volunteer, Bridie Sweeney, from a nearby convent to assist her—she is a quick learner and eager to please. With Bridie's help being immeasurable to Julia, the two quickly form a bond. There are also very few doctors available so the hospital has allowed a woman doctor, Kathleen Lynn, who is rumoured to be on the run from the police.

Through their seemingly impossible work, these women change each other's lives all while ushering new life and fending off death.

Set during the war, The Pull of the Stars takes place almost entirely in the same room over the course of a few days. Donaghue's latest work is more than a story about a pandemic, it is also about the suffrage movement, birth, and religion. The women in this book are soldiers in their own right, they are fighting their own war against the Flu (pregnant women were more susceptible) as well as against the abuse of power at the hands of men, the very ones that are supposed to love and cherish them. Nurse Julia cares for women from all walks of life. It doesn’t matter what their backgrounds are, their suffering is all the same as are the expectations to have as many babies as possible which was thought of as a way of showing love to their husbands.

Bridie is a character filled with hope. Although she provides optimism, Bridie has it the hardest. Blossoming under Julia's care and encouragement, she is thrilled to be given any type of responsibility and for the first time in her life, Bridie feels useful and hopeful. Another important character is Dr. Kathleen Lynn—who was an actual person—a rumoured Rebel on the run from police. Although she doesn’t have a lot of page time, she really propels the plot and I wanted to learn more about her and find out what happened to her.

Donoghue does not use any punctuation. This is a huge pet peeve of mine because I never understand why someone would willingly choose to distract and confuse their reader. And who decides this? Is it the writer, or is it the editor? But it works for this novel because it creates flow—the dialogue is like a current that sweeps the reader along without a pause to allow emotion or thought. It is an unconscious stream of dialogue and prose.

The covers for this book are fantastic: the US version has Julia's pocket watch surrounded by the symbols that she etches into it and the Canadian and UK covers have four magpies. According to the "One for Sorrow" nursery rhyme, one magpie means sorrow (Julia's brother), two magpies mean joy (the front cover has two), three magpies are for the girl, and four magpies are for the boy (there is one on the spine and one on the back which makes a total of four and I'm not going to spoil who the girl and boy are).

Although I found the ending hopeful, there was a romantic subplot that came out of nowhere. And for me, this is the difference between four and five stars because I felt that this was a plot device for another character's growth that wasn't necessary.

Rich in historical detail, The Pull of the Stars is an exploration of nursing, illness, maternity, and above all, hope.

It was strange reading about a pandemic during a pandemic. The similarities and behaviours between today’s pandemic and the pandemic of 1918 are uncanny.
In THE PULL OF THE STARS Emma Donoghue tells a story of Nurse
Julie Power over the course of three days. Julie oversees the care of three woman who are pregnant and have the flu. On her own Julia has more work than she can handle. A young girl Bridie Sweeney is sent to help her. Bridie knows nothing about nursing but is quick to learn and eager to help anyway possible. Julia comes to rely on Bridie and together the two are able to help the patients in their care.
THE PULL OF THE STARS was an amazing story. Themes of perseverance, women’s rights and survival added to the richness of Emma Donoghue’s storytelling.
Not surprising THE PULL OF THE STARS has been longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller prize.
Thank you to Little Brown and Company for the opportunity to read the advanced ebook edition of THE PULL OF THE STARS.

Another great read by Emma Donoghue. It's certainly interesting to read about the 20th century pandemic flu while sheltering in place during the 21st century pandemic coronavirus. Emma captures the spirit and tenacity present in healthcare workers in her protagonist, Nurse Julia. Working with expectant mothers in the maternity ward is normally stressful, and Julia faces further difficulties as she manages a small group of mothers who are also infected with the dangerous flu. Limited supplies and short staffing increases the challenges of every day, and Julia is relieved to find a close companion in a young woman assigned as a volunteer to help her one day. We only experience a few days of Julia's life, but the glimpses we get of her home, family, and work are rich and full of detail. A few elements of the ending seemed out of place to the rest of the story, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Nurse Julia Power is called into work when many of her colleagues are struck down by the flu. Focused on expectant mothers, Julia is left to run a ward of 3 sick people. When she receives help in the form of a young volunteer, Bridie, the two form an instant connection.

I found this book to be extremely interesting and hard to put down. It was nicely paced and the characters were well developed. My biggest complaints are that there were no quotations marks in the digital version of the book, and I thought the book really needed an epilogue. Despite these criticism, this is one I would highly recommend.

The Pull of the Stars is, of course, a timely read - set in a Dublin hospital during the Spanish Flu pandemic, specifically in a maternity ward for fevered patients. This book is a fascinating glimpse into medical practices of the time period, both related to pregnancy, labour/delivery and the Spanish Flu. It was at times very graphic, but it is absolutely engaging filled with characters that pull on your heart strings. My verdict - not for the faint of heart, but certainly worth the read if you're ready for a harrowing tale.

3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4

I sat on this review for a bit because I just couldn't decide how I truly felt about the book. It seems like so many people LOVED it and I just couldn't totally figure out why I didn't feel the same way. Ultimately, I think I just wanted more and felt like I kept waiting for something to happen that never did.

The story takes place almost totally inside the maternity/flu ward of a hospital in the center of Dublin during the Spanish Flu of 1918. The book's summary sounded totally intriguing to me, especially given the current pandemic we're in. And I did "enjoy" (though I'm not quite sure "enjoy" is the right word!) the many parallels to our current situation. But I wanted so much more. Instead, I felt like we were stuck in the maternity ward with the main character nurse Julia Powers watching woman after woman give birth.

We do get a few peeks of Julia's life outside of work and I especially appreciated learning about her relationship with her brother who had recently returned from the war. I also loved her relationship with hospital intern Birdie Sweeney who is eager to help and learn all that she can as she assists Julia in the ward. I did appreciate the historically accurate details of women giving birth in the early 1900s during a pandemic, but I also wanted so much more than just details about women giving birth.

The Pull of the Stars is a beautifully written book and there's no denying that it's a wonderful novel. This is more of a case of I just don't know how much it's the novel for me. I felt I was left wanting so much more (which is, in some ways, a huge compliment to the author). I'm still happy I read it and will continue to read all of Emma Donoghue's future books!

Emma Donoghue captured my attention from the first page of this historical novel, set in Dublin, Ireland during the flu epidemic of 1918. She entwines the lives of Julia, a maternity nurse assigned to patients who had been separated due to flu symptoms, Dr. Kathleen Lynn, a female who supports and participates in the rebel cause, and a young volunteer with questionable heritage, Birdie Sweeney to create a story about love, loss, and acceptance.
I loved learning about each of these characters through their trials and triumphs and their selfless devotion to help those in need without hesitation. These are trying times; this book gave me hope for humanity.

What a jewel of a book. Emma Donoghue does it again ! Even though the story takes place predominately in one hospital room this does not distract from the energy of the story. This book is particularly meaningful today as it takes place during the 1918 Spanish flu that hits London. The patients, Nurse Power, and Bridie Sweeney will capture your heart. This is a must read.

I really enjoyed this book -- and it is so timely! I have to say I enjoyed the second part more than the first because the story took hold more. The first part felt more methodical, telling us about the flu, the situation, the treatments, etc. It is very clear that the author did a lot of research, which I appreciate, but sometimes it felt like she put facts in because she knew them, not because they fit the story.

I think looking at the flu pandemic through a fairly narrow lens, like this author did -- the lens of a maternity ward -- was a great choice. It allowed for some interesting storytelling.

The Pull Of The Stars By Emma Donoghue

Rating: 4 / 5 Stars

Publication Date: 7/21/2020

** Thank you to Netgalley, Little, Brown, and Company, and of course, Emma Donoghue, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A book about a pandemic is one thing. Reading a book about a pandemic in the middle of a pandemic is another thing. Honestly, were there always this many books on this type of situation? Of course, Emma did not write this book between January and July, so obviously she can sense the future (conspiracy!). In fact, she was interested in the Spanish Flu since the 100th anniversary in 2018.

The Pull of The Stars is set in Ireland as World War I concluded and the Spanish Flu took off, the first big pandemic for the 20th century. The Spanish Flu was deadly in a different way from World War I battlefields. The ability to get ill by being around others whom you love and care for was a frightening reality.

Donoghue has always astonished me with her ability to place the reader in the time and place of the story. From start to finish, you feel yourself in the world, unable to disconnect until the last word is read. The imagery of Ireland, 1918, the endings of World War I, and the rise of the Influenza within the walls of Dublin are done with incredible writing and creativity. The accuracy Donoghue provides with every little detail in this book, from the medicine to mental stability of those at the end of the war is incredible. Julia and Bridie are excellent characters and the fact that she wove historical facts into her fiction with the inclusion of Kathleen Lynn, an activist, and medical doctor, is truly a sign of a great writer.



Be Warned - This book does include a lot of gore and mentions of Abuse/Incest.

I think beyond the warning above, the only thing I found weird to the work was the romantic storyline that felt like it came out of nowhere. The book could have done without it, but this does not take away from how great this book truly is. Great Job, Emma!

Probably not the best idea to read about a 1918 pandemic that causes tremendous death during the 2020 pandemic that causes death but the writing was excellent. It was different from what I envisioned from Emma Donohue. I read Room and didn’t know she switches genres but this novel was character-driven like Room.

I initially found it difficult jumping right into the story but once I got used to the wiring style and realized the timing and plot, I got into it.