An enigmatic book. The story takes place during the time of the Civil War in the United States. Georgeanna Woolsey is a nurse who joins the war to help her compatriots. At the hospital, she meets Jemma and Ann May Wilson. These are women who will mark her path. They will make her reflect deeply on the events that occur. I liked that this story described different points of view. As the Civil War was a very complex event. Even though it is a historical novel, I think the author tells us about real experiences lived by the women of the time. Brave women that wanted to live in a more peaceful society. I thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly is the third in the Lilac Girls series. Although it's part of a trilogy, reading the first two books isn't needed to follow this one. Much like the first in the series which I have read, there are three storylines. Two of them are more protagonist-y, while the other is clearly an antagonist. This book is set in the Civil War. One of the women is a Union nurse, another is a slave on a plantation, and the third is the wife of a plantation and slave owner. As it happens in Lilac Girls, the three stories have intersections throughout to really tell the story of the war. It's definitely an emotional ride, and there is a lot of pain in the stories of these women to the point that it is a really difficult read at times. That said, it's also important to know and remember and understand that pain in history and the impacts that can still show up today. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this soon to be released novel.

This book is told in three story lines. I found the book a little depressing and sad at times. Some parts were more interesting than others. I did think the book was too long and drawn out. I do like books with strong female characters and this one had that.
Thanks to the publisher for granting my wish for an early copy

This is quite a book. It’s an interesting look into the Civil War times through the eyes of a slave and a free person. I loved the beginning of the book but felt the book dragged on. I loved the descriptions and could picture the scenes. I also loved how the author included history on the family this book is based on at the end of the book.

An interesting historical novel about the Civil War, told from three very different perspectives.

Georgy is one of the seven talented Wolsey sisters. She is a abolitionist from NYC who becomes a wartime nurse with the Sanitation Commission.

Anne-May inherited her aunt’s plantation in Maryland. Instead of freeing the slaves, as her aunt requested, she chose to keep the slaves. A strong supporter of the Confederacy whose husband is fighting for the Union.

Jenna, one of Anne-May’s slaves. Jemma dreams of escaping the horrors of her world and of starting anew life as a free woman.

Seeing the Civil War, through the eyes of these three women, was very interesting. The characters were well developed and the plot drew me in and kept me turning the pages.

Thank you Martha Hall Kelly, Random House Publishing group-Ballantine Books, and NetGalley For the ARC.

I was so excited to receive a copy of this book to review, having already read the first two instalments in the Lilac Girls series. I absolutely loved Lilac Girls thanks to the three different POV characters, but Lost Roses had been relatively disappointing. I felt the POV characters the second time around were too similar and, even worse, not the most interesting in the story. Sunflower Sisters has returned to the original formula and improved upon it dramatically.

Georgey, Jemma, and Anne-May are three truly unique perspectives to follow throughout the Civil War. I devoured Georgey and Jemma's chapters, which always seemed to end too soon, and their stories were captivating in their own right. Georgey withstood the belittling and derisive attitude of the men around her as she first fought to be accepted into nursing training, and as she worked as a nurse wherever they would take her. She kept pushing forward to follow her own ethical code, willing to withstand the verbal and emotional abuse from her 'peers'. Knowing she had the benefit of her status and privilege to support her made this possible, but it certainly didn't make it easy. On the other hand, Jemma's courage had to withstand horrific abuse with very little hope to help keep it alive. The sheer amount of torture and loss she endured throughout her life would be enough to diminish anyone's spirit but it only made Jemma stronger. Anne-May is as opposite to these two strong, noble characters as possible without becoming a caricature of the embodiment of racism and hate. Self-righteous, her ignorance emboldens her to treat everyone with disdain and little empathy, even her family. Her snuff addiction and inflated sense of importance allow her to perform horrendous acts of cruelty with no guilt. It is rare to read about someone with no redeeming qualities but Anne-May is truly despicable.

As much as I love historical fiction, I can't recall ever reading a story set during the Civil War. This meant that while I was prepared for the typical war story tropes, I wasn't prepared for specific dates or battles and it made it more interesting not knowing what to expect. Having perspectives from both factions meant you could see why people within the same country, sometimes even within the same family, were willing to fight each other for their side. Knowing who was in the wrong here, I appreciated the perspective of some of the characters who felt forced by their families or their neighbours to enlist for a side, and a cause, they didn't align themselves with. Even better were the subtle signs and sly actions of some characters who were working undercover from border and southern states to help slaves escape north. Though this wasn't the main narrative, it was definitely interesting to see how the underground railway, or just conscientious individuals working alone, could have been operating at this time.

This feels like a very timely release, a different approach to the many published works over the last few years addressing racism and humanity. It doesn't feel sanctimonious or judgmental, just a captivating work of fiction about real historical figures, each doing what they believe is right as the Civil War rages.

I have read both of the previous books by this author and was very excited to get my hands on this, here is what I thought.
This one is taking place through the time of the civil war. And this book is told by the lovely Woosly sisters. It is quite the lengthy story and that is good because you get it not just from the perspective of the woosley sisters but from Jemma and Anne may.
This book has everything you want . Very well wrote.

Thank you for my review copy. All opinions are my own.
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This was one of my most anticipated releases this year. I have enjoyed Marth Hall Kelly. I really thought Sunflower Sisters would be no different. I'm not sure if it is the state of America at the current time....or the sheer sadness this book brings me.
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I have decided not to finish it. I'm not saying I will not try again. If and when I do I will update this review. Unfortunately at this time I have marked it as a DNF.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this amazing book - the last of three books concerning ancestors of Caroline Ferriday. This book takes us back to the Civil War and introduces us to the Woolsey Family.

This story is told in three voices - Anne-May, a plantation owner; Georgy Woolsey, a Union nurse; and Jemma, a slave on Anne-May's plantation. I was completely enthralled with the writing and the story of the intersection of these three women's lives. You will learn so much while being immersed in this time period - how nurses were trained and treated, medical treatments, battle stories, spies, fighting for what you believe. The strength and endurance of slaves is always completely humbling and the audacity of the plantation owners is so appalling.

Impeccably researched and based on so much factual information from the Ferriday/Woolsey archives, this is a book not to be missed. The Woolsey family's perseverance in bettering people's lives through their nursing and war efforts - no matter which side an injured person was on - was so inspiring. Even though it is over 500 pages, it reads almost like a suspense novel and you won't be able to look away. Beautifully written, this is arguably the best of the three books by Martha Hall Kelly.

🌻 Sunflower Sisters Book Tour 🌻⁣
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I’ve read both of @marthyhallkelly1 previous books, Lilac Girls and Lost Roses, and absolutely loved both of them. Sunflower Sisters was no exception- 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! ⁣
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All 3 books have similar styles- told by three different POVs. In Sunflower Sisters, we have Georgy, one of the 7 Woolsey sisters who trains as a nurse to help during the Civil War, Jemma, a slave in Maryland who longs for freedom, and the last is Anne-May who owns Jemma and her family. I love that the author always gives you one POV that definitely makes you uncomfortable reading; she really gets the reader into the mindset of a slave owner.⁣
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The book starts with Jemma and her family on a tobacco farm in Maryland, which is a state I didn’t realize even had slaves. Jemma’s twin sister was sent to work on a neighboring farm, but the rest of her family works together on Peeler Plantation. Georgy is lives in NYC with her wealthy family and wants to get involved with the war efforts as a nurse. She trains under the first female doctors, Elizabeth Blackwell and is shocked to learn that women nurses aren’t given much to do. She begins to write a manual for female nurses as she learns more about medical care. Anne-May is married to a man she doesn’t really love and has no problem spending all of her inheritance on fancy clothes and tobacco snuff. She has her slaves to tend to her crops and cook and clean.⁣
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The book takes place over the whole of the Civil War and it’s so well researched as all of the author’s novels are. The author’s note is not to be missed- she explains her research and connection to Caroline Ferriday, her great aunt was Eliza Woolsey, one of Georgy’s sisters. Caroline and her family are the inspiration for all of Martha’s novels.⁣
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This is a long book, but it’s definitely worth the effort. The Civil War is a different time period than I’ve read much about and I will be looking into more. Martha said this is her last book about the Ferriday family so I’m very excited to see what her next book is about!⁣

Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly is the third book by the author to focus on the family members in the Woolsey/Ferriday clan. This book is set during the Civil War. The Woolsey sisters all dedicate their lives to making the world a better place and to eradicating slavery. Their brother leaves to fight in the war and they remain behind to raise supplies and funds for the troops. This story also has a narrative viewpoint from the eyes of a slave named Jemma and her mistress, Anne-May. Read and enjoy!

This rich story is told from the perspectives of three women impacted by the Civil War and the divided country. Georgy leaves her lavish New York City life, trains to be a nurse and along with one of her sisters, volunteers to help the war's sick and wounded. The members of the philanthropic Woolsey family are staunch abolitionists. The second perspective is from Jemma, a sixteen year old slave at Peeler Plantation located in the border state of Maryland where supporters of Union and Rebel forces live side-by-side. The third point of view is from Anne-May Wilson Watson, who is the owner of Peeler Plantation including its slaves. Anne-May inherited the plantation from her late aunt who had made specific provisions for her slaves to be freed upon her death. Anne-May, who refuses to honor these wishes, is brutally abusive to Jemma and her family and is selfish and cruel to most others including her own family.

This impressive book, where each chapter ends with a cliffhanger, brings the reader into the battlefields, the plantations with the horrors of slavery, and the streets of New York City. The war rages on and the lives of the three women intersect in an exciting manner. Sunflower Sisters was one of my most anticipated books in a while and it did not disappoint. It starts a little slow as there are many characters to get to know but stick with it. And be sure to read the Author’s Note at the end to gain additional information on the Woolsey family. I also recommend visiting the author’s website marthahallkelly.com for even more insight including the Woolsey Family Tree which ties the characters from all three books together.

Martha Hall Kelly introduced Caroline Ferriday in Lilac Girls, set during WWII. In Lost Roses, the prior generation of the family experiences WWI and its’ aftermath. Now she introduces another generation in Sunflower Sisters, concentrating on Georgeanna Woolseys and her activities as a nurse during the Civil War. While the Woolseys were a well-to-do family in New York, the girls were all raised to take on social responsibilities. Georgey’s dream was to train as a nurse and later open up a nursing school for women. As war rages, she and her sister travel to Washington DC where they are assigned to a hospital ship. There they are harassed and demeaned by the male nurses and staff. When her brother is later wounded, she and her mother travel to Gettysburg where they witness the brutality of war. It is here that she first meets Jemma.

Peeler Plantation in Maryland was owned by Aunt Tandy Rose, who taught Jemma to read and write. When she died the plantation was left to Anne-May Watson who was quick to use the whip on any perceived slight and left the field slaves to LeBaron, a cruel overseer. Jemma’s parents worked the fields of the plantation while her sister Patience was rented out to a nearby farm. Her greatest dream was freedom with her united family. When Jemma is sold and mistaken for a boy, she is conscripted into the Union army and wounded at Gettysburg. Georgey takes her under her wing and, being accepted by all of the Woolseys, she becomes like one of the family. While at Peeler she was witness to Anne-May’s spying for the Confederacy and is a threat to her as long as she has the proof. Nowhere is safe as long as Anne-May holds her ownership papers.

From the New York Draft Riots to the battlefields, Kelly brings history to life. Jemma’s story shows all of the brutality and deprivation suffered by the slaves who were considered vital to the life of the plantation. She opens with a slave auction and later introduces the men who hunted and punished slaves who attempted to find freedom in scenes that are heartbreaking. While Jemma’s story is based on research and stories of life in the south, The Woolseys family and their story is based on their actual journals and letters, some of which are included in this novel. Knowing that so much of the story is factual makes this book even more fascinating and hard to put down. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine Publishers for providing this book for my review.

This is the third book the author has written about Caroline Ferriday and her ancestors. In this book, we follow the 7 strong Woolsey sisters (one of whom is Caroline’s grandmother) into the Civil War. Quite literally, as many of them are serving as nurses at the battlegrounds. I love that this is based on actually events and people and seeing their pictures at the end is an awesome treat. Another stellar storytelling event by Martha Hall Kelly

Sunflower Sisters is a completely engrossing story of the Civil War from the viewpoint of three very different women: Jemma, who is born a slave; Anne-May, the terrible plantation owner; and Georgy Woolsey, the Civil War nurse and abolitionist. Georgy and her six sisters live in New York City, and they are the real-life family who inspired Martha Hall Kelly's earlier two novels about their Woolsey descendants. This epic story is long, but I was totally engaged the entire time I was reading; I kept rooting for Jemma and Georgy throughout their narratives, all the way to the satisfying ending. There were some gut-wrenching scenes of unspeakable racial violence and murder, as well as scenes of limb amputations at the field hospital, so please be aware of these potential trigger warnings. The writing style is very easy to read and the dialogue made for a quick read, but the grim realities of the time period do make for some difficult subject matter. I would like to thank Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read Sunflower Sisters early. I highly recommend it for fans of historical fiction, and I can't wait to add it to our library!

Thank you PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook! And Netgalley and Random House Ballantine Books for a digital copy.

I have long awaited this book. In 2019 I got to see Martha Hall Kelly at a book talk/signing for Lost Roses at Interabang Books (Dallas, TX). At that book signing, Kelly talked about the next book she was working on and I was THRILLED it was a Civil War novel continuing the story of the Woolsey women. I am a lover of Civil War stories, but don't always find them to handle all aspects of that time period well. I read many books from this time period growing up that romanticized slavery and plantation life and want to make sure I am reading books now that show a better picture of what life was really like for those enslaved.

This book ticks every box of what I wanted it to be in more. Told through the stories of 3 women, Georgeanna Woolsey, a wealthy socialite who becomes a Union nurse; Jemma, a young enslaved girl who gets pulled into a new life, and Anne-May Wilson, a spoiled Southern plantation mistress who is out for her own interests. Each character is nuanced and layered and you are rooting for them to make good choices. This book has war, family drama, romance, women bettering themselves, and new layers constantly being unfolded.

Even if you haven't read Lilac Girls or Lost Roses (which I do recommend them both!), you can still read and fully enjoy this book. Plus I do recommend the audiobook version. These narrators are some of my favorite narrators period and they do a phenomenal job bringing these characters off the page.

Content Warning: Death, Racism, Abuse and crimes associated with slavery, War, Medical Content

I think this book was excellent! Slavery and the Civil War are topics I don’t usually chose to read about. I’m not a person who wants to read about war strategies and lots of death. This book had fabulous characters and I love that some were actual people. Also, love that the reader can see all points of view, from the different characters, at a difficult time of our history.

Sunflower Sisters was the fabulous third instalment of Martha Hall Kelly's successful Lilac Girls series.   This series elaborated on the lives of several generations of Woolsey women and was exhaustively researched.   Sunflower Sisters was set in the Civil War era and one of the main characters was Geogeanna Woolsey (Great Aunt of Caroline Ferriday from book 1 Lilac Girls, and Aunt of Eliza Ferriday from book 2 Lost Roses).

One of the many things I love about historical fiction is getting a feel for the time and place, the way people of a particular time thought, spoke and behaved.   What was delightful about this book was the way the author included details sourced from the family archives and in some cases included the actual letters shared between Woolsey family members.      In fact, Martha Hall Kelly has included an Author Note at the end of each of her three titles and I simply love reading these to understand the way she researched her books.    She is dedicated to basing her stories on fact and though she fictionalises some characters many are based on real people and actual events.

Just like the first two books of this series Sunflower Sisters had three strong female characters the story revolved around - Georgy, Jemma and Anne-May.  Georgy  was one of eight Woolsey siblings, a go-getter in every sense.   She was forward thinking and keen to do good.  She was an abolitionist and did her part in the Civil War effort by nursing and training other women to become skilled in nursing.    She was not only willing but happily stood up to the male doctors and challenged their authority when necessary.    Jemma was a slave girl owned by Anne-May.    Her strength was evident in the way she tolerated the abhorrent mistreatment she and her family and other friends endured at the hands of their white owners/overseers.    She showed great courage in the risks she took to get free of these people.    I really liked the sense of community among the slaves.   In most cases they were like family and didn't hesitate to put their own lives on the line to help each other.     On the other hand Anne-May the Plantation owner was a character I despised.    Although I tried, I was unable to  find one redeeming quality about her.   Even taking into consideration the time and place, and the accepted norms of the day,  there was a lot to dislike about Anne-May.      I found her to be unethical, dishonest and traitorous, although she did  have
a tender spot for her younger brother. 

The three stories were woven together seamlessly and made for a compelling tale.   Whilst I've read books based on the Civil War and others about slavery I'd never really thought about how it must have been for folks in the border towns where family members went off to fight on opposite sides of the war, or where there were staunch abolitionists living with family members who held fiercely traditional slave owning values.  

I'm saddened that this is the end of the series but sincerely hope Martha Hall Kelly finds inspiration elsewhere and decides to write again.  Like hundreds of thousands of others I have thoroughly enjoyed the series and wholeheartedly thank the author for her efforts.    My thanks too to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review which it was my pleasure to provide.

4.5 stars on Goodreads.

Women's History Month is the perfect time to release Martha Hall Kelly's third novel inspired by the real-life Woolsey/Ferriday women. Though each book shares a unique generation of one family's history, they do not have to be read in order. I think I enjoyed this one the most of all. It features Georgeanna "Georgy" Woolsey, a unapologetic abolitionist and devoted nurse during the Civil War.

As in her previous novels, Kelly uses three very different points of view during that time period to present an authentic "time and place" for her story. The Woolsey sisters are created using letters and memorabilia to tell their story. Anne-May is the mistress of the Peeler Plantation, and she is based on the stories of many slave-owners of that time. Jemma is a slave owned by Anne-May, and is also based on the experiences of thousands of slaves living on plantations and being treated horribly.

I love reading about strong females in history. Their courage and strength paved the way for many of the privileges women enjoy today. For instance, females weren't respected in the medical field back in the Civil War Era. I respected what the character of Georgy went through to ensure women had the opportunity to train to become nurses. She faced discrimination every day by her male counterparts and doctors alike. It opened my eyes to just how difficult it must have been to stand up for women's rights.

Jemma's story was heartbreaking. The physical abuse is one thing, but the dehumanizing treatment that she experienced in the form of verbal abuse was horrible. Anne-May's treatment of her represented the norm of that time. It was tough to read but I think it's important to acknowledge the horrific treatment of slaves back then to help us understand why things are the way they are today. I would like to think I would be just like the Woolsey sisters, and doing everything I could possibly do to change the narrative. By simply treating Jemma like a guest in their home, rather than letting her work for them, speaks to their intentions.

Overall, I loved the book. I would have liked to see the characters even more developed, even though this was already over 400 pages. I can see why Kelly has latched onto this family and created novels for each of the generations. What a fascinating legacy.

This novel is set during the Civil War and has many characters but told from the point of view of 3 main ones. One is the wealthy, Georgey Woolsey. She becomes a Union nurse wanting to help and told the challenges that female nurses faced at that time. Jemma, a slave, tells her sad heart breaking story as a slave on a Maryland plantation and the abuse and loss she experienced and her escaping it. Ann-May Wilson, tells her hateful story as an abusive plantation owner. This is a good, long novel, but I feel I did not learn a lot new from it, but still I am glad to have read it. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of it.