This is one of the best books I’ve ever read I’ll recommend it to everyone .
I’d get so involved into reading that I would loose track of time the
Author brought the characters to life it actually broke my heart the way
That Jamma was treated this is one book I’ll read again
My thanks to the author

While I adored Lilac Girls and was looking forward to this third book in the same family, I was disappointed. This book was way too long. I love books told in multiple voices, but I was left feeling that especially Anne-May’s story could have been omitted. Jemma and Georgy were more compelling characters, but nothing new was presented in their stories. A fine read but nothing extraordinary.

What a great third book in this series by Martha Hall Kelly! Each of the books are definitely able to read stand alone but I loved the total story in the end. This historical fiction weaves together the lives of multiple families - and while the subject matter - the Civl War and the fight to end slavery is not new - the weaving of the life story of Georgy and her family in Sunflower Sisters was compelling and interesting.

The research done by the author was detailed and described at the end of the book and makes for an interesting read as well.

Truly recommend this book as well as the first two by Martha Hall Kelly!

Thanks to Net Galley for the chance to read and review.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is written from three different characters that are so telling of their circumstances. Each view the war and slavery so differently. I will admit, midway through it did slow down for me. However, overall the story is interesting.

First, a big thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Sunflower Sisters. I really enjoyed Kelly’s other two books, and hoped to enjoy this one just as much. I would give this book 3.5 stars rounded down to 3 stars. While I enjoyed the overall storyline, it felt a little slow to me. It took me 2 weeks to read, and I know when I’m not picking a book up to read it every chance I get then it’s just ok for me. I feel like the second half of the book picked up more and I enjoyed it more than the first half. It was satisfying having read all 3 books in this series- and am curious to see what Kelly writes next!

I am finding it hard to get into this book. I know that it will be popular though based on the author's prior books. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly concludes the trilogy which also includes Lilac Girls and Lost Roses. It is a well researched prequel of sorts to the ancestors of Caroline Ferriday.

I loved every minute of it, and did not want it to end. It is told in three voices -- Georgy Woolsey (one of 7 sisters) who was a Civil War Nurse and staunch Abolitionist, a fictionalized slave Jemma, and a fictionalized plantation mistress Anne-May. Both Jemma and Anne-May are highly researched and true to historical figures.

We are transported into life on a tobacco plantation, hospital ships, Civil War battlefields (including Gettysburg), Washington DC, the Connecticut countryside, New York City, and more in the 1860s.

The Underground Railroad and the fight for freedom at all costs are made real. I was especially struck by the idea of not having a last name and how that effected Jemma. She said that every free person has one and it means that you matter. Your last name is what you pass on to those you love to show they have worth and matter also.

These characters will become real to you, too. You will learn much, but more importantly be inspired by the strength of these strong women. Despite their many challenges they found ways to defy the societal bounds to enact meaningful change. What a legacy they left, you will be better after reading it. Their strength and determination should not be forgotten.

I was provided a free advance reader copy from Random House Publishing - Ballantine Books in exchange for my honest review from Net Galley. The opinions shared in this review are my own.

Having loved ‘The Lilac Girls’ and ‘Lost Roses’ I was so looking forward to the authors next title.
This new book takes place during the Civil War and tells the stories of three women: Georgeanna Woolsey who is trying to become a nurse and open a school for nursing, Jemma who is a slave , and Anne-May Watson who is a very unlikeable slave owner.
It is a long book but well researched and like Ms Kelly’s other books it is inspired but true events.
Really enjoyed the story, the history and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction

Sunflower Sisters is the third and final installment in Kelly’s series on the Wolsey sisters. This book follows three characters: Georgy Woolsey, a northerner and nurse, Jemma, a slave longing to be free, and Anne May, a southerner and staunch confederate. The lives of these characters overlap as they fight to survive during the dark days of the civil war.

As a big fan of Kelly’s first two books, I enjoyed the third installment as well. While I’m not normally a proponent of books with multiple storylines, I thought the characters intersected well in this book. As with the other books, I found the storyline of Georgy Woolsey the least interesting. Jemma’s story was by far my favorite and I would have loved to spend more time with her as she escaped slavery with her family. Overall, I enjoyed this book and the historical research put into it. Sometimes the emotional appeal is a bit lacking, but still a great read!

This story takes place at the beginning of the Civil War and continues until it is over. Descriptions, of the battles, the nursing being done by unsung heroines, the slaves and their horrible lives on the plantation. You can actually picture this story taking place in your head. If you are interested in the Civil War and the women that are the heroines I highly recommend this book.

Wonderful fiction novel based on real people in history.

This story takes place during the American Civil War. The reader gets a look at different lives during the Civil War, including the Woolsey family.

This novel is a very long book with many pages.

Note: I received a free digital advanced copy from Net Galley and the publisher Random House Publishing - Ballantine in exchange for an honest review.

I was granted this advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley and to Ballentine Books!
This book is for readers who have already enjoyed Martha Hall Kelly's other two books in the trilogy, Lilac Girls and Lost Roses (sensing a flower theme?). You do not have to read these books in order or all three to enjoy them, although I find it incredibly fascinating how Kelly works her trilogy backwards in time, and keeps it all in the family. I have been waiting for this book since setting Lost Roses down.
Set in the Civil War, we meet the Woolsey Family, a real-life family of the time, and follow sister Georgy as she tries to become a nurse and ultimately start a woman's school for nursing. We also meet a Slave, Jemma, trying to escape from Anna-May, an unlikable slave owner.
If you liked the other two, you will like this book as well. You can sense that it was well researched, as hundreds of letters still survive. To me the book is long, or at least it felt that way, with most of the drive of the story comes from Jemma and her fight for freedom. Its a solid book and well worth the read. If you enjoy the era and enjoy learning about women's roles in our American History, this book will not disappoint.
p.s. Read the author's notes!

After enjoying <i>Lilac Girls</i> and <i>Lost Roses</i> by this author, I was very happy to receive an ARC for Sunflower Sisters, the third book about the Woolsey/Ferriday family.
Taking place during the Civil War, <i>Sunflower Sisters</i> tells the stories of Georgeanna Woolsey, Jemma, and Anne-May Watson.
Georgy is raised with six sisters and one brother in a wealthy family of philanthropists. She joins the US army as a nurse and takes care of the many wounded and dying soldiers. She is honest and ambitious, and often has to fight for the respect of the male nurses and doctors, who don’t think women should be nurses.
Jemma and her family are enslaved at a tobacco plantation in Maryland. Dreaming of freedom, Jemma is sold to a photographer and his family and manages to escape. But will her family be able to follow?
Anne-May Watson is the mistress of the Peeler plantation, and the owner of Jemma. She is selfish and cruel, and often finds reasons to hurt Jemma. When her husband and brother leave to fight on different sides of the war, she is left to run the plantation, but chooses to follow her own desires.
Based on historical events and the letters of the Woolsey/Ferriday family, <i>Sunflower Sisters</i> tells the story of three very different women whose lives are intertwined. This books shines a light on the different roles that women played during the war, when many of the men were fighting at the frontlines. I liked how the characters where all very complex and none of them where perfect heroines.
This book is definitely recommended for people that like to read historical fiction, but haven’t read much about the civil war and the fight to abolish slavery yet.
4 stars

#SunflowerSisters #NetGalley

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing me with ARC.

I am feeling so disappointed about this novel because this novel and *Lilac Girls * are written with the same Author, from the beginning there's something off with this novel to me, i put it down many times and tried hard to continue.

Sunflower Sisters is a Civil War era historical fiction work, although it is inspired by real people and events. This was a beefy read - it took me much longer than normal. Especially during the first half of the novel, I had a hard time keeping interest. Once the characters and storylines became established, it was more enjoyable. 3.5 stars rounded up.

This story is based loosely on several families that were either civil rights activists or slaves. I found this out after reading the notes at the end, which I found rather fascinating. This was an interesting story, but much too long. At times when I did not want a whole lot of description (what they were wearing, how the house was decorated) I was given too much. During the action scenes I wanted more.

Absolutely loved this book!!! Very heart felt and interesting to see characters and their behaviors and how in the end, they reveal why they are the way they are.

The American Civil War is the harrowing setting for the author’s last book in her stellar trilogy, based on the true story of the Ferriday/Woolsey family. The breakout bestseller LILAC GIRLS started the saga; SUNFLOWER SISTERS ends it with a heartbreaking tale about the cruelty of slavery and the brave efforts to end it.

Kelly presents electrifying POVs from multiple women who make SUNSHINE SISTERS come alive. Georgey Woolsey, is a Union nurse along with her sister Eliza; vulnerable young Jemma is enslaved in the South; and Anne-May is a heartless plantation mistress.

From Southern brutality to NYC in tatters to the bloody battle of Gettysburg, we see their lives play out against the conflagration that split families as it fractured the nation. We long to know what happens to them, feeling we’ve walked beside them through hell, and close the book forever changed. Brava, Ms. Kelly!

5 of 5 Stars

Pub Date 30 Mar 2021

Forever grateful to the author, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

#SunflowerSisters #NetGalley

Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelley was a nice historical look into her family’s history during the Civil War, but I certainly did not enjoy it nearly as much as her preceding novels. I was highly touched by the story of the enslaved Jenna and the pro-abolitionist work of the Woolsey family, but I was not engaged by the plot and struggled to make it all of the way through. I still would recommend this book to others, but it was not for me

Thank you to NetGalley and Balantine Books for allowing me to read Sunflower Sisters early in exchange for an honest review.

Martha Hall Kelly's Sunflower Sisters is a work of historical fiction based on the very real lives of the Woolsey sisters of NYC. Alternating viewpoints, the story brings to life the woman's experience during the Civil War. The reader follows three women: Georgeanna "Georgy" Woolsey, Jemma and Anne-May Wilson Watson. Georgy is one of seven sisters born into a wealthy family in NYC who shirks her status to help with the war effort by becoming a nurse attending soldiers for the Union Army. Jemma is a young slave girl who is facing the horrendous treatment of her family at the hands of her "owner," Anne-May, on the Peeler Plantation in Maryland. Anne-May is the antagonist of this novel, but also provides readers with an inside look at the mind of a Southern woman attempting to survive during one of the most tumultuous times in our history as a nation.

Perhaps the strongest aspect of Sunflower Sisters is the author's use of real-life artifacts to build her stories around. In the Author's Note at the end of the novel, Kelly explains how the letters written between the Woolsey sisters, real documents. These letters were included either in whole or part throughout the novel. They bring a sort of life to the Woolsey sisters in the reader's mind because even those these women were very much alive in our history, their words bring their voice into the 21st century and almost make them tangible. I always knew that the characters were based on a real group of women, but finding out that the letters were real added another layer of authenticity to the story for me.

I also loved Georgy and Jemma's relationship. Both women were absolutely inspiring. For Georgy to stand up and against the standard roll of women during the late 1800's, she really took a risk of bringing dishonor to her family name. On the same hand, the support that she received from her mother and sisters, as well as her Uncle Edward, was just heartwarming. She really supported the definition of strong woman and further showed all the good one can do if they are not afraid to stand in the face of adversity. I also want to give kudos to the men in her life, because for every man in her life that looked down on her, there was another one providing never-ending support and encouragement. Something that we see even today among our strong female activists. Mind you, Georgy didn't need these men to lift her up. She would have persevered no matter what.

Jemma was perhaps my favorite character in this novel. She showed such strength and determination in the face of adversity. She was dealt this unthinkable hand of being a slave, but never let herself accept the life she was forced into. She knew that her actions would get her killed and she was scared, but she never gave up. She wanted to get herself out along with her sister and her mother. This young girl witnessed so much tragedy and barbaric acts at the hands of other people that no reader would have blamed her if she resigned to the status quo of that time. Her strength and determination is truly admirable and she is not a character that I am going to forget her for a long time.

I appreciated the author's decision to include the viewpoint of Anne-May. While this character has very few redeeming qualities, her voice was important. It helped the reader obtain a well-rounded view of Civil War life. She reminded me a bit of Scarlet O'Hara in some aspects, but I prefer Scarlet to Anne-May. Her storyline infuriated me while at the same time allowed me to empathize with her. She was an absolutely heinous person but the reader came to understand her and in the end, she got what she deserved.

As a whole this novel provides the reader with an in-depth look at the role of women during the Civil War. It is gripping from the first page and the reader is quickly drawn into the lives of these three women. The events are almost unbelievable due to how terrible humans can treat other humans. Martha Hall Kelly stated in her Author's Note that this was the end of the trilogy following the family depicted in her other works, Lost Roses and Lilac Girls. I hope that isn't so because I would love to learn more about Georgy's Mother, Jane, or even her sister Eliza Howland. This is a definite must-read for any reader who loves historical fiction or war dramas. I have learned so much and was exposed to a piece of history that is so often forgotten about.