I was so excited to receive an advanced copy of this book. I am a huge fan of Martha Hall Kelly after reading both the Lilac Girls and Lost Roses. The Sunflower Sisters is the final book in the series where we are introduced to the ancestors of Caroline Ferriday from the original Lilac Roses. Like Lilac Roses, this book was humbling and heart wrenching at times as it covers the time period of the Civil War and the fight to end slavery. The story takes place in Maryland, one of the border states, to show how truly divided the country and sometimes even members of the same family were about the war. The story introduces us to the courageous Woolsey women, including Georgeanne "Georgey" Woolsey who gives up her life of ease to serve as a nurse in a predominately a male oriented profession at the time. We learn about her struggles to overcome prejudice and to be allowed to serve. I found her whole family to be absolutely fascinating. Her mother and sister all involved in philanthropic efforts from preparing supplies for soldiers, raising funds for war efforts and helping orphans. They never tired and jumped in however they could be used. Martha Kelley also provides two other perspectives. The stories includes stories from the perspective of a plantation owner, Anna-May, and Jemma, a slave on her plantation. Anna May is an absolutely deplorable character who is entitled, cruel, and serves as a spy for the south. Jemma is a survivor. The stories of what her and family endured will absolutely break your heart. It is still hard to comprehend how anyone is capable of such cruelty to other humans. It is important to note this is a long read and there may be times when you have to put this book down and walk away. But this book is also filled with stories of victory including surprises as you learn about how other characters were working behind the scenes to help slaves escape through the underground railroad. As always, Martha Kelley's books are so well researched with diverse characters. They are important reads and ones that will lend themselves to a lot of rich discussion. Thank you to #netgalley and Random House / for the advanced copy.

I wish to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
What a great story this one is.

If you are fortunate enough to have read Martha Kelley’s previous books you will be thrilled with this one. She does not disappoint in the quality of her story telling.

Set in the time of the Civil War this story straddles both sides. It is the story of three different women from three different points of view. One is Jemma, a young slave girl living the Maryland. The plantation owners buy and sell at their own whim. When the kind owner dies Jemma is not freed as she had been promised. She then belongs to Ann May who mistreats her on a regular basis and does not protect Jemma’s other family members. Jemma is able to escape and join the Northern army in the nursing corps. The third character is a very strong young woman from a wealthy New York family. Georgy wants to be a nurse when all the nurses are men. She dreams of establishing a school for female nurses. She joins the Army and serves at Gettysburg during the worst of the days. Later she and Jemma are on a hospital ship near Maryland.

The reader steps into history with both sides equally described and you learn what life was like on each side. You learn about the underground railroad, life of soldiers and medics on the battle field, and what the social groups in the North were doing to aid their soldiers. This was a long book but it really held my interest and I highly recommend it to people who love history, strong women, and great stories.

I loved the fact that at the end of the book the author talks about her research and how she developed the story based on actual letters from family members during the war. It really tied up the ending in a very special way.

Sunflower Sisters is the 3rd book in Martha Hall's trilogy about the Ferriday family. In this book, Kelly takes us back to Civil War era and focuses on Caroline Ferriday's ancestor, Georgey Woolsey. In a very similar format and with the same basic character templates to Lilac Girls, Kelly focuses on the lives of three women.

The American helper to the cause is Georgey who joins forces with the Union army as a nurse. She travels to various areas of the war with her sisters and learns many nursing techniques to aide fallen soldiers and tries to help as many slaves as she can along the way. When she meets Jemma, her and the whole Woolsey family are determined to help her cause.

The prisoner is Jemma who is a young enslaved girl living on a tobacco plantation. Jemma and her family are very badly abused by Anne-May and escape is always on their minds. Jemma had been trained to read and write by her former master, and Anne-May uses this to her advantage to pass along Union secrets to Confederate spies. This puts Jemma in a very precarious position, and this knowledge forces Anne-May to keep an even closer watch on her.

Finally, the villain on the other side is Anne-May, the master of the tobacco plantation. Anne-May is honestly a terrible person. She is the epitome of an evil slave owner and has absolutely zero compassion. I had trouble finding any positive qualities to her. She whipped the slaves, mistreated her husband and sister, and was extremely selfish all around.

This template works for Kelly and allows the reader to hear multiple sides of the same story. Their lives intertwine allowing the reader to become engrossed in the story. The story captures the emotions heartache, loss, pain, sympathy, hate, and fear. It is an extraordinarily sad story and is quite long. There were many areas where I had to put the book down and regroup my emotions. To me, when you can feel the emotions of the characters so personally, that means the book is spectacularly written. If you enjoyed Lilac Girls and Lost Roses you will love this book!

spoiler alert
There was a lot I liked about this book. First of all, the plot was very engrossing, and I had trouble putting it down. (I mean towards the end of the book I spent one night reading until 3 a.m.)

I also liked the fact that it enlightened me on some not-so-well known facts about slavery and the Civil War. I was not aware that there was a common practice of selling babies born to slaves. (I had always assumed that the "owner" would prefer to see the enslaved mother raise the child so that he/she would end up getting another slave with minimum investment.) I was also previously unaware of the situation in Maryland, which I found fascinating - a Union state, but with many slave owners, whose sympathies were with the South. I also knew something about anti-draft riots by (largely) the Irish in New York, but I didn't realize how widespread and how devastating the riots were.

All that having been said - I did have some problems with the novel. First of all, it was extremely painful to read - well, you'd expect that in a novel about slavery, but the problem is that I felt the book as a whole had the feel of a young adult novel. I could see it being read by girls anywhere from aged 12 and up. Maybe because there were parts that reminded me of Little Women. Maybe the romance element. But the level of cruelty might be too much for a young reader.

I also didn’t like the fact that the characters tended to be portrayed as either angels or devils. I especially found the depiction of Anne-May to be over the top evil. She’s a cross between Machiavelli, Scarlett O’Hara and Simon Legree. Cruel, selfish, manipulative – wasn’t that enough? She is also made to be a spy, and promiscuous to boot. (And the bit about the petticoat she is gifted I’m not sure would be appropriate for the younger readers.) It would be more interesting to have a villain who is not comic-book character evil. This novel is not a comic book, and in a way, I think it would have been more enlightening to show the reader that slavery was evil even in cases where the “owner” was not a totally evil character in every way. (and that business with the hair brush for a Christmas gift was really over the top. It was probably common enough to give slaves a genuine Christmas gift – but this was done so that the owner could feel that he/she was a “good Christian” – and of course slaves probably felt the irony that any gift he/she was given was from money that his/her labour had generated.)

Another “devil” is one of the doctors. Now I realize the writer wants readers to know how unappreciated and disrespected nurses were at that time – and while it may be true that it’s quite common, even today, for a nurse to spot something that a doctor overlooks. That having been said, having a doctor perform an unnecessary amputation of a healthy leg, ignoring the nurse’s input seems to me a gross exaggeration. Amputations are and were performed only when deemed necessary to save a life. What motive did the “devil” doctor have to perform an unnecessary amputation? Sadism? Just to make a point of ignoring the nurse?
Why make the “other” woman in the triangle so ridiculous. How could a man of any intelligence be attracted to her? It also makes the final outcome more obvious to the reader.

There were a few points in the plot that troubled me. I hardly think that any enslaved person would have been reckless enough to threaten an overseer with a knive. In the context of slavery, that was suicidal. A sad truth about slavery is that enslaved men were unable to do anything to protect their wives and daughters from sexual abuse. Nor do I think an enslaved woman would have been reckless enough to take a book from her “master” and write her name (or the name of another slave) in it. Enslaved people lived under a reign of terror and knew what lines not to overstep in order to survive.

Toward the end, the attempted murder of LeBaron by Patience also didn’t strike me true. She didn’t hit him when he was shooting at Jemma, but after he had stopped shooting at her. And then Jemma separates from Patience and goes back to Anne-May for… earrings? And hoping to use the hidden book to get Anne-May to help her? Anne-May the villain? Wouldn’t Patience and Jemma rather have tried to hide somewhere, and maybe make their way to where the Union soldiers were?

Two more points. It would have been nice to learn a bit more about the battle of Gettysburg. And it would have been interesting to read more about how the feelings of the various protagonists toward the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves but only in the rebel states, and not in the union states.

Martha Hall Kelly has done it again - she has crafted a beautifully-written novel which pulls at the heart strings while at the same time is thought-provoking and opens one's eyes to the history of a particular time period. Sunflower Sisters takes place during the time period of the Civil War in the United States and has three main narrators: Georgy, a U.S. Army nurse who comes from a family dedicated to service to their fellow man; Jemma, a slave who lives and works on a plantation in Maryland, whose goal is to reunite with her family in freedom; and Anne-May, Jemma's evil and self-absorbed owner. Their stories are compelling and, in the case of enslaved Jemma, heartbreaking and hard to read at times. I had read that this story was inspired by true accounts, which made it all the more interesting to me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

I loved this story. Written by the same author as Lilac Girls, as a third book in the series, but is easily a stand alone book. This story follows 3 women, and each perspective is more captivating than the other. And like in Lilac Girls, one main character is less than desirable, but complex to the point you feel empathy. I also loved reading the authors notes at the end, and how some of the characters are based on real people. An engaging and well researched historical novel

Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine Books for an Advance Reader Copy!

When I started reading Sunflower Sisters, I had completely not noticed that the author was Martha Hall Kelly. And I am so glad that I didn’t notice, because otherwise there would have been an expectation; this book stands On its own without prior expectations and is wonderful!

Sunshine Sisters tells the stories of two women during the civil war, one enslaved and the other free. Georgeanna (George)Woolsey is smart, educated and driven to make a difference in the world, in a time when women were expected to be decorative and raise children. As the war intensifies, she finds herself nursing wounded soldiers aboard hospital ships and in tents. Georgy and other dedicated woman must deal not only with difficult battle conditions but with the contempt and interference of less well trained male nurses who want nothing more for the women to be gone. Marriage and children are not in Georgy’s future, or so she thinks.

Teenage Jemma is a slave on a plantation in Maryland, along with her parents. Her mistress Anne-May is selfish, cruel, and addicted to snuff. The overseer LeBaron, is even worse, taking newborns from their mothers arms and selling them immediately after birth. To call his sadistic would be putting it mildly.

Jemma and Georgy couldn’t lead more different lives, but their paths cross during the war. Jemma, disguised as a drummer boy is wounded, and Georgy is the nurse treating her. She takes Jemma under her wing and brings her home to New York to heal, and to become the strong independent woman she can be, overcoming her color, her lack of education, and Her background. At the same time Georgy has a lot to learn as she also fights for her place in a mans world.

In some ways Sunflower Sisters might seem like a typical Civil War story, but it is so much more. Told through the eyes of Georgy, Jemma, Anne-May and others, its a much more accurate depiction of the challenges these women faced in a brutal world, and how they worked to overcome the barriers put in their way by men, their country, prejudice, poverty and lack of education. I was fascinated to learn that Georgy’s story is based on the author’s ancestress which makes it even more compelling. The depiction of both Georgy and Jemma is thoughtful and complex, and Kelly does a wonderful job is making clear the times they live in and the challenges they face. Definitely worth a read!

This book was the perfect escape. It was lovely and fun. It was my first book by this author and I will definitely be on the look out for more!!

I loved this book!

A huge thank you to Ballantine Books, NetGalley and the lovely author Martha Hall Kelly for my advanced copy.

I have been a Martha Hall Kelly fan for quite some time. Her debut novel The Lilac Girls blew me away and will always be my favorite. The Sunflower Sisters is a close second.

If you are a historical fiction lover and have not read any of MHK's books - wake up! You're sleeping on some amazing books. I recommend all of them and you do not have to read them in order.

What I Loved About Sunflower Sisters-

The Time Period- This book is set during The Civil War. I do not read enough historical fiction centered around this time period. After reading Sunflower Sisters I am definitely interested in picking up similar books.

The Multiple POV's- Always something I enjoy in books! I appreciated that the author wrote characters from both sides of the war.

The Characters - I was invested in them all. That being said- I did not like them all. Regardless of my feelings I still cared to see each storyline completed. There were definitely some villains but each characters journey was interesting and unique.

The Romance- Georgy and Frank Bacon. omg.

The Research- MHK does her research when she writes her books. They contain real people, places and events. I especially appreciate the author's note at the end of this novel explaining what is real and what is imagined.

Why This Book Lost a Star-

I hate this part of my reviews. This one is totally on me y'all. I started Sunflower Sisters in the middle of a work week. I was tired and not able to fully focus on the story so it was hard for me to get into at first. Once I was able to set the time aside the story flowed nicely.

Overall- Highly recommend. I am so sorry to see this series of books come to an end. I cannot wait to see what Martha Hall Kelly writes next.

This book was received as an ARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was so powerful in its message that no matter the circumstances, love and positivity always triumphs if you believe. Both Jemma and Anne-May found reasons to escape and take matters into their own hands to finally get the freedom they deserve during the Union war. Even though one of them was in it for pure evil and the wrong reasons, I loved the passion and determination each of them have to fight for what's rightfully theirs. Historical Fiction is very popular in our collection and I know even though parts of this book were tough to read and imagine, will circulate very well with our patrons.

We will consider adding this title to our Historical Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Another brilliant novel by Martha Hall Kelly. I really enjoyed this novel from beginning to end. The main characters were ones you loved and the ones you loved to hate. The storylines of Jemma, Georgy, and Anne-May were well developed and left me wondering how and when they would all intersect. I especially found interest in the setting of the Civil War at Gettysburg. Kelly does a great job of transporting you to a time and place in history without pushing an agenda and takes you on an emotional journey that is almost cathartic. It is just authentic. I can't wait for the next novel.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in return for this honest review.

4.5 Stars Rounded Up

Civil War Letters.

Three cleverly woven together stories told from a trio of unique women:

Georgy, a determined young woman of privilege who prevails in becoming a nurse effecting a breach in a male only profession. She shuns her entitlement to work with injured and dying soldiers near the battlefield.

Jemma, a resourceful and spirited slave owned by Ann Mae. She and her family reside on the same plantation and want to stay together but have to endure much hardship in addition to cruelty.

Ann Mae, a tobacco plantation slave owner who holds Jemma’s paper. She and a few others are horrific and you’ll love to hate them!

The stories are told separately but converge near the end giving a satisfying conclusion. For those like me who like mystery, there is spying, espionage, and a murdered bad guy.

I loved the writing style and the mixing of real and imagined characters. It wasn’t until I read the author’s After Notes describing her research that I realized Georgy's description was based on so much fact. Ms. Kelly accessed hundreds of archived letters written by Georgy and her family including time spent near the battlefield. What a great authenticity to the book to include excerpts from their correspondence! I recommend reading the Afterword if you have the time.

My only reason for not giving perfect scores is because of the length. I became distracted at times by all the asides. Other than that, I loved this book!

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for my Advance Reader Copy.

Lilac Girls was my favorite book of 2018 and I was so excited to get my hands on it’s prequel- Sunflower Sisters. Once again, Martha Hall Kelly has written a beautiful, well researched story that make you feel like you are experiencing history.

Sunflower Sisters follows the story of Georgeanna Woolsey, a Union nurse who joins the war effort during the Civil War. While tending injured soldiers, Georgey crosses paths with Jemma, a young enslaved girl who is sold off and conscripted into the army, and Ann-May Wilson, a southern plantation mistress.

Weaving together the three women’s tales, Sunflower Sisters gives a vivd, detailed look at life during the Civil War. Georgery’s storyline is based on Woolsey family letters and research at the families museum. It was fascinating to learn more about this unique and heroic family and their quest to end slavery and help women and children.

Like Lilac Girls, Hall doesn’t shy away from the brutal parts of history. Jemma and Ann-May’s chapters were often brutal and heartbreaking. The stories of how slaves are treated broke my heart and I honestly hated Ann-May.

All in all, I highly recommend this one to fans of Lilac Girls and historical fiction in general.

Five stars!!

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. The novel is set to publish on March 30, 2021

Martha Hall Kelly writes an amazing story about a Union nurse during the Civil War whose calling leads her to cross paths with Jemma, a young slave girl from Maryland sold off to the army. When I first started reading the novel, I was very confused and uninterested as the story is told from multiple perspectives and jumps around. As I continued reading, I quickly found myself wrapped up in the story and wanted more.

The Sunflower Sisters are two slave sisters from Maryland sold to different plantations who write in code about running away to NYC so Anne-May does not figure out their plan. Everyone’s journey is inspired by true accounts, and the novel provides a detailed look at the Civil War experience from the plantations to war-torn NYC to the horrors on the battlefield. A sweeping story of women caught in a country on the brink of collapse, in a society grappling with nationalism and racial cruelty.

The conclusion of Sunflower Sisters is satisfying and thought-provoking. I highly recommend this book to those interested in historical fiction.

The Sunflower sisters is a story told from multiple perspectives. Set against the backdrop of the Civil War, this is the story of the Woolsey family and the impact of their actions during wartime.. When the war begins, the Woolseys immediately begin efforts to bring aid to soldiers. In their work, they cross paths with a young slave, Jemma, that was conscripted by the Union troops. She is seriously wounded. Once she recovers, they take her into their care. Over time, they gradually learn from Jemma of the difficult life of slaves. Compassionately, the Woolseys work to reunite Jemma with her family and be freed,. The Woolseys and Jemma learn so much by helping each other and working together.

This story shows the horror of slavery. Jemma was supposed to be free. When her mistress dies, the heir to the estate refuses to honor the deceased’s promise. Jemma’s new mistress is vain, self important and cruel. She fails to recognize the humanity of her workers. Jemma and all the slaves on the Peeler Plantation are routinely abused. There is no way to gloss over this cruelty.

Martha Hall Kelly does a masterful job using fictional characters alongside historic figures such as the Woolseys. The conclusion of this story is satisfying and thought-provoking. So much has been written recently about WWII, learning about the many hardworking people that played pivotal roles in the Civil War is refreshing. I recommend this book to anyone interested in historic fiction. This is an excellent choice.

There are always lessons to be learned in a novel by Ms. Kelly. Having met Caroline Ferriday in "Lilac Girls", it was good to be introduced to her amazing ancestors. I was glad to find the slavery aspect was located in Maryland - a chance to learn more about a border state that dealt with the horrors of war and slavery. I would wish that at least one character in and around Hollywood, MD had some redeeming qualities. Fergus Watson seemed to have a good heart but was not a central figure. There were good and bad people in every situation. I liked the alternating perspectives from Georgy, Jemma, and Anne-May. Great story, great characters - historical and fictional.
Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the chance to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Sunflower Sisters" by Martha Hall Kelly is a solid book, but does not live up to Kelly's earlier works for me. The book alternates between three different narrators and perspectives and these characters are all intriguing in their own right.

First there is "Georgey Woolsey, who is a union nurse from New York City. Although she is from a well to do family and certainly does not have to partake much in the war effort, she insists upon it. She is a fascinating character and one whos perseverance is admirable. When many Civil War stories are focused on the men, this gives insight into a strong willed woman. Even better, she is an abolitionist.

Next, there is Jemma. She is unfortunate enough to be a slave on the Peeler Plantation in Maryland. You get to know her struggles and hardships as she tries to adjust from her former master to her new cruel one. Jemma is dealt obstacle after obstacle, but there is a point in the story where she has a sliver of opportunity to reach for her freedom.

Lastly, the perspective of Anne-May is a troublesome one. I often thought to myself could someone really be that horrible of a person, but sadly enough, I fear the answer is yes. She was raised in the deep south of New Orleans, so when she takes over and begins presiding over the Peeler Plantation, she governs with an iron first. She is as cruel as cruel comes in her dealing with her slaves, particularly Jemma. Without giving away any spoilers, Anne May makes some traitorous decisions in this book that are a highlight of her story.

If you are interested in historical fiction, particularly the Civil War era, and one that focuses on women's stories, I believe you will enjoy this book. Although a good read, it was not a standout for me. I believe the book was rather long and could have been condensed and still told the same story. I do look forward to reading the next book Martha Hall Kelly writes.

I received an ARC of "Sunflower Sisters" by Martha Hall Kelly from Netgalley and Ballatine Books in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed “The Lilac Girls” by this author so I was anxious to read this new novel. First off I want to state that a 3* from me means it’s a good book, just not a great one for me.

The story is told from three points of view. First we have plantation owner Anne-May Watson. She is as cruel as could possibly be depicted. She whips her slaves, feeds them poorly and trades them without a second thought. She is probably a compilation of many such owners in the south at the time. She has an even worse overseer who is an evil man and seems to enjoy whipping and torturing the slaves.

This takes place in Maryland which remained neutral as a state during the civil war. There were many families who fought brother against brother, father against son, etc. That is what happens here, with Anne-May’s husband fighting for the union and her dear brother Harry fighting for the Confederates. Anne-May does have some secrets that will come out later in the book.

Second point of view is that of Jemma who is enslaved on the Peeler Plantation owned by Ms. Watson. She has her mother and father on this plantation and a sister, Patience close by at a neighboring plantation. She has suffered much abuse at Anne-May’s hands and when she has a chance to escape, she takes it. But she’s not totally free yet, Anne-May will stop at nothing to get her back. Jemma has something that she wants and will do anything to get it from her.

The third point of view is that of Georgy Woolsey who lives in the north and is from a wealthy family. She is not content to stay home and knit socks!! She becomes a nurse and joins the Union army. As most women nurses back then, the doctors treated them often with disdain and thought them more suited just for making beds and emptying bedpans. Georgy however likes to stay at the side of the surgeons, assisting and helping with the patients. She and her sister Eliza discover the many dark truths about slavery and the horrors of war. They travel with the army from New York, to Washington D.C. and also serve at Gettysburg, as you all know was a terribly bloody confrontation.

The problem I had with this book is that it didn’t show or tell me about anything new. I have read historical fiction for many years and have read a lot about slavery and the nurses heroic deeds during the war. I had hoped that with the mention of “spying for the Confederate army” that there might be a lot of mystery here. However there wasn’t enough of that to keep me interested.

At 528 pages this is a long read. More editing to shorten this novel and condense some of the overly wordy descriptions and parts of the story.

I would recommend this to someone who hasn’t read a lot of history about slavery or women’s roles in the Union army.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.
The novel is set to publish on March 30, 2021

Will post to Amazon upon publication.

Starting chapter 8 and truly enjoying the 3rd book in this series. Martha Hall Kelly has drawn me into Caroline Ferridays ancestor Georgeanna Woolsey who was a Union nurse during the civil war. I can't wait to continue reading to find out what happens with Jemma. a women who is ensalved and sold off to the army and Ann-May Wilson a southern plantation mistress who's husband enlists .

Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly is outstanding! I first discovered this author through her novel, Lilac Girls. If you've read Lilac Girls, you'll know Caroline Ferriday, whose ancestor Georgenna Woolsey is one of the main characters of Sunflower Sisters. I love reading historical fiction, but I find the majority of novels are based on WWII. This story based on the times of the Civil War is superb! I highly recommend this book.