I have read author Martha Hall Kelly’s two previous books – “Lilac Girls” and “Lost Roses” so I jumped at the chance to read her newest book, set just before and through the Civil War. This one is based on the same Ferriday family that we meet in the other two books.

One set of characters features the unique Woolsey/Ferriday family, staunch abolitionists, many of them work as nurses. It was fascinating to read about women breaking into the nursing world as I didn’t realize that all nurses used to be male as well as doctors. Georgey is the main Woolsey daughter featured in this story.

The other storyline features a slave family and the owners of one particular plantation, Peeler Plantation in Maryland. Ann-May Wilson owns the plantation, and she is quite despicable along with her overseer LeBaron. Some of my favorite chapters feature Jemma, a slave who is brutally beaten by Ann-May. I really grew engrossed in Jemma’s family and I rooted for them to have freedom from slavery and this plantation.

The two storylines eventually intersect, and I found the second half of this book much more engrossing. There are battlefield scenes and quite a bit on Gettysburg and the aftermath. There are some espionage subplots, blackmail, Underground Railroad, and the people at the heart of a country torn apart.

Sunflower Sisters is Martha Hall Kelly’s last book in the series about the Woolley Women. I’ve read both Lilac Girls and the The Lost Roses and I think this one is my favorite. Kelly tells the story from the perspective of three women during the Civil War.

Georganna Wolsey, an ancestor of Caroline Ferriday, is from Connecticut and New York City. She becomes a Union nurse at the beginning of the Civil War serves in battlefield hospitals throughout the war. A staunch abolitionist,she works tirelessly to help Jemma, a young girl who has escaped slavery in Maryland.

Jemma lives on the Peeler Plantation in the border state of Maryland with her parents and sister Patience. She is owned by Anne-May Wilson, who inherited the plantation and all its slaves from her Aunt Tandy Rose. Anne-May is a cruel and abusive character who has an even worse overseer named LeBaron. Jemma is sold away from her family and is eventually conscripted in the Union Army where she meets Georgie Wolsey.

These three women tell the story of the war from their own perspective. It is a very well constructed book and very honest in portraying the ghastly conditions of the war. The research that went into writing it is very impressive and be sure to read the Author’s Note on this. I highly recommend Sunflower ! I received this as an arc from NetGalley.

Thank you to #Martha Hall Kelly #NetGalley #Randon House Publishing #Ballentine Books

How do you choose a favorite? Lilac Girls and Lost Roses were both brilliant books. Now we have Sunflower Sisters which may possibly be the best, especially if you are into the Civil War era.
The story is told by three strong female perspectives, The novel takes you from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut to New York and even to President Lincoln in Washington.
Martha Hall Kelly did an outstanding job writing this historical, passionate story. You will easily resonate to most of the characters. Some you will despise, others you will cheer on. I will never quite look at a Sunflower the same.

Another remarkable novel by this author! Based in the real life Caroline Derrida, a philanthropist during the time of the Civil War. The story is told through the lens of a few characters. Well researched and character driven. A marvel.

Alternating from three different perspectives, we learn about life in a border state, Maryland, during the Civil War. Both the northern and southern causes are explained through three different character’s experiences while the United States fights remain intact.

Georgeanna “Georgey” Woolsey, a Union nurse from New York City, is a staunch abolitionist after a traumatizing accidental witnessing of a slave auction while traveling with her mother. Despite facing many men who think women have no place on the battlefield, Georgey and her sister Eliza continue to volunteer their nursing services detailing a particularly gruesome battle in Gettysburg. While tending to her patients, Georgey writes a book describing her experiences and recommendations for nursing, in hopes of one day opening a nursing school for women. The only male who seems to trust her abilities is long-time family friend Dr. Frank Bacon, who despite their distance remains a faithful admirer of Georgey.

Jemma is a slave on the Peeler Plantation in Maryland, where she lives with her mother, father, and a handful of other slaves. Her sister Patience is enslaved on the neighboring plantation. All live in fear of LeBaron, the overseer who has nothing better to do than taunt them relentlessly. Jemma is sold away from her family, at the same time the Union army is coming through town as sees her opportunity to escape, but in doing so she leaves her family behind. Jemma, having been taught to read and write, has a fighting chance as she flees for what she believes is a safer haven North.

Anne-May, raised in the deep south of New Orleans, is willed the Peeler plantation by her Aunt Tandy Rose. She is a cruel woman who is not only verbally abusive, but physically abusive to her slaves, in particular Jemma who works inside her household. Addicted to snuff and despising her husband who fights and favors the Northern cause, Anne-May makes some traitorous choices during the war that seal her fate.

All three women’s stories were so interesting to read. Georgey fights to be respected in a vocation that does not approve of her presence, Jemma fights literally for her life only wanting the freedom she and her family deserve, and Anne-May fights with herself behaving in piteous ways merely to further her status.

The Civil War era is not one I read often, but Ms. Kelly did an excellent job of drawing the reader in. I particularly enjoyed the author’s notes on her sources researched while writing this novel.

With an expected publication date of March 30, 2021, I recommend you pick this one up! Thank you to Martha Hall Kelly, Netgalley and Ballatine Books for the advanced copy.

Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly was a fantastic book! I loved it. This is historical fiction at its best. A long book, but I enjoyed every chapter and was sad when the book was over.

The synopsis:

Georgeanna “Georgey” Woolsey isn’t meant for the world of lavish parties and the demure attitudes of women of her stature. So when war ignites the nation, Georgey follows her passion for nursing during a time when doctors considered women on the battlefront a bother. In proving them wrong, she and her sister Eliza venture from New York to Washington, D.C., to Gettysburg and witness the unparalleled horrors of slavery as they become involved in the war effort.

In the South, Jemma is enslaved on the Peeler Plantation in Maryland, where she lives with her mother and father. Her sister, Patience, is enslaved on the plantation next door, and both live in fear of LeBaron, an abusive overseer who tracks their every move. When Jemma is sold by the cruel plantation mistress Anne-May at the same time the Union army comes through, she sees a chance to finally escape—but only by abandoning the family she loves.

Anne-May is left behind to run Peeler Plantation when her husband joins the Union army and her cherished brother enlists with the Confederates. In charge of the household, she uses the opportunity to follow her own ambitions and is drawn into a secret Southern network of spies, finally exposing herself to the fate she deserves.

Inspired by true accounts, Sunflower Sisters provide a vivid, detailed look at the Civil War experience, from the barbaric and inhumane plantations, to a war-torn New York City, to the horrors of the battlefield. It’s a sweeping story of women caught in a country on the brink of collapse, in a society grappling with nationalism and unthinkable racial cruelty, a story still so relevant today.

Coming out in March, don’t miss this one! Get it here.

The final book in the series does not disappoint! Set in the Civil War, Martha hall Kelly again writes in three narration points - a slave, Jemma, her plantation mistress Anne-May, and a Northern abolotionist turned nurse Georgy. A strikingly deep, real look at the time period, SUNFLOWER SISTERS was hard to put down. I realized I read way more WWII books than Civil War fiction, and that perhaps that should change. A stark reminder of how far we’ve come in America, and yet haven’t at the same time.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for an ARC of this book for my opinion. This is the third installment of Martha Hall Kelly’s Lilac Girls and Lost Roses trilogy. Each books focuses on a member of the Ferriday family as we go further back in time. This book is set in Civil War America and introduces us to Georgie Wolsey who becomes a nurse helping with injured soldiers. Jemma is a slave owned by Anne-May who is the villain of the story. The story is told by each of these narrators. The book is beautifully written and is a welcome addition to the author’s trilogy. The characters stay with you long after you are done reading. I have read all of the authors books and find this one of my favorites. I will definitely be rereading it along with the other two.

I was 10% into the book on my Kindle and still not connecting with the characters or various storylines so I did not finish book.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars
I've read all of the author's previous books, and this one was by far my favorite. This is a book about extraordinary women, and I could not put it down. I loved the multiple perspectives - from Georgy (nurse/activist), Jemma (slave), Anne-May (slave owner). Georgy was by far my favorite - I loved how candid she was. She knew what she wanted and wouldn't settle for anything less, and that was very inspirational.
I thought setting the book in the border state of Maryland was a good choice, as it helped the reader to understand just how divided the country was during the Civil War. This hit very close to home for me, given today's current political climate.
I encourage you to read the Author's Note, which goes into more detail on her research. An astounding amount of hands-on research was done, and it shows. I was blown away by the level of detail put into the book.
If I had to change one thing, I would have liked to read at least one chapter at the end from Euphemia's perspective.
I would definitely recommend this to others, and I think it would be a great book club discussion.

Beautiful story. I can't believe I've never read any of Martha Kelly's books, They seem to be right up my alley! I loved the era of this book and especially reading about Georgy as a nurse during the Civil war. So fascinating! I definitely felt as though this book read as a movie, the characters were so real to me by the end. The Woolsey sisters definitely have me a Little Women vibe which I loved. Jemma's story is heartbreaking over and over again, but her spirit and love for her family kept me believing she would find happiness one day.
Loved this book! Will 100% be reading more of this author's books after this one!

If you've read The Lilac Girls or The Lost Roses, the author follows the same formula. She creates a well researched book that includes someone in the Caroline Ferriday family (either herself, an ancestor, or a descendent). She has 3 female narrators; one is a do-gooder socialite (the Ferriday connection), one is a victim, and the final one is a flawed villain. In her other books, you found some sympathy for the flawed villain. In this book, it is a little harder to do that. The story focuses on Georgy Woolsey (the Ferriday connection), Jemma, a young slave girl, and Anne-May Watson, a plantation and slave owner. As in the author's other books, there are some incredibly difficult sections to read and you might want to read a few passages with your eyes closed. Our history of slavery and our treatment of black people is truly heart wrenching, and the author doesn't hold back. The highlights of the book for me were the forays into the early days of women nurses. The author clearly did a lot of research and I had no idea how hard it was for women to break into nursing, the type of training they received, and the work required of them during wartime. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it. It may follow a formula, but the formula works!

A beautifully written, well researched story told from the viewpoint of three women with diverse backgrounds. At times I felt the story was moving a bit too slow. I’m glad that I stuck with it. Certainly worth the read.

Martha Kelly's third book of the outstanding Woolsey/Ferriday family, is mainly about Georgeanna Woolsey. She is the great aunt to Caroline Ferriday who was featured in the Lilac Girls. Caroline helped young girls released from Ravensbruck concentration camp. Georgey is a story of a Union nurse who joins the war effort during the Civil War. Her sister Eliza signs up also to nurse the troops. The story of the Woolsey sisters, inspired by a true account, gives us details to the inhumane plantation life for the southern slaves. The racial cruelty and the horrors of the battlefield do not make for a light read. The one that I enjoyed most, I grew up in the Maryland area that the plantation is suppose to be located. My brothers picked tobacco during the summers. So it brought back great memories. I thank Ballantine Books for allowing me through NetGalley to read this great book. The opinions express in this review are my own.

Fantastic historical fiction. Georgy and Jemma face many obstacles and prejudices, these two women become stronger. Deep with research, there is so much to learn about the civil war but the plot moves along nicely. Highly recommend for history buffs and book clubs.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Random House Publishing Group~Ballantine for granting my wish. Another great read from Martha Hall Kelly! My favorite time in history is all about the Civil War. Great character structure. Liked every character introduced in the story. Great historical fiction!

Sunflower Sisters is written by Martha Hall Kelly who also wrote Lilac Girls and The Lost Roses. Lilac Girls and The Lost Roses were set during WWI and WWII respectively, while this story is set during the Civil War. The lead characters in Sunflower Sisters are Mary Woolsey and her daughters, a slave named Jemma and her master/owner Anne-May and the standout of the Woolsey sisters (and Caroline Ferriday’s ancestor) Georgeanna (Georgy) Woolsey who lives in New York and works for the Sanitation Commission as a nurse.
I love how the author brings her characters to life. This story is set during the Civil War with Abraham Lincoln as the President of the United States. It depicts the life style back then as it pertains to slaves, slave ownership and the abolitionists who were affronted by slavery of any kind. The characters all experience love, loss of love, rage, pain, sacrifice, sympathy, justice and joy. Though the atrocities of slavery are difficult to read about, the author does her best to describe how they were treated. Mostly unjust and despicable but that’s our history. These characters and the happenings during this pivotal time in history are based on real people and true historical facts and this was inspiring for me (as difficult as it was to read at times). Once again Martha Hall Kelly weaves her tapestry of research and brilliant writing into a beautiful story.

Thank you to NetGalley for this electronic Advanced Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to review this book.
This book recalls the lives of three girls during the civil war. One a girl of means, one a plantation owner and the other a girl born into slavery. The book gives you a very colorful and detailed look at what it was like for these women, all in a different stature in life to live thru the Civil war times.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

From Nurse Georgy and her sisters, to Jemma, a young enslaved black woman, to ruthless slave owner, Anne-May, The Sunflower Sisters takes the reader through the darkest days of the Civil War. This novel is very slow-paced, but does hold the reader’s interest. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader.