An amazing well laid out story. There is so much in the book about slavery, women's trials in nursing and the civil war, sisters love and young romantic love. To find out this is based on some real people and then many actual events was inspiring. The family of the Woosley sisters and the contribution they made to history as well as with each other.

There is so much in the book to enjoy and contemplate it really does round out the series written by Martha Hall Kelly with some amazing women represented. Martha has really done justice to this series as well as the women in the series, showing strength, love, courage and the bonds of women. Nicely done and thank you to Netgallry for the wonderful opportunity to read this novel and share my thoughts and opinions.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to review!
Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 4
Pace: 3
Plot development: 4
Characters: 4
Enjoyability: 4
Ease of Reading: 4

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

Standard civil war, historical fiction story. Solid characters that will keep the reader invested in their journey.

SUNFLOWER SISTERS
BY MARTHA HALL KELLY

In Martha Hall Kelly's gorgeous epic multilayered story called, "Sunflower Sisters," its scope takes on the Civil War era in which we are introduced not only to the philanthropic Woolsey family in New York City but also a slave girl named Jemma and her impoverished family living on Peeler Plantation in Maryland. Anne-May is the mistress and owner of Peeler Plantation and is very cruel to her slaves who work the tobacco fields. Jemma is the house slave who is separated from her family who she loves. Anne-May has already sold off Jemma's sister Patience to a nearby plantation called Ambrosia next door. As Jemma is sent to Ambrosia by Anne-May for errands she sees sunflowers wrapped around posts and trees. She has no idea what they mean but they do carry a cryptic message. Jemma and her family get treated so poorly by LeBaron and his crew always lurking around punishing the slaves inhumanely. It made me so angry. The civil war is being fought as a backdrop and Anne-May's husband and brother who has a kind heart go off to fight on separate sides leaving her to oversee the plantation where she runs it into the ground by overspending and carrying on with a married man who owns a shop where she buys her snuff which she becomes addicted to. Anne-May sells Jemma to a couple up North along with Sally Smith who was her cook and like a grandmother to Jemma. Jemma gets conscripted into the war as a drummer boy and gets shot in the shoulder by confederate snipers and that is how she comes to meet nurse Georgeanne Woolsey and her mother who are working as nurses to care for the dying and wounded soldiers.

The Woolsey's are from a prestigious and well to do family who live in New York City. They are abolitionist's and when the war starts Georgeanne and Eliza work as nurses. Their are a lot of male nurses, orderlies and doctor's who don't treat them with much respect and the two sister's are well trained and know what they are doing. After Eliza, who is married and Georgeanne who is not are sent home they receive a telegram from the army saying the only brother and son in the Woolsey family is wounded Georgeanne and her mother set off at once to the battlefield only to find out that he is okay and that it just a superficial wound. It is there at Gettysburg where Mrs. Woolsey, a widow and her daughter Georgeanne care for the overflowing amounts of men and sometimes young boys who are gravely wounded. That's how they meet Jemma and take her under their wing and she is free for the first time in her life. Jemma enjoys the life of freedom but wants to get her mother and her sister Patience their freedom as well.

There is a menacing specter at work to try to rob Jemma of her freedom which I won't spoil here. The Woolsey's offer Jemma a room in their home and become her protector from the many evil people who would like nothing better than to capture Jemma for various reason's one of which she is in possession of a secret that can have Anne-May and her boyfriend Jubal jailed for doing something that amounts to dire consequences. I really thought that this was a compelling plot rich with well fleshed out characters whom were mostly good and decent people trying to serve our nation. There are also a few vile and evil character's out for themselves that do not treat the African American's well at all. I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading "The Lilac Girls," which I own but have not got around to reading it yet. I think that lovers of historical fiction will want to read this historical novel that was really well written and entertaining. It covers a vast cast of character's but they are very easy to keep straight. I will read anything this talented author writes and I highly recommend this historical novel. I felt completely drawn into the story as if I was inside it among these character's with their trials and tribulations. There are many Woolsey sister's and they are a close family who are good citizens and are in service to their country and try to work tirelessly not only in finding ways to help the war effort but all of humanity. I am sad to leave these character's behind and this novel is worthy of its five stars plus.

Publication Date: March 30, 2021

Thank you to Net Galley, Martha Hall Kelly and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#SunflowerSisters #MarthaHallKelly #RandomHousePublishingGroupBallantine #NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley for the ecopy for my Kindle.
A Civil War story about a family who fights for the rights and freedom of slaves and the relationship they have with the ones that have escaped slavery- either by being granted freedom from their masters or by facing the fears of being runaways.
I'll admit the sections of the book with details of how the slaves were treated were hard to read but the victories, no matter the size, made this book a good read.
All of Martha Hall Kelly's books are some of my favorites reads!

If you loved “Lilac Girls” and “Lost Roses,” you won’t be disappointed in the final installment of Ferriday/Woolsley trilogy, the “Sunflower Sisters.”

Martha Hall Kelly is a master at dropping her reader into noteworthy historical events while making the reader fall in love with timeless characters who will resonate with you long after the story ends.

Here, we meet slave, Jemma, her master, Anne-May, and a New York nurse, Georgy, in a tale of the Civil War, the end of slavery and a way of life in America.

Many novels have been written about the Civil War, even from the point of view of a slave, but this story is unique because of its characters who jump from the page with their authenticity. What is most admirable about these women is their humanity (even Anne-May), resilience and strength.

The themes of this novel are especially timely as our country continues to remain divided over issues of inequality and social justice. You do not have to read the previous novels to enjoy this book, though after completing it, you are definitely going to want to.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for an opportunity to read this novel.

Absorbed every page of this book. I am very sad that this family’s story has come to an end but so happy that Martha Hall Kelly introduced them. I loved Jemma’s story and was completely transported

I have waited for the third and final novel in the Ferriday/Woolsey trilogy. This did not disappoint! In true Martha Hall Kelly fashion all of the characters are wonderful (and despicable) , the writing wonderfully rich, descriptive and captivating.

This novel is narrated by three one. One of which is Georgeanne “Georgey” Woolsey in the battlefront as a nurse and crusader with her sister Eliza. They venture from NY to DC and witness horrors in Gettysburg.

The second is Jemma, a slave on a tobacco plantation who lives through horrors unspeakable with her mother and father. Her sister is enslaved at the plantation next door. Jemma try’s to escape , but is torn with leaving her family behind.

The third is Anne-May , the plantation owner. She is vile and horrible. She tries to use her charms to draw a secret Southern network of spies and finally gets exposed to a fate she deserves.

This book takes you through every single emotion and back. As always it was a delight.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for my honest review in exchange for an advance copy.

I have not read the previous books in the Ferriday/Woolsley chronicles. I think I would have liked to have read the previous books.
With that said, I found Sunflower Sisters to be a well researched story. Many parts are hard to read and even harder to comprehend.
Set in the Civil War era, the story is told from the viewpoint of three women....a nurse, a slave and a slave owner.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

SUNFLOWER SISTERS tells the story of the large Woolsey family, fierce abolitionists who actually lived in Civil War New York City. The story focuses mainly on Georgeanne who worked as a nurse, but all the siblings appear in the book. The other main characters are Jemma, a slave living on a Maryland plantation, and Anne-May, her mistress. Kelly does not shy away from the brutality of either war or slavery, so the book is tough to handle in many places. But, both Georgeanne and Jemma are exceptionally strong women, and when their stories intersect, the book really takes off. You really are rooting for them. I was much less interested in Anne-May’s story, and found her to be a stereotypical southern belle. Although Jemma and Anne-May are entirely fictional, Kelly has used the letters of the actual Woolsey family to craft that part of the story. Georgeanne is an ancestor of one of THE LILAC GIRLS, but the book stands completely on its own and is a well-written, satisfying read.

Martha Hall Kelly captured my heart with Lilac Girls and Lost Roses, so I was thrilled to have received this ARC. Sunflower Sisters takes place during the Civil War and is told from the viewpoints of a MD slave, Jemma, her owner, Anne-May, and a NY nurse, Georgy. The stories of how the slaves are treated are poignant and difficult to read, especially when they are being punished. Jemma’s plight, strength and tenacity captured my heart and I experienced a roller coaster of emotions with each of her accomplishments and struggles. All of Kelly’s characters come across as incredibly authentic with both good and bad qualities. Even the loathsome Anne-May showed moments of humanity at times. Both Jemma and Georgy must face an abundance of prejudices and both emerge as extremely strong women.

As with all of Kelly’s books, I was impressed by the amount of research that went into this. Though the characters are fictional, they are based on actual people and events told through letters. I have not read a fictional Civil War book quite like this ever. I love that it is told from 3 very different points of view, which convey the many quandaries of this time in history. It raises many difficult questions about why things were the way they were and how the terrible events of the past are affecting society currently. This is an absolute must-read for 2021.

Kelly’s newest book traces the story of her ancestor Georgeanna Woolsey, a woman who nursed Union soldier during the Civil War, a young slave girl, Jemma, and Ann-May Wilson, wife of a plantation owner. Georgey doesn’t want to live the life of a pampered spoiled heiress and instead, decides to embark on a career in nursing,. Meanwhile Jemma is enslaved on the Peeler Plantation and lives in fear of the cruel and abusive overseer. Ann-May is in charge of running the Peeler Plantation after her husband enlists. The story of these three very different women converge as the Civil War exposes the barbarity of the practice of owning human beings. Kelly is an amazing writer and brings to life the unsung heroines of American history