Another amazing historical fiction novel embracing the efforts of women. This time Victoria embraces the lives of the Australian nurses that traveled to the UK during WWI to assist in a hospital designated for recuperating Australian Soldiers.

Throughout the pages, there was hope, joy and heartbreak all bound into a wonderful story I couldn’t put down.

I again learnt more snippets about the WWI especially when it comes to the involvement of Australian women.

Something I really loved was the personal connection between the author and the Harefield Flag mentioned within the story.

This book got all the stars from me and if you are a fan of historical fiction this is without a doubt a book for you!

Switching between the stories of Cora and Jessie, we follow WWI through the eyes of nurses. Cora has travelled from Adelaide in Australia across to England and as a theatre trained nurse is completely unprepared for the horrors of thousands of men being returned from the front to be stitched up and sent back again.
Jessie is a local seamstress who signs up due to the volume of injuries being treated in the hospital which is where their stories converge.

Although there is a lot written about WWI, it was interesting to do it through the eyes of nurses, but more so this book is about friendship and resilience.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I read The Nurses’ War months ago, I was going to have it read and reviewed in time for release day at the end of March. But I have a problem with the next shiny new thing… which is always the next book (or 4).

Earlier this month I attended an author talk with Victoria at the Murray Bridge Library and I promised her I would actually get the review written. I walked away from the talk with an amazing lunch (Thank you McCues Bakery – delicious), a head full of information and a determination to get the review written over the weekend.

Apparently determination just wasn’t enough, in my defence I had a huge weekend of people in my house, a beautiful wedding and then a positive Covid case in the house so things haven’t really been quiet and conducive to fingers on keys.

Let me say before I start that if you ever get the opportunity to attend a talk at the Murray Bridge Library I would highly recommend it. A lovely space, friendly staff and of course delicious food. I hadn’t made a talk in Murray Bridge until now but I will definitely try to make them more often.

Also, if you can attend one of Victoria Purman’s events I would definitely recommend it. She is witty, intelligent and filled with information. You will not be disappointed. We heard about her inspiration for the book, her connections to some of the characters and settings and were treated to a short reading of quite an amusing scene. I love hearing books in the voice of the author, adds a new element and depth I find.

I read The Nurses’ War well before the talk and I was completely engrossed, the story is set in a time that I really just can not fathom. My personal life experiences are so far from the historical periods that she writes about that I don’t have a frame of reference. Listening to Purman at the author talk and getting all of the background information did give me a point of connection though and I thought that was super cool.

Now that I’m going to review and touch on the author talk together I don’t really know where to start.

History was never really a subject that drew me in and I think a lot of that is because I have no frame of reference, it’s all so far removed from my own personal experiences, but reading Purman’s historical fiction draws me all of the way in and fascinates me. The fact that she is a South Australian author who writes characters or settings close to home may help with that, or it could just be her story-telling abilities.

Sister Cora Barker is a nurse from South Australia who has embarked on a 6 week journey by boat to England where she is going to help set up a hospital for Australian soldiers in an English Manor house. The fascinating thing here is that Harefield Park is a real place, that became an (I want to say the first) Australian Military Hospital. It was donated by ex-patriots and Purman went into detail on how this all came about in her author talk. She was so enamoured by the sacrifice the Billyard-Leake family made that she included them in the book. Some of the stipulations made by the Billyard-Leakes was that the hospital was only for Australians, that all patients be treated equally regardless of rank and that all the doctors and nurses were also Australian.

Harefield Park became the No.1 Australian Auxiliary Hospital, also referred to as Harefield Hospital. It was originally estimated that the hospital would house anywhere from 50-150 wounded soldiers but at it’s peak there were over 1000 soldiers housed. The grounds were quickly lined with huts for wards, mess halls and stores as the scope of the hospital rapidly grew. The hospital was set up for use during the war in 1915, when everyone was sure the war would end by Christmas – but it didn’t. The war dragged on and the hospital grew, and grew, and grew.

The Nurses’ War follows the lives of the original four nurses that travelled from Australia to help transform the house into a hospital. Purman paints them in a realistic light, she said in her talk that she wanted to make sure they came across as authentic, rather than perfect. They suffered through terrible conditions and were faced with the knowledge that if they did their jobs well they were just sending these soldiers straight back into the firing line, quite literally.

We get to know the four original nurses quite well but Cora is definitely our leading lady. Purman gives us a great insight into the lives of the nurses and the struggles they faced. The lives of these women were so different to ours, it really is difficult to think about the fact that they could work or they could marry; they couldn’t do both. Career nurses who were passionate about their jobs were destined to be lonely because the moment they found a partner they were required to give up their jobs, even in a time where the need for nurses was at an absolute high.

The war dragged on and it became harder and harder for the staff at the hospital to remain optimistic but they kept on keeping on and doing the best they could, always extending the capacity of the hospital to try and keep up with demand. Forever watching the stream of soldiers come and go.

The subject matter is quite hard to handle at times but Purman manages to inject moments of levity; there is humour and there is an element of romance, there is an ever present sense of hope and a holistic look at life in Harefield Hospital for both the staff and the patients.

We are also allowed an insight into how the hospital impacted on the nearby town and it’s residents. Jessie Chester is one of the residents of the nearby village, a young seamstress living at home with her mother and disabled brother. Her life has always been quite sheltered and she’s been happy watching the world go by her front window.

In the early days Jessie and her mother help clean as the house is transformed, and then she returns to her life in the village, but it gives her a taste for something more and when the call goes out for more help Jessie takes on a role at the hospital, while still helping her mother as a seamstress.

There are characters in The Nurses’ War that are based on real people, the hospital is a real place, and though the book is historical fiction there is always an element of things that really happened. Purman manages to bring history to life for me and leave me fascinated in a way that I never have been before.

This book is weighty, both in it’s subject matter and it’s page count. I read it on Kindle so didn’t realise just how big it was until I saw a print copy and at 577 pages … it’s big. It’s fascinating, enthralling and heartbreaking.

I absolutely loved The Nurses’ War and Sister Cora Barker is a character who will stay with me for a long time yet. Victoria Purman you’ve done it again. Loved, loved, loved it.

For more information on Harefield House and the Billyard-Leakes there is some great references in the back of The Nurses’ War and Google is your friend, you won’t be disappointed.

Hand on heart I have to say that I have read all of Victoria Purman’s books and there is not one I didn’t love.

The Nurses’ War looks at WWI from the point of view of an Australian nurse and her friends who work hard at an Army hospital in England to save the lives of Australian soldiers injured at the front line. It is gritty, and at times tragic, with characters who embodied friendship, sacrifice and a determination to save lives. I am not ashamed to admit I wept in parts. But I laughed at others and cheered patriotically often. The book is fictional based on reality. At the end of the book author, Victoria Purman, reveals her inspiration - that it was based on the true history and real experiences of Australian nurses in World War 1 - there is even a very personal link to the story.

Cora travels to Harefield House in England to help set up a hospital to care for the Australian Diggers, the estate has been donated by the family who have links to Australia. The first job to be done is convert the house and grounds into a hospital, complete with operating theatres and wards. Then the wounded arrived, truck, after truck, after truck. Far more injuries than had been planned for - tents are erected on the lawns to fit all the injured in. What started as a 250 bed hospital is soon housing over 1000 men at a time. Nurses and doctors are working around the clock, exhausted but determined to do their duty. The conditions the men arrive are horrendous - dirty, smelly and with gangrenous injuries - most need life saving surgery, and a bath. Cora is a trained theatre nurse, but nothing has prepared her for the sights she sees in the operating theatre. The call goes out for local volunteers, and a young seamstress from the nearby village, Jessie, steps up. Cora and Jessie both take turns to tell the story, but I have to confess that Jessie’s story stole into my heart more than Cora’s.

The nurses war is not a fast read - it needs to be savoured to let the story be absorbed. And although the horrors of the war are front and centre it is not all about the horror of war. There is friendship, romance, picnics and dances as the medical staff try to bring a little normalcy into the lives of their patients. Because once the patients were on the road to recovery there were hidden injuries to be dealt with - the mental battle. Can you imagine being pronounced well medically knowing what the horrors were waiting for you when you returned to the front. It left me wondering how did the nurses, doctors and volunteers cope with the heartache and devastation they faced with an unrelenting stream of battle injuries.

Set in the first Australian Auxiliary Hospital established in Britain for the recuperation and rehabilitation for Australian soldiers during WWI, The Nurses’ War by Victoria Purman is an emotional story of service and sacrifice, based on true events.

In 1915, Nurse Cora Barker arrives from South Australia to staff a sixty-bed Australian convalescent hospital at Harefield Park, a country estate offered by Australian heiress and her husband for military use, on the outskirts of London. At age thirty-one Cora is an experienced nurse, eager to serve her country and provide care for the men injured in battle, but nothing has prepared her for the challenges of wartime nursing.

Within days of its opening on June 1st, the hospital was forced to expand its services for soldiers evacuated from the battlefields of Gallipoli, France and Serbia. By mid month the grounds of Harefield Park were home to more than a dozen hastily erected wards to accommodate 360 patients, barely a year later it housed over thousand, while thousands more had passed through its doors, having been discharged from duty due to injury or disease, or recovered and sent back to rejoin the fighting. With sensitivity and compassion, Purman details the daily operation of the hospital as Cora and her fellow nursing staff spend long shifts caring for men, many with gruesome physical injuries and fragile mental health, while contending with their own exhaustion, home sickness, and emotional distress. The determination of the nurses to do everything they can for ‘their boys’ is inspiring, and I loved learning about the ordinary, and extraordinary, work and achievements of the Number 1 AAH and its staff, thanks to Purman’s meticulous research. Three of my four great grandfathers served in the Australian forces during WWI and may well have passed through the hospital. (I’d be interested to know if a patient list exists, I couldn’t find one with a cursory search.)

It’s easy to feel for Cora as the war that was expected to be ‘over by Christmas’ drags on. Though she has support from her fellow nurses, Leonora, Gertie and Fiona, no one could truly be prepared for what was to come, and Purman explores how the Cora was changed by her experiences. It’s a subtle process as Cora gains a clearer understanding of the human costs of war, and lets go of some of the social strictures she was raised with. I really liked Cora’s unexpected relationship with surgeon Captain William Kent, and the support they were able to offer each other.

Introducing the perspective of Jessie Chester allows Purman to explore the effects of the war on the civilians of Britain. A young local seamstress, Jessie is a sweet character who lives with her widowed mother and palsied brother. I thought the development of her character was very well done, as the establishment of the Harefield Hospital brings an unexpected opportunity for romance, and a change of career.

I did feel the pacing was a little off, a casualty in part of the nearly five year timeline I think, and I felt there was some instances of repetition, however these are very minor quibbles that didn’t detract from my satisfaction with the story overall.

I found The Nurses’ War to be a moving, thoughtful and absorbing tribute to the women who served with courage and compassion.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

My heart was broken, put back together and broken again!! What an amazing book! I absolutely loved Cora, William, Gertie and the others but, to me, Jessie steals this story! Her growth and strength shines through from her introduction. Thanks to Victoria Purman for bringing this story to light.

WOW! is the only way I can start this review. This is a long book and took me quite a while to read it. This is another historical fiction based on a the experiences of Australian nurses and involves 4 nurses who come together through war and all the emotions that go with it.

This book includes all the emotions you would expect from a war novel, fear, courage, friendship and compassion. It is so well written and researched and the story flows well and kept my interest. It is very detailed and can get a little bit monotonous at times.

A good book about strong, courageous women, great characters that you can relate to but for me this book is far to long for me but I do recommend it as long as you are prepared for an epic read.

This was an illuminating story looking at Australian nurses who enlisted to nurse Aussie soldiers at a converted house outside of London. At the time no one was aware of how difficult war could be and the repercussions. There is also a storyline about Jessie, an English volunteer who grows up with all she sees at the hospital.
Another superbly researched book by a favourite Australian author.

An outstanding novel by Victoria Purman. It was great to read a story about the First World War and especially the Australian contingent of nurses that served in England during this period. Authentic characters and situations were portrayed with clarity about what the nurses went through and how it changed their lives. Of course the Australian soldiers who were under their care suffered terribly and many lives were lost. The two main characters were Cora and also Jessie who lived in the nearby village, her character grew immensely during the book.

This was a big book to read but didn’t feel that way as the story kept me fully engaged from beginning to end. I believe this is one of Victoria’s best books so far.

In The Nurses’ War by Victoria Purman she has, once again outdone herself with strong, independent female characters and thorough research into the inspiration for the story. She has absolutely mastered Australian historical fiction surrounding an often forgotten area - the women of the world wars. A highly recommended read!

I am always eager to read Victoria’s books as I reliably come away so much richer for the experience. Her previous tales are testimony: The Women’s Pages had me googling and reminiscing on my mother’s life stories; The Last of the Bonegilla Girls saw me actually paying a visit to Bonegilla! So it was with great anticipation that I started her latest, The Nurses’ War.

The story moves at a steady pace over an extended time period, thus allowing connections to form with the lead characters. Connections of empathy and understanding for all they would endure and experience. At first it was much like an adventure to arrive at a new hospice located in a beautiful English Manor. However, things soon change with the arrival of the first patients.

‘Sometimes it was a shock to wake in the morning with the realisation that
another day had dawned and she would have to do it all again.’

The Nurses' War is a story based on real events and experiences of Australian nurses in WWI. Being based on fact always makes it hit home that much harder. Victoria’s writing certainly brings the human face to the horrors that were witnessed at Harefield House and beyond. Still, it is all dealt with compassionately but realistically, as Victoria does not shy away from the reality of the situation. These were people who demonstrated such bravery and courage with incredible strength of character that, at times, what you read is startling, sobering and heartbreaking.

‘When she closed her eyes, she still saw destruction and waste and agonies. She saw her boys: the shattered ones. The limbless ones. The faceless ones … She saw wooden huts and duckboards and mud and rain and the beautiful English summer sunshine.
All of it was still with her, and would forever be.’

I love learning about and from history and once more, Victoria has taken her readers on an incredible journey. I was unfamiliar with the story behind this hospital and in awe of not only the conditions they worked under but the sheer volume of what confronted these nurses on a daily basis. The research, once again Victoria, is astounding and presented in the most impactful way. This is a must read for all historical WWII historical fiction fans.

‘Harefield is like a mansion of broken hearts ...'
Letter from an Australian soldier, 7 September 1916 -






This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Sister Cora Barker begins her six week boat trip to England in May 1915 and she’s a member of the Australian Army Nursing Service. Cora and fellow nurses arrive at Harefield Park, the Billyard-Leake family have donated the use of their country estate and they have ties to Australia.

The house and grounds need to be transformed into a convalescent hospital, Matron Gray is in charge, Cora and her fellow nurses Gertie North, Leonora Grady and Fiona Patterson get to work. The hospital is ready in June, the wounded arrive at Denham railway station and are transported by ambulance and truck to the new hospital. The men arrive in a terrible state, in pain and wearing filthy and lice infested uniforms and received basic medical treatment at a causality clearing station. Most need life saving surgery, Cora’s his theatre nurse and despite her years of nursing experience Cora feels sick when she sees the damage war has done to the young men’s bodies and minds.

The demand on the hospital increases, bloody battles are fought in Gallipoli, Serbia, France and Belgium. The hospital is extended across the vast lawns of Harefield Park, more Australia surgeons and nurses have been deployed to work at the busy facility.

Jessie Chester lives in the village of Harefield, she’s a dressmaker and she’s invited to afternoon tea at the estate. Jessie and her mum Win helped the nurses clean Harefield house when they were setting it up as a hospital and Jessie's shocked by the men’s injuries and she volunteers to help. Jessie preforms a variety of tasks and she cleans, washes dishes, darns socks, lights cigarettes and writes letters for blind soldiers. One Aussie soldier stands out amongst the others and its Private Bert Mott and he’s from Murray Bridge in South Australia. For the first time Jessie starts to question where she belongs, she's never considered leaving Harefield and moving away from her family. Jessie dreads the day Bert is declared fit for duty, he will return to France and be back fighting in the trenches.

Less than a year after the hospital opened, the doctors, nurses and staff are all mentally and physically exhausted, most have lost weight, aged and they don’t know how much longer they can continue working in such a stressful and heartbreaking place.

Based on true facts about The Great War, the village of Harefield and the hospital and wartime experiences of Australian nurses. The Nurses' War had me captivated by the first chapter, it’s a story about the horrors of war, sacrifice, selflessness, friendship, love, loss, tragedy, compassion and hope. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Harlequin Australia in exchange for an honest review, a heartfelt narrative by Victoria Purman, I highly recommend reading this book and five stars from me.

I am not sure where to start with this one, firstly I loved it so much, it is so beautifully written as I have become used to in Victoria Purman’s stories, this one is heartfelt, heartbreaking, emotional and so very moving. This one tells the story from a nurse’s point of view of World War 1. It is 1915 and Sister Cora Barker has travelled to Harefield House, England to help set up a hospital to care for the Australian Diggers the estate has been donated by ex-pat Aussies, and it is a must read story.

Cora, Gertie, Lenora and Fiona are the first nurses to arrive and with the help of Win and Jessie Chester form the village they work hard and get it prepared for the first casualties to arrive never dreaming that the number would be so many. Cora puts her heart and soul into caring for these diggers there are laughs along the way and so much heart break as well, the men arrive in such dreadful conditions and it is the job of Cora and the other nurses and doctors to do what they can to get these men back on their feet to either return home or back to the war front.

Jessie becomes a volunteer at the hospital and becomes a very welcome sight, her caring ways shine through and make many of the men smile, especially Private Bert Mott, as Bert recuperates Jessie and he get closer when he returns to the front Jessie writes every day and their love grows stronger. Cora is getting closer to one of the doctors Captain William Kent they have a special bond they can talk easily with each other something that is so badly needed in these times, love seems to be growing but war goes on and the injuries are terrible, times are getting harder for Cora and the staff at Harefield.

This story is based on real history and it shows courage, strength and compassion in the face of such pain and hurt and what the nurses went through all those years ago it shows love, friendship, sacrifice and the power to not give up not matter how exhausted you are, I loved getting to know Cora and Jessie their stories had me sobbing through this book, I am still crying while writing this review because their stories have left a big mark on me, this story is going to stay with me for a long time to come. I highly recommend this book, Victoria Purman this is a brilliant story, your best yet and I thank you for telling the Nurses’ story.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy to read and review

I enjoy a bit of war fiction now and then especially when featuring courageous women who defies conventions to serve during the war. I’ve also read most of Purman’s novels and have enjoyed most of them. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this one as much. In fact, I found it a bit boring though I’m not sure whether it’s just my terrible mood…

I love the characters in his novel. Both protagonists, Cora and Jessie, are remarkable women who grew and matured throughout all terribly heartbreaking events they went through and witnessed as they dedicated their time to this Australian hospital. I love all the secondary characters too from the happy-go-lucky Private Bert Mott to faithful Fiona. BUT they seem to just fade away… I mean what happened to Leonora and Fiona (nurse colleagues of Cora)? Surely letters were exchanged?!

Reading The Nurses’ War felt like I was reading some cross-sections of a nurse’s life during WWI with a bit of variety with a local girl’s life who got involved in caring for these soldiers. While I appreciate to “seeing” what it was like for them, I just felt the structure of the book to be somewhat untidy. The story didn’t flow for me which dulled my interest in reading. The ending was also a bit flat and rushed. As I enjoyed her previous books, this was a bit disappointing.

My thanks to Harlequin Australia for this paperback copy of book in exchange of my honest thoughts

Wow! I finished this book with tears streaming down my cheeks. The Nurses War takes readers on an emotional rollercoaster from the heights of joy to the depths of despair, shock and horror at the truly appalling human toll of war. Every single time I read one of Victoria Purman’s books I know it is the best she has written. I wonder how on earth she could surpass what I have just read and yet every single book is just outstanding and just that little bit better than its predecessor. Suffice to say I loved this book.

It was 1915 when Sister Cora Barker from Adelaide in South Australia, was joined by other nurses from Australia, Gertie, Fiona and Leonora on a ship headed for England where they would become part of the Australian nursing contingent, established at Harefield House, which had been donated for the duration of the war by the Billyard-Leake family who were Australian by birth. The magnificent house was soon transformed into a hospital for Australian soldiers, where rank didn’t matter, they were all men, all soldiers, who needed help. Under the guide of the Matron, the two hundred and fifty bed hospital was soon established. But before the war was over, the hospital would have housed over one thousand men at one time, while doctors and nurses continued to arrive along with the influx of dreadfully injured diggers.

Jessie Chester and her mother Win were seamstresses, working from their home in Harefield. Harry, Jessie’s sister, also lived at home. When the nearby hospital called urgently for volunteers, Jessie turned up, willing and able to assist in any way she could. Her meeting of Private Bert Mott, injured and recovering, would prove to be a turning point in Jessie’s life…

They’d been told the war would be over by Christmas, but as 2015 turned into 2016, then 2017, the dreadful injuries of the wounded soldiers who continued to arrive, covered with lice, their uniforms filthy, flowed through the hospital. The activities for the men, to boost their spirits, the Christmas celebrations and concerts – all helped at the time. And the Australian diggers were a jolly lot, joking about and trying not to show their pain. They loved the nurses and sisters, loved the attention and care they were given. While Cora and her friends smiled to cover their pain and exhaustion of what they faced daily. Everyone involved would have their lives changed forever.

The Nurses' War by Aussie author Victoria Purman is a spectacular story based on “true history and real experiences of Australian nurses in WWI.” Ms Purman has done an amazing amount of research for this novel and in putting human faces to the story, she drew me in, had me completely entranced from the very first page. How did the nurses, the doctors, the volunteers, ever continue, day after day, with the heartache and devastation they faced? A story of love and compassion, of sacrifice, friendship – and the tragedy of war, The Nurses' War is one I highly recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

I was given The Land Girl’s by my mother-in-law for my birthday a few years ago and fell in love the engaging characters, great plot and well-researched history. I have eagerly caught up on Victoria’s back catalog and have been waiting for this book to release. It didn’t disappoint.

I enjoyed meeting Cora and going on the journey with her to the UK, getting to know her as she worked hard to set up the hospital and then with her patients. I was so glad she made good friends to support her and even found a bit of romance. I enjoyed the side storylines of the other nurses and villagers in particular that of Jessie.

This was a bit of Australian history I was unfamiliar with and found it fascinating how the building of Harefield House donated by Australian ex-pats was turned into a hospital for Australian soldiers stationed in Egypt. I was amazed conditions of work, sheer volume of patients and injuries. It was interesting to see how they adapted and changed their medical treatment along the way.

Another thoroughly researched book, based on a real hospital and real people. I got such a good feel for day to day life at the time. Whilst heart-breaking at times I’m glad I got to learn more about these events. A must read for fans of historical fiction.

4.5★s
“The war had changed the way everyone thought of what was proper and normal. She had held the hands of more soldiers than she could count. She had flirted with her boys in the full knowledge that she meant nothing by it, and they took nothing from it but, for those few moments, they believed themselves to be men again, which doubt and injury and cruel circumstance had robbed from them.”

The Burses’ War is the eleventh novel by best-selling Australian author, Victoria Purman. In early 1915, thirty-one-year-old nurse Cora Barker joins three other nurses on a ship to England. Single, and with fourteen years’ experience, she has decided to do her bit for the war effort. The nurses are headed for Middlesex, to the village of Harefield, where an Australian heiress and her family have offered up their estate as a hospital for injured Australian Army recruits.

Cora, Gertie, Leonora and Fiona, under the watchful eye of Matron Ethel Gray, are there at the start to convert the mansion and grounds into the Number One Australian Auxiliary Hospital AIF, which is intended to accommodate sixty men in winter and one hundred and fifty in summer. They are initially helped by volunteers Jessie Chester and her mother, Win, seamstresses from the village; later doctors, porters and administrative staff join the team.

And then the patients arrive, men from the battles at Gallipoli and, later, Western European theatres of war, men who need to be repaired for return to fighting, or repatriation, if no longer fit to fight. Despite their experience in Australian hospitals, none of the nurses is psychologically prepared for the sorts of injuries that present.

The numbers they are expected to treat quickly expand well beyond the predicted, ensuring that they have virtually no downtime, and are soon plagued by exhaustion, insomnia and, with no respite, Nurses’ Back.

With more medical staff, they are eventually treating over a thousand men at a time, with only a very small number of patients lost, but the relentless pace means that the soldiers are not the only ones with battle fatigue and what will later be called post-traumatic stress. “War weary. Battle scarred. Exhausted in both mind and body.”

Told through the twin narratives of Cora and Jessie, the novel gives the perspective of a visitor and a local; supplementing this is correspondence between Cora and her family in South Australia, between Jessie and her Australian fiancé serving in France and between Jessie and Army officialdom.

The story takes place over some six years and moves at a fairly sedate pace that allows the reader to slowly form attachments to the main characters, to understand and empathise with what they experience and endure: friendship, romance, grief and loss.

When she includes village gossip and women stepping into the roles normally reserved for men, Purman illustrates the stark differences between the relaxed attitude of the Australians and their more conservative British hosts.

Her depiction of sexual, class and racial discrimination feels authentic and the depth of Purman’s research is apparent on every page. With liberal use of popular culture references, Purman easily conveys both the era and the setting in this moving and interesting piece of historical fiction.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harlequin Australia.

Victoria Purman’s story of The Nurses War was a touching story about the war, the people who fought and of course, the main reason for the story, the nurses.

The main character Cora Barker, enlisted as a nurse to assist her fellow Australians by serving. Living with other nurses from Australia, Cora embarks on treating the soldiers who are brought to the Hospital to recover from their war injuries

Along the way, Cora builds friendships with the nurses and other medical staff, as well as the local woman, who want to help at the hospital.

With Cora trying to be strong for all, she needs to find a way to deal with all the things she sees. Meeting a a Doctor who is smitten with her is a added help.

There is many tears shed reading this beautifully written book.

There are spoilers in this review.

It is not only those on the front line that win a war.

The Nurses' War gives us a look at what those behind the scenes, particularly nurses go through. It it poignant, heartbreaking, yet full of hope.

So much sacrifice by these nurses, so much pain.

Beautifully written, and will keep you thinking.