When the World Fell Silent was an excellent book. I feel like anything I say won’t do it justice

Halifax was a major port during WWI. Ships carried troops & supplies and it was an assembly point for convoys headed to Europe.
In 1917 Halifax suffered a devastating loss when 2 ships collided, one was carrying explosives. Over 25,000 people lost their homes, 9,000+ were injured and over 2,000 people died.

In When the World Fell Silent, the author introduces us to a fictional story based on well researched true events. Not only were the characters engaging, the reader feels a sense of empathy for the people of Halifax during this time.

Donna Jones Alward has joined the ranks of some of my favourite Historical Fiction authors.
* Genevieve Graham (The Forgotten Home Child, The Secret Keeper)
* Heather Marshall (Looking for Jane, The Secret Life of Audrey James)
* Kristin Harmel (The Wine Makers Wife, The Book of Lost Names)
* Kate Quinn (The Alice Network, The Huntress)

When the World Fell Silent was published on August 1, 2024. I am thankful to NetGalley, HarperCollins & One More Chapter for giving me the opportunity to read this book for my honest review.

I was so excited to get an advanced copy of this book. A historical fiction set around the Halifax Explosion. That Genevieve Graham, one of my fave historical fiction authors, recommended. I was sold before even starting it.

Within the first few pages, Donna even mentions Chéticamp which is basically where I grew up and I can certainly say I've never seen it mentioned in a book before! She also mentioned Tortière and Rappie Pie which my mom ate as a kid!

This book absolutely gutted me. It was obviously so close to home being set in Nova Scotia and around the Halifax Explosion, which strangely we didn't learn much about in school.

The characters were so good. I enjoyed the 2 POVs, but especially Nora's. Neil was such a sweetheart & I adored Mrs. Thompson.

The ending was not what I expected at all but it was so well done

Huge thanks to NetGalley & HarperCollins Canada for an advance copy!

Title: When the World Fell Silent
Author: Donna Jones Alward
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: August 6, 2024

I received a complimentary eARC from HarperCollins Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted

T H R E E • W O R D S

Emotional • Devastating • Redemptive

📖 S Y N O P S I S

1917. Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Having lost her beloved husband in the trenches and with no-one else to turn to, Charlotte Campbell now lives with his haughty relations who treat her like the help. It is baby Aileen, the joy and light of her life, who spurs her to dream of a better life.

Nora Crowell wants more than her sister’s life as a wife and mother. As WWI rages across the Atlantic, she becomes a lieutenant in the Canadian Army Nursing Corp. But trouble is looming and it won’t be long before the truth comes to light.

When tragedy strikes in Halifax Harbour, nothing for these two women will ever be the same again. Their paths will cross in the most unexpected way, trailing both heartbreak and joy its wake.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Historical fiction with a Canadian setting is one of my favourite subgenres, so it was easy to pick When the World Fell Silent, Donna Jones Alward's debut novel, as my August book of the month for August. I never learned about the Halifax Explosion - one of Canada's greatest tragedies - in my history classes in high school, so I appreciate learning more about it through books.

Charlotte and Nora are very different, yet equally fierce female main characters - both needing to learn how to survive in the aftermath of tragic events. Told through each of their voices, I knew their stories would converge, but I somehow never connected the dots until it happened.

For me, the beginning of this story with its in depth descriptions of the explosion were the strength of the story. I really wish there would have bit a bit more about the history and the impact of the explosion on Halifax, but the story really diverged into Nora and Charlotte's personal lives. There is a touch of a touch of historical romance and found family plays a huge role throughout.

Overall, When the World Fell Silent was an impressive addition to Canadian literature. I did find the ending seemed tie up a little too nicely with a bow, which seemed a tad unrealistic (but thus the freedoms of fiction). Donna Jones Alward is a new voice in Canadian historical fiction that I will definitely continue to follow and support.

📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• Canadian historical fiction
• found family
• unique WWI stories

⚠️ CW: death, death of parent, partner death, sibling death, child death, grief, war, fire/fire injury, explosion, medical content, medical trauma, injury/injury detail, kidnapping, epidemic/pandemic, suicidal thoughts, pregnancy, vomit

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

" ' Oh, Mrs. T, I don't know how to navigate any of this.'
' We never do,' the older woman said softly. 'Until we have to, and then we just do. One step at a time.' "

DNF-ed at 21%.
I really, really wanted to enjoy this book. There aren’t enough Canadian stories exploring our past and I was interested to see what the author would do with the Halifax Explosion - not a happy time in our history. Alas. I was bored. I didn’t care about the characters. And when a major, catastrophic, terrible event occurs and I *don’t* care about what happens to everyone I’ve met in the story so far? Oof.
Nothing about the story or the characters stood out as unique or interesting and I need that in my historical fiction stories since there are just SO many books out there. (I look for that in all my genre reading.) And that was a shame.

Wow! This book was incredible! Being Canadian, I love reading books that take place in Canada and are historical fiction. It's interesting to learn how our people used to live! This book deals with the disaster of the Halifax Explosion in a remarkable way. Two women and their fight to deal with the impact of the explosion on their lives. Highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Historical Fiction, stories with strong female leads, and of course, Canadians!

This was a really interesting story with genuine and well-rounded characters. I find a story hard to get into if the characters are deficient or lacking substance and I did not have that issue with this book. The author’s vivid descriptions made me feel like I was in Halifax when I’ve never been there.

The absolute best compliment I can give this author is to say that I cried without abandon while reading this book. I usually try not to cry (for many reasons) when I’m reading so I often fly through the truly emotional bits but I really wanted to take in every bit of this story so I kept my pacing even in the bits I knew I’d cry at.

I had never heard about the tragic events that befell Nova Scotia in 1917. Why don’t they teach this in Canadian history classes? It was fascinating and devastating to hear about this event through this fictional story. I may have to go look up the facts of the incident now.

Give this one a read, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

This is an historical fiction novel based on the 1917 Halifax explosion, which was the largest man-made explosion before the atomic bomb. It is about two young woman, one a nurse and another a young widowed mother. I learned more about the events and the book also prompted further research into the tragedy, something I love about this genre. I really enjoyed the story and the strong female characters. The resilience of the Halifax residents living through the war, the explosion and the Spanish Flu was well captured by the author and I couldn't help but wonder how today's generation would manage. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC. 4.5/5

When The World Fell Silent is a heartwarming story set in the aftermath of one of Canada's greatest tragedies - The Halifax Explosion. In 1917, it was the largest human-made explosion to date and was instigated by one ship colliding with another that held explosives which ignited, decimating the Canadian port city and claiming the lives of 2000 people and injuring thousands more.

The book begins strong with dramatic descriptions of the lead up and aftermath of the explosion which puts readers right in the middle of the devastation. The explosion falls to the background for the remainder of the book as the two female protagonists, and how their lives have suddenly changed, take the reigns.

Nora is a skilled nurse who excels at her job, and she doesn't plan to settle down into 'domestic bliss' like so many other young women. Charlotte is a young war widow and new mother who struggles living with her verbally abusive in-laws and wants a better life for her and her daughter. Life takes drastic turns for both women who are forced into situations they never could have imagined. But despite their different circumstances, their voices tended to blend together on the page, so I was glad their names were included at the start of each chapter.

This is a quiet, somber story with a couple of twists and a satisfyingly predictable (if a tad contrived) ending. Readers who enjoy 'clean' reads will swoon at the sweet (no spice) romance and the topics raised and the attention to a lesser-known historical event make an excellent book club selection for readers who enjoy lighter Historical Fiction.

Well-researched and based on real people and historical events, When The World Fell Silent blends intense descriptions of the explosion with a compassionate look at how the event impacted the lives of two women as they traverse love, loss, trauma and finding the tenacity to carry on.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Harper Collins UK for the advanced digital copy of this book which was given in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
What an incredible debut! If you love historical fiction, you definitely need to pick this one up. It’s about the Halifax harbour explosion in 1917. The story is told from the POV of two women who are seemingly unconnected until an unforgettable turn of events brings them together in the most unexpected way. It’s about resilience and moving forward in the face of trauma.

Well done @donnaalward 👏🏻

Thank you to @harpercollinsca and #netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. 🥰

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Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins Canada for the advanced copy of this book. I absolutely enjoyed it. It had so many of the classic historical fiction tropes that I like without being a carbon copy of other historical fiction books. Nora was a wonderful character that you could relate to even though her circumstances were truly her own. I liked Neil a lot and the children were delightful characters too. The Canadian setting was a breath of fresh air and made me want to visit the places Nora was, even the town of Chester - which is a real place! Great story, great writing, it had me flipping pages and reading just one more chapter!

With the war going strong across the ocean in 1917, Halifax was rocked by an explosion that divested the city in a split second. Nora, a nurse, is working nearby when the injured start pouring into the hospital. She spends the next several days caring for those injured in the blast only to find out that the loss of life has hit her own family as well. Also in the hospital recovering is Charlotte, a war window who is missing her daughter from the blast. Their lives are intertwined that day and forever changed.

This book was really good and it was nice to have purely the Canadian side of the war. Reading in depth about the Halifax explosion was devastating. So many were affected from that day and it completely changed the city as a whole. Of the two storylines, I really enjoyed Nora the most. She had the most growth as a character.

Thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins Canada and One More Chapter for the ARC of this book.

I raced through this book quite quickly - if my schedule had permitted I likely would have completed it in one go, but I didn't love it. I enjoyed the fresh perspective of the Explosion as I can only think of one other novel that dealt with what the medical professionals went through in the aftermath. I would have liked more historical details (how the warm fall day of early December followed by a major blizzard challenged recovery, how incredibly far away the blast was felt - dishes broke in my grandparents house 200 km away - how it would have been worse had Vince Coleman not stopped the train and how many advances were made in eye care as a result), but maybe I'm just being picky. I'll sell lots of this book to my historical fiction loving customers and those who cannot resist a local story.

I loved this book. Its about hope and strength during the worst of times. If your interested in historical fiction then you need to read this book.

Thanks netgalley and harper Collins Canada. All thoughts and opinions are my own

“Hunker down and get at ‘er”

I appreciated this historical fiction debut by a Canadian author and set in Canada! Alward shares homefront stories centered around the 1917 Halifax Explosion - the largest man-made explosion until the atom bomb. A munitions ship destined for Europe exploded in the Halifax harbour killing nearly 2000 and injuring 9000 more. It left a whole section of the city demolished and thousands homeless.

Alward's story follows two young women, a war widow and mother, Charlotte Campbell, and a CANC ‘bluebird’ nurse, Nora Crowell, and shows readers how their lives became connected in the most shocking and devastating way.

Twenty-three-year-old Nora joins the Canadian Army Medical Corp as a nurse and rises to Lieutenant. She witnesses soldiers’ pain and struggles daily and, believing nobody is beyond help, she pushes herself to tend to them and their wounds. Readers are aware of her hopeless despair. Not only does she battle fatigue and a sense of futility, but frustration at serving at home instead of overseas … especially with Ally, her boyfriend, overseas fighting, and a secret that she needs to keep hidden.

Charlotte is stuck between a rock and a hard place after losing her husband at The Somme, living with spiteful and resentful in-laws, and raising baby Aileen alone. Alward was able to show me how devastating it was to lose everything and have nobody to rely on. I understood what it must feel like to be holding onto hope for the sake of a child despite wanting to give up. I had a fresh appreciation for those who go through life just going through the motions. I knew at the 25% mark that I had to keep reading to find out what happened after the explosion.

You need to read this story about loss, love, hope, and redemption against all odds. It’s the 107th anniversary this year of this tragedy and Alward's examination of choices and how her characters navigated this tragedy is a compelling read.

I’m looking forward to the next book, ‘The Coldest Night,’ which will be a Titanic-set historical fiction novel also with a Nova Scotia connection.

I was gifted this copy by Harper Collins Canada and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.