Review: The Poppy Sisters by Deborah Carr

This WWI historical fiction was a heartfelt and beautiful read. The descriptions of not just the field & POW hospitals, but the island and coastal regions the book takes place in were vivid and beautiful. The characters were developed quite well and you felt for them. When I first started reading I wasn’t sure about this book, but it sucked me in and I quickly finished the whole story. The juxtaposition of the sisters similar experiences was interesting and I enjoyed reading this book.

I would recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

2 sisters, separated by war, Phoebe and Celia. They have recently lost family loved one and are nurses in 2 different situations. I loved these 2 women and the love stories they have.

In this fantastic World War I historical fiction novel, readers follow sisters Celia and Phoebe, both British nurses. Celia works at a POW camp on Jersey island, while Phoebe works in a hospital near the front lines in France. Both sisters find love while working as nurses, but the war, naturally, makes things difficult for the two of them and their paramours. Both sisters make friends and enemies along the way, but their duties as nurses come first, before everything else. Carr’s characters inhabit an incredibly detailed, complex world, and she brings the horrors, realities, and emotions of hospitals and POW camps to life in this incredibly detailed historical fiction novel. Focusing on the two sisters, the novel alternates between their perspectives, narratives, and locations, and Carr connects the two through letters and a shared backstory. Carr’s characters are the stars of the show, from Celia and Phoebe to minor characters Archie, Jocasta, and Otto, and each character has a unique personality and backstory. The relationships that Celia and Phoebe form with other minor characters (as well as their preexisting relationship as sisters) are particularly compelling, emotional, and realistic. This novel is a fascinating, immersive, and highly enjoyable historical fiction read.

Thank you for the ARC’! The book is a slow flame but I found myself intrigued from the beginning and couldn’t put down. I loved the alternating storylines and really enjoyed that this book was set during WW1 since I don’t feel I read much historical fiction at this time. I learned a lot, which is my favorite thing about the genre, and think the author did a beautiful job pulling this story together.

Very well written WWII book. The whole thing will keep you riveted and keep you going. All the characters were relatable and their stories humbling.

I enjoyed this historical fiction book and found it interesting and informative.

Phoebe, volunteer nurse at a Base Hospital in Étaples, France. Matron does her best to keep the nurses minds occupied with just nursing but there's no counting on where the heart will lead. Phoebe soon finds herself falling in love with patient Captain Archie Bailey. Planning a life together after the war when he's well enough he gets sent to the frontline then goes missing in action, presumed dead.

Celia is a nurse at a POW camp on the island of Jersey. She knows the men she is nursing back to health are from the same unit that killed her brother and parents. After getting to know these men she realizes they are just regular men with hopes, dreams and fears just like all of us. Falling in love with one of them shouldn't have happened, but it has.

Phoebe and Celia are sisters with many similarities, they understand what the other is going through and know the fears they face. Heartbreaking....... there are no real winners in war, it just causes some to die earlier than others. Kept my attention as you can only pray for the best. The author writes such realistic work I could vividly imagine the scenes playing out as I read.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.