The War Nurse, Tracey Enerson Wood, author
The author’s background in nursing informed a great deal of the narrative. In addition, one of the characters, Nora, was the great aunt of the author’s husband, so she was invested in telling the true history of the work of the unsung women who were the nurses during World War I, albeit around a narrative that is historic fiction. She takes some liberties, of course, to create a narrative, because there is not an abundance of information about them. She highlights the plight of women during the early days of the 20th century, when men ruled in all fields and thought of themselves as superior. Women were to be their obedient followers and caregivers, keeping house and taking employment that enhanced the men they worked for as nurses, secretaries, teachers, wives, etc. Not many fields were open to women, so they had to fight their way to the top rather than earn it.
Julia Catherine Stimson was gainfully and successfully employed in St. Louis at Washington University as the Superintendent of Nurses. She had also been the head of nurses at Harlem Hospital. After serving at the army base in Rouen, France, during World War I, she became The Chief of Nursing Services for the Red Cross, which was founded by Florence Nightingale. Because this is a novel, some of the characters are real, like Dr. Marie Curie, Dr. Fred Murphy, Julia Stimson and her brother Phil, Margaret Cox, Annie Goodrich, and Dr. Ernst, but many others are not, but were necessary to create the novel.
Julia Stimson’s insecurity because of her masculine looks is apparent throughout the story, and perhaps it was that issue that informed the path of her life, as well as the fact that the possibility of becoming a physician was not open to her. Although the story is based on her real background, much of the story is there to enhance the author’s message and is not fact, but the product of her supposition or imagination. Still, while little may be known of her private life, Stimson was a trailblazer for the cause of women, as she was responsible for empowering the nurses to earn the right to make decisions and to earn respect for their services, especially in emergency situations. It must be told, though, that men were often against giving the women any powers that would threaten their own.
Stimson dedicated herself to the care of others, first and foremost. She advanced through the ranks as she stood out as an exemplary nurse and supervisor, willing to go the extra mile, and sometimes, to stick her own neck out to advance the cause of their profession. The unknown flu pandemic, that threatened soldiers and citizens alike at that time, was highlighted, as was the difficulty of handling the recent pandemic that threw our world into turmoil. The author related the details of World War I authentically, and with regard to disease, even utilized the idea of masking and using social distancing to prevent the spread of disease. Through her narrative, the conflicting ideas about those issues that still rage on today, are illustrated.
This is not a book that I would ordinarily have chosen, because it often had the feeling of chick lit or romance, sometimes losing the thread to the past and its history for me. That said, it was chosen by my book group, and I discovered many interesting scenes that were informative about the war, the field of battle, the responsibilities of the nurses and the relationship between men and women, at the time. Although power was concentrated in the hands of the men, women like Marie Curie and Julia Stimson were able to make names for themselves and advance the cause of women, sometimes without realizing it.
The author commemorates the nurses’ efforts, the efforts of the entire medical staff and the war heroes of the armed forces participants who sacrificed themselves for the cause of others, for the greater good. Unfortunately, the war to end all wars, did not end all wars and pandemics still occur. ( )

This was a really great book. Julia is the Superintendent of Nurses and has to recruit 65 nurses to take with her over to the war front. Throughout the book, you learn what is important to her and how she musters through the daily challenges the war brings to her front door. I loved how Tracey wrote this, almost as if you’re a fly on the wall and just out of reach throughout the entire book. It’s a different viewpoint of WWI, as I haven’t read a book that solely is focused on nursing the wounded of the war. I highly recommend this one as I couldn’t put it down, wanting to know what was going to happen next. There’s a good mix of nursing and day to day life all while living in a war zone. ( )

I received a copy of the book from BookBrowse, An enjoyable, informative historical fictionalized account of the important role nurses played during World War I focusing on Julia Stimson and the nurses under her command. All of the characters, based on true persons the author researched especially from the book Julia’s father wrote, “Finding Themselves,” which is a compilation of Julia’s letters to her father are well-developed and their stories during the time period especially how they interacted with one another are engaging. Julia Stimson’s successes, frustrations, and yes failures as the Superintendent of Nurses in particular is engaging because she must fight for implementing her discoveries and procedures, and care for nurses under her command when they think they are failing or not feeling well. The critical role the nurses played, as discussed in the book was so underappreciated and often negated by the doctors. Tracey Enerson Wood captures these stories making the reader contemplate: how much do we as readers know and appreciate less visible figures during critical times? ( )

The War Nurse by Tracey Enerson Wood is a historical novel of the Great War in France. Based on a true story of World War I nursing. Nursing practice was very different from what we know today. Influence of the development of procedural changes in emergency intake, radiological technique, oxygen delivery to patients and other practices are still evident today. I smiled at one of the physician‘s descriptions of the roles of physicians and nurses. Some things never change.
I wish I had asked nurses from previous generations more about their nursing experiences but reading this book answered many of my questions. Ms. Wood provides excellent historical details and insights into early 20th Century medical practices. I highly recommend this book to anyone who lives and loves medicine.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book. 5 Stars ( )

1917-18, WW1, nursing, combat, historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture, family, France, friendship, relationships*****

Julia Stinson was a real person with the kind of background and experiences portrayed in this book of fictionalized history. She was as real as Barnes Hospital, The Great War, the American Red Cross, and The US Army Nurse Corps. This book brings her story to light even as it demonstrates how far (and not) nursing (and warfare) have come in the last one hundred years. The publisher's blurb does a good job of preparing the reader for what's to come, so there is no need for me to further summarize. I really enjoyed the read.
This is not exactly an unbiased review as I retired from nursing after nearly fifty years.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from SOURCEBOOKS Landmark via NetGalley. Thank you! ( )