Scan barcode
emmacr2024's review
3.0
The Sea Nurses by Kate Eastham certainly starts off with an explosive opening in 1916 as the HMS Britannic, a hospital ship, is breaking apart. A nurse struggles to reach safety and is then sent flying overboard and left drifting in the sea with death and destruction all around her. Well, these few brief pages certainly had me keen to read more. Who was the nurse? How did she come to be on the ship and what exactly happened to the ship for it to be breaking apart? But long before we reach that point we go back in time to August 1914 and we are introduced to one of the main female characters, Iris Purefoy. The other character being Evie Munro who we learn more about later.
Given the title you would expect the author to launch straight into the war years and how nurses away at sea dealt with the trauma and bloodshed inflicted on so many. But no, instead we are given the background stories to the two women, which was welcome and vital in helping the reader form a picture of them as they both came from very differing backgrounds and then in turn we see how they come to work alongside one another as sea nurses during the war years. I have read heaps of books set during World War Two and by this stage I feel like I know the subject matter inside out. As for World War One, I find there aren’t that many books set during that period so I was glad when The Sea Nurses featured these years.
Kate Eastham brings to life a time so vastly different from the one we live in now. Well, sadly not in the fact that we still have wars raging in the present but the life of Iris working as a first class stewardess for the White Star Line and all the glamour and surprises that brought, we’ll never see an era like that again. Iris works on the luxury liner, HMS Olympic, and she loves every minute of it. Life at sea provides a sense of freedom and several opportunities come her way. She is also a qualified nurse so she has that extra special touch when it comes to dealing with first class passengers. Especially, the tricky customer that is Miss. Duchamp who at times has her run ragged with her fussy ways. But Miss. Duchamp will have an important role to play later in the story. We get an insight as to how Iris came to work on the liner. She grew up in India, but her parents died when she was young and she was sent to live with a maiden aunt in England. When she was older she worked as a nurse but suffered sepsis from an injury and needed time out to recuperate. When well again, she felt the job as a nurse stewardess would provide the change she needed in life and adventures at sea seemed like she just what she craved.
Iris was a fabulously written character and to view the ship through her eyes was brilliant. All the glitz and the glamour of first class and the camaraderie of those below deck and in steerage. It was a special era and Kate Eastham brought it to life so well. Iris was a brilliantly written character. She showed many sides to her personality, the strict, disciplined and professional side but also when not working you could see her relax slightly, yet the iron will and passion she had was always there simmering under the surface. I appreciated the friendship she developed with Evie. I would say it wasn’t a sisterly relationship more so like mother and daughter with Iris being the more sensible and wiser of the two. She had a clear and strong head on her shoulders whereas I felt Evie was more flighty. Iris always displayed resilience and independence at least on the outside but deep below her self-contained core she was just like any other woman she just wanted to be loved and cared for. Will Jack Rosetti, a rogue of a stowaway, catch her eye or has fate different plans in store for her? With the outbreak of war Iris’ carefully ordered world away at sea is turned on its head and there are many challenges ahead as the majority of liners are turned into hospital ships.
Evie was the complete antithesis of Iris and it really helped the plot to have two contrasting characters but at the same they could come together for each other when fate throws them together in a situation they had never dreamed possible. Evie is from a small Scottish village but spends the herring season working in Great Yarmouth. The sea always calls to her and she works with many women dealing with the catch brought in by the fleet. She has no specific qualifications but when someone is injured she can be relied upon to do a good job of patching them up. Evie had a wild spirit. She loved being out in the open but she has suffered loss in her life with her father being lost to the sea when she was younger and now all she has left is her brother who is married to a woman she doesn’t particularly get on with. She doesn’t understand loss nor she is especially equipped to deal with the savagery of it and even more so when the man of her dreams, Jamie, is lost at sea. Yet more, tragedy befalls her, the specifics of which I won’t go into. Suffice, to say the author certainly put Evie through the mill definitely more so than Iris. In the later half of the book, I found she put on a brave face but deep down she was haunted by her experiences. When war breaks out she views it as a fresh start for her but she wouldn’t have wished for war to occur in order for her to see more of the world. She becomes a Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nurse and although she is but a probationer she is unrelenting in her work, fierce and full of ideas.
It’s at this point that the two characters of Iris and Evie finally meet and life onboard the hospital ship tests all the courage and strength that they both have. I found the scenes on board the ship to be detailed and well researched. The men and women who were doctors and nurses respectively did incredible things under immense pressure in order to save as many lives as possible and what struck me was the limited amount of resources they had and the fact they operated at sea and tended to so many injured was just incredible. The author certainly brought to life a time which I feel has been forgotten. The book overall was very good and a quite a quick read and being truthfully honest I felt that at times things happened too quickly and events were glossed over instead of more detailing being provided.
Given the first half had such detail which made the book come alive for me, I expected the same from the second half. Yes the major climax of the book and a huge turning point for all the characters was horrifying and so vividly written but I felt after that, the war years were skipped through quickly and things happened rather conveniently for some of the characters. Not that what occurred you wouldn’t have wanted not to happen but I felt a little bit more fleshing out was needed and at times the later half of the book felt rushed and suffered for it. Despite this, I am glad I read The Sea Nurses as it is an emotional and inspiring read which reminds us to never forget those who have gone before us and who did so much in a time of great peril. I was delighted to read that there will be more from Evie and Iris in the future as World War Two looms on the horizon for them.
Given the title you would expect the author to launch straight into the war years and how nurses away at sea dealt with the trauma and bloodshed inflicted on so many. But no, instead we are given the background stories to the two women, which was welcome and vital in helping the reader form a picture of them as they both came from very differing backgrounds and then in turn we see how they come to work alongside one another as sea nurses during the war years. I have read heaps of books set during World War Two and by this stage I feel like I know the subject matter inside out. As for World War One, I find there aren’t that many books set during that period so I was glad when The Sea Nurses featured these years.
Kate Eastham brings to life a time so vastly different from the one we live in now. Well, sadly not in the fact that we still have wars raging in the present but the life of Iris working as a first class stewardess for the White Star Line and all the glamour and surprises that brought, we’ll never see an era like that again. Iris works on the luxury liner, HMS Olympic, and she loves every minute of it. Life at sea provides a sense of freedom and several opportunities come her way. She is also a qualified nurse so she has that extra special touch when it comes to dealing with first class passengers. Especially, the tricky customer that is Miss. Duchamp who at times has her run ragged with her fussy ways. But Miss. Duchamp will have an important role to play later in the story. We get an insight as to how Iris came to work on the liner. She grew up in India, but her parents died when she was young and she was sent to live with a maiden aunt in England. When she was older she worked as a nurse but suffered sepsis from an injury and needed time out to recuperate. When well again, she felt the job as a nurse stewardess would provide the change she needed in life and adventures at sea seemed like she just what she craved.
Iris was a fabulously written character and to view the ship through her eyes was brilliant. All the glitz and the glamour of first class and the camaraderie of those below deck and in steerage. It was a special era and Kate Eastham brought it to life so well. Iris was a brilliantly written character. She showed many sides to her personality, the strict, disciplined and professional side but also when not working you could see her relax slightly, yet the iron will and passion she had was always there simmering under the surface. I appreciated the friendship she developed with Evie. I would say it wasn’t a sisterly relationship more so like mother and daughter with Iris being the more sensible and wiser of the two. She had a clear and strong head on her shoulders whereas I felt Evie was more flighty. Iris always displayed resilience and independence at least on the outside but deep below her self-contained core she was just like any other woman she just wanted to be loved and cared for. Will Jack Rosetti, a rogue of a stowaway, catch her eye or has fate different plans in store for her? With the outbreak of war Iris’ carefully ordered world away at sea is turned on its head and there are many challenges ahead as the majority of liners are turned into hospital ships.
Evie was the complete antithesis of Iris and it really helped the plot to have two contrasting characters but at the same they could come together for each other when fate throws them together in a situation they had never dreamed possible. Evie is from a small Scottish village but spends the herring season working in Great Yarmouth. The sea always calls to her and she works with many women dealing with the catch brought in by the fleet. She has no specific qualifications but when someone is injured she can be relied upon to do a good job of patching them up. Evie had a wild spirit. She loved being out in the open but she has suffered loss in her life with her father being lost to the sea when she was younger and now all she has left is her brother who is married to a woman she doesn’t particularly get on with. She doesn’t understand loss nor she is especially equipped to deal with the savagery of it and even more so when the man of her dreams, Jamie, is lost at sea. Yet more, tragedy befalls her, the specifics of which I won’t go into. Suffice, to say the author certainly put Evie through the mill definitely more so than Iris. In the later half of the book, I found she put on a brave face but deep down she was haunted by her experiences. When war breaks out she views it as a fresh start for her but she wouldn’t have wished for war to occur in order for her to see more of the world. She becomes a Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nurse and although she is but a probationer she is unrelenting in her work, fierce and full of ideas.
It’s at this point that the two characters of Iris and Evie finally meet and life onboard the hospital ship tests all the courage and strength that they both have. I found the scenes on board the ship to be detailed and well researched. The men and women who were doctors and nurses respectively did incredible things under immense pressure in order to save as many lives as possible and what struck me was the limited amount of resources they had and the fact they operated at sea and tended to so many injured was just incredible. The author certainly brought to life a time which I feel has been forgotten. The book overall was very good and a quite a quick read and being truthfully honest I felt that at times things happened too quickly and events were glossed over instead of more detailing being provided.
Given the first half had such detail which made the book come alive for me, I expected the same from the second half. Yes the major climax of the book and a huge turning point for all the characters was horrifying and so vividly written but I felt after that, the war years were skipped through quickly and things happened rather conveniently for some of the characters. Not that what occurred you wouldn’t have wanted not to happen but I felt a little bit more fleshing out was needed and at times the later half of the book felt rushed and suffered for it. Despite this, I am glad I read The Sea Nurses as it is an emotional and inspiring read which reminds us to never forget those who have gone before us and who did so much in a time of great peril. I was delighted to read that there will be more from Evie and Iris in the future as World War Two looms on the horizon for them.
theavidreaderandbibliophile's review
4.0
The Sea Nurses by Kate Eastham has Iris and Evie joining the war effort in England by becoming nurses on hospital ships. The two women come from diverse backgrounds, but they share a love of nursing. They work together on the HMHS Britannic which was requisitioned and outfitted as a hospital ship. With a red cross on the ship, it is supposed to have safe passage in the ocean. It is no guarantee that an enemy U-boat will not decide to fire upon them. These women will be put to the ultimate test. I thought The Sea Nurses was well-written with realistic, developed characters. I like Iris and Evie who are both gifted nurses. I am glad that the author gave us a unique book on World War I. We get to follow women who have become nurses on a floating hospital. They bring back wounded from the front. The HMHS Britannic was a beautiful ocean liner until war broke out in Europe. We learn how a hospital functions on a ship. I found it fascinating. I could tell the author did her research for this book. We also get to see what life was like on the luxury liners before war. Thanks to the authors vivid descriptions, I could picture myself standing on the deck as the RMS Olympic sailed into New York harbor with the Statue of Liberty in the distance. In contrast, Evie worked fileting herring on the docks. I cannot imagine the long days spent getting the fish ready for market (plus the smell). Injuries were common as they had to work quickly. There are some heartbreaking scenes in The Sea Nurses (have your tissues nearby). I enjoyed reading this engaging historical novel. The Sea Nurses is a story about war, friendships, love, loss, and coming together to work toward a common goal. It is an emotional, dramatic story that will linger with you long after you finish it. The Sea Nurses is a memorable tale with luxury liners, fileting fish, lost loved ones, suffering soldiers, incessant war, and hazardous waters.
nannykaren's review against another edition
5.0
The Sea Nurses follows Iris and Evie through WWI as nurses. They see some unimaginable sights and go through some heartbreaking times as so many families did during that period. The author has created some wonderful characters who I felt I could be friends with. I particularly loved the relationship between Iris and Evie as well as Iris and Miss Duchamp. Would recommend you ensure you have time to read this in one sitting unlike me!
bookanonjeff's review against another edition
5.0
Atypical Tale That Pulls No Punches. While the WWI period isn't *quite* as common in historical fiction tales as WWII, it is hardly the rarity another reviewer claims it to be - though this *is*, in fact, the first tale I've come across to detail life on the ships of the White Star Line in the years after the Titanic catastrophe. As such, Eastham does a great job here of showing life aboard the Olympic during its last cruise before Germany declared war on Great Britain - and the moment those on the ship first learned of that fact. We also see a vivid description of life along the coasts of Scotland and its great fisherman... and the women who toiled so hard to process all the fish that were caught. Eastham then dives into The Great War itself... as seen through the eyes of these nurses (mostly) as they serve on the HMHS Britannic. Eastham actually uses the moment of its sinking as a prologue, before eventually getting back to that moment deep in the book (around the 70% mark, IIRC). Eastham then continues to follow these two nurses through the end of the war, and it is here in particular that she shows the bravery to do things few authors do. Overall a solid tale of its type, one fans of the genre will love and which even those new to the genre will get a good example of this type of tale. Very much recommended.
sarahs_bookish_life's review against another edition
An emotional read that me in tears more than a few times!
More...