THE WAR NURSE by Tracey Enerson Wood - Review & Giveaway

 

I've read a plethora of novels set during WWII. Tracely Enerson Wood's new novel, THE WAR NURSE (SourceBooks) offers a story about WWI based on nurse, Miss Julia Stimson, whose true story was lost until now. 

Superintendent nurse, Stimson has one month to recruit, train and create policies and procedures for sixty-five nurses to be stationed at the Red Cross base camp in Rouen, France. Stimson finds herself caring and protective of her girls who will be close to the front, sacrificing their time with no return date set. American Expeditionary Forces Base Hospital 21, is a former racetrack set up to care for five hundred, but soon they are facing thirteen hundred patients. The novel focuses on the bravery and courage these nurses showed. Reading about the gases that were used against our troops and its effects on humans was cringe worthy.

Soldiers start coming into camp with a mysterious influenza-like disease causing coughing spasms. At first, those cases are dismissed as troops just trying to get out of going to the front, but with Stimson's leadership they realize here is a contagious influenza. It's the beginning of the pandemic of 1917-1918, which will go on to kill five-million people around the world. She fights to get an area set up just for those infected, most likely saving lives.

While reading Wood's novel, I couldn't help but recognize the similarity of the reaction to this misunderstood disease in1918, to COVID-19 today. Wood gives readers some relief from the atrocities of war, by highlighting personal relationships. Readers will find a strong female character in Julia Stinson and once again realize the importance of nurses in the field of medicine.

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Tracey Enerson Wood has always had a writing bug. While working as a Registered Nurse, starting her own Interior Design company, raising two children, and bouncing around the world as a military wife, she indulged in her passion as a playwright, screenwriter and novelist. She has authored magazine columns and other non-fiction, written and directed plays of all lengths, including Grits, Fleas and Carrots, Rocks and Other Hard Places, Alone, and Fog.

Her screenplays include Strike Three and Roebling’s Bridge.

Other passions include food and cooking, and honoring military heroes. Her co-authored anthology/cookbook Homefront Cooking, American Veterans share Recipes, Wit, and Wisdom, was released by Skyhorse Publishing in May, 2018, and all authors’ profits will be donated to organizations that support veterans.

A New Jersey native, she now lives with her family in Florida and Germany.

www.traceyenersonwood.com

Thanks to SourceBooks and BookBrowse we have one copy to giveaway. Just tell us something you know about WWI. I know it was called "The Great War." We'll announce a winner soon. Good luck.

GIVEAWAY: USA only please.

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