War Nurse
One War. One promise. One diary.
And death around every corner.
War Nurse by Sue Reid is a truly
amazing novel. Published by Scholastic Ltd, 2005 in the United Kingdom, this
book is all about a Second World War nurses’ diary. As soon as I picked this
book up, I found it so engaging, I was hooked from the first page, and I hardly
ever stopped to put the book down.
Set in the time of World War Two
England, this moving and gripping book tells the compelling story of Kitty
Langley and her struggle to survive as the War rages on. More wounded men are
arriving every day, and the little hospital on the coast can only hold and care
for so many. The nurses work for hours on end, and for many it’s the first glimpse
of the real horrors of war. Sadness is etched on to every nurse’s face, with so
many soldiers dying. But it’s not only the soldiers. Friends, family and
relatives are also being killed. Kitty often asks the question: When will this
bloodthirsty battle end? However, until it does, life must go on.
In the book, we follow the life
of Kitty Langley, and as a new nurse, she also is finding it difficult to cope
with the deaths, sadness and despair in her small hospital. She desperately
tries to manage and put on a good face for everyone else, but it is all too
much. When the air raid alarms sounded for the 100th time, Kitty was
sure that it was just another false alarm.
Rumour has it that an invasion is due any day now, but when planes
started droning overhead, Kitty realises that the hospital is very vulnerable.
Sue Reid has also written
several other books based on major historical events, but this one is the best
by far. She has also written Pompeii, a young Roman girl’s diary of the events
before and after the eruption of Vesuvius. I really enjoy her writing style as
her sentences are diverse and complex.
She writes in the first person, so we see events through the eyes of the
main character. Another aspect that
makes her writing different is that she seems to perfect in how to incorporate
real historical figures and statistics into the book in a relevant and
interesting way. So, I got my history lesson as well as a great read!
In conclusion, War Nurse’s
thrilling, sad and desperate plot makes it a remarkable novel based on an all
too real time in our history. Any girl looking for a thrilling novel with a
twist of history should look no further. This book is a great break from all
the vampire and romantic novels. I strongly suggest you read this book as it is
nothing short of astonishing. So, keep calm and carry on reading!
Lilly, MS
