Charlotte Waverly wants to make more of a difference to
the
Civil war effort than knitting socks in her living room.
While her mother, sister and beau frown on her pursuits,
she trains with the Sanitary Commission—the predecessor to
the Red Cross—and puts her faith and compassionate heart
to
work for wounded soldiers. Conditions are miserable with
few supplies, little room and male doctors who feel women
belong in the home. But Charlotte perseveres, doing her
best to improve conditions and the lives of those she
nurses.
Green introduces other characters as well from Charlotte's
sister, Alice, who accompanies her, more to follow her
husband to war than to actively pursue nursing. Caleb, a
doctor who helped Charlotte during her father's illness
and
after his death, makes an appearance and may give her beau
a run for his money. There's also more to her beau than
she
knows and much of it not good, but will she figure out who
is who in time?
We also meet Ruby, an Irish immigrant who lives in Five
Points, an area of Manhattan with a reputation as the
worst
of the worst. Ruby's experiences mirror what many Irish
people faced: not having enough to eat, working hard for
little pay and turning to prostitution to survive.
Green weaves these storylines together well and has
clearly
done intensive research to bring to life this period of
time as well as New York and Washington to where the
cities
themselves have personalities. My one quibble with the
book
is the plot didn't have a lot to it. At times, it seemed
like the plot existed to support historical material
rather
than the other way around.
I must also say that I didn't realize this was a Christian
novel when I opted to review it, and I might not have
ordered it had I known. That said, while it included Bible
verses and the characters' faith and belief in God, it
didn't try to push those beliefs onto the reader.
It's April 1861, and the Union Army's Medical Department
is
a disaster, completely unprepared for the magnitude of
war.
A small group of New York City women, including 28-year-
old
Charlotte Waverly, decide to do something about it, and
end
up changing the course of the war, despite criticism,
ridicule and social ostracism. Charlotte leaves a life of
privilege, wealth-and confining expectations-to be one of
the first female nurses for the Union Army. She quickly
discovers that she's fighting more than just the
Rebellion
by working in the hospitals. Corruption, harassment, and
opposition from Northern doctors threaten to push her out
of
her new role. At the same time, her sweetheart
disapproves
of her shocking strength and independence, forcing her to
make an impossible decision: Will she choose love and
marriage, or duty to a cause that seems to be losing? An
Irish immigrant named Ruby O'Flannery, who turns to the
unthinkable in the face of starvation, holds the secret
that
will unlock the door to Charlotte's future. But will the
rich and poor confide in each other in
time?
Wedded to War is a work of fiction,
but
the story is inspired by the true life of Civil War nurse
Georgeanna Woolsey. Woolsey's letters and journals,
written
over 150 years ago, offer a thorough look of what
pioneering
nurses endured.
Jocelyn Green's debut novel is
endorsed by historians and professors for its historical
accuracy and detail, by award-winning novelists for its
spell-binding storytelling, and by entertainment
journalists
and book club leaders for its deep and complex content,
perfect to share and discuss with others.
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