The Pull of the Stars

Very well written book about the pandemic of 1918 set in a hospital in Dublin, Ireland. The main character is a maternity nurse/midwife, and the story is told over three days in which she must try to save women and infants who are battling poverty, influenza, mistreatment, and difficult deliveries. There is much to discuss with this story, and somehow the author manages to address many topics without the reader getting whiplash with topic changes, including the horrible conditions due to WWI or the pandemic or poverty, the perspective of Nurse Powers versus that of Bridie, a volunteer who has grown up with literally nothing, finding love in unlikely places, societal ‘norms' for mothers and infants, the role of women during the war, even the political upheaval of the time in Ireland. Highly recommend for a book club book to discuss.