Sunflower Sisters: A Novel (Woolsey-Ferriday)

Let me take you back to Civil War America where we’ll meet three women whose stories you can’t wait to read. Georgeanna Woolsey, aka Georgey, a relative of Caroline Ferriday from Lilac Girls, insists on becoming not only a nurse for soldiers during the war but dreams of opening the very first nursing school for women. At a time when women nurses were treated lesser than than male nurses this was no easy task. Georgey was a fierce protagonist to read, putting career before a potential beau and guarding her family with all her might, she was a wonderful character to cheer for beginning to end. Anne-May just inherited Peeler Plantation in Maryland that produces tobacco. Anne-May is a more difficult character to read from, her cruelty to her slaves is unending. After her husband and brother are both sent off to war, on opposite sides mind you, Anne-May has full control over the plantation and just might drive it, and herself, into the ground. Not only does she run around committing adultery but she begins spying for the Confederate Army, sheesh girl! The only redeeming quality about Anne-May was her cat and she hated Anne-May as much as I did. Jemma is a slave on Anne-May’s plantation and although she is treated terribly her chapters were also a joy to read. Jemma’s family lives with and near her and she guards them as fiercely as Georgey guards hers. Jemma is a smart and resourceful young woman and refuses to let her life be wasted as she has seen many wasted before. Her life is full of tragedy and when she is sold and separated from her family she finds new ways to continue on. Jemma has more perseverance in her pinky finger than I do in my entire body. The beginning chapter of the Woolsey family witnessing a salve auction in broad daylight reels you in and warns you of the journey ahead. And at the center of these stories? Sunflowers. These flowers were used to warn fleeing slaves of places that were not safe, where they could be captured, and where they could be killed. Kelly narrates this novel beautifully and crafted these characters so perfectly I felt like I was reading a diary and not a fictional novel. While it is 500 pages hardcopy (I had an e-copy) it flew by for me and it felt much shorter. The writing narrative and story-telling are quintessential historical fiction and readers will stay up too late into the night soaking up these well-told stories. This is an easy 5 star historical fiction read for me, and I can't wait to recommend it to everyone I know.

It took a while to get into this book. But the part of Jemma got me interested. It was well researched to convey the horrible life of a slave. I wrote a long story of my own when I was about 9 years old that had the odd and almost impossible convergence of characters that this book had. Last minute heroics etc. It kind of got very predictable. At times it was interesting and captivating and at times it get a bit long in the tooth. But I stuck with it and finished this book. I often do not read the material at the end of books. But I did for this book. I was shocked to read that the characters in this book, many, were based on real people with tangible data on their lives and activities such that some of the scenes in this book are based on reality. So, for authenticity this book is worth a read. So, this book has some surreal fiction in it, but it is well laced with some good historical truth. So, in the end it was mostly worth the read.

The final installment of the Ferriday/Woolsey trilogy. This book follows George Woolsey, an abolitionist, Jemma, an enslaved girl, and Anne May, Jemma’s owner. The book is set throughout the years of the Civil War. Their stories intertwine with one another throughout the book. The characters are all very realistic and you feel like you really are a part of their lives. I was so thrilled when I got an ARC of this book. I have read her other two books in this series and was so excited to learn there was another one in the series. I really didn’t think I would get an ARC of this book, so basically when I did, I read it right away. Her characters really do come alive. I found myself hating characters and wishing things upon them, but at the same time loving characters and looking forward to their character growth. Martha Hall Kelly is an amazing writer and I can’t wait to see what she writes next. I am so sad this trilogy is over. I would love to read another book about the Woolsey sisters because Kelly has made them seem so interesting and amazing. I really wish Jemma was a real person because she sounds amazing as well and I wish someone else’s story had ended like hers in real life. If anyone deserved anything and everything it was her. It is clear this book was well researched and Kelly did her homework on the Civil War and the treatment of slaves. I also thought it was interesting to set the plantation and the slavery in Maryland since it was a border state and didn’t actually leave the Union. Very well done book and highly recommended. I will definitely be buying this book when it comes out to finish my collection. Thank you NetGalley, Martha Hall Kelly and Random House Publishing for the ARC in an exchange for an honest review. I did buy it and still stand by this review!

No review needed! I love reading about history from long ago! I think it d I d take to long in th he beginning to know I w we hats going on Give it a ten

A moving story of three women from different walks of life dealing with the hardships of the civil war.

It’s always hard to read stories about slavery and war. There were definitely difficult parts to read in this one, but they are necessary as they are truth and were probably worse than what we read in this one. This last in the Wolsey-Ferriday series is probably my favorite of the three. I fell in love with the characters. The switching of character points of view added to a more rounded perspective. The historical references made me want to discover more, especially related to nurses during the Civil War. It all made me think about how important it is to know the true history (even through fiction) of our ugly past so that we can gain some compassion for real people who lived through it so we don’t repeat it. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the book to learn what would happen next. It had a great ending with lots of surprises. Loved it!

I think I said this of the second book in this series, but this was my favorite of the three. It was fast-paced, full of suspense and hope, and I couldn't get enough. 750 pages flew by, and I wanted more! I tend to stick to WWII historical fiction, but I loved the Civil War setting of this book. My mother-in-law grew up in an old farmhouse on the Gettysburg battlefield, so I knew the places and mentioned when Georgy and Mother spent three weeks there as nurses. My spiritual gifts are serving and giving, so I found all of the Woolsey so inspirational--especially their view of everyone as equals--black or white, north or south, man or woman. As always, I thoroughly enjoyed Martha's notes at the end about her research and which characters and events were real. I cannot recommend this three-book series enough! It is masterfully written!

Loved the story, as I did all of Ferriday books (Lavender Girls, Lost Roses). Prompted me to visit the Lavender house in Bethlehem, CT, where Martha Hall Kelly lived. Worth seeing, worth reading her stories.