"The War Nurse" by Tracey Enerson Wood - Historical Fiction Book Club - Past Titles

About the Author: Tracey Enerson Wood

Background: Tracey Enerson Wood was born and raised in Connecticut. She has a background in historical research and writing, which is reflected in her novels.
Educational Background: Wood earned her Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Vermont and a Master's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Fairfield University.
Career Transition to Writing: Tracey Enerson Wood had a successful career in marketing and advertising before transitioning to a full-time career as a writer. This transition allowed her to pursue her passion for historical storytelling.
Debut Novel - "The Engineer's Wife" (2020): Tracey Enerson Wood's debut novel, "The Engineer's Wife," was published in 2020. The novel is a historical fiction work that explores the life of Emily Warren Roebling, who played a crucial role in the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Literary Style and Themes: Wood is known for her ability to bring historical figures to life and tell their stories in a compelling and engaging manner. Her works often highlight the lives of women who made significant contributions but may have been overlooked in history.
Advocacy: In addition to her writing, Tracey Enerson Wood is involved in advocacy work related to women's issues. She has been an advocate for women's rights and empowerment.
Inspirations: Wood draws inspiration from historical events and figures, weaving their stories into the fabric of her novels. Her interest in historical research is evident in the detailed and authentic settings of her books.

Synopsis

Based on a true story, The War Nurse is a sweeping historical novel by USA Today bestselling author Tracey Enerson Wood that takes readers on an unforgettable journey through WWI France.

She asked dozens of young women to lay their lives on the line during the Great War. Can she protect them?

Superintendent of Nurses Julia Stimson must recruit sixty-four nurses to relieve the battle-worn British, months before American troops are ready to be deployed. She knows that the young nurses serving near the front lines will face a challenging situation, but nothing could have prepared her for the chaos that awaits when they arrive at British Base Hospital 12 in Rouen, France. The primitive conditions, a convoluted, ineffective system, and horrific battle wounds are enough to discourage the most hardened nurses, and Julia can do nothing but lead by example--even as the military doctors undermine her authority and make her question her very place in the hospital tent.

When trainloads of soldiers stricken by a mysterious respiratory illness arrive one after the other, overwhelming the hospital's limited resources, and threatening the health of her staff, Julia faces an unthinkable choice--to step outside the bounds of her profession and risk the career she has fought so hard for, or to watch the people she cares for most die in her arms.

Historical Timeline

British Base Hospital 12 in Rouen, France

British Base Hospital 12 played a crucial role in providing medical care during World War I. Here is a brief timeline of key events related to British Base Hospital 12 in Rouen, France:

1914:
- August: British Base Hospital 12 is established in Rouen, France, in response to the outbreak of World War I. It is set up to provide medical care for wounded soldiers on the Western Front.
1915:
- Ongoing: The hospital expands and evolves to accommodate the increasing number of casualties from the front lines.
1916:
- July 1-November 18: Battle of the Somme – The hospital likely receives a significant influx of wounded soldiers during this major offensive.
1917:
- April 9-14: Battle of Arras – The hospital treats casualties from the Battle of Arras, a key engagement on the Western Front.
- July 31-November 10: Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) – The hospital is involved in caring for the wounded during this major campaign.
1918:
- March 21-July 18: German Spring Offensive – The hospital likely faces increased activity as a result of the German offensive and subsequent Allied counteroffensive.
- September 29-October 10: Battle of St. Quentin Canal – The hospital is likely involved in treating casualties from this battle.
1919:
- Post-Armistice: After the signing of the armistice on November 11, 1918, the hospital likely continues its work in the immediate post-war period, providing medical care for soldiers recovering from injuries.
Post-World War I:
- 1920s: With the end of the war, British Base Hospital 12 in Rouen is likely demobilized and eventually closed.

The timeline provides a general overview of the hospital's activities during World War I. The hospital would have been a crucial part of the medical infrastructure supporting the Allied forces on the Western Front, providing care for wounded soldiers from various battles and campaigns. For more detailed and specific information, consulting historical records, diaries, and official reports related to British Base Hospital 12 in Rouen would be beneficial.

WWI

World War I, also known as the Great War, had a profound impact on France and its people. Here's a brief timeline of key events related to World War I in France:

1914:
- July 28: Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, marking the beginning of hostilities.
- August 1-3: Germany declares war on Russia and France, leading to the mobilization of European powers.
- August 4: Germany invades Belgium, prompting Britain to declare war on Germany.
- August 23-26: Battle of Mons and the British Expeditionary Force's retreat.
- September 6-10: First Battle of the Marne – A pivotal battle that halts the German advance into France.
1915:
- April 22-May 25: Second Battle of Ypres – The first large-scale use of poison gas on the Western Front.
1916:
- July 1-November 18: Battle of the Somme – A major offensive by the British and French against the Germans.
1917:
- April 6: The United States enters the war on the side of the Allies.
- April 16-June 9: Nivelle Offensive – An unsuccessful French offensive that leads to widespread mutinies in the French army.
1918:
- March 21-July 18: German Spring Offensive – A series of German offensives aiming to win the war before American reinforcements arrive.
- July 18: Second Battle of the Marne – A turning point that marks the beginning of the Allied counteroffensive.
- November 11: Armistice is signed, ending hostilities on the Western Front.
- 1919: Treaty of Versailles is signed, formally ending the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers.
Post-War:
- 1920: France suffers political and social upheavals in the aftermath of the war.
- 1923: The French and Belgian occupation of the Ruhr occurs as a response to German reparations difficulties.

World War I had a profound and lasting impact on France, resulting in significant social, political, and economic changes. The war's memory continued to influence French society throughout the 20th century, shaping national identity and international relations.

British Base Hospital 12 in Rouen, France

British Base Hospital 12 played a crucial role in providing medical care during World War I. Here is a brief timeline of key events related to British Base Hospital 12 in Rouen, France:

1914:
- August: British Base Hospital 12 is established in Rouen, France, in response to the outbreak of World War I. It is set up to provide medical care for wounded soldiers on the Western Front.
1915:
- Ongoing: The hospital expands and evolves to accommodate the increasing number of casualties from the front lines.
1916:
- July 1-November 18: Battle of the Somme – The hospital likely receives a significant influx of wounded soldiers during this major offensive.
1917:
- April 9-14: Battle of Arras – The hospital treats casualties from the Battle of Arras, a key engagement on the Western Front.
- July 31-November 10: Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) – The hospital is involved in caring for the wounded during this major campaign.
1918:
- March 21-July 18: German Spring Offensive – The hospital likely faces increased activity as a result of the German offensive and subsequent Allied counteroffensive.
- September 29-October 10: Battle of St. Quentin Canal – The hospital is likely involved in treating casualties from this battle.
1919:
- Post-Armistice: After the signing of the armistice on November 11, 1918, the hospital likely continues its work in the immediate post-war period, providing medical care for soldiers recovering from injuries.
Post-World War I:
- 1920s: With the end of the war, British Base Hospital 12 in Rouen is likely demobilized and eventually closed.

WWI

World War I, also known as the Great War, had a profound impact on France and its people. Here's a brief timeline of key events related to World War I in France:

1914:
- July 28: Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, marking the beginning of hostilities.
- August 1-3: Germany declares war on Russia and France, leading to the mobilization of European powers.
- August 4: Germany invades Belgium, prompting Britain to declare war on Germany.
- August 23-26: Battle of Mons and the British Expeditionary Force's retreat.
- September 6-10: First Battle of the Marne – A pivotal battle that halts the German advance into France.
1915:
- April 22-May 25: Second Battle of Ypres – The first large-scale use of poison gas on the Western Front.
1916:
- July 1-November 18: Battle of the Somme – A major offensive by the British and French against the Germans.
1917:
- April 6: The United States enters the war on the side of the Allies.
- April 16-June 9: Nivelle Offensive – An unsuccessful French offensive that leads to widespread mutinies in the French army.
1918:
- March 21-July 18: German Spring Offensive – A series of German offensives aiming to win the war before American reinforcements arrive.
- July 18: Second Battle of the Marne – A turning point that marks the beginning of the Allied counteroffensive.
- November 11: Armistice is signed, ending hostilities on the Western Front.
- 1919: Treaty of Versailles is signed, formally ending the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers.
Post-War:
- 1920: France suffers political and social upheavals in the aftermath of the war.
- 1923: The French and Belgian occupation of the Ruhr occurs as a response to German reparations difficulties.

British Base Hospital 12 in Rouen, France

British Base Hospital 12 played a crucial role in providing medical care during World War I. Here is a brief timeline of key events related to British Base Hospital 12 in Rouen, France:

1914:
- August: British Base Hospital 12 is established in Rouen, France, in response to the outbreak of World War I. It is set up to provide medical care for wounded soldiers on the Western Front.
1915:
- Ongoing: The hospital expands and evolves to accommodate the increasing number of casualties from the front lines.
1916:
- July 1-November 18: Battle of the Somme – The hospital likely receives a significant influx of wounded soldiers during this major offensive.
1917:
- April 9-14: Battle of Arras – The hospital treats casualties from the Battle of Arras, a key engagement on the Western Front.
- July 31-November 10: Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) – The hospital is involved in caring for the wounded during this major campaign.
1918:
- March 21-July 18: German Spring Offensive – The hospital likely faces increased activity as a result of the German offensive and subsequent Allied counteroffensive.
- September 29-October 10: Battle of St. Quentin Canal – The hospital is likely involved in treating casualties from this battle.
1919:
- Post-Armistice: After the signing of the armistice on November 11, 1918, the hospital likely continues its work in the immediate post-war period, providing medical care for soldiers recovering from injuries.
Post-World War I:
- 1920s: With the end of the war, British Base Hospital 12 in Rouen is likely demobilized and eventually closed.

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Under the Cover of Mercy by Rebecca Connolly
Call Number: FIC CONNOLLY
Can one nurse on a mission of mercy and rebellion turn the tide of WWI? November 1914--The Great War has come to Brussels, and Edith Cavell, Head Nurse at Berkendael Medical Institute, faces an impossible situation. She has sworn an oath to help any who are wounded, under whatever flag they are found. But Governor von Lüttwitz, the ranking German officer, has ordered her and her nurses to also stand guard over the wounded Allied prisoners of war and prevent them from escaping. Edith feels that God called her to be a healer, not a jailer. How can she heal these broken boys, only to see them returned to the hands of their oppressors to be beaten again? So when members of the Belgian resistance, desperate for help, bring two wounded British soldiers to her hospital in secret, she decides she will heal the soldiers, and then help smuggle them out of the hospital to freedom. With her loyal friend and fellow nurse, Lizzie, by her side, Edith establishes her hospital as a safe house for the resistance, laboring tirelessly to save as many soldiers as she can. Working under the watchful eyes of the German army, Edith faces challenging odds as she fights to bring hope to her small corner of a war-torn world. Based on a true story, Under the Cover of Mercy is the remarkable account of one woman who defied an entire nation in order to heal those who needed her help the most.
The Victory Garden by Rhys Bowen
Call Number: FICTION Bowen
As the Great War continues to take its toll, headstrong twenty-one-year-old Emily Bryce is determined to contribute to the war effort. She is convinced by a cheeky and handsome Australian pilot that she can do more, and it is not long before she falls in love with him and accepts his proposal of marriage. When he is sent back to the front, Emily volunteers as a "land girl," tending to the neglected grounds of a large Devonshire estate. It's here that Emily discovers the long-forgotten journals of a medicine woman who devoted her life to her herbal garden. The journals inspire Emily, and in the wake of devastating news, they are her saving grace. Emily's lover has not only died a hero but has left her terrified--and with child. Since no one knows that Emily was never married, she adopts the charade of a war widow. As Emily learns more about the volatile power of healing with herbs, the found journals will bring her to the brink of disaster, but may open a path to her destiny.
The Woman at the Front by Lecia Cornwall
Call Number: Fiction Cornwall
When Eleanor Atherton graduates from medical school near the top of her class in 1917, she dreams of going overseas to help the wounded, but her ambition is thwarted at every turn. Nevertheless, when an unexpected twist of fate sends Eleanor to the battlefields of France as the private doctor of a British peer, she seizes the chance to prove herself. But a casualty clearing station close to the front lines is an unforgiving place. Facing sceptical commanders, scores of wounded men, underhanded efforts by her family to bring her home, and a blossoming romance, Eleanor must take fight for what she wants.
The Sisters' War by Suzanne Feldman
Call Number: FICTION Feldman
August 1914. While Europe enters a brutal conflict unlike any waged before, the Duncan household in Baltimore, Maryland, is the setting for a different struggle. Ruth and Elise Duncan long to escape the roles that society, and their controlling father, demand they play. Together, the sisters volunteer for the war effort, Ruth as a nurse, Elise as a driver. Stationed at a makeshift hospital in Ypres, Belgium, Ruth soon confronts war's harshest lesson: not everyone can be saved. Rising above the appalling conditions, she seizes an opportunity to realize her dream to practice medicine as a doctor. Elise, an accomplished mechanic, finds purpose and an unexpected kinship within the all-female Ambulance Corps. Through bombings, heartache, and loss, Ruth and Elise cherish an independence rarely granted to women, unaware that their greatest challenges are still to come.
The Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally
Call Number: FICTION Keneally
1915, Naomi and Sally Durance, two spirited Australian sisters, join the war effort as nurses, escaping the confines of their father's farm and carrying a guilty secret with them. Though they are used to tending the sick, nothing could have prepared them for what they confront, first on a hospital ship near Gallipoli, then on the Western Front. Yet amid the carnage, the sisters become the friends they never were at home and find them-selves courageous in the face of extreme danger and also the hostility from some on their own side. There is great bravery, humor, and compassion, too, and the inspiring example of the remarkable women they serve alongside. In France, where Naomi nurses in a hospital set up by the eccen-tric Lady Tarlton while Sally works in a casualty clearing station, each meets an exceptional man: the kind of men for whom they might give up some of their newfound independence-if only they all survive. At once vast in scope and extraordinarily intimate, The Daughters of Mars brings World War I vividly to life from an uncommon perspec-tive. Thomas Keneally has written a remarkable novel about suffering and transcendence, despair and triumph, and the simple acts of decency that make us human even in a world gone mad.
Wives of War by Soraya M. Lane
Call Number: FICTION Lane
London, 1944. Two young nurses meet at a train station with a common purpose: to join the war effort. Scarlet longs for the chance to find her missing fiancé, Thomas, and to prove to her family--and to herself--that she's stronger than everybody thinks. Nursing is in Ellie's blood, but her humble background is vastly different from Scarlet's privileged upbringing. Though Ellie puts on a brave face, she's just as nervous as Scarlet about what awaits them in France. In Normandy, the two friends soon encounter the seemingly unflappable Lucy. Scarlet and Ellie are in awe of her courage and competence, but the experienced nurse is well aware of the dangers of the job they've chosen--and even she is terrified they won't make it home alive. Pushed to their limits by the brutality of a world at war, Scarlet, Ellie and Lucy will need to rely on each other--and the power of their friendship--to survive.
Half in Shadow by Gemma Liviero
Call Number: FICTION LIVIERO
1915. In German-occupied Belgium, a tragic loss forces Josephine Descharmes to navigate dangerous new territory. By day it's compliance, serving German officers at the Hotel Métropole. By night it's resistance, working with her brothers underground to help Allied soldiers and civilians cross the border into Holland. Both paths put her and her family at great risk. As Josephine struggles to keep her family safe, Arthur, a grief-stricken English soldier trapped behind enemy lines, finds purpose and hope with Josephine and her work. Meanwhile, Franz, a German officer remorseful for the casualties of war, offers her protection and opportunity. These two men from opposing sides will open her heart and test her loyalties. Amid the sorrows of war and threats of mortal danger and betrayal, Josephine must steer her own fate. In a country deprived of freedom, she will make an impossible choice--one that will forever impact the family she cherishes and the man she loves.
The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason
Call Number: FICTION Mason
Vienna, 1914. Lucius is a twenty-two-year-old medical student when World War I explodes across Europe. Enraptured by romantic tales of battlefield surgery, he enlists, expecting a position at a well-organized field hospital. But when he arrives, at a commandeered church tucked away high in a remote valley of the Carpathian Mountains, he finds a freezing outpost ravaged by typhus. The other doctors have fled, and only a single, mysterious nurse named Sister Margarete remains. But Lucius has never lifted a surgeon's scalpel. And as the war rages across the winter landscape, he finds himself falling in love with the woman from whom he must learn a brutal, makeshift medicine. Then one day, an unconscious soldier is brought in from the snow, his uniform stuffed with strange drawings. He seems beyond rescue, until Lucius makes a fateful decision that will change the lives of doctor, patient, and nurse forever. From the gilded ballrooms of Imperial Vienna to the frozen forests of the Eastern Front; from hardscrabble operating rooms to battlefields thundering with Cossack cavalry, The Winter Soldier is the story of war and medicine, of family, of finding love in the sweeping tides of history, and finally, of the mistakes we make, and the precious opportunities to atone.
The Call of the Wrens by Jenni L. Walsh
Call Number: FICTION Walsh
An orphan who spent her youth without a true home, Marion Hoxton found in the Great War something other than destruction. She discovered a chance to belong. As a member of the Women's Royal Naval Service--the Wrens--Marion gained sisters. She found purpose in her work as a motorcycle dispatch rider assigned to train and deliver carrier pigeons to the front line. And despite the constant threat of danger, she and her childhood friend Eddie began to dream of a future together. Until the battle that changed everything. Now twenty years later, another war has broken out across Europe, calling Marion to return to the fight. Meanwhile others, like twenty-year-old society girl Evelyn Fairchild, hear the call for the first time. For Evelyn, serving in the war is a way to prove herself after a childhood fraught with surgeries and limitations from a disability. The re-formation of the Wrens as World War II rages is the perfect opportunity to make a difference in the world at seventy miles per hour.