Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly
Reviewed by: Becky Houghton, Reference Assistant
What is This Book About?: Told from the perspective of three women during the U.S. Civil War and based heavily on fact and historical documents, Sunflower Sisters details the roles of women during the war from nurses to spies to slaves. Georgianna “Georgy” Woolsey takes a very active role in the war by training and serving as a field nurse in Maryland, the Capital in Washington and the Gettysburg battlefield. Georgy, her mother, and sisters all aid the Union war efforts in various ways as abolitionists. In contract, Anne-May Watson is a southern slave owner originally from New Orleans, but an inheritor of a tabaco plantation in Maryland. Through a cruel, abusive overseer, Anne-May mistreats those working on her farm and does all she can to keep the institution of slavery alive and well in the south. Jemma, a young slave girl, and her family are Anne-May’s property and their efforts to escape slavery and serve to end the institution comprise the third perspective of the story. Told chronologically through each of these women’s stories, a gripping, vivid tale of the Civil War years is revealed.
My Review: I loved this book! Kelly’s writing style of relating the events through the eyes of three different women from very diverse backgrounds gives a strong sense of accuracy to her accounts and draws the reader into the story that she tells. While some events related are not pleasant, Kelly’s strong characters and how they handle the events kept me engrossed in story. It is realistic because many of the characters and events portrayed actually existed as is revealed in the author’s note at the end of the novel. I have always enjoyed both fiction and non-fiction about the civil war, so highly recommend this book to the lovers of historical fiction!
Three Words that Describe this Book: Gripping, Powerful, Realistic
Give This A Try if You Like… Martha Kelly’s previous titles Lost Roses or Lilac Girls or if you just enjoy books about the tumultuous Civil War years in the United States.
Rating: 5/5
