Customer Reviews
sweeping historical drama - By: Caitlin Macdonald, 05 Dec 2005 
Set during the Crimean war, this is the story of Catherine Carreg, a young woman who finds the restrictive life of small town mid-nineteenth century Wales oppressive, & longs to escape. After the death of her motherin childbirth, Catherine decides she needs to make a differencein the world, & runs away to London with local cattle drovers to train as a nurse. She trainsin Florence Nightingale’s home for sick nurses, then volunteers to nursein the hell that is the hospital at Scutari, on the mouth of the Black Sea. Beset by ignorance, antagonism & illness, Catherine must fight to learn the lessons of love & war.
I have never been particularly interestedin this period of history, but Ms Gregson has brought it alive for me. The writing is fluent, the dirt & grime almost palpable, & the characters believable & sympathetic.
Amazing - By: , 07 Jan 2005 
What a compelling read - it was a thrill to all my senses, you could imagine yourself being there. It has been cleverly written drawing you into the characters, getting a sense of who they are & their experiences. You get absorbed - seeing the conditionsin the hospital, the smell the horses & the streets of London & feel the swaying of the boat.
Amazing, if there's one book to read for this year it's this one. Enjoy.
A compelling story of love and hope in wartime - By: , 14 Dec 2004 Although a love story setin the time of the Crimean War, this is much more than an historical romance. It doesn't shy away from the grim realities of lifein the nineteenth century, both at war & back at home, yet is full of hope & beauty. I found myself utterly gripped by the journey of Catherine, the protagonist - a wonderful, feisty character - & fascinated by the account of what really went onin the hospitalsin Scutari & Balaclava. A fantastic read.
