Lilac Girls - Wow, I’m enjoying this more than I thought I would given my WW2-story fatigue. She’s a gifted writer! I look forward to the next one. The support goes beyond this and often, many of our team become friends with some of the families they are placing and indeed the hosts

Allllll that to say Sunflower Sisters really is an excellent read for historical fiction fans. Chapters are dedicated to the first-person perspectives of three main characters: Georgy - a very noble abolitionist nurse, Jemma - a slave with gumption and guts, and Anne-May - a plantation owner, Confederate spy, and true baddie. 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. As well researched and engaging as Lost Roses and Lilac Girls...Drawing on real events and primary sources, Kelly illuminates parts of history infrequently told. Offer it to fans of Marie Benedict, the Civil War era, and readers who enjoy historical fiction starring real people." - Booklist The Civil War is told through these women’s stories and perspectives as Kelly takes us though first hand, these characters’ harrowing experiences from New York to Washington, and then to the battlegrounds of Gettysburg and a hospital ship as Georgy tends to the wounded. ⁣ An angry, powerful book seething with love and outrage for a community too often stereotyped or ignored.Despite having to deal with some serious issues, Alice told us the experience of running Sunflower Sisters has been incredible, especially watching it grow: Georgeanna is the most believable character and Kelly has spent years researching the real Georgeanna Woolsey from letters to her large family and others. Her dedication to her career, her compassion for those oppressed as well as the wounded soldiers from both sides will endear her in a powerful way to readers. It is her story that propels the story forward in many places throughout. Thanks, #NetGalley @RandomHouse for my complimentary e ARC of #SunflowerSisters upon my request. All opinions are my own. Alice told us that a few refugees coming to the UK find themselves in potentially dangerous situations.

The storyline regarding Georgey is based upon the Woolsey family letters and memorabilia in the family museum. It was fascinating to read of the discrimination against female nurses, and the extra hardships they suffered during the Civil War. With that being said, it was a decent read and the fact the author was able to write three historical fiction books featuring different generations of a family is pretty neat. Martha Hall Kelly captured my heart with Lilac Girls and Lost Roses, so I was thrilled to have received this ARC. Sunflower Sisters takes place during the Civil War and is told from the viewpoints of a MD slave, Jemma, her owner, Anne-May, and a NY nurse, Georgy. The stories of how the slaves are treated are poignant and difficult to read, especially when they are being punished. Jemma’s plight, strength and tenacity captured my heart and I experienced a roller coaster of emotions with each of her accomplishments and struggles. All of Kelly’s characters come across as incredibly authentic with both good and bad qualities. Even the loathsome Anne-May showed moments of humanity at times. Both Jemma and Georgy must face an abundance of prejudices and both emerge as extremely strong women. I saw such a sale in Richmond as a girl. Many masters sell their own colored children, and their own children begot of those daughters.”We have a long-standing and positive relationship with the UK Government and other international voluntary organisations, and our leadership team still includes Dr Alice Good, the founding member of Sunflower Sisters, who has received an MBE in recognition of the contribution she and other volunteers within our group have made towards helping the citizens of Ukraine. It may be the case that there hasn't actually been any issues, and no evidence of sexual exploitation or anything like that, but the woman may feel threatened or feel uncomfortable in this situation. Much of this book is based upon actual letters written by the Woolsey family or to the Woolsey family. I have read author Martha Hall Kelly’s two previous books – “Lilac Girls” and “Lost Roses” so I jumped at the chance to read her newest book, set just before and through the Civil War. This one is based on the same Ferriday family that we meet in the other two books.

I would recommend this to someone who hasn’t read a lot of history about slavery or women’s roles in the Union army. Georgeanna “Georgey” Woolsey isn’t meant for the world of lavish parties and the demure attitudes of women of her stature. So when war ignites the nation, Georgey follows her passion for nursing during a time when doctors considered women on the battlefront a bother. In proving them wrong, she and her sister Eliza venture from New York to Washington, D.C., to Gettysburg and witness the unparalleled horrors of slavery as they become involved in the war effort. Peeler Plantation in Maryland, Jemma is a slave, her father and mother live in the slave quarters and her twin sister Patience works at a nearby Indigo plantation called Ambrosia. The two people she fears the most are her difficult and mean mistress Anne-May and the extremely nasty overseer LeBaron. Anne-May is the owner of Peeler Plantation, her husband Fergus Watson joins the Union army and her beloved brother Harry Wilson joins the Confederate army. Left in charge Anne-May sees it as the perfect opportunity to do as she pleases, she spends too much money, treats her slaves badly and flirts with shop keeper Jubal Smalls. Anne-May is rather naïve, her behavior gets her into serious trouble and she’s drawn into a network of Southern spies.As with all of Kelly’s books, I was impressed by the amount of research that went into this. Though the characters are fictional, they are based on actual people and events told through letters. I have not read a fictional Civil War book quite like this ever. I love that it is told from 3 very different points of view, which convey the many quandaries of this time in history. It raises many difficult questions about why things were the way they were and how the terrible events of the past are affecting society currently. This is an absolute must-read for 2021.

Third in the “Flowers Trilogy” (as I affectionately think of them), Sunflower Sisters precedes Lilac Girls and Lost Roses in a historical timeline and altogether the three books involve three wars. First, Lilac Girls is set during WW11 and features heroine Caroline Ferriday; next, Lost Roses, a prequel to Lilac Girls, features Caroline’s mother, Eliza Ferriday, and is set in the pre-WW1 era; finally, Sunflower Sisters is the prequel to Lost Roses and is set during the Civil War. All the stories in the trilogy can be read as stand alones. I think Sunflower Sisters is my favorite of the three. Jemma, a slave on Anne-May’s plantation is a strong young woman, who cares deeply for her family. Anne-May takes advantage of Jemma’s ability to read and write when it comes time to pass on the war secrets. Georgy and her mother, Eliza Jane Woolsey, meet Jemma in Gettysburg after Jemma had been conscripted into service of the Union Army and take her under their wings.The other storyline features a slave family and the owners of one particular plantation, Peeler Plantation in Maryland. Ann-May Wilson owns the plantation, and she is quite despicable along with her overseer LeBaron. Some of my favorite chapters feature Jemma, a slave who is brutally beaten by Ann-May. I really grew engrossed in Jemma’s family and I rooted for them to have freedom from slavery and this plantation. Many refugees need help with visa applications as the documents are very long and can be confusing. Martha Hall Kelly writes about the strong and determined women in the Ferriday-Woolsey family in the trilogy consisting of Lilac Girls, Lost Roses and now in this third book taking place during the civil war. It’s historical fiction, but is based on this true life family and the contributions they made over the generations. It’s impeccably researched and the author makes it clear in her “Notes on Sources” what is real, what is fictional and that the bulk of the story is based on the letters of the Woolsey family and that makes it so meaningful. One set of characters features the unique Woolsey/Ferriday family, staunch abolitionists, many of them work as nurses. It was fascinating to read about women breaking into the nursing world as I didn’t realize that all nurses used to be male as well as doctors. Georgey is the main Woolsey daughter featured in this story.