The third and final installment in Martha Hall Kelly's Lilac Girls series has arrived, and lovers of historical fiction can rejoice. Sunflower Sisters goes back even further in time from both Lilac Girls and Lost Roses, this time taking place during the American Civil War, and highlighting the tension not only between abolitionists and slave owners, but also female nurses, and those that preferred that women not get involved in healthcare on the battlefield.
The Situation: Georgeanna "Georgy" Woolsey is excited to begin her new career as a nurse. She is proud that she and her family are staunch abolitionists, but she has no interest in staying home and waiting for the war to be over. So she receives the best training she can find and joins the effort, even though it means coming face to face with gruesome injuries, terrible illness, and more than a few men that resent the presence of the female nurses. In Maryland, Anne-May Wilson is proud to be the mistress of the Peeler Plantation, and when her husband enlists on the side of the North, she is left in charge of the property, which includes a young slave-girl named Jemma, and the rest of her family. For months, Jemma's family has been having secret meetings, and making both weapons and plans to escape. But as the war continues, the idea of an escape attempt becomes more attractive, but also more dangerous.
The Problem: When the actions of the cruel plantation overseer leads to Jemma being sold, it means being separated from her family, but also may prove a means of escaping slavery altogether. Unfortunately, Anne-May becomes interested in Jemma's new location once she realizes that she is under serious suspicion of being a Confederate spy, and Jemma holds the information that could clear her name, or get her imprisoned. And while Georgy is intent upon being a nurse, and even one day opening a school for female nurses, there are plenty who disregard her ability and her advice. When she and Jemma cross paths, they are able to lean on and trust each other, though being in the Woolsey house in New York City does not mean that the young slave girl is in the clear. Anne-May is still very close on her trail, and can be just charming enough to get the information she needs out of almost anyone.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a historical fiction novel set during the American Civil War, and is told from the point of view of three different woman. Georgy Woolsey lives with her mother and four of her six sisters, as well as their one brother, in New York City, and is determined to aid the war effort as a nurse. Jemma is a young slave girl on the Peeler Plantation in Maryland, and must spend everyday looking out for herself against the plantations overseer. And then there is Anne-May, a New Orleans native who has become a mistress of a plantation she has no idea how to run, but she has no choice when her husband enlists. Much like the two previous books in the series, many of the characters here are based on real people. The real-life Georgy Woolsey was the great-aunt of Caroline Ferriday, the main heroine in Lilac Girls. And though slavery and the Civil War remain at the center of this book, the story also includes espionage, adventure, grief, family, and causes worth fighting for.
My Verdict: The setting of the Civil War makes for a fitting conclusion to the Lilac Girls series, and for the first time confines the entire narrative to American soil. Most readers will love following each character on their various travels throughout the original colonies, even as there is a war going on around them. Kelly confronts the brutality of slavery, as well as the desperation of those who wish to hold onto the institution and the financial gain it affords them. I do not necessarily take issue with Kelly's attempt to write from the point-of-view of a young black slave girl, but I did find the overall story to be lacking in depth. The adventures are very grand, and intense, and exciting, but there were parts that were rushed and seemed to be hastily put together, if only so they could push the story along and get to where the author wanted to go. Many elements and characters seemed like obvious plot devices that did not serve much purpose beyond that. What saves it is a satisfying ending, and the fact that it is clear Kelly did her research.
Favorite Moment: When Sable, Jemma's mother, decides she has had enough of Anne-May and begins destroying her property, consequences be damned.
Favorite Character: Anne-May's sister, Euphemia, is nothing like her, and that is certainly for the best.
Recommended Reading: I recommend The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, which tells the story of two sisters attempting to navigate the dangers of World War II France.
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