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elanaslilbooknook's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
ktk8's review against another edition
4.0
War really is a piece of shit. This is a good book. I was absorbed by the story and throughout also had such a sense of the truly insane waste of (mostly young) people's lives through war. Which is what i hear time and time again from my grandparents and their peers. Plus I imagine, anyone who's been affected by war wherever they may be, whatever language they may speak. This story really brings that home as well as being a very interesting read.
readingjag's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this one. World War One through the eyes of sisters, both nurses, who leave Australia to assist in the war effort. It opened my eyes to a bit of history that I was unfamiliar with.
krobart's review against another edition
3.0
See my review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2014/09/12/day-579-the-daughters-of-mars/
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2014/09/12/day-579-the-daughters-of-mars/
samanthajanecates's review against another edition
3.0
It is 2 in the morning and I finally finished this book that I have been slowly chipping away at for the better part of this week.
My favorite genre is historical fiction, particularly focusing on WW1 and WW2. So, naturally I had high hopes for this book.
Unfortunately, I found The Daughters of Mars to fall flat to books of its same genre, such as The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.
In short, the plot was slow moving for so long, and then quick all at once. Keneally spent chapters describing a day or two, and then abruptly would skip to a short paragraph about an event the next season, or in the new year. The pacing was hard to follow.
The lack of quotations compounded my confusion. For a slow and tired reader like me, dialogue needs to be separated and more easily identifiable. I might be able to overlook this if the writing was advanced, but it was average at best.
The Durance sisters have some relatable and redeeming qualities which allowed me to stay engaged enough to finish the book. However, as a bit of a romantic at heart, I highly anticipated a compelling love story in the midst of the war. In reality, both Sally and Naomi's love stories were of little interest to me as they felt forced and devoid of true emotion.
The first part of the book felt like a necessary build to the plot, but in book 2 so many things happened just to happen. One big tragedy occurred in book 1 to help us understand Sally and Naomi a little more, and to force their bond. Book 2 was riddled with tragedy just for the fun of it. No true character development, no plot development. Just drop a bomb and move on.
And then I approached the last chapter and thought I was having a stroke. I was hopeful the ending would cure my ambivalence and finally make me love Keneally's story, but that was SO NOT the case. In all honesty, I could not think of a worse ending. It is way too long of a book to say so very little.
My favorite genre is historical fiction, particularly focusing on WW1 and WW2. So, naturally I had high hopes for this book.
Unfortunately, I found The Daughters of Mars to fall flat to books of its same genre, such as The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.
In short, the plot was slow moving for so long, and then quick all at once. Keneally spent chapters describing a day or two, and then abruptly would skip to a short paragraph about an event the next season, or in the new year. The pacing was hard to follow.
The lack of quotations compounded my confusion. For a slow and tired reader like me, dialogue needs to be separated and more easily identifiable. I might be able to overlook this if the writing was advanced, but it was average at best.
The Durance sisters have some relatable and redeeming qualities which allowed me to stay engaged enough to finish the book. However, as a bit of a romantic at heart, I highly anticipated a compelling love story in the midst of the war. In reality, both Sally and Naomi's love stories were of little interest to me as they felt forced and devoid of true emotion.
The first part of the book felt like a necessary build to the plot, but in book 2 so many things happened just to happen. One big tragedy occurred in book 1 to help us understand Sally and Naomi a little more, and to force their bond. Book 2 was riddled with tragedy just for the fun of it. No true character development, no plot development. Just drop a bomb and move on.
And then I approached the last chapter and thought I was having a stroke. I was hopeful the ending would cure my ambivalence and finally make me love Keneally's story, but that was SO NOT the case. In all honesty, I could not think of a worse ending. It is way too long of a book to say so very little.
mmhatton06's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book about sisters who were nurses during ww1. Loved all the characters,major and minor, met during the course of the war in Gallipoli as well as France. Great and poignant read.
dclaw's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book, so engrossing. It is a book where you fall into the story and wish it wouldn't end. I love a story that introduces me to another era, setting, circumstances... this book is just so.
catherine_louise's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not quite sure how I feel about this book. Technically, it's nearly flawless: tightly plotted, well-researched, with well developed main characters (the Durance sisters) and a good mix of supporting characters. The writing, too, is smooth, sometimes lyrical. Keneally knows how to turn a sentence on its ear, although sometimes he goes for the more obscure metaphor when a simpler description would be more evocative.
Most of all, he avoids much of the "men marching off to war" trope that's so common in other historical novels; a lesser writer might overgeneralize the war as pointless fighting waged by rash and petty generals, who duped naive young men into fighting and dying (these men, who only joined because they wanted an adventure, nothing more, nothing less). Alternatively, shows like Downton Abbey never quite show the impacts of such traumatic fighting on the psyche of those who fought it; in the show's universe, the war is forgotten once it ended. But here, the brutality of the war is rendered with much nuance and empathy to offer a fresh take on the period.
However, I didn't find it compelling, truly compelling, until well past the halfway mark, which is surprising given all the technical merits of the book - there's something about the writing that feels rather distant. Sally and Naomi don't come into their own as characters until around the halfway point, and until then, it's very difficult to really care about them, meaning that the first half of the novel drags, instead of pulling you in. I'm not sure if this is intentional on Keneally's part - for example, he often opts for "Sally saw a man standing in the corner" instead of "A man stood in the corner," a choice that feels very much like telling instead of showing - and if it is, I still haven't figured out the reason for it. Or perhaps it's just clumsy writing, I'm not sure.
I'm glad I didn't give up on this book, since it has a lot to offer - but it was not the tour de force that the reviews promised.
Most of all, he avoids much of the "men marching off to war" trope that's so common in other historical novels; a lesser writer might overgeneralize the war as pointless fighting waged by rash and petty generals, who duped naive young men into fighting and dying (these men, who only joined because they wanted an adventure, nothing more, nothing less). Alternatively, shows like Downton Abbey never quite show the impacts of such traumatic fighting on the psyche of those who fought it; in the show's universe, the war is forgotten once it ended. But here, the brutality of the war is rendered with much nuance and empathy to offer a fresh take on the period.
However, I didn't find it compelling, truly compelling, until well past the halfway mark, which is surprising given all the technical merits of the book - there's something about the writing that feels rather distant. Sally and Naomi don't come into their own as characters until around the halfway point, and until then, it's very difficult to really care about them, meaning that the first half of the novel drags, instead of pulling you in. I'm not sure if this is intentional on Keneally's part - for example, he often opts for "Sally saw a man standing in the corner" instead of "A man stood in the corner," a choice that feels very much like telling instead of showing - and if it is, I still haven't figured out the reason for it. Or perhaps it's just clumsy writing, I'm not sure.
I'm glad I didn't give up on this book, since it has a lot to offer - but it was not the tour de force that the reviews promised.
leemac027's review against another edition
3.0
Naomi and Sally are sisters, competitive and perhaps a bit wary of each other. They are both nurses, Naomi in the city and Sally in the country. With the outbreak of World War I, they both sign up but there is a secret they hold.
The book follows their experiences in the war - the horror, stress, conflict, loves and turmoil. Like a few others I was not immersed in the text and found it a bit disconnected from the action, so I did not form a connection to the characters as I normally am when reading a Thomas Keneally novel.
The book follows their experiences in the war - the horror, stress, conflict, loves and turmoil. Like a few others I was not immersed in the text and found it a bit disconnected from the action, so I did not form a connection to the characters as I normally am when reading a Thomas Keneally novel.