When The World Fell Silent by Donna Jones Alward

 

My thoughts

Donna Jones Alward is a new author for me. Her book is amazing. It's so very touching and emotional. What she has written here is a beautiful story of a tragedy that actually happened in 1917 in Halifax Harbour. In Canada. 

Two women from different families. From different backgrounds, but very much alike in so many ways. Nora and Charlotte. 

Nora was a nurse and loved her job. She had no inkling of wanting to be a wife or mother. She had bigger plans and was on course to achieving them. She loved having fun and fond just a bit to much fun with Alley. He was set to leave for the war and they had a night of drinking and partying that ended with Nora expecting a baby. She lived with her sister and her sister's husband(who was gone to war) and their two daughters. Alley left and that was that. Nora was left to deal with things on her own but her sister promised to help her any way she could.

Charlotte was an orphan who had lost her family in a house fire. She married a man that she loved deeply. When he left to go overseas his family promised to take good care of her. And their unborn child. Charlotte's husband was killed in this war. His family did not treat her good. She was more or less just a slave to them. At least to his mother. Her and her baby lived in a cold attic room. 

When an explosion hit the area from a burning ship many people were injured and killed. Everyone Charlotte knew. Nora's entire family except one niece. You will get to know these two women and care about them. What happens after the losses is truly awful. So much death and destruction. 

This author did a great job of making you feel the sadness. And the happiness too. She took this historical event and did some great research. Kept the facts straight from what I read in her Author's Notes. It's a must read by the way. She took these families and made you feel their pain. From such deep loss to a love that one never knew she really wanted. To finding a lost child. A lost family member. And the hospital scenes read so vividly. I ached for the people who were hurt. Cringed at the thought of a bucket of eyeballs. Wept at the loss of children, sisters, mothers and fathers. Husbands. I felt so sad for Charlotte and so happy for Nora. Both women had such heartaches and losses. Both had ups and downs. I absolutely adored Neil. He was the best....

Thank you #NetGalley, #DonnaJonesAlward, #HarperCollinsUK for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

Five huge stars.

About

A story of loss, hope and redemption against the most impossible odds. 1917. Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Nora Crowell wants more than her sister’s life as a wife and mother. As WWI rages across the Atlantic, she becomes a lieutenant in the Canadian Army Nursing Corp. But trouble is looming and it won’t be long before the truth comes to light.

Having lost her beloved husband in the trenches and with no-one else to turn to, Charlotte Campbell now lives with his haughty relations who treat her like the help. It is baby Aileen, the joy and light of her life, who spurs her to dream of a better life.

When tragedy strikes in Halifax Harbour, nothing for these two women will ever be the same again. Their paths will cross in the most unexpected way, trailing both heartbreak and joy its wake…