A beautifully written book based in a really interesting period in history that is little talked about. Especially poignant with the current pandemic. I really invested in the characters.

This is a vivid and tragic fever dream of a book. Set in a Dublin hospital beset by the 'Spanish flu' outbreak, it follows three days in the life of maternity nurse Julia Power, on the cusp of 30, single and living with her brother, a soldier returned from the Great War.
There are powerful vignettes of the lives of the people Julia encounters.
There is particularly compelling description of births and deaths in the maternity ward.
As an ex-obstetrician I was very impressed by the attention to detail in these sections, as well as the conjuring of the relentlessness of a bad shift on labour ward.
I was intrigued by the cameo appearance of Dr Kathleen Lynn, but rightly she passed through Julia's story without hijacking it.
I loved the defiant, hopeful, possibly futile stance Julia took at the end. We will have to imagine how that turned out.

Thanks to Netgalley and PanMacMillan for a copy of this to review.

You will either love or hate the fact that Emma Donoghue’s book ‘The Pull of the Stars’ is set during the Spanish Flu pandemic. It was rushed into publication because of the current Coronavirus situation. I must admit that I started reading this book a couple of times, but stopped because I wasn’t convinced I could put myself through it. However, it didn’t take long for me to really get into the story of Nurse Julia Power and her days on the maternity fever ward. The stories of the medical treatments used, and the lives of that characters rang true, and I was absorbed by the relationship between Julia and her volunteer helper Bridie Sweeney. For me, the only thing that let this book down was the ending, which felt rushed and not entirely satisfying. Nonetheless, this is a book I would recommend.

This book tells the story of some incredible women: a nurse, a doctor, a volunteer and their patients, on a maternity ward during the flu epidemic of 1918. The (sometimes quite graphic) descriptions of the births, along with the treatment -both medically and socially- of the women, are almost unbelievable, especially considering that this really wasn't that long ago.

This was one of those books that you can't put down but at the same time, have to just to make it last longer. The only real saving grace is that the author has written several books that I've not read yet. Emma Donoghue writes characters so incredibly well that you don't just think about them after finishing a book, you wonder how they're doing or what they're up to, in the split second before you remember it's a work of fiction.

Read it, then find someone else who has and talk about it. If you're anything like me, you'll want to keep these characters alive for as long as possible!

It's so strange, reading a book set in the Spanish Flu pandemic, during a pandemic. I can totally see why publishers brought the publication date of this one forwards! Lots of it felt so familiar - the posters, the masks, the sideways looks at people standing too close.

The majority of the novel I enjoyed - I loved the claustrophobic setting of the maternity fever ward, and the hospital in general. I thought the tenseness and awfulness of the tiny maternity fever room was excellently drawn, as were the tensions between Julia and the other staff. I wasn't too keen on the romance - it felt shoehorned in and very out of place.

Wow. This a brilliant emotional read which feels so real and current. Set in Dublin in 1918 this story about the Flu is so relevant today. You can feel Julia’s pain and determination. The procedures carried out by the doctors and nurses are fascinating to read. The differing views on unmarried mothers and their babies and poverty are a sobering and heartbreaking read. This is a really memorable read which tore at my emotions the whole way through.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I fell hard for The Pull of the Stars within a few pages. I knew this would be a special book and it was. Telling the story of nurse Julia Power in an understaffed Irish maternity/fever ward during the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic, it feels like the right novel for the here and now. What better reading in our current post lockdown state?

Nurse Julia is a no nonsense midwife with an entire arsenal of tricks at her disposal when delivering babies and coping with soon-to-be mothers ill with flu. Her problem becomes apparent when she is left in charge of the ward, for the first time, with no one to help her. Spanish flu is sweeping through the population so hospitals are short staffed and struggling under the strain. Bridie Sweeney comes to her rescue as a volunteer. A sparky young woman who has lived under the eye of nuns her entire life, Bridie is both innocent and worldly in ways Julia cannot imagine. Together they deal with the ins and outs of child birth and the numerous perils facing mothers and newborns.

Be warned, if you squeamish there may a few bits of the novel that go in to graphic detail regarding childbirth and other harrowing happenings. I would not pass this novel by because of them but just want to give fair warning.

I absorbed the atmosphere of this tiny ward with relish and enjoyed being at Julia's side come what may. This was eye opening and heartbreaking in its tenderness as it shed light on lesser known practices in early 1900s Ireland. The view of life in Ireland under close supervision of Catholic nuns meting out judgement was more pervasive than I expected. There were a number of shocking revelations of children being taken away from unwed mothers and forced by the church to work to earn their keep, though the government paid for their care. Awful historical abuse allowed without question is hard to stomach. It is necessary sometimes to learn of difficult things and better understand where we come from and what was permissible in the past. I felt the sudden romance, though, was a step too far. It sprung from nowhere and felt awkward in its randomness. It came across as artificial and abrupt, as if this novel needed more drama and emotion? The story was hijacked from then on and never quite made it back on course for me.

The Pull of the Stars was a stunning story well worth the time to be transported to a different time and place. A touching story that is sure to stay with readers for quite a while.

“That’s what influenza means, she said. Influenza delle stelle—the influence of the stars.“

When Emma Donoghue wrote The Pull of the Stars, inspired by the centenary of the influenza pandemic (also known as the Spanish Flu) of 1918 which was responsible for the deaths of up to 50million people worldwide, she had no idea that the book’s release in 2020 would coincide with another deadly global pandemic, COVID-19.

Set in Ireland, The Pull of the Stars is told from the first-person perspective of Julia Power, a thirty year old maternity nurse. It is October of 1918, The Great War is still a month away from its end, and a deadly strain of Influenza is spreading rapidly through the world’s population. In an overcrowded, under-resourced and understaffed Dublin hospital, Julia finds herself in charge of a makeshift ward for pregnant mothers with symptoms of influenza.

At just under 300 pages, The Pull of the Stars is a short, well paced novel. Ominously the chapters are titled Red - Brown - Blue - Black for the visible progression of respiratory distress on the skin as a result of influenza.

“The old world was changed utterly, dying on its feet, and a new one was struggling to be born.”

The events in the book take place over an intense period of just three days, largely within the tiny temporary ward, as Julia battles, sometimes in vain, to preserve the life of the mothers and their babies in her care. As the losses threaten to eclipse the wins, Julia grows increasingly worn and heartsick but a young volunteer from a nearby Convent Home, Bridie Sweeney, quickly proves to be an intuitive and able assistant, and is for Julia, a revelation.

"It occurred to me that in the case of this flu there could be no signing a pact with it; what we waged in hospitals was a war of attrition, a battle over each and every body."

It is a challenging fight for the medical profession against an enemy they cannot see, armed with little more than the most rudimentary of treatments - carbolic soap, mustard poultices, whiskey and ipecac syrup. Though no one is safe and many die within a few days of Influenza infection, pregnant women are at particular risk, as are their unborn children. Donoghue is quite explicit in both the effects of influenza, and the experience of the labouring mothers, which has the potential to shock.

“Some placed their trust in treacle to ward off this flu, others in rhubarb, as if there had to be one household substance that could save us all. I’d even met fools who credited their safety to the wearing of red.”

Despite the narrowness of the physical setting, and the single narrative perspective, The Pull of the Stars explores a number of issues. Most notably those related to women’s physical and emotional experience of pregnancy, motherhood, marriage, and institutional abuse, particularly among the poorest of women. Donoghue also touches on the political climate of Ireland during the period including the fallout of The Great War and The Easter Rising conflict, and the reaction of the government and populace to the pandemic, which is not unlike our own today. I like to think ‘the wearing of red’ in the quote above is a deliberate swipe at Trump’s MAGA hat-wearing virus deniers.

“The bone man was in the room. I could hear him rattling, snickering.”

I found The Pull of the Stars to be a timely, poignant and compelling historical novel which will resonate with readers today.

Harrowing, beautiful novel.
Emma Donoghue has done it again,another marvellous read as good as the room and the wonder.
At this time of Covid 19 looking back on the Spanish Flu epidemic and drawing comparisons can be beneficial.
Emma's description of midwifery practice in 1914, the technical details, descriptions of processes and attitudes at the time are truly eye opening. I found myself looking up some of the procedures as they appeared alarming.
Julia Power is a midwife left in charge of three patients and assisted by a volunteer, the story enfolds over just three pain filled days, in Ireland. The poverty of the women, the endless childbirths they suffer and the impact on the surviving children is described along with other story threads.

With Donoghue, I’ve noticed she gets right into it! Compared to her other books, this was the first one that took a while for me to get used to. Not that it’s an unpleasant thing, but with so much information thrown at the reader at once about the war, flu, our main character and setting—it’s a lot to grasp all happening over the course of three days! On top of that, there were a bunch of medical terms and jargon used, which I didn’t know. Yet readers can tell how much research Donoghue must’ve done. The research is so authentic that some scenes are visually graphic to read! 


Nurse Julie Power has to look after patients in Maternity / Fever Ward. It’s her first time in charge of a room since they’re understaffed. Told in Julie’s point of view, it gives readers a peek at her personal life and daily trials and tribulations of what’s it like to be a nurse during a pandemic. Donoghue ironically shares a glimpse of what’s it like to be a nurse during the current pandemic as well, since there are many similarities. 


Julie was a tender, pivotal character that I adored reading the story from. She has such an enormous heart, not only for her patients but for her brother as well, who had gone mute. However, I didn’t really connect with her as a character. I must’ve been too invested in the actual story to admire her bravery every day. 


Bridie Sweeney, the mysterious girl who shows up to lend Nurse Julie a hand. I have to admit; I knew something was bound to happen, especially the way Julie described Bridie as the days—hours went by! They went through so much together in such a short time! Bridie brought life into that room. Not only to Julie, but to the patients as well. 


Then there’s Dr Lynn, who remained a mystery throughout the book. I wish Donoghue explored her character more, or she was in more scenes. Readers vaguely digest that she’s a rebel, people look at her but she stood up for different reasons as apposed to what society's norms were back then. It geared up well and fell short at the end. 

This book made me emotional, not physical, but mentally thinking about how people lived back then. Historical fiction always gets me in this mood! To think about how people lived, what they did to survive, how people were treated, what the world was back then and who they entrusted was a vast difference from our current pandemic. There’s a character, Groyn, who brought the women into the ward and he’d say this vile stuff about women and compared today, a man wouldn’t be caught alive saying half that stuff! Also, every woman brought in, Donoghue made sure the reader connected with them! My favourite had to be Mary O'Reilly who I don’t think I’ll ever forget.


Overall, Donoghue really makes readers think and reflect on this novel during our pandemic. Not only to compare but reflect on how times have changed and the smallest things we should be grateful for. This was such a lovely story to read, I hope to own a physical copy one day. Other than that, I’d sure as heck give this four golden stars!

If you're anxious about coronavirus,this may not be the best read at present!I did really enjoy this book though and it was it was an interesting point of view set in the smaller maternity ward of the hospital during the Spanish flu pandemic.Very emotional,you might want to keep some tissues to hand!

This is the third novel I've read by Emma Donoghue and I'm afraid to say that it just didn't quite work for me. Maybe I shouldn't have approached The Pull of the Stars with such high expectations. Or maybe these kind of historical novels are just not my 'thing' (I was similarly underwhelmed by
A Long Petal of the Sea and The Night Watchman).
Given the current pandemic The Pull of the Stars, set in a maternity ward in Dublin during the 1918 influenza and the close of WWI, makes for an eerily pertinent read. This is a meticulously researched novel, from the blow by blow descriptions of medical procedures to the grimly evocative depiction of the environment in which our narrator, a nurse, works. Although the novel is set over the course of three days, Donoghue renders all too vividly the stark circumstances of the various women under Julia's care. We witness the physical and emotional toll that result from too many pregnancies, the stigma attached to unmarried mothers and the mistreatment of their children, and the extreme abuse that 'fallen women' experienced in the Magdalene Laundries. The lives of these women and children are shaped by injustices—such as sexual/physical abuse, poverty, illness, being forced into labour and adoptions—and Donoghue is unflinching in revealing just how horrific their realities are.
In spite of this, I just couldn't help but to find the bluntness of her prose to be detrimental to my reading experience. While her unvarnished prose does suit both the setting and the subject matter, it also distanced me, especially from Julia. She felt like a barely delineated character, often seeming to exist in order to explain things or provide 'modern' readers with context (especially one of her later discussions about the 'homes' and Magdalene laundries with Birdie). She was a very undefined character, a generic take on a 'nurse'. Doctor Kathleen Lynn, who seemed like a far more interesting historical figure, sadly plays only a minor role in the story. Birdie was okay, although at times I had a hard time believing in her. The romance sprung from nowhere and didn't really convince me either (and this is coming from someone who sees everything through sapphic-tinted glasses). If anything the 'love' story seemed to exist only to add an unnecessary layer of drama, unnecessary especially considering that the novel was quite tragic without it. The ending, more suited for to a historical melodrama, was painfully clichéd.
The thin plot too did little to engage me. Although the lives and stories of the women in the ward were compelling, however distressing they were, I just didn't particularly care for Julia's narrative. Perhaps if this had been a work of nonfiction, I would have appreciated it more.
I don't consider myself squeamish but The Pull of the Stars was almost relentless in the way it detailed EVERYTHING. Maybe readers who watch One Born Every Minute will be able to cope with it but I just could have done without it.
Although The Pull of the Stars wasn't my cup of tea, I'm sure that plenty of other readers will find this more riveting than I did.

Whilst this story, set in 1918 Dublin in the midst of the Spanish Influenza pandemic, is eerily similar to the current situation we find ourselves in (that’ll be the Covid-19 pandemic 2020), I found it a little hard to engage with. It was interesting to see how society responded to the Spanish Flu, or the “grip” as they called it, back in the day and also how far we’ve advance in the world of medicine and infection control. Most of the story is set around the very small Maternity/Fever ward, in the understaffed and overstretched hospital. The parts were Nurse Julia Power is looking after the patients on her small ward, literally saving their lives, was gripping (pardon the pun) and the ending was unexpected, but still not enough to make me enjoy the book.

I don’t know what to say about ‘ThePull of the Stars’ by Emma Donoghue. I enjoyed it but what a tough read. I wanted to learn more about Julie but I assume the tightly knit characters and timeline was a technique used to add impact to the grim storyline. I believe, however that the novel will do well because of the pandemic we currently find ourselves in.

Although this book is set during the First World War, it also felt very current at the moment; written during the time of the Great Flu epidemic of 1918 made it quite comparable to the current COVID-19 pandemic we are presently living through. Some of the references made in the book to social distancing measures at the time , such as closure of public places, banning of mass gatherings etc were things I could quite bizarrely relate to and identify with. It is a story told through the eyes of Nurse Julia Power, who works in a small maternity ward at a hospital in Dublin, where women are being treated not only during their time of labour, but those that are also suffering from the current Flu pandemic. The whole book only takes place over three days; during this time Julie describes many current medical practices of this period, which not only includes delivery of babies but also treating women for the Flu and their fever, including the administering of alcohol! I found whilst there was dialogue between characters, there was a great deal of narration of events, and some of it quite simply told. As the events in the book mainly take place in the hospital, many of the events narrated were of occurrences in the maternity ward, which meant there wasn't a great deal of plot. It does try to address some of the current issues at the time, such as women being treated as second class citizens by men, in the work place and at home, and the pressures Catholic women had put upon them to bear many children. It also addresses the moral view that was taken at this time of women having children out of wedlock, and the consequences this would have for the children also. Poverty and class is another issue addressed in the book of this time, as malnourishment and poor living conditions made certain groups of people more susceptible of catching the Flu. Whilst the book touches on these issues and there is some dialogue between the characters regarding these things, the book still did mainly contain more narration of events than real character development and relationships and plot. Nurse Julia does develop a rapport with a young girl, Bridie, she is given to aid her in the ward, but I didn't feel the dialogue between them really developed their growing relationship and so for me the end didn't really work.
I found it hard when grading this book, as I have read several other books by Emma Donoghue and have really enjoyed her writing. However, I found this book did not hold my interest as well as her others and I did not find the way it was written as strong as her previous books. If we could give half grades for books, I probably would've given it 2.5 for the reasons outlined above, but as this is an author I know can write much better books I rounded it up to a generous 3. If you are interested in books written during the time of the Great Flu epidemic of 1918, then this may be a book for you, but on this occasion I didn't feel it was one of Donoghue's best written novels. My thanks go out to netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this.

It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last because this one is brilliant.
There are some many things that mirrors what is happening and make you think.
The author is a talented storyteller and the historical background, the characters and the plot are great.
It was an engrossing and poignant read that kept me hooked.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Oh wow, I was not prepared for this. Three days in a makeshift maternity ward of a hospital in Dublin, during the ravaging 1918 influenza pandemic. I was engrossed from the first page, taken by the uneasy parallels to present-day as well as the sisterhood of war.

The novel opens with nurse Julia Power on her way to work. Within the first few pages, there’s an eerie sense of familiarity: Shuttered shops, ubiquitous masks, carbolic acid disinfectant. Communication from the government that’s unsettling and unhelpful in equal measure. “Fools and traitors spread disease.” “Eat an onion a day to keep illness at bay.”

The narrative is tight, focused on such a small time frame, and each moment is drawn out in vivid detail. It’s gripping and compelling, with the action of a thriller and the heart of an epic tale of heroism. Loss and triumph. It predominantly takes place in the small ward, with barely enough room for three beds, occupied by infected women in various stages of their pregnancy. The claustrophobic setting adds another layer of urgency to the story. Be warned: There are graphic descriptions of birth, so watch out if you’re queasy.

Julia arrives one morning to an understaffed ward—the night nurse has, fortunately, sent her an aide, Bridie Sweeney. Not trained or qualified, she lends a desperately-needed extra set of hands. The only capable doctor on call (the others either on the front lines or taken by “the grip” as they refer to the flu) is a woman, Dr Kathleen Lynn. She’s a real-life figure, a suffragette who participated in the Rising against the British. Together, they care for the women, making do with what few supplies they have. Offering whatever comfort they can, amid the chaos of close proximity, the drama of prolonged labour, the pain of stillbirth, the tragedy of death.

The novel isn’t so much about the pandemic as it is about caregiving. About the burden of care that falls on women who largely remain unrecognized for their efforts. In a telling scene, an orderly says: “Don’t pay the blood tax, though, do you? Not like we fellows do.” Julia replies: “Look around you … This is where every nation draws its first breath. Women have been paying the blood tax since time began.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the review copy.

Pull Down the Stars is set in a maternity hospital in Dublin in 1918. Three women Julia Power a maternity nurse, Dr. Kathleen Lynn and Bridie Sweeney a volunteer helper are the main characters in this engrossing story of love and loss in a time of pandemic. Yet this multilayered story is not a hackneyed retelling of history. It is a wonderfully understated yet majestic exploration of Ireland in late 1918. Ireland is still under British rule, the failed rebellion of 1916 is 2 years past but times are changing at least politically. Tensions are running high in a city that is crumbling with no hope of restoration while the war drags on. Emma Donohue introduces us to the claustrophobic world of a maternity isolation ward. Julia Power is left in charge of the pregnant women who are suspected of having the Spanish Flu. Life and death are hand in hand in the small room and status is no guarantee that you or your baby .will be the one to live. The broader sweep of the novel covers politics, war and a failing Empire. Inside the room is a much more intimate portrait of a woman's life in 1918 Ireland. The women who are pregnant come from all walks of life and Julia Power tries her best to deal with them as individuals and not just as the baby making machines that society demands they be, at least the married ones. The unmarried mothers who must work in the Magdalen laundries for a year to expiate their sins well society would prefer they not have babies at all. All the characters are beautifully drawn from
the minor ones like the uncharitable nun to the male doctors who know very little about female bodies to Julia, Kathleen an Bridie. The dignity they offer to the women in their care is inspiring and the author's attention to detail is superb. This book moved me in so many ways and I am in awe of the author's talent to inform and entertain you while making you think. This is an engrossing novel and I will be recommending it to as many people as I can.

Thank you to Netgalley for my arc of this book.

I really wanted to fall in love with this book, ROOM is a book and film I absolutely loved and fell into, but this one just didnt grip me in.
Ar the beginning it feels like it is describing life as we know it right now, in the middle of a global pandemic but is actually about the Flu pandemic during World War 1.
This book is set in a maternity ward in Ireland in 1918 and is not for someone as squeamish as me!!! It went into so much detail of child birth and death it was a bit too much for me!
I did really like Nurse Power but it was a slow burner and a bit too predictable and it wasnt a book that made me want to keep reading unfortunately.
It's a hard one for me to rate as I didnt hate reading it or not enjoy it, it just didnt engage me, although it was interesting reading how they coped in a pandemic back then.

An extraordinary account of a young woman nursing in a maternity unit in Ireland at the time of the 1918 pandemic. Wonderful!

Nurse Julia Power has been placed in charge of the maternity unit in an understaffed hospital in Dublin in post-war 1918, in the midst of a pandemic.

With no one to call on to assist her in the ward, Julia finally enlists a willing volunteer called Bridie Sweeney. This young woman is an innocent, raised in the convent and oblivious to the fundamentals in nursing care. Julia patiently equips Bridie in the tasks for which she's needed and gradually they form a close bond.

When further guidance is needed, Julia calls on the enigmatic doctor, Kathleen Lynn, who is fulfilling her role while eluding the police.

It's a fraught and intense atmosphere in which to work, with death a constant presence and every decision has profound consequences.

The novel reads almost as a medical memoir with very detailed accounts of each birth and the challenges of dealing with the demands of quarantining from a pandemic.

I found it a stunning read, being completely lost in the daily, moment by moment tasks of the characters. It was an unusual read but vivid, powerful, poignant, inspiring and gripping. I loved it!