The Nightingale Girls: (Nightingales 1)

I’m certain readers of my reviews are heartily sick of the fact that I love the book and television show, Call the Midwife. I love historical nursing fiction – I’m not sure why, as it’s not the most glamorous of jobs but there’s something cosy and inviting about reading about nurses that never gets boring. The Nightingale Girls is the first book in the Nightingale Nurses series (there’s currently four books and an eBook Christmas story), set in the fictional Nightingale Hospital in London. It has elements of Call the Midwife (the camaraderie, the London East End), but this is hospital based – think doctors, strict Sisters and night duty. It’s a wonderfully heart-warming read where there is always something show more happening.

There are three main characters in this book – there’s Dora, a girl from the East End with a secret to cause her to leave her family; Millie, a failed probationer and lady of society and Helen, a more senior student nurse with an overbearing mother. It’s an interesting combination as generally Helen is off working on the wards while Millie and Dora are in class. The only thing the three have in common is that they share a cold attic room. Gradually, we begin to realise that there’s more in common between the trio than at first glance – they’re all running from something and they need each other’s help. But don’t be put off thinking that the book is all serious issues – there’s a lot of humour and a lot of love.

Interestingly, we get an insight into some of the more minor characters’ heads. We learn that the new Matron isn’t all that popular and that her deputy has a few tricks up her sleeve – but not all of them achieve the result she wants. We also see that Dora’s nemesis, Lucy, has her own issues that might explain why she’s so catty. I liked this aspect – usually we don’t understand the motives of the secondary characters, but by doing so, I felt more sympathy for some of the characters. I’m hoping to see more of them in the next book or three.

Even though the book is the first in a series, the ending is still satisfying. (There were still enough cliff-hangers to make me look up the synopsis for the next book though). The medicine mentioned was accurate (as far as I know – it’s enough to keep up with current advancements, let alone historical treatments!) but there wasn’t quite enough for my liking. The plot made up for it though – it moves at a speedy pace, introducing new threads while adding to the current plot. There are a lot of issues covered in many different forms, such as love and loss. You will keep turning the pages at a rapid rate!

I’m looking forward to revisiting the Nightingale Girls soon and seeing what another year of training has in store for them.

Thank you to Random House for the eBook.

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Nightingale Girls is the story of three very different girls who have signed up as student nurses at the best program in England in 1936. England is in between the World Wars and is mourning the death of the popular King George V. It's a time of transition for the country, medicine and the hospital.

Dora is an East Ender with a strong cockney accent, a large family living in an overcrowded and squalid home. She's very close to her mother, siblings and grandmother but is trying to stand up to her abusive stepfather. The chance to get into the nursing program gives her a chance for her own vocation, as well as a life of her own and an escape from an intolerable home situation.

Her roommate Millie comes from the opposite end of the social show more spectrum. An aristocrat whose best friend is a Duke's daughter, Millie has chosen a very different path. Millie is the only child of a wealthy lord and the estate is entailed; Millie must marry and have a son to keep the estate in the immediate family (something we've all become familiar with particularly after Downton Abbey). Millie loves her home and does want to keep it but she's not ready to marry and live a sheltered life. Instead, Millie works hard to earn her nursing credentials. But when Millie works hard, she doesn't give up her social life - so she's often still sneaking into their shared room past curfew.

The third roommate, Helen, comes from a medical family and has strong ties to the hospital. Her mother is the most outspoken trustee at the hospital and interferes with the way that it is run. Her mother has problems with boundaries in general and a tendency to bully whomever she can. Helen is particularly vulnerable since she tries so hard to live up to her mother's unrealistic expectations.

The three roommates are each sympathetic and deeply likable characters working through tough situations. Dora is expected to have a hard time adjusting. It's clear that though she's scared and nervous about being so different from her privileged colleagues, Dora does continue to speak her mind. Dora isn't willing to accept charity or help, which makes things difficult - I kept hoping that she'd just accept a loan for her medical books! But Dora makes her own way. Millie's so glamorous, it's a surprise to find out just how empathetic she is. Out of all the nursing students, it's Millie that sees Dora's situation and notices the patient, Blanche, that the others seem to ostracize. Millie reaches out and befriends them and genuinely cares - just as she avoids the social climbing characters that she meets along the way. But Millie's taste in men doesn't seem to be as good as her ability to read women - which makes for some tough moments and fun reading. Helen has a tough path as well as she's isolated from the other nursing students and tries to please her difficult mother. In her daily letters to her mother, she tries win her approval but also keep some things private. It's the struggle to keep her own secrets that leads to Helen's troubles.

Donna Douglas's Nightingale Girls reminds me a bit of Call the Midwife as the girls have to follow the structures and schedules of British nursing students. In 1936, the Nightingale Girls are younger, students not nursing sisters and they live during a more restrictive time. But their concerns, their struggles and friendships are just as fascinating as the characters we've come to love in Call the Midwife.

ISBN-10: 0099569353 - Hardcover
Publisher: Arrow (September 10, 2012), 512 pages.
Review copy courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. show less

Sissy: Take the BBC's "Call The Midwife", move the nurses to various floors of a pre-WWII London hospital and you've got The Nightingale Girls. This is a good thing. I just finished watching Season 4 of "Call The Midwife" and absolutely loved it, so it was easy for me to have the TV version of The Nightingale Girls playing through my head as I read it. You'd be surprised at how much drama and intrigue can go on in a 1930's hospital setting -- not quite ER or Gray's Anatomy but still intriguing, funny and heartwarming.
Bubby: I have never seen "Call The Midwife" but if it's anywhere as good as this novel, I'm in! I loved the differences between the three girls. They are an unlikely trio and don't get on well at all at first, but in the show more end, they make peace with each other. The play between the three adds so much life and color to this story. It was just wonderful. Oh, and even though I had no desire to enter the healthcare industry prior to reading The Nightingale Girls, now I REALLY don't want to be a nurse. Nope. Never. Uh-uh. Read full review at www.bubblebathbooks.net show less

It is 1930s in the East End of London and the reader is introduced to three very different girls who begin a three year nursing program at the exclusive Nightingale Hospital.
The characters were great and the plot was both interesting and a page turner. The book is sort of like a soap opera with all sorts of drama happening in each girl's life, but it was just the book I was in the mood for.
I enjoyed watching Call the Midwife on tv and this book is similar in that it involves the lives of young women just starting out in life and trying to find their way.
I definitely would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys period dramas. I am very eager to read all the books in the series. So looking forward to what happens to each character and show more how they develop in each book. I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley.com. show less

Very enjoyable read about three women who begin their nurses training in London. The interaction is great reading and their lives full of suspence and intrigue. I like reading about the medical field and this does not disappoint. I was captivated by the first sentence until the end and fortunately there are two more books following these characters in the series.
I received a copy of this book by the publishing company for an honest review which I have given.

The Nightingale Girls by Donna Douglas is the first book in The Nightingale series. It is 1934 in London. A new group of nursing students are ready to start at the Nightingale Teaching Hospital (very prestigious). Matron Kathleen Fox is new to the position and she is what they call a “modern” nurse. Veronica Hanley is a little resentful. Hanley is the assistant matron and thought she would get the matron position when it became available. Dora Doyle is one of the new students. Dora is from the East End (a working class section of London) which is unusual for a student of the Nightingale (most of their students are from upper class families). Dora wishes to have a better life and to escape her step-father, Alf. Lady Amelia Charlotte show more Benedict or Millie is going to be redoing her initial twelve-week training period (just because she spilled a solution on a judge during the final test). Millie’s grandmother wants her to get married and provide an heir for the family estate. Millie wants to do something useful and her father supports her decision. Millie, though, also believes in living life to the fullest and loves to sneak out at night (which gets her in trouble). Helen Tremayne is also a student at the school. She is the daughter of Constance Tremayne who is on the Board of Trustees. Mrs. Tremayne expects her daughter to become a nurse (even though this is not what she wanted) and to behave in a certain way. Nursing is not an easy profession. It involves quite a bit of studying and a lot of hard, dirty work. Will these girls have what it takes to make it?

The Nightingale Girls takes us back to a different time. My interest was captured immediately and was held throughout the whole book. I did not want the book to end (and was glad to find out that there are more books in the series). The Nightingale Girls has interesting characters from different walks of life. I give The Nightingale Girls 5 out of 5 stars. It is written in a nice, easy to read style. I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series. This is a British novel so there is some British words (slang) and phrases that you may not be used to, but they can usually be understood within the context of the sentence (or paragraph). I did not feel it took away from the story in any way (actually enhanced it).

I received a complimentary copy of The Nightingale Girls from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

Story of three nurses from different backgrounds starting nurses training at the Nightingale hospital,in the 1930s. Very enjoyable read, but not taxing or demanding to read. Definitely reminds me of Call the Midwife Tv series on PBS. I hope the later book in this series are as enjoyable, including those with Christmas titles.