It’s 1914 in Baltimore when Ruth and Elise Duncan finally defy their father’s wishes. Ruth wants to become a doctor, but society and her father don’t feel that’s an appropriate career choice for women. Women should be stay-at-home wives and mothers. The sisters volunteer to help the British on the Western Front and head to Ypes, Belgium. There Ruth will work as a nurse and Elise will be an ambulance driver and mechanic. The horrific conditions keep both women too busy. At times Ruth oversteps her nursing duty boundaries and assists in the operating theatre annoying doctors. With the support of John Doweling, who is a doctor with the British, Ruth gains additional knowledge and practice in the operating room. John and Ruth soon fall in love while Elise and Hera, another driver in the all-female Ambulance Corps, also fall in love.
When the war is finally over, John and Ruth plan to marry. Ruth is still determined to become a doctor but medical schools will not accept married women. Elise and Hera plan to stay together and raise a houseful of orphans.
This novel is not meant for anyone with a sensitive stomach. Near the battlefront, there are many life threatening wounds, amputations and deaths. I am guessing a sequel is in the works for this book. There are several loose ends that could be resolved.
~Emma
Read it or Weep 