Reviews for Sunflower Sisters
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
A saga of the Civil War gathers all the usual suspects—enslaved people, slave owners, abolitionists, soldiers, and nurses—but the result is far from clichéd. Kelly’s ambitious tale begs to be called “sweeping,” but its chief virtue is the way it homes in on the microcosms, some horrific, inhabited by its three narrators. Georgy, from New York, one of seven daughters of the abolitionist Woolsey family, is determined to become a nurse. She studies with Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, America’s first female medical school graduate, and strives to batter down prejudice not just against women doctors, but women nurses. Despite her proven ability, she’s often replaced at battlefield hospitals by incompetent, drunken male nurses. Jemma’s family is enslaved on the Peeler tobacco plantation in the border state of Maryland, where the White population seems equally divided between Union and Rebel sympathies. Firmly in the second camp is Anne-May, who inherited the Peeler plantation from her elderly Aunt Tandy Rose, flouting her late aunt’s testamentary directive to free Peeler’s slaves. Anne-May is bad to the bone, whips Jemma regularly, employs a brutal overseer, spends her family’s dwindling funds on fripperies, is addicted to snuff, and takes advantage of her husband’s absence at the front to flagrantly carry on an affair with a local merchant. The affair turns into a spying mission for the Confederacy, involuntarily abetted by Jemma, who, more literate than Anne-May, is forced to write down Union secrets in Anne-May’s little red book. And that’s only the beginning of Anne-May’s moral bankruptcy. These alternating, intimate vantage points situate readers in the chaotic political, military, and social hellscapes of Civil War America, from Gettysburg to the draft riots. Cliffhangers closing each chapter keep the plot moving at a satisfying clip. Historical verisimilitude worthy of a Ken Burns documentary but oh so much more lurid. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
Kelly’s third foray into the lives of the affluent Woolsey women is as well-researched and engaging as Lilac Girls (2016) and Lost Roses (2019), this time focusing on the American Civil War. Georgeanna (Georgy) Woolsey leaves her privileged life to serve as a Union nurse; Anne-May Wilson is a plantation and slave owner in Maryland whose self-importance draws her into espionage; and Jemma is an enslaved woman on that plantation who is sold and then conscripted into the Union army. Crossing paths with President Lincoln and present at the battle of Gettysburg, Georgy sees the ravages of war and the effects of slavery on her country. Meanwhile, Jemma flees Maryland for New York City, remembering the Woolsey's address from a chance encounter. The family takes her in, fostering her skill for millinery. But Anne-May follows, fleeing accusations of treason and seeking to regain what she considers her stolen property. Drawing on real events and primary sources, Kelly illuminates parts of history infrequently told. Offer it to fans of Marie Benedict, the Civil War era, and readers who enjoy historical fiction starring real people.
Publishers Weekly
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This vibrant saga explores the historical ancestor of Kelly’s Lost Roses heroine Caroline Ferriday, abolitionist Georgeanna “Georgy” Woolsey. In 1861, Georgy, 28, abandons her privileged New York City debutante’s life to volunteer in a nursing brigade for the Union Army alongside her sister, Eliza. Running parallel to this narrative is the plight of Jemma, a literate enslaved Maryland woman who, after being sold off by sadistic mistress Anne-May Watson, must choose between her family and a fleeting opportunity for freedom. After Jemma escapes her new plantation dressed up as a boy, she is conscripted into the Union Army. When Anne-May, now a Confederate spy, hears the news, she pursues Jemma for help. The strands eventually converge in the novel’s satisfying second half, when Jemma is taken in by Georgy’s family, while Anne-May obsessively searches for her. The vivid, impeccably researched saga briskly sweeps across war-torn battlefields, New York City, and Southern plantations, highlighting the struggles endured by her women characters. This page-turning work is sure to please Kelly’s fans. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, ICM Partners. (Mar.)
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
A saga of the Civil War gathers all the usual suspectsenslaved people, slave owners, abolitionists, soldiers, and nursesbut the result is far from clichd.Kellys ambitious tale begs to be called sweeping, but its chief virtue is the way it homes in on the microcosms, some horrific, inhabited by its three narrators. Georgy, from New York, one of seven daughters of the abolitionist Woolsey family, is determined to become a nurse. She studies with Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, Americas first female medical school graduate, and strives to batter down prejudice not just against women doctors, but women nurses. Despite her proven ability, shes often replaced at battlefield hospitals by incompetent, drunken male nurses. Jemmas family is enslaved on the Peeler tobacco plantation in the border state of Maryland, where the White population seems equally divided between Union and Rebel sympathies. Firmly in the second camp is Anne-May, who inherited the Peeler plantation from her elderly Aunt Tandy Rose, flouting her late aunts testamentary directive to free Peelers slaves. Anne-May is bad to the bone, whips Jemma regularly, employs a brutal overseer, spends her familys dwindling funds on fripperies, is addicted to snuff, and takes advantage of her husbands absence at the front to flagrantly carry on an affair with a local merchant. The affair turns into a spying mission for the Confederacy, involuntarily abetted by Jemma, who, more literate than Anne-May, is forced to write down Union secrets in Anne-Mays little red book. And thats only the beginning of Anne-Mays moral bankruptcy. These alternating, intimate vantage points situate readers in the chaotic political, military, and social hellscapes of Civil War America, from Gettysburg to the draft riots. Cliffhangers closing each chapter keep the plot moving at a satisfying clip.Historical verisimilitude worthy of a Ken Burns documentary but oh so much more lurid. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
