BITTERSWEET by Colleen McCullough

I loved this book. I was half way through it when I heard Colleen McCullough had passed away. I was terribly sad that there will be no more books coming from her well trained pen. Lucky for me she has written quite a few, the several of which I have in my possession. My two favourites are 'Thorn Birds' and 'The Touch'. 'Bittersweet' comes third so far. Whenever I choose a Colleen McCullough book, I know I am going to learn something significant. Her research is impeccable and her stories are closely aligned with historical places and events. This is true of Bittersweet, a novel set in rural NSW in 1920's and 30's. This is a charming story of four sisters who happen to be two sets of twins, at the forefront of professional nursing becoming the first registered nurses in Corunda. Even though the town is fictional, one gets a very realistic feel of rural Australia and love of the land. The book offers a very informative insight into women's lack of professional opportunities at a time when marriage was their primary option in a patriarchal society. It is hard to believe that only 80 years ago women were forced to choose between marriage or work. The book also leads the reader through the Depression and its devastating effects on families and in particular men, who were main providers. Colleen McCullough has a talent for incorporating the reader into the time and place she has chosen as a setting for her story. I appreciate this about her books more than the stories she weaves around places and points in history. This is an excellent book that highlights women's ability to deal with their limitations and tragedies and should make women of today more grateful for many opportunities and choices they are faced with.

NIGHTINGALE by Fiona McIntosh

If you like popular romantic fiction, you will like this book which will take you from Gallipoli to England to Turkey and to Australia. Fiona's depiction of Gallipoli and the horrors of the Great War from the perspective of an English nurse was mindfully realistic and evocative. It inspired me to watch "Gallipoli" again, the movie which I had seen in the early 80's. Even though the movie was a visual depiction of the same event, it did not match the book in the portrayal of Gallipoli's devastating carnage. I guess this is so because the book was written from the perspective of the medical profession who fought to save shattered lives and bodies. Amidst the  horror of this war, a romance is born for Claire Nightingale, an English nurse and Jamie Wren, an Australian Light Horseman. Even though this story is fictional, it stands as a tribute to many real life romances which no doubt sprang up during the madness of warfare. As the reverence for life ignites the romantic notion between a wounded soldier and his nurse, this book intends to prove that love can defy most dire circumstances and endure across years of separation and uncertainty. The love component of this book, however, went beyond reality for me and I found the ending laced with over-abundance of sugar and spice. The most enjoyable part of the book was getting to know the 'enemy' beyond the ANZAC trenches of Gallipoli and learning about Turkish culture. In the end, we are all just people, with same hopes and desires going through this strange experience called life.