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The Daughters Of Mars

By Tom Keneally
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Daughters of Mars by Tom Keneally is a compelling historical novel set during World War I. It follows the lives of two Australian sisters who serve as nurses, experiencing the turmoil and camaraderie of war. The story beautifully explores themes of courage, sisterhood, and the transformative impact of extraordinary circumstances.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

If you're drawn to gripping historical fiction with strong female protagonists, this novel might captivate you with its vivid portrayal of two Australian sisters who serve as nurses during World War I. Their journey of resilience and compassion amidst the harrowing realities of war offers an emotional and immersive reading experience that explores both personal and historical transformations.

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The Daughters Of Mars

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

In the tradition of Atonement and Birdsong, the Durance sisters leave Australia to nurse on the front during WWI and discover a world beyond their imaginings.

The Daughters of Mars was shortlisted for the Colin Roderick Prize.

Naomi and Sally Durance are daughters of a dairy farmer from the Macleay Valley. Bound together in complicity by what they consider a crime, when the Great War begins in 1914 they hope to submerge their guilt by leaving for Europe to nurse the tides of young wounded.

They head for the Dardanelles on the hospital ship Archimedes. Their education in medicine, valour and human degradation continues on the Greek island of Lemnos, then on the Western Front. Here, new outrages—gas and shell-shock—present themselves.

Naomi encounters the wonderful, eccentric Lady Tarlton, who is founding a voluntary hospital near Boulogne; Sally serves in a casualty clearing station close to the front. They meet the men with whom they would wish to spend the rest of their lives.

Inspired by the journals of Australian nurses who gave their all to the Great War effort and the men they nursed, The Daughters of Mars is vast in scope yet extraordinarily intimate. A stunning tour de force to join the best First World War literature, and one that casts a penetrating light on the lives of obscure but strong women caught in the great mill of history.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Daughters of Mars by Tom Keneally is praised for its meticulously researched depiction of World War I, following two Australian sisters serving as nurses. Reviewers commend the vivid portrayal of wartime realities and the emotional depth of the characters, though some mention the narrative's complex structure requires close attention. Overall, it is celebrated as a powerful and immersive historical fiction work.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780143790822

Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 19 March 2018

Country: Australia

Imprint: Penguin Random House Australia

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 39.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 430g

Pages: 608

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Historical Fiction Penguin Books Tom Keneally

About the Author

Tom Keneally won the Booker Prize in 1982 with Schindler's Ark, later made into the Steven Spielberg Academy Award-winning film Schindler's List. His non-fiction includes the memoir Searching for Schindler and Three Famines, an LA Times Book of the Year, and the histories The Commonwealth of Thieves, The Great Shame and American Scoundrel. His fiction includes Shame and the Captives, The Daughters of Mars, The Widow and Her Hero, An Angel in Australia and Bettany's Book. His novels The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Gossip from the Forest, and Confederates were all shortlisted for the Booker Prize, while Bring Larks and Heroes and Three Cheers for the Paraclete won the Miles Franklin Award. In 2022, his novel Corporal Hitler's Pistol was awarded the ARA Historical Novel Prize.

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