A spellbinding novel of love and courage set in the England, Italy and Florence Nightingale's Crimea.
A Richard and Judy Book Club bestseller - includes a fascinating and moving brand new final chapter.
Russia, 1854. As the Crimean War grinds on, Rosa Barr - young, headstrong and beautiful - travels to the battlefields, determined to join Florence Nightingale and save as many of the wounded as she can.
For Mariella, Rosa's cousin, the war is contained within the pages of her scrapbook, her sewing circle, and the letters she receives from Henry, her fiancé, a celebrated surgeon who has also volunteered to work within the shadow of the guns. But when Henry falls ill, and Rosa's communications cease, Mariella finds herself drawn inexorably towards the war.
Following the trail of her elusive and captivating cousin, Mariella's epic journey takes her from the domestic restraint of Victorian England to the ravaged landscape of the Crimea. As she ventures deeper into the dark heart of the conflict, Mariella discovers her own strengths and passions through Rosa's tough lessons of concealment, faithfulness and love.
"This is the best kind of historical fiction with a searing climax and characters you really believe in" - DAILY MAIL
"A heart-stopping tale of love and war during Queen Victoria's reign" - WOMAN & HOME
"Absorbing" - MY WEEKLY
"In her novel written with great attention to detail and obvious affection for her characters and the time period, Katharine McMahon has penned a deeply affecting piece of historical fiction." - HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW
"McMahon is a talented writer whose twists will keep you turning pages" - THE LADY
"McMahon combines a thriller writer's grip, pace and punch with the true novelist's depth and warmth of feeling" - GUARDIAN
"a heart-stopping tale of love and war during Queen Victoria's reign" - WOMAN & HOME
"absorbing" - MY WEEKLY
"In her novel written with great attention to detail and obvious affection for her characters and the time period, Katharine McMahon has penned a deeply affecting piece of historical fiction." - HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW
