Kate’s 2¢: “Sunflower Sisters” by Martha Hall Kelly

“Sunflower Sisters” by Martha Hall Kelly

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   At times, this story was very difficult to read, because of the cruelties people imposed on other people. Talk about man’s inhumanity to man!

   I have several friends who collect thimbles,   but, I’d never heard of cutting off the tip to use as an engagement ring. I like the idea. There are so many decorative thimbles  of varying sizes.

   Since my ancestors were Hendricus Deyo 1754-1820 born in New Paltz, Ulster, New York, USA; Died: Sep 23, 1820  His wife was Phoebe Woolsey Born Oct 1762 in Marlboro, Ulster, New YorkDied: Sep 23, 1820,  I wonder if they might be the ancestors of the Woolseys in the story?

   I like having the different voices reading the various characters. I can appreciate all the research that has gone into this book to weave  the fiction into the historical facts. Thank you.

From her website:

Author Biography

I’m an author and native New Englander, still pinching myself since my debut novel Lilac Girls, became a New York Times bestseller the week it was published in April 2016. The novel is historical fiction, based on the true story of 72 Polish women who were imprisoned and experimented on at Ravensbruck Concentration Camp and how Caroline Ferriday, an American philanthropist and former actress brought them to the U.S. for rehabilitation and the trip of a lifetime.

Following Lilac Girls, I wrote two prequel novels. The first, released in April 2019, Lost Roses, takes place during WWI and tells the story of Caroline’s mother Eliza’s fight to help Russian refugees displaced by the revolution there. Like Lilac Girls, Lost Roses is a heartbreaking story of love and loss that, I believe, is remarkably relevant today — a saga of desperate immigrants, a world in turmoil, and three strong women who are pushed to the limit, determined to survive.

The second prequel, Sunflower Sisters, released in March 2021, takes place during The Civil War and tells the story of Caroline’s ancestors, the incredibly philanthropic Woolsey women, staunch abolitionists who tended to wounded soldiers on the Gettysburg battlefield.

In my blog and throughout the site, I’ve included background about my research and inspiration for both Lilac Girls and Lost Roses — hope you enjoy!

If you have questions or anything you’d like to share with me, I’d love to hear from you on social media at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and GoodReads. For publishing related inquiries, please visit my contact page.martha_collage-14-14

Book clubs Check out Martha’s resources for bookclubs.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Sunflower sisters DB103103

Kelly, Martha Hall. Reading time: 17 hours, 52 minutes.

Read by Jenna Lamia.

Historical Fiction

Georgeanna Woolsey is a Union nurse during the Civil War whose calling leads her to cross paths with Jemma, a young enslaved girl who is sold off and conscripted into the army, and Anne-May Wilson, a Southern plantation mistress whose husband enlists. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2021.

Download Sunflower sisters