Review: The Nightingale Girls: 5 stars

 I bought the e-book of The Nightingale Girls by Donna Douglas because it was on sale for $0.99. A novel about nursing students in 1930s England sounded potentially interesting and sometimes I discover my new favorite author when I read a bargain book. 

This was one of those times. I finished that one and bought the next several. I’ve now read nine of the eleven in the series and the only reason I’m taking a breather is that I have stuff to do—like working on my own tenth novel.

The books in Ms. Douglas’s Nightingale series, while sharing a common thread (the Nightingale teaching hospital and its students and employees) are all distinctly different and they’re all fascinating. They feel authentic, with good historical background and detail. The characters are well-developed and believable. There are plot twists. There are elements of horror: chiefly in the medical care as described. There’s romance. There’s good writing. I’m smitten with admiration.  

This is not Cherry Ames, Student Nurse but it’s not steamy, either. It is, however, a really good read. Five stars.