2013 Christy Award Finalist Historical Fiction and First Novel categoriesIts April 1861, and the Union Armys Medical Department is a disaster, completely unprepared for the magnitude of war. A small group of New York City women, including 28-year-old Charlotte Waverly, decide to do something about it, and end up changing the course of the war, despite criticism, ridicule and social ostracism. Charlotte leaves a life of privilege, wealth-and confining expectations-to be one of the first female nurses for the Union Army. She quickly discovers that shes fighting more than just the Rebellion by working in the hospitals. Corruption, harassment, and opposition from Northern doctors threaten to push her out of her new role. At the same time, her sweetheart disapproves of her shocking strength and independence, forcing her to make an impossible decision Will she choose love and marriage, or duty to a cause that seems to be losing? An Irish immigrant named Ruby OFlannery, who turns to the unthinkable in the face of starvation, holds the secret that will unlock the door to Charlottes future.
