I have always admired Florence Nightingale, the "Lady with the Lamp." I became a nurse as she did to care for people but luckily we have advanced since Florence's time in medicine and sanitation because I am not near as tough as those ladies we're to work in the conditions they did in Scutari. However, I am ahead of myself.
This book opens when Florence is seven years old. Florence's parents are wealthy, educated, well-traveled, and have a very large circle of friends and family. Florence is named for Florence, Italy where she was born just as her sister Parthenope was named after Parthenope, Greece where she was born. Florence and her sister we're very well educated as her father valued education. Florence spoke French, German, Italian, Latin, Greek and also studied mathematics and science. As Florence grew older, the life she led with her family traveling about England and the Continent visiting family and friends did not satisfy Florence. She was restless and discontented. She felt God had a higher calling for her.
The best part of this book is all the excerpts from Florence's diaries and letters. Fortunately for us, Florence was a voluminous writer. Florence rejects a suiter for her hand and spends years searching for a way to help those less fortunate and to find God's purpose for her. She wishes to be a nurse but at that time nurses had a very poor reputation. It is a strange coincidence that I am writing this on Nurse's Day. England becomes embroiled in the Crimean War. The wounded English soldier is dying hideously and unnecessarily. Florence is tapped to go to the Crimea with nurses to care for the English wounded. The French wounded have hospitals with nursing nuns and their wounded are faring much better. What Florence finds is intolerable. Despite unbelievable opposition from the bureaucracy, do things ever change, Florence does make a difference, and save lives. Despite those trying to damage her reputation, Florence receives the accolades she deserves and is the heroine we revere today. She establishes a nursing school and writes "Notes on Nursing" which is still in print today. I have a copy. I enjoyed reading this book and I thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a review. This book has a bibliography at the end for further reading about this subject.

An inspirational and informative book about a remarkable woman, whose life still has an impact today!

"Yes! This was her calling— caring for the suffering."
Overall, this was an interesting read. The narrative included many vignettes from personal letters and journal entries. It felt a bit tedious in the first half with all of the social details, but it made sense in the second half when Florence finally realized her gifts and calling. I learned a lot about her life and found it incredible. I love how it showed that God uses even the details of our personalities in ways that bring about His plan. This would be a good addition to a homeschool curriculum, appropriate for older children and teens.

While I found this book informative, I have to admit I struggled with the writing style. It was written in third person, and fell somewhere between historical fiction and a biography. In the very first paragraph we find Florence, known to her family as Flo, at breakfast at her grandmother's house. There's a conversation between the adults in the room, and I figured I was settling in to read historical fiction. To my surprise, the narrative then shifts to a more formal biographical style, full of facts and social/historical context, then back to imagined conversations.
I think this was a decent book that didn't quite know what it wanted to be. Unfortunately, for this reason alone, I did not enjoy it very much.

What a fantastic read! I thought I knew a lot about Florence but this was such an in-depth and interesting read. I particularly enjoyed the context of Zeitgeist and how Florence broke the social moulds, forging not only a new way of nursing but a new role for women. Well written, well researched. I look forward to more books in the series.

Florence Nightingale inspired me as a young nursing student. Above my desk were written her words, "Nursing is an art; the finest of the arts." Thus, I was keen to read this new book about her in the Women of Courage series. Her deep faith was so evident in its pages, how she wrestled with it, seeking God's will to fulfill his calling on her life to care for others. It was insightful to see how God gave the unique traits that made her a compassionate, knowledgeable caregiver, and nursing administrator amidst intense conflict from the medical establishment. I found the childhood of Florence to be rather long and tedious and skimmed over much of it. Those who are involved in the Nursing community will especially enjoy this recounting of Florence's life. My thanks to Barbour Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC for my honest review.

I have always been intrigued by the life of Florence Nightingale. She was an amazing woman, doing many things that women of her day were not supposed to do. This biography kept my interest all the way through, even though I have read about her before. I appreciated all the quotes from her own writings; these made it feel like she was speaking.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

As a nurse myself, this was such a beautiful read. This is the biographical tale of Florence Nightengale, the "mother" of modern nursing. Although touted as a Christian book, it is enjoyable for people of all walks of life, as it tells her personal biographical tale without preaching to the reader. Intertwined are excerpts as if from a diary, as well as some of Florence's favorite KJV verses. She advocated for the wounded soldiers of the 18th century by providing them compassionate care when they needed it most and when no others would, as they deemed their cause helpless. Not Florence. She is an example we all can learn to live by. I did find this to be quite an easy read, making it a good biography for a younger audience as well. Thank you to Barbour Publishing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Barbour Publishing Staff, as part of their Women of Courage series, compiled this book on Florence Nightingale in recognition of the way in which she changed the world for the better. It is also a reflection on Florence’s commitment to her faith, Christianity.

It is jam-packed with information of both a qualitative and quantitative nature. It has several excerpts from Florence’s diaries and her correspondence. What she achieved in her nursing work is contrasted against an unhappy life. She doesn’t fit well with her family, she experiences several bouts of depression and is brutal with her friends. Whilst I found her care of the sick, injured or invalid remarkable, I ended the book with a far more human and less saintly view of Miss Nightingale.

I found the writing style jarring though, it flipped from first narrative to documentary-style frequently. For example, the passage below is from the opening chapters

“Other astonishing things happened that winter. Sir Nicholas Tindall came to their estate in a hot air balloon, the first Flo had ever seen. Then Mama took the girls south to enjoy the warm breezes off the English Channel.” - From “Florence Nightingale” by Barbour Staff

And this one from near the end of the book, quite different from the one above.

“Flo’s letter crossed a letter in the mail from Sidney Herbert. On October 15, she read his appeal to her to take a group of nurses to the Crimea: “There is but one person in England that I know of who would be capable of organizing and superintending such a scheme. . . . Would you listen to the request to go and superintend the whole thing? . . . Deriving your authority from the Government, your position would secure the respect and consideration of everyone. . . together with a complete submission to your orders. I know these things are a matter of indifference to you, except so far as they may further the great objects you have in view.” - From “Florence Nightingale” by Barbour Staff

In light of COVID-19, Florence’s work in the Crimea war is far too relevant to today. With little more the good hygiene and kindness, she decreased the death rate in her hospital from 50% to 10%. The volume of patients she cared for is astonishing! Her systemisation and leadership would be amazing in today’s world, in her time it was revolutionary and mind-blowing. There is no doubt she was a woman of great faith and great courage and I am grateful I spent time learning her story.

It’s a three out of five on the enJOYment scale solely because of the disjointed writing style. If you are looking for a book to learn more about Florence, this is one to read!

Women of Courage: Florence Nightingale by Sam Weldon is an insightful look at the life of one who changed the course of nursing in the 1800’s and beyond.
I enjoyed this book very much and learned many things I did not know about the early nursing profession. Florence Nightingale is a fascinating person who had to fight for what she achieved. I found the first half about her childhood moved a bit slow and felt like I was being dragged through it. I give this book 4 of 5 stars.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is a well written book that holds your attention. I remember studying about Florence Nightingale in school and couldn't wait to read this book. I wasn't disappointed, it's a wonderful story about her life and also a great history lesson. If you like history and biography books, you will love this book. This book would a wonderful addition to a school library. Thank You Barbour Publishing via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Inspiring biography of a real-life hero. I have been nurse for over 20 years and Florence Nightingale has left a significant impression on me and my career. I am well versed in her impact on the nursing profession, and this biography does a great job of explaining this from various people’s firsthand perspectives. In addition, I was thrilled to hear of her life in her own words. Flo was an avid writer and recorded so much of her life. I was moved by her faith and steeled resolve to fulfill her calling. I was challenged by her dedication and perseverance. This is an excellent book for young women, nursing students, nurses, teachers and faculty.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are solely my own.

This biography of Florence Nightingale is very well written and researched. We see her desire to do good from her earliest years and her determination to follow the call of God on her life. One of the most famous women in history, admired by so many including Queen Victoria, she remained humble, only caring that people took seriously her desire to see justice done.
I like the way the story starts when she was seven years old and the descriptions of life at the time. What a wealth of history is contained in this book!
Iwas given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Barbour Publishing. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

Women of courage Florence Nightingale it’s an inspirational and encouraging read. You will learn so much in this easy to read biography. This book would make a great read for a young girl to a mature lady. I also think it would be a good addition to the classroom library.

I didn’t know much about Florence Nightingale but this book showed me she was an incredible lady who not only caught for nursing but what was right in a world of war. Brilliant book and one I’ll return to many times again.