Nursing Fox
by Jim Ditchfield
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Jan 26 2016 | Archive Date Jul 09 2016
Description
Genre: Historical Fiction / War Fiction
At the outbreak of World War I, Lucy Paignton-Fox enlists in the Australian Army Nursing Service and leaves her family's cattle station in the Northern Territory to join the war effort. During the Gallipoli campaign she serves in hospitals in Egypt, but when the Anzacs are posted to France she moves with them. A talented and spirited nurse, with dreams of one day becoming a doctor, Lucy finds more opportunities than she ever imagined: working alongside doctors and surgeons, sharing the soldiers' dangers, helping them through their pain, and making lifelong friends.
But with war comes suffering. Lucy sees it all around: sorrow, disease and death. How long can she stay separated from it all?
Adam Hayward joins the British Army after a devastating attack on his family. Accepted into the air force, Adam tests his luck in the cockpit fighting for those he loves. But with aircraft technology booming, can Adam continue to stay ahead of the game?
John Mitchell's determination leads him slowly up the ranks. With more responsibility than ever, he becomes disillusioned with the horrors of war, but he can't help admiring the brave nurses who do so much to help the wounded men.
Nursing Fox details the experiences of Australian nurses during the Great War. It honours their journeys and shows the impact that the nurses had on the soldiers with whom they crossed paths.
Advance Praise
"This war story spanning the four-year duration of WWI is another addition to the accumulation of fiction recounting that terrible time. The writing shows ample evidence of Jim Ditchfield’s extensive research and personal military experience, with detailed descriptions of armaments, troop movements, and both air and ground battle scenes. Scenes involving first aid procedures, especially under heavy bombardment, are particularly well handled and should interest readers of Peter Rees’ 2014 nonfiction book Anzac Girls. Readers will feel as if they are fighting alongside the combatants, working with the medical staff, and flying in vintage biplanes." - Historical Novel Society
"This has without a doubt been one of the best books I’ve ever had the pleasure to read, A beautiful and emotive tale that had me engrossed from the start. The story is told from 3 different points of view, Lucy, Adam and John. Set within World War I they are thrust into the war effort and each play a part in each other’s lives. The tale starts slowly but then you get carried away and I just couldn’t put it down. At times the tale was heart-warming...at others gut wrenching. It really made me feel glad for the freedom I’m lucky to have." - David Baird, via Goodreads
"Superbly researched and brilliantly told. I don’t read a lot of stuff that isn’t SF, but this was worth it." - Jason Bleckly, via Goodreads
Marketing Plan
About the Author:
Jim Ditchfield is an Australian author who spends most of his time travelling around the country with his blue heeler that he rescued from a dogs’ home. Before retiring, Ditchfield was an electronics engineer and a naval architect. On top of his time in the Royal Marine Commandos, Ditchfield is no stranger to the consequences of war. At two years old, Ditchfield’s parents were killed two months apart, his father at Dunkerque and his mother in the Blitz of Liverpool. In 2003, CQUP published Ditchfield’s non-fiction book, Angels Don’t Go Droving, which is the biography of a former drover, Dick Scobie. Nursing Fox is his first novel.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781922200433 |
| PRICE | $22.95 (USD) |
Links
Featured Reviews
Rosemary S, Librarian
This novel follows the lives of three individuals during the Great War. First and foremost is nurse Lucy Parlington-Fox, who has left behind her family’s cattle ranch in Australia to help in the war effort. Stationed throughout the world, in Egypt and France, Lucy sees incredible suffering and death, but also great acts of kindness and courage. Her dream is to become a doctor, but that is frowned upon at the time and she gets no help from her superiors. Adam Hayward joined the British army and becomes a fighter pilot, after witnessing, firsthand, the devastation of war; and John Mitchell is a man with conviction and courage who begins as a rank and file soldier who gradually works his way up the ranks. This is an incredible story about what was supposed to have been “the war to end all wars”. Like Lucy, readers will witness the horrors of war, while at the same time, see the best of humanity, the light that refuses to wink out even in the darkest moments
kATHLEEN G, Reviewer
Really interesting view of WWI from the point of view of Australians. I was especially taken with Lucy and her service as a nurse but also enjoyed Adam's perspective as well. Well written, this is a book which reminds us about the consequences of war. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I agree with a previous poster that this would make an interesting television drama. Recommend.
Polly K, Reviewer
Australian nurse Lucy Paignton-Fox finds herself very close to the front in the brutal trench wars of WWI. With good pacing and excellently developed characters, Mr. Ditchfield has written an eminently readable book. One of the best I have come across dealing with World War I. Recommended.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
Jodi Picoult; Jennifer Finney Boylan
General Fiction (Adult), Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction
DéLana R. A. Dameron
Literary Fiction, Multicultural Interest, Women's Fiction
