The International Bestselller!A powerful and evocative debut novel about two American military nurses during World War II that illuminates the unsung heroism of women who risked their lives in the fight—a riveting saga of friendship, valor, sacrifice, and survival combining the grit and selflessness of Band of Brothers with the emotional resonance of The Nightingale.In war-torn France, Jo … The Nightingale.
In war-torn France, Jo McMahon, an Italian-Irish girl from the tenements of Brooklyn, tends to six seriously wounded soldiers in a makeshift medical unit. Enemy bombs have destroyed her hospital convoy, and now Jo singlehandedly struggles to keep her patients and herself alive in a cramped and freezing tent close to German troops. There is a growing tenderness between her and one of her patients, a Scottish officer, but Jo’s heart is seared by the pain of all she has lost and seen. Nearing her breaking point, she fights to hold on to joyful memories of the past, to the times she shared with her best friend, Kay, whom she met in nursing school.
Half a world away in the Pacific, Kay is trapped in a squalid Japanese POW camp in Manila, one of thousands of Allied men, women, and children whose fates rest in the hands of a sadistic enemy. Far from the familiar safety of the small Pennsylvania coal town of her childhood, Kay clings to memories of her happy days posted in Hawaii, and the handsome flyer who swept her off her feet in the weeks before Pearl Harbor. Surrounded by cruelty and death, Kay battles to maintain her sanity and save lives as best she can . . . and live to see her beloved friend Jo once more.
When the conflict at last comes to an end, Jo and Kay discover that to achieve their own peace, they must find their place—and the hope of love—in a world that’s forever changed. With rich, superbly researched detail, Teresa Messineo’s thrilling novel brings to life the pain and uncertainty of war and the sustaining power of love and friendship, and illuminates the lives of the women who risked everything to save others during a horrifying time.
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This novel about two army nurses serving during WWII, one on the Western Front and the other in the Pacific theatre, held me spellbound with its gritty authenticity and its depth of emotion. I rooted for the characters to succeed even as I loathed the situations they found themselves in. This is historical fiction at its best.
World War II on both European and Pacific fronts is the setting for this harrowing account of two women committed to nursing the wounded on the front lines. Jo is an Italian Irish Brooklynite, Kay a small town girl from Pennsylvania. They meet and seal their sisterhood in nursing school over the first of many brutal encounters that each endures.
Kay spends most of the war serving in a Japanese POW camp in Manila. Jo gets trapped in a freezing tent near the front lines with six wounded soldiers who cannot be moved and who have only her keeping them from death’s door.
The violent grit of wartime is relentless in The Fire By Night via both the narrative and the lucid and graphic writing style. Some readers might feel pushed beyond their own endurance by its intensity. But memory, healing, and friendship provide saving graces throughout this powerful debut novel.
I very much enjoyed this book…would have been 5 star but I felt the ending was abrupt…I kept thinking there must be more….excellent descriptions of a horrific time in history…felt like you could truly see what they were experiencing. Well done.
The World War !! period has always fascinated me, so when I saw this book, I just had to read it. The author spent seven years researching the book, and since all military personnel had to sign papers that they would not divulge anything that happened to them for 60 years (2005) or lose their pension and benefits, a lot of the research is relatively new.
In war-torn France, Jo McMahon, an Italian-Irish girl from the tenements of Brooklyn, tends to six seriously wounded soldiers in a makeshift medical unit. Enemy bombs have destroyed her hospital convoy, and now Jo singlehandedly struggles to keep her patients and herself alive in a cramped and freezing tent close to German troops. There is a growing tenderness between her and one of her patients, a Scottish officer, but Jo’s heart is seared by the pain of all she has lost and seen. Nearing her breaking point, she fights to hold on to joyful memories of the past, to the times she shared with her best friend, Kay, whom she met in nursing school.
Half a world away in the Pacific, Kay is trapped in a squalid Japanese POW camp in Manila, one of thousands of Allied men, women, and children whose fates rest in the hands of a sadistic enemy. Far from the familiar safety of the small Pennsylvania coal town of her childhood, Kay clings to memories of her happy days posted in Hawaii, and the handsome flyer who swept her off her feet in the weeks before Pearl Harbor. Surrounded by cruelty and death, Kay battles to maintain her sanity and save lives as best she can . . . and live to see her beloved friend Jo once more.
Favorite Quotes:
When a command comes to fall back, it takes an infantryman less than ten seconds to simply turn around – and run. But not military nurses, whose only creed, whose one, unbreakable rule, is never to leave their patients. Never.
Jo looked at Captain Clark now as he came up to her, hands on hips, spitting before he spoke, and realized how much the movies had conditioned her, had prejudiced her. She’d believed that all U.S. soldiers in perilous positions would be just as truthful, upright, clean-mouthed, good, and pure as they were on-screen. Here was an American, and the odds were against him, certainly. And yet the man was still a bastard.
Kay liked to imagine that somewhere – in a small fishing village perhaps, far from all this – a nice plump Japanese woman was bouncing her baby on her knee, singing him a funny lullaby about dragons and magic kites, because other than her, they all seemed madmen to Kay – cruel, hard madmen. Destroying just to destroy, because the rest of humanity wasn’t human, wasn’t like them.
My Review:
The Fire by Night was found treasure, it was an extraordinarily well-crafted, poignant, deeply researched, and beautifully written book. The story featured two young female nurses who had become friends during their training and served in the Army during WWII. One nurse was sent to Europe to work in field hospitals frequently on or near the front lines, and the other was sent to the Pacific where she found herself an unwelcome and poorly treated guest of the Japanese government and placed in an internment camp in the Philippines.
Ms. Messineo’s magical arrangements of words immediately ensnared my full attention and inserted me into the corners of their tents and into their pockets. I heard the weeping, felt the turmoil, and smelled the adrenaline. She also placed me between their ears, behind their eyes, and straight into their souls. I was devastated when they were abused and my heart lifted when they fell in love. Ms. Messineo’s scenes were vividly and thoroughly detailed for sight, sound, smell, and emotional tone. She cleverly wove in exceptional and thoughtful ancillary details that added considerable depth and gravitās to the saga. I was awed by her extensive knowledge, sensitive and insightful observations, and breathtaking word prowess.
I had no earthly idea nor had I ever considered what military nursing during wartime would entail, what their living conditions would have been like, or the hardships the women would have faced from the very people they were serving. If I had thought about it at all, I would have assumed they had been in military hospitals. I finished the book with an intense appreciation for their sacrifice and survival, as well as for their bravery. I do love a feisty heroine, and Ms. Messineo gave me two.
Monotonous., depressing.
Was not quite what I thought it was going to be . Was sad. Detailed war horrors. Good read if you like this topic.
Realistic retelling of the lives of military nurses, who suffered alongside the machinery of war, while mending bodies, hearts and minds. If you are a woman or a nurse, this is a must read.
It gave a detailed account of what the nurses did and had to put up with during the war on the European and Asian fronts. Women during the were inspirational and very heroic.
So realistic and truly memorable.
I loved this book! Great story.
Amazing book. Set in World War 2, it traces the paths of two nurses, one in the Philippines and one in Europe.
Well researched, with lots of detail, this book can be harrowing at times, but is ultimately uplifting as we see the determination and courage of the nurses.
Great read … learned so much of women in hardship during WW 2
This book really made me aware of the immense courage and sacrifice required of the women who served as nurses in WWII. The disrespect and discrimination endured by these fierce, intelligent women should be an embarrassment to this country. My heart broke for them as they survived challenge after challenge, fell in love and gave their all for their country
I loved this account of two female nurses during WWII – one stationed in Europe, one in the Pacific. Friends before the war, separated by their duties, they each experience the horrors of war and experience love. A page-turner and a look into the war experience from women in the war.
So sad what these nurses went through and we are only now, 70 years later, hearing their stories. Tons of stories written about male service members in WW2, but just a very few about the women. The author painted a vivid picture of life for these unsung heroes.
A slow beginning but ended up a page turner. Great read for nurses or anyone who enjoys historical fiction. The author did a great job in researching the Pacific and European theaters of WWII.
Too many gory details to make it enjoyable. I gave it up long before the end.
I love World War Two stories but I haven’t got very far in this one. It seems hard to get involved in the story. I get bored with trying and move on to something else
Couldn’t get past page 15. Just a total turn off.