Book reviews

Nightingales
Gillian Gill Book Review

Read a book review online (click here to search reviews)
Books Movies  
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mystery/Thriller Literature Romance Biography Video
Gillian Gill Books
New book search
Gillian Gill Message Board
Get more information about this book
Plot Summary of Nightingales
"Gillian Gill's book is a biography of the four members of the family who produced one of the most famous women in nineteenth century England, Florence Nightingale. Gill begins with her parents, William Edward Nightingale, known as WEN, and Fanny Nightingale. Both were very enlightened about raising their daughters, especially WEN, making sure that they were educated and giving them access to his library. Parthenope, Florence's older sister was born in 1819 in Italy. She was sickly for a good deal of life, married late, and then had a career as a writer.

Florence was born in Italy in 1820. She was interested in science and religion and early on demonstrated a passion for caring for the sick. As she grew older, she felt that she was called upon by God to work in nursing. Nursing was not considered an acceptable profession for proper young ladies at the time. Gradually she overcame her family's objections and took charge of a hospital for sick governesses. Her greatest accomplishments came when she took a group of nurses to Turkey to care for the soldiers during the Crimean War.

She returned to England to work on public health issues. Later she became an invalid and lived for a long period as a recluse. She died in 1910."

Jack Goodstein, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Nightingales
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
job/profession: - doctor/nurse
Job/profession/poverty story Yes
Period of greatest activity? - 1800's

Subject of Biography
Gender - Female
Age: - long lived adults
Biography of famous person? Yes
Ethnicity - White
Nationality - British
How sensitive is this person? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other people
Physique - physically sick

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 3 ()
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
Book makes you feel? - in awe
Commentary on society? Yes
Commentary on - war - dying
Writer's slant towards subject: - very favorable
Story of entire life, or part? - story of nearly entire life
Is this a biography of several people? Yes
If this is a kid's book: - Age 16-Adult
Pictures/Illustrations? - More 6-10 B&W
How much dialogue in bio? - little dialog
How much of bio focuses on most famous period of life? - 26-50% of book
How much is philosophy rather than life story? - 0-25% of book
Most similar books to Nightingales
A Midwife's Tale: The life of Martha Ballard by Laura Thatcher Ulrich
A Doctor's Odyssey by Robert Doy
Hospital by Michael Medved
Perfect Poison by M. William Phelps
If I Get to Five: What Children Have Taught Me About Courage and Character by Fred Epstein, M.D, and Joshua Horwitz


Click here for more information about this book


Gillian Gill Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Jack Goodstein  

SCHOLARS:


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Three ways to search for Biography books!

1) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot or subplot below!

Animal story?

Big Business story?

Disaster Story

Ethnic/regional/gender

Family, hate

Family, ill

Family, love

Food

Job/profession/poverty story

Kids growing up/acting up?

Life in an institution

Outdoors story

Pal/friendship story

Phys disability/mental struggle?

Political/social rights fight

Road trip

Romance

Royalty bio

Sports story

Taboo Sex Story?

War/Spying



or 2) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
3) Even more search options available with a Detailed Booksearch (click here)

Use our site!
17 FREE Sci-Fi Ebooks!
FREE "How to be happy" Ebook!
Feedback


Most recent discussions:

General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
Suzanne Weyn 10:35:23 PM
George W. Bush 5:33:46 PM
Kin Platt 12:58:29 AM
Anonymous 12:47:34 PM
Lilian Jackson Braun 10:05:52 PM
Jane Rubino 10:04:38 PM
LaVyrle Spencer 10:04:00 PM
G.A. McKevett 10:03:31 PM
David Williams 10:03:01 PM
Steven Pressfield 10:02:30 PM
Jeanette Walls 10:00:19 PM
Darryl Ponicsan 9:59:27 PM
Ann Rinaldi 9:58:30 PM
R.L. Stine 9:57:34 PM
Geoffrey Huntington 9:57:14 PM
Betty Mahmoody 9:56:38 PM
Deric Longden 9:56:11 PM
Mary Downing Hahn 9:55:48 PM
Iris Johansen 9:55:24 PM
Marlo Morgan 9:54:58 PM

More message boards