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There are currently 40 member reviews
for The Daughters of Mars
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Peggy H. (North East, PA)
Long, interesting, but no connection
I wanted to like this book, I really did. It was looong and filled with many interesting details, but I found it strangely impersonal. I never really cared about either of the sisters.
Perhaps it was the writing style in the third person, but I kept reading...and didn't find real motivation for the first rift between the sisters, and didn't find joy and awe in their survival in the ocean.
It makes me want to learn more about WW1 from this theater, but left me a little cold about all the characters.
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Marie A. (Warner, NH)
Endurance
In The Daughters of Mars, Thomas Keneally aptly provides his readers with the horrors, pain and destruction of war, specifically World War I, on humanity and on the environment. Furthermore, we are privy to the relationship between the Durance sisters, both Australian nurses, and the interactions of the many characters involved with and changed by the circumstances of war.
The end results for many of the characters are not always uplifting thus mirroring the bleakness of war and its effects on those touched by it. Keneally shows the vastness of war as well as the details of it.
Interestingly, Keneally provides alternate endings for the protagonists--a great springboard for discussion among book club members
I enjoyed the novel and highly recommend it to anyone interested in reading a long novel about relationships--both enduring and lost--heroism, and the details and casualties of war.
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Jean N. (New Richmond, OH)
Pure Determination
The sisters showed pure determination in dealing with all the situations they endured as volunteer nurses during World War I. As I plodded through the pages of this book, I felt like it was pure determination on my part to keep on going so that I could write a review. The writing style was very difficult to read. I often had to go back to get the meaning of a passage, or to be sure of which character the author was talking about. I am a reader who reads every word of a book, and "whoa", did I have my work cut out for me. If I had it to do over again I would have taken notes from the beginning to keep track of locations, characters, battles, etc. Maps and perhaps charts of the battles and locations, etc. would have been helpful, especially to readers who are unfamiliar with WWI.
I did give the book a rating of 4, because in the midst of the verbosity of the book, I do think this was an above average book. I came away with a awareness of this war that I didn't have before. There were many interesting issues raised that would be worthy of discussion. I feel that the book could have been improved by a style that would have been easier to read.
I am glad that I read The Daughters of Mars, but I am relieved to have reached the end of the book. And I would be happier if I knew how it really did end!
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Anne (Austin, TX)
The Daughters of Mars
This is a huge book with a large cast of characters and a massive story to tell. Written from the point of view of nurses and other medical personnel who cared for those wounded on the front lines of WWI, it is unique. From sinking ships to mustard gas burns to shell shocked soldiers and nurses who love them, Keneally lives up to the reputation he gained from Schindler's List and others he has written. He tells the story in a way that makes you feel almost as though you can smell the rot and the fetid air the gassed soldiers are coughing up. I gravitate to books with a medical perspective and this one has the added benefit of being a story not often told.
Like others, I'm not sure I understand the twist at the end but think it would make a great discussion topic. Plenty of topics for a book club to dissect and discuss.
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Gary R. (Bolingbrook, IL)
The war to end all wars!
Another great book by a master.a tale of two Aussie sisters who volunteer as nurses during the great war.really enjoyed this book,the descriptions of the conditions that existed and the horrors everyone endured we're written as if Keneally was there.read this this book,it will make you realize that our methods of killing may have changed but in the end it's always the endurance and heroics of the people that matter!
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Joanne V. (Towanda, PA)
World War I from a different perspective
I really enjoyed this book because of the author's character development - I really cared about all the characters especially the nurses and what they endured during WWI. I had no problem with the author's writing style and rather liked it. I was somewhat confused by the ending, but on the whole, it was a very satisfying read. I would recommend it to my book club since there is considerable material for discussion. My only negative is that it is a bit too long and could be cut a bit - it may be daunting for some readers.
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Mary S. (Pinson, AL)
The Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally
I enjoyed this story of two sisters, both trying to escape a secret at home by dedicating their lives to nursing during World War I. The friendships and romances that develop on the front-lines make this an interesting read; however, Keneally's image of medical care in the chaos of the battlefield may not be for everyone. I think this novel would make an excellent discussion for book groups.
