This historical Irish novel is groundbreaking

There are some standout Irish novels that everyone has read, whether it's a classic like James Joyce's Dubliners or a modern-day triumph like Sally Rooney's Normal People.

However, there's one underrated Irish novel that never gets the credit it deserves, and that's Emma Donoghue's The Pull of the Stars.

The devastating historical fiction novel is one book I cannot stop thinking about, and it's been years since I read it.

The book is set in Dublin during the flu pandemic of 1918. It follows midwife Julia Power as she works on an understaffed maternity ward in a city ravaged by disease.

The Pull of the Stars was released during the COVID-19 pandemic, so many readers may not have read it. However, it is one of the best Irish books I've ever read. It's a novel that will stick with you, that will haunt you, and that will break your heart. However, it's an essential read that will capture your attention from the very first page.

You’ll learn so much about the struggles healthcare workers faced, but you’ll also be reminded of how incredible nurses are.

You can read the full synopsis below:

In an Ireland doubly ravaged by war and disease, Nurse Julia Power works at an understaffed hospital in the city center, where expectant mothers who have come down with the terrible new Flu are quarantined together. Into Julia’s regimented world step two outsiders—Doctor Kathleen Lynn, a rumoured Rebel on the run from the police, and a young volunteer helper, Bridie Sweeney.

In the darkness and intensity of this tiny ward, these women change each other’s lives in unexpected ways. They lose patients to this baffling pandemic, but they also shepherd new life into a fearful world. With tireless tenderness and humanity, carers and mothers alike somehow do their impossible work.

Buy the Kindle version here.

Buy The Pull of the Stars here.