The friendship between shy Mariella Lingwood and her wild-child cousin, Rosa, lies at the heart of this novel which takes place during the Crimean war. The war, fought between the Russian empire and Western Allies during the mid-nineteenth century, touches each girl differently. Rosa, who has a need to save people, wants to travel to the front as part of Florence Nightingale's nursing corps. After her request is refused, she sets out with another group of women, hoping to run into Henry Thewell, notable surgeon and Mariella's fiancée. Mariella, who has led a sheltered life, is content to view the war from afar. She spends her time creating a scrapbook of the war's events, and sewing for the soldiers and a house for retired governesses.

Mariella's life changes when she hears that Henry is gravely ill in Italy and Rosa has disappeared. She travels to Henry's side but he begs her to find Rosa. Mariella and her maid, Nora, make the journey into the war-torn Crimea to question soldiers in hopes of following Rosa's trail.

McMahon's drama takes readers from Derbyshire where young Mariella met young Rosa, to London where the two meet 10 years later, to Italy, and to the Crimea. McMahon brings her characters and landscapes to life with vivid descriptions. Her picture of war-torn Crimea rings devastatingly true with riveting images of soldiers without limbs, huge rats, and the ever-present threat of cholera. Victorian London also comes to life under her deft hand, complete with an evil industrialist.

Though the story was epic, at times I felt Mariella was too sheltered and too timid, and Rosa too stubborn and adventurous. McMahon's tale moves forwards and backwards in time through letters and descriptions of past events in Derbyshire. While I found the jumps back and forth between eras easy to follow, I'm not sure they were necessary to maintain the suspense of the story. I found the ending to lack a clear resolution which might bother some readers, though the likely outcome is clear.

Book Summary

The #1 international bestseller about love, war and betrayal from the author of The Alchemist's Daughter

In 1854, adventurous Rosa Barr travels to the Crimean battlefield with Florence Nightingale's nursing corps. For Mariella Lingwood, Rosa's cousin, the war is contained within the letters she receives from her fiancé, Henry, a celebrated surgeon who also has volunteered to work in the shadow of the guns. When Henry falls ill, Mariella impulsively takes an epic journey to the ravaged landscape of the Crimea and the tragic city of Sebastopol. What she finds there, as her world beings to crumble, is that she has much to learn about secrecy, faithfulness, and love...

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