TWO WARS AND A WEDDING by Lauren Willig

TWO WARS AND A WEDDING by Lauren Willig So, neither of the two wars did I know much about before I read this. I don’t know a lot more after finishing the book. Greece and Turkey in 1897 got into pitched battles over I’m not quite sure what and Betsy Hayes, Smith College graduate, decided she needed to be a nurse and save lives. Unfortunately, she was NOT a nurse and, in fact, she knew little about nursing. But Betsy was determined to do whatever SHE wanted, and so she cajoled her way into a nursing cohort. It was nothing like she imagined. A year later, the United States and Spain got into a bitter war. And Betsy talked her way into a Red Cross nursing unit. Her reasoning is complicated. (Read the book.) You will learn a lot about nursing in war zones during the 1890’s. Willig’s research is flawless and detailed. Nurses, especially women nurses, were considered little more than letter writers for the dying and water carriers for the critically wounded. The characters are believable, the situations are only too true – and horrifying. Clara Barton is melded seamlessly into the story. Oh yes, the wedding. There is one. Again, read the book. It will keep your interest and you will know more about two half-forgotten wars and also a bit about archeology and digs and the treatment of women especially educated women, in the 1890’s. 4 0f 5 stars