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The Capricorn of the Stars is a classic about hope and survival against all odds. Once again, Emma Donoghue finds light in the darkness.
Dublin, 1918: three days in a maternity ward at the height of the Great Influenza. A small world of hard work, risk, death, and unexpected love.
In an Ireland doubly devastated—by war and disease—nurse Julia Power works at an understaffed hospital in the city center, where pregnant women who have contracted a terrible new flu are quarantined. Into Julia's orderly world emerge two strangers: Dr. Kathleen Lynn, who is on the run from the police, and young volunteer Bridie Sweeney.
In the darkness and intensity of the tiny ward, over the course of three days, these women change each other's lives in profound and unexpected ways. They lose patients to the devastating pandemic, but they also bring new lives to a world permeated by fear. With tireless tenderness and humanity, caregivers and mothers do their impossible work.
“Donoghue offers vivid characters and a compelling portrait of a world ravaged by a pandemic and political uncertainty. A fascinating read in these challenging times.” — Booklist
“Intense... Donoghue's portrayal of the 1918 flu and the courage it demands of health care workers will stay with readers.” — Publishers Weekly
“Darkly irresistible, illuminated by the light of compassion and tenderness: Donoghue's best novel since Room.” — Kirkus Reviews
"A visceral, harrowing, and revelatory look at life, death, and love in a time of pandemic. This novel is spectacular." — Emily St. John Mandel, author of The Glass Hotel
“A defining force in Emma Donoghue’s work is her narrative voice, and here it is as strong and compelling as Jack’s in Room and Lib’s in The Miracle... a haunting and subtly balanced literary novel... complex, well-developed characters with distinct voices and lives grounded in careful research, real in ways that only great writing can deliver.” — The Guardian
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