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In Falling Snow: A Novel
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In Falling Snow: A Novel
Unavailable
In Falling Snow: A Novel
Audiobook14 hours

In Falling Snow: A Novel

Written by Mary-Rose MacColl

Narrated by Orlagh Cassidy

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

A best-selling Australian writer's American debut and a heart-wrenching novel of World War I.

Iris Crane's tranquil life is shattered when a letter summons memories from her bittersweet past: her first love, her best friend, and the tragedy that changed everything. Iris, a young Australian nurse, travels to France during World War I to bring home her 15-year-old brother, who ran away to enlist. But in Paris she meets the charismatic Dr. Frances Ivens, who convinces Iris to help establish a field hospital in the old abbey at Royaumont, staffed entirely by women - a decision that will change her life.

Seamlessly interwoven is the story of Grace, Iris' granddaughter in 1970s Australia. Together their narratives paint a portrait of the changing role of women in medicine and the powerful legacy of love.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 27, 2013
ISBN9780698135918
Unavailable
In Falling Snow: A Novel
Author

Mary-Rose MacColl

Mary-Rose MacColl is an Australian writer who worked as a journalist, nursing assistant, photocopier operator and corporate writer while studying towards degrees in journalism and creative writing. She is the author of four other novels and a non-fiction book, as well as short stories, feature journalism and essays.

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Reviews for In Falling Snow

Rating: 4.085714285714285 out of 5 stars
4/5

35 ratings9 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Lives expertly intertwined through time. I loved this novel, delighted in the intricate woven paths of families, enjoyed the teasing sense of expectation.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A beautiful, lyrical, emotional novel set during the First World War. Australian nurse Iris Crane travels to France to find her young brother, who has joined up to fight for the British. A chance meeting in Paris with Frances Ivens of the Scottish Women's Hospitals leads Iris to help with establishing Royaumont Abbey, a military hospital for French soldiers close to the front. At Royaumont, Iris becomes good friends with ambulance driver Violet Heron, falls for an enigmatic French doctor, and manages to locate her errant baby brother - but the war changes all her plans for the future. Offset against Iris' life in France is the story of Grace, Iris' granddaughter, another medical woman struggling with decisions made in the past and the implications for her family in the years to come.Apart from the twist at the end, which I felt was unnecessary, I was absolutely bowled over by Mary-Rose MacColl's novel. Iris, Grace, Violet, and even the fictional representation of the real-life Miss Frances Ivens, are such strong yet sympathetic characters, living their lives and doing what they believe to be for the best. The author pulls no punches with depictions of the war and the devastation wreaked in the trenches and at home, and her prose is poetic without turning purple. Female doctors like Miss Ivens really risked life and reputation to set up a womens' hospital in the thirteenth century abbey, and Mary Rose MacColl's poignant embroidery around the truth of their bravery and compassion brings the past to life in a way that non-fiction accounts cannot.Readers who enjoyed Jojo Moyes' novel The Girl You Left Behind will love this First World War counterpart.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Book received from GoodReads FirstReads program. Thanks for the book!In Falling Snow was an easier read than I first imagined. And I don't mean that it was light material easy to read. But everything flowed so well. Even when we had sudden scene, POV, or timeline switches, I was able to follow along with absolutely no bumps and continue to enjoy this wonderful story. I don't think I can remember right now a book with such a free-flowing narrative and seamless story-telling. I also enjoyed the characters immensely. Everyone felt very real, with all the quirks, faults, and love that everyday people have. Everyone was very distinct as well. From Iris' strength and deterioration to Grace's practical logic to Violet's larger than life approach to everything, every individual shone with life, vivacity, and yet intimacy as well. I really felt like I knew everyone on a very personal level.Both WWI historical and '70's obstetrical worlds intrigued me. Learning the hard road many women doctors and professionals have had to take in both eras entertained and taught me at the same time. The author captures the triumphs and the hardships very well and makes the reader engaged in every step these women took towards their goals. I really enjoyed seeing how the individual women reacted to the struggles of their calling, from Grace's very logical approach to her friends cynicism to Frances' almost blind optimism to Violet's very hard go-getter attitude. Each individually shone in her brilliance and brought both eras to vivid life through their individual struggles.The author kept me engaged throughout the entire book with jaw-dropping twists, realistically messy lives, and characters made for the big screen yet that also feel like I could have a coffee with them and feel at home. I learned about and got into the book because of the historical aspect but found myself enjoying so much more of it. I highly enjoyed every word and recommend this very highly.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    It's strange how things go in waves; for the last few years I've spent quite a bit of time reading WWII books from all sorts of different perspectives and covering nearly every country affected by that war. Then, just for the last few months I seem to have amassed a bunch of WWI titles that are waiting for me to read. In Falling Snow is not the first of those titles that I've read this year, but it is the one I've enjoyed the most for a few different reasons.Read the rest of this review at The Lost Entwife on Nov. 13, 2013.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I found this book in the Peddlers Mall. The cover compared this book to another I liked very much, so for q buck I bought it.Absolutely wonderful. After years of WWII books, a WWI was a change of pace that dovetailed with seeing the recently released movie 1917.Great story that resonates today as much as 100 years ago in regards to a woman's strength and abilities.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    In an absolutely wonderful book, Mary-Rose MacColl introduces us to the cast of characters who inhabit the Scottish Women Doctors hospital in Rayoumont Abbey, France. They care for the injured soldiers, loved and hated each other and learned more about humanity than may have been wise.Iris Crane of Australia goes to London in search of her 15-year old brother, Tom. He went to enlist and, while she didn’t tell him he could go, she also didn’t tell him he couldn’t so his leaving was deemed Iris’ fault by their father. She let him go, she could damn well bring him back. She meets Dr. Frances Ivens, in charge of the hospital and is literally taken in with Frances’ ideals. The staff cannot speak French, but Iris can. What better idea could there be but for her to be the interpreter?Iris soon meets one of the drivers, Violet Heron, a hard-bitten girl who recklessly drives the wounded back and forth through the forest to the trains, etc. She is also a bit “free with herself” among the men. They become known as the Flower Bird girls and are joined at the hip. Through storms, Spring flowers, Winter cold and in between, Violet and Iris go in search of Tom in their free time, Violet meets many men, Iris refuses. Tom is always on her mind and her task has yet to be fulfilled. They do find him, but to what end? This book caught me up and had me joyful, sobbing and most other emotions you can name. Mary-Rose MacColl has a talent, and you should be taking advantage of it this month when the book comes out. It reminds me a bit of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society in the way it got hold of me. The topic is war and you must remember there are many kinds.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Royamount Abbey north of Paris became a field hospital in World War 1 and was run by woman nurses and doctors from Scotland. In this fictional story Iris Crane goes there ostensibly to bring back her brother Tom who at fifteen is too young to have enlisted. She finds her brother ( not at the front line) who does not want to return home and also finds a vocation, working at Royaumount Abbey, that suits her strengths and capabilities. She develops dreams for her future after the war ends. But the book tells what happens when tragedy strikes and shatters those dreams.The story is told by Iris, now an older woman not in good health, who on receiving an invitation to attend a Royaumount reunion is remembering her time there and her grand daughter Grace who is a doctor stuggling to do it all. She is trying to cope with sexism at work while at the same time dealing with concerns about her son Henry's health. I thought the two stories worked very well together as the connections between them were revealed. It was very interesting to read about a part of workd war 1 I knew nothing about - the development of this hospital in the abbey that was run completely by women. It was great to read a book with strong woman characters and to see the part they played in the war. This was a very enjoyable read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The cover of In Falling Snow is deceptive. Yes, there is a little snow in this book and it may be easy to categorise this book as a Christmas special. Please don’t do that. Beneath its cover, this book holds a very interesting story of family, history, war, medicine, suspense and a touch of romance.In Falling Snow is told from two different time periods using two different main characters. The first person we meet is Iris Crane, a young Australian nurse, off to Europe to bring home her underage brother who is a soldier in World War I. Later, in approximately 1970s Brisbane, we meet Iris again as an elderly lady but the focus is on Grace, her grand-daughter. Grace is fighting sexism at work as a doctor and worrying about her son Henry at night. What is the common thread that ties these two stories together? It’s more than family and it will be a shocking revelation to the reader and characters alike.This book is fascinating as it tells a piece of World War I I wasn’t familiar with, nor had I read about elsewhere. Iris, on arrival in France, is swept away to assist the leader of Royaumont, a hospital set up by the Scottish Women’s Hospitals and run entirely by women. Royaumont Hospital was situated in Royaumont Abbey, a magnificent piece of architecture. MacColl describes Royaumont beautifully, a real place, that can be visited today. Inside the magnificent structure, Miss Frances Ivens, director and doctor is trying to be taking seriously by the French to have Royaumont registered as a hospital. Here, Iris comes in useful as she speaks fluent French. Iris becomes a fixture at Royaumont and good friends with one of the ambulance drivers, fellow ‘flower bird’, Violet. Iris locates her brother, but is unsuccessful in convincing him to return home.In the modern time period, Iris receives an invitation to Royaumont’s anniversary, which piques Grace’s curiosity. Iris wants to go, but she is becoming frail. Grace has her own issues to deal with and becomes preoccupied, as Iris retreats into memories…Sometimes with dual narrative novels, it’s difficult to remember what is happening in each time period. There’s no such problem with this book – Iris’s youthful memories keep the threads firmly entwined. The mystery surrounding Grace’s son seems a bit extraneous at first, but it becomes clear that it is an integral part of the plot. My only concern is I found it far too easy to guess what was happening to Henry and I started to look for clues (and there are a few of them) that not all is what it seems. I may just know too much about random things though!The narrative set in Royaumont gives a completely different aspect to WWI from a female point of view. It is not congested with wounds and medicine, but is more of a social history. There is little description of the fighting itself, which suits the story well. This is a novel focusing on characters, their actions and their effects. The rippling effects of choices made long ago are evident in the conclusion, where everything turns on its head rather quickly.This book also is a very strong portrayal of women – women running the hospital, women making decisions. Grace is a doctor herself, but is sometimes ridiculed for her actions by her male colleagues (despite them being quite correct). Grace also represents the modern woman – mother, wife, career woman and homemaker, juggling it all sometimes more successfully than others.Easy to read with a unique, interesting topic, I look forward to reading more by this author. Thank you to Allen and Unwin and The Reading Room for providing me with this copy.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    In this captivating novel, Australian author Mary-Rose MacColl moves between the past and the present, from Australia to war torn France to create a compelling story of love, loss, friendship, family and dreams.When Iris Crane receives an invitation to a ceremony honouring les dames ecossais de Royaumont she is forced to confront the events of sixty years ago. At twenty one, Iris followed her younger brother to war in Europe, determined to bring him home, but instead remained in France to serve at Royaumont, a field hospital established in an Abbey on the outskirts of Paris, staffed exclusively by women. Despite the horrors of war, Royaumont became home for Iris. She befriended a remarkable group of women including the spirited Violet Heron, discovered a talent for medicine and fell in love. Yet just three years later, Iris left Royaumont and never looked back.I was immediately drawn to Iris, an old woman in failing health, who is remembering both the best and worst moments of her long life. As she drifts between the present and past she relates a full life of adventure, love, heartbreak and tragedy. From a motherless child on her father's farm, to a young nurse in the midst of World War 1 combat in France and then to her role as a wife, widow, mother, grandmother and great grandmother in Brisbane's suburbs, Iris reveals long held secrets and lingering regrets.A mother of three and a obstetrician at a major hospital, Grace is struggling with her grandmother's decline as she tries to juggle the demands of work and family. Caught up in her own personal drama including being the target of a complaint and her growing concern about the health of her youngest son, Rose is dismissive of Iris's desire to attend the reunion at Royaumont. Despite being raised from birth by Iris, Grace is unaware of most of her grandmother's incredible past and is stunned by what she discovers when she honours Iris's last wish. There were times when I felt Grace's complications distracted from Iris's story somewhat but I also appreciated that MacColl ensured Grace was a well developed character.MacColl develops interesting comparisons between the lives of Iris and Grace as she switches between narrative voices, exploring society's shifting perspectives of issues such as gender roles, motherhood, age expectations and health care. The author draws attention to the extraordinary changes in social attitudes that have affected women in particular during the past century, as well as the shameful instances where little has changed at all. MacColl also highlights the way in which the devastating toll of the first world war impacted on the generations that followed.I was engrossed in both women's stories but I must admit I was especially fascinated by Iris's experiences at Royaumont. The Author's Notes reveal that In Falling Snow is inspired by the real life role of the Royaumont during World War 1 and though MacColl admits the story contains some historical inaccuracies for the purposes of fiction, she has tried to honour the incredible spirit of the women who served as surgeons, doctors, orderlies, nurses and drivers in the all woman military hospital that treated the casualties of war. I was absolutely fascinated by this aspect of the novel, enthralled by the courage and determination of the women who challenged society's expectations of them and MacColl's portrayal of life in the Abbey during an extraordinary time.Royaumont almost becomes a character in its' own right. I was easily able to imagine the staff of Abbey working hard to prepare the space for the wounded as MacColl described but the scale of the challenge, and the incredible achievement of The Scottish Women's Auxiliary really only became obvious when I viewed the photographs online of the astonishing echoing rooms and vaulted ceilings.I found In Falling Snow a wonderfully engaging tale, so caught up in life at Royaumont I regretted putting it down to attend to the mundane tasks of everyday life. I would recommend this novel particularly to participants of the Australian Women Writers Challenge, but I also feel it would be widely enjoyed by readers who find the synopsis appealing.