The Daughters of Mars
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The Daughters of Mars
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Narrated by:
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Jane Nolan
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By:
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Tom Keneally
About this listen
Naomi and Sally Durance are daughters of a dairy farmer from the Macleay Valley. Bound together in complicity by what they consider a crime, when the Great War begins in 1914 they hope to submerge their guilt by leaving for Europe to nurse the tides of young wounded. They head for the Dardanelles on the hospital ship Archimedes. Their education in medicine, valour, and human degradation continues on the Greek island of Lemnos, then on the Western Front.
Here, new outrages - gas, shell-shock - present themselves. Naomi encounters the wonderful, eccentric Lady Tarlton, who is founding a voluntary hospital near Boulogne; Sally serves in a casualty clearing station close to the front. They meet the men with whom they would wish to spend the rest of their lives.
Inspired by the journals of Australian nurses who gave their all to the Great War effort and the men they nursed, The Daughters of Mars is vast in scope yet extraordinarily intimate. A stunning tour de force to join the best First World War literature, and one that casts a penetrating light on the lives of obscure but strong women caught in the great mill of history.
©2012 The Serpentine Publishing Co. (Pty) (P)2013 Bolinda Publishing Pty LtdListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
What listeners say about The Daughters of Mars
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Laura Mcnally
- 05-06-17
a wordy but beautiful wartime epic
perseverance is essential but the ending beautiful. A brilliant story told over some pages, with at times challenging vernacular, but appropriate to the context.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- C Swinburn
- 22-10-24
Anzac nurses in the spotlight
Atmospheric biography of WW1 behind the trenches (mostly); the horrors and anxieties of war thankfully balanced by stories of love, hope and valour.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- KMV
- 22-06-17
Compelling, evocative ...
... and a reminder of such unnecessary loss. I learnt a great deal about the bravery of nurses and the young men from Australia during WWII. The detail is astonishing, and so vivid thanks to an incredibly professional narration.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Suzy
- 28-08-16
Historical Novel Lacking in Sparkle
I enjoyed hearing about the lives of the Australian nurses in the First World War. I found it interesting to see the development of treatments at the clearing stations to help soldiers better recover. I liked the attempt at realism in the way the nurses were initially treated, and only later gained respect. Although this is fiction - told through the lives of two sisters - I felt it was based on historical facts, without being gruesome or gratuitous. The drawback however, is I found little to distinguish the two main characters apart, and often didn't know which sister's story I was following until she was named. The narrator didn't help as she read the story with a monotone throughout. Her narration was clear and well pronounced, but it made this long book (18 hours) feel even longer. For me it lacked any sparkle to make me care about the lives of all the characters, but it's worth listening for the historical details
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Pochoir
- 12-03-13
Unforgettable
I frequently listen to audiobooks when unable to sleep, but this book was haunting in such a way that I found myself trying to keep awake (!) and concentrate, as the characters are so worthy and have attitudes and manners which are so honourable and are very different from those of today. The horror of WW1 emphasised. Reader was perfect choice and much admired too, thank you
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Buder
- 20-08-15
Not for me
This just wasn't the one for me. I liked the sound of Tom's description of the novel and I did listen to the whole 18+hrs, there was nothing wrong with the story or the narration, it just didn't grip me as wartime stories usually do, sorry Tom.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- tfdodo
- 21-10-16
bleak, engaging, informative and a good read
If you could sum up The Daughters of Mars in three words, what would they be?
bleak, engaging, informative
What other book might you compare The Daughters of Mars to, and why?
the forever war
Which scene did you most enjoy?
when the aid station is bombed
Any additional comments?
A very appropriate read around the 100th anniversary of key WW1 dates.
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