The Crimea

I read a somewhat interesting book recently: The Rose of Sebastopol by Katharine McMahon. It kept my attention but I wasn't wild about the stories or characters, as evidenced by my lackluster Goodreads review:

This is a somewhat interesting story of two women, cousins united by love and friendship. One yearns to be a nurse while the other prepares for certain marriage. The Crimean War, however, changes both of their fates and propels them into a dangerous world of war and death.

On the positive, I learned about a chapter of British and Russian history that I knew nothing about: The Crimean War. It's always good to learn new things, so my time on this book was not wasted.

I guess my primary gripe is the characters. I couldn't relate to any of them. In a way this is good - it's impossible for me to understand a nineteenth-century woman who only wants to sit around and embroider all day. But the author's job is to make me relate to her...and I don't think this was ever successfully done.

Next up on my reading list: Nefertiti by Michelle Moran.