• The Pull of the Stars

  • By: Emma Donoghue
  • Narrated by: Emma Lowe
  • Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (28 ratings)

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The Pull of the Stars

By: Emma Donoghue
Narrated by: Emma Lowe
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Publisher's Summary

Three days in a maternity ward at the height of the Great Flu. The Pull of the Stars is the Sunday Times best seller from the acclaimed author of The Wonder and Room.

The old world dying on its feet, a new one struggling to be born....

Dublin, 1918. In a country doubly ravaged by war and disease, Nurse Julia Power works at an understaffed hospital in the city centre, where expectant mothers who have come down with an unfamiliar flu are quarantined together. Into Julia's regimented world step two outsiders: Doctor Kathleen Lynn, on the run from the police, and a young volunteer helper, Bridie Sweeney.

In the darkness and intensity of this tiny ward, over the course of three days, these women change each other’s lives in unexpected ways. They lose patients to this baffling pandemic, but they also shepherd new life into a fearful world. With tireless tenderness and humanity, carers and mothers alike somehow do their impossible work.

In The Pull of the Stars, Emma Donoghue tells an unforgettable and deeply moving story of love and loss.

 Shortlisted for the An Post Irish Book Awards - Eason Novel of the Year

The Telegraph's 'Best Novels of 2020'

Guardian's 'Brilliant Books to Transport You This summer', 'Best Books of 2020'

Cosmopolitan's 'Best Books to Read this summer'

Stylist's 'Best summer Reads

©2020 Emma Donoghue (P)2020 Macmillan Publishers International Limited
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: Romance

Critic Reviews

"Stunning." (Emily St. John Mandel)

"Narrator Emma Lowe's layered characterizations include distinct Irish accents and diction that illuminate the backgrounds of the protagonists and hospital staff. The pregnant women in their care are depicted with particular sensitivity; their pain, joy, and loss are all keenly felt. As circumstances around the women intensify, so will listeners' investment in the outcomes of their stories. (AudioFile)

"An immersive, unforgettable fever-dream of a novel." (The Times)

What listeners say about The Pull of the Stars

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  • Anonymous User
  • 09-13-20

incredible

This was an incredible read, so well researched from a Midwifery/Birth and pandemic perspective. As a midwife I found myself at the edge of my seat either cheering for a good outcome and in contrast feeling the sadness that envelopes when tragic events happen. The historical references to midwife/nursing in 1918 and the poverty/stigma/exclusion brought the reader into the actual corridors and minds of those working through the flu pandemic. As a midwife working through Covid I was struck by the commonalities in care advise that we've been practising/given, obviously notwithstanding how lucky we are to be working within a modern healthcare system. It was a great tribute to many of the women who experienced institutionalised care that their stories were told with compassion and at last their experiences have been given a voice in some way.

8 people found this helpful

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 07-24-20

Extraordinary

What an amazing story, beautifully written and heartbreakingly compulsive listening! Highly recommended, especially during the current pandemic.

8 people found this helpful

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  • Emma Love
  • 07-31-20

Brilliant author and narrator

This is a harrowing but captivating account set over the course of three days. The immediacy and intimacy of the narrative make it difficult to put down. It has obviously been painstakingly researched and is brilliantly written.

6 people found this helpful

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  • Anonymous User
  • 07-28-20

Not sure whether I enjoyed or not

I thought the narration was very good - however the story went on a bit too much about childbirth and the treatment of mothers in Ireland.

3 people found this helpful

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  • Hayley
  • 07-26-20

Timely and poinient

Narrated with a lovely Irish tone, this book kept me guessing until the end. A lovely story which highlighted many current issues and got me thinking deeply.

3 people found this helpful

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  • Jonny
  • 12-07-20

Compelling and timely book.

I simply couldn't stop listening! It was beautifully narrated and was so relevant to Covid times that it was difficult to imagine it was set 100 years ago. I loved every moment.

2 people found this helpful

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  • M. A. O' Connell
  • 09-11-20

Immersive novel

As a midwife I really enjoyed this fictitious account of life as a midwife in Ireland in 1918 during the flu pandemic. A must read or listen. I found myself totally immersed in the story and enjoyed the performance of the narrator on Audible. Details of the cases are well researched and feel very real.

2 people found this helpful

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 08-09-20

A timely look back

Emma Lowe is the perfect narrator for this book. It's set in a 'flu/obstetrics ward in Dublin as the 'flu takes over from the death toll of WW1. It takes place over three days, focusing on the graphic details of childbirth and death from 'flu, written from the viewpoint of an overworked, dedicated nurse on the front line of patient care. Other aspects of the background are the growth of the IRA and the inhumane treatment of orphans and unmarried mothers.

2 people found this helpful

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  • Maureen F
  • 06-05-21

Good Audio - enjoyed listening to this book.

I really enjoyed this book. Narrated very well. A slow starter - but kept me listening.

1 person found this helpful

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  • Anonymous User
  • 02-05-21

Great “slice of life" from post WW1 Ireland.

Great narration (the shouting shocked me a little!)

Very well written, not too much plot though (apart from the odd ending). It felt almost like a journal from a particularly hectic couple of days in a flu maternity ward.

If you are interested in what people went through, listen.

1 person found this helpful

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  • Anonymous User
  • 02-25-23

intriguing but predictable

brought to life the problems of the time.
The narration was perfect.
It's a shame the ending could be guessed.

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  • k
  • 12-02-22

Wow in this climate of COVID19 I wasn’t keen on a pandemic story but it was so worth listening to

Incredible story. strong characters who drew me in and polarised my loyalties. A magnificent story set to fascinating and appalling history.

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  • Rhonda Wainwright
  • 09-17-22

Every Nurse should read

This book clearly articulates what we as Nurses do daily especially Midwives but every Nurse will understand exactly what is written here - past generations have done the hard yards but still our patients are our strong stoic peoples of all walks of life- to experience our patients at their most vulnerable is truly humbling. RIP to all those we could not save 🙏💜

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  • Lauren Drescher
  • 08-09-22

Remarkably Moving and Engrossing

I adored this book, and rationed the time I listened to it for I did not want it to end. The parallels between the Spanish flu and the Covid pandemic are chilling. As a midwife myself, I appreciated all of the excellently researched details of this gripping story. Wonderfully narrated I cannot recommend this book more highly .

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  • Ingrid
  • 03-17-21

Gripping and moving

The story was very well narrated. The descriptions were very realistic and rather harrowing at times. A grievous slice of history brought to life. The ending was very satisfying. Highly recommended if you are not squeamish.

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  • Aimee
  • 03-17-21

Enthralling

This book captivated me from the start. I enjoyed the accurate midwifery content as well as learning about the horrors of the influenza at this time. A timely novel of life in a global pandemic 100 years ago.

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 01-20-21

A must read in the Ireland of today.

A poignant and heartbreaking tale transporting the reader to the bedside of the 1918 pandemic. Reading this historical fiction in January 2021 in the midst of COVID 19 and during the height of the mother and baby home scandal in Ireland creates true emotion and a powerful unforeseen parallel created by Emma Donoghue.

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  • Erin
  • 12-23-20

the book you need to read this year

I absolutely consumed this book- 3 days in a maternity ward mid pandemic in Ireland during the 1918 Spanish influenza.

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  • Anonymous User
  • 12-20-20

For women who've gone through child birth only

Beautifully written but it's a slow read, with over abundant description and detail, especially when it came to child birth. The details could be alarming for any women who have not gone through the experience. It was slow and depressing for most of the book, where the storyline suddenly speeded up at the end.

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  • Fiona Edmonds
  • 12-09-20

Sickening

Was unable to proceed with this book, as I was feeling sickened by relentless graphic descriptions of blood, phlegm vomit and piss. Life is short.