5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! Excellent!

A.T. · June 12, 2025

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } Excellent novel! Based on a true life tragedy with fiction interwoven to make for solid reading. I enjoyed this book very much, and I rarely write a review, but this was by far the best book I have read in years. As a nurse, I felt much of the angst and sadness Nora felt and, at the same time, found myself surprised thata woman had to choose between a family and a career. Also, I have 26 years of being a military wife, and I could also relate to it. It became personal for me.

4.0 out of 5 stars very nice work

L. · June 7, 2025

I really didn’t know what to expect when I started this book. It turned out to be a very good book with characters that I felt were real people with history and emotions that made them relatable.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story

K.C. · June 11, 2025

This book was hard to put down. I first heard about the Halifax explosion through a song by The Longest Johns called "Fire and Flame", which prompted me to do a little research on the event. When I saw this book featured on one of my book lists, I had to read it. The author does a good job of weaving fact into her fictional story with believable characters. I enjoyed it greatly.

5.0 out of 5 stars a great read!

A.C. · June 11, 2025

I thought this was a great perspective on this horrific event and on women living at that time. My grandmother was 22 at the time and growing up in Baddeck and then married living in the Sydney mines area. I would love it if she'd write about living in Sydney area with the strikes and the flu. It was a hard time a d I'd love to know more about it

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading!

E.R. · May 25, 2025

I prefer books that don’t change perspective every chapter, but this one taught me about an event I’d not previously heard of and did so in a captivating way with what felt like real and complex characters.

5.0 out of 5 stars There is always hope

J.K.M. · May 10, 2025

Wonderful, sad and history remembered. War and American know how gives this story the true story and how people survived the tragic event s of their times. Families and day to day events weigh on everyone as daily life competes with the historic times, loss of life and limbs as only seen in war and medical conditions of the time with limited knowledge of. Healing. Family and judgement verses life's longing compete as morals slip With the pressure of overseas duty calls and human suffering in the future comes face to face with truth and who we each really are.the pressures of. Family and war and

3.0 out of 5 stars Depressing

K. · March 26, 2025

This book was much more fiction than historical. I had no issue with the quality of the writing; the plot moved along and the storyline was engaging throughout. However, I learned little about the disaster of the ships’ collision and none about real people survival stories, just of fictional characters. The dual stories of Nora and Charlotte, although individual, were similar in that they were both depressing. Nora, especially, was a frustrating character who took forever to let go of Alley and embrace the goodness of Neil. I wanted to bop her over her head and scream, “Wake up and recognize your blessings!”I have visited Halifax, so I could visualize the locations of a few places mentioned in the book. I have also visited the Maritime Museum where this disaster and other disasters, including the Titanic, are described. Unfortunately, this book did not increase my knowledge beyond what I learned in the museum. 3 stars

5.0 out of 5 stars From the very worst of situations can come good and even happiness!

D. · May 31, 2025

From the worst of war 2 women turn dire circumstances full of tremendous loss into lives with promise, full of love, family, and simple pleasures. With loyalty and determination they would make the worst of situations into a life with a wonderful future for themselves and the family they were given.

A great historical novel and read

O. · April 13, 2025

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } A gripping historical novel about a war time catastrophe in Halifax Nova Scotia.The characters are full and believable. Loved it

True to the historical period, true to life

A.M.S. · March 16, 2025

I read 'When the World Fell Silent' on the recommendation of a friend. As a retired nurse who worked extensively at Camp Hill hospital, she felt the author captured that setting so well, with attention to physical detail, practices, and attitudes representative of that era.Set against the Halifax Explosion of 1917, the novel juxtaposes the story of Nora, a career nurse at Camp Hill at the time, with that of Charlotte, a war widow dependent on her in-laws. Both face losses in the face of the war and the Explosion itself, and both struggle to find ways to overcome adversity. The characters live and breathe on these pages; their griefs are real and as readers, we feel for them in each moment of their struggle.Depth of setting and characterization are key strengths in this novel. Donna Jones Alward brings each setting to life--whether she is describing the crowded hospital wards, the brisk salt breeze blowing across Point Pleasant Park, the shambles of the North End after the explosion, evenings around the table in the rooming house, or the semi-rural community of Chester, she draws out the subtle details that bring us into each moment and place. Similarly, the characters are presented in all their humanity, in all their heartbreak and their despair, and all their dreams, hopes, and resolutions.The author does not shy away from the realities of the time--the profound and shattering losses, the hard decisions, the constant uncertainty of war and pandemic in 1917 and 1918. Not everyone will survive, and those who, by fiction's dictates, should not suffer further loss, will indeed lose more. For many did lose everything, and her writing honours them.At the same time, there are those marvellous coincidences that really do and did happen-- the discoveries and the reunions, and the love stories that were also real.It is a rich read of many layers, an immersion in a historical period with a plot and themes that transcend time. There are no easy solutions, but the strong decisions here are guided by unselfish love and commitment to family. And family in this novel is a complex dynamic, mourned but recreated in many ways.

Canadian History

K.V.K. · June 12, 2025

I enjoy historical fiction and really liked this Canadian war story of women and their struggles and how their lives intertwined. It sometimes felt a little wordy or overly descriptive in a funny way, but it was a nice read and I’d recommend it!

When The World Fell Silent

A.C. · June 2, 2025

I am almost speechless, I started reading this book with my morning coffee and I just had to keep reading. It is now 4:30 in the afternoon, I've accomplished nothing else today, and I don't care, I've reached the end of this page turner. Wow. This was an emotional roller coaster and a beautifully blended story of history, loss and survival. I absolutely loved it.

Heartbreaking but Gripping Story

K.C. · February 24, 2025

This book’s story had me on the edge of my seat virtually all the way through. In fact, I had difficulty putting it down to go to my bed, it’s such a very poignant story and so believable. Highly recommend it.