When the World Stood Still: Heartbreaking Historical Fiction Set in the Time of the Spanish Flu

Book excerpt: The nurses were putting in twelve-hour shifts now, day and night. Emily felt broken inside, dried out, not even capable of tears. They were short-staffed after a softly spoken Irish nurse, who'd only been with them for four days, had died from the deadly flu and two more had fallen ill. And more patients were coming in every hour, though the hospital beds were already full... 1918. Twenty-year-old Emily Burdon has been training as a nurse in London, learning on the job as she tends to patients from the crowded poorhouses that ring the hospital as well as wounded soldiers returning from the war. She pours her heart into her nursing while she waits for happier times - peace in Europe and the return of her childhood sweetheart Lewis from the Western Front. But when the deadly Spanish Flu arrives in London on the heels of the war, Emily's faith and courage are put to the test. All around her men and women in the prime of their lives are wasting away, and until a cure is found there is nothing for Emily and her colleagues to do except make them comfortable, treat them as best they can... and, eventually, ease the pain of their passing. But then Lewis catches the deadly flu himself on his way back home, just as a new doctor is transferred to head up Emily's ward. From the distant land of Prince Edward Island in Canada, Dr James Cantor is the first of a generations-old farming family to have left the island, and wartime London feels a long way away from the rugged beauty of his homeland. But despite their differences, he and Emily find common ground in their passion for helping patients and stopping the spread of the disease. But with life forever changed around her and Lewis' future hanging by a thread, can Emily survive the most terrible epidemic in the history with her life - and heart - intact? A heartbreaking historical novel based on true history - emotional and unforgettable. Perfect for fans of Jean Grainger, The Beantown Girls and Diney Costeloe. What readers are saying about Kate Eastham: 'I was completely glued to this book... I cried and I laughed... I would highly recommend this book - reminds me of Nadine Dorries' Nightingale stories but I preferred this one... Brilliant, entertaining and insightful.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'I felt a building of emotion and tears in my eyes. It still has the capacity to touch your heart and make you feel as if you are in the air with Jo and in the field hospital alongside Mac. The story is very real and will leave you with a sense of having lived through it as well.' Goodreads reviewer