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With the arrival of a letter, everything that Kitty had thought she had known about her mother changes. Kitty had always thought her grandmother was dead, but that is simply not true – her grandmother is, indeed, alive, and an incredibly wealthy member of high society. With her health failing her, Kitty’s grandmother wants to meet her only grandchild, but Kitty's mother is reluctant to let bygones be bygones. She does not trust that her mother has honest intentions, but she cannot let her personal feelings get in the way of Kitty's chance to meet her grandmother.
However, Kitty's grandmother has an agenda, and Kitty cannot immediately see that this seemingly loving old woman does not necessarily have her best interests at heart.
This novel initially focuses on Kitty's relationship with her grandmother. There are a few scenes where Kitty feels totally out of her league, for she has grown up in a very different world to the one her grandmother lives in, and she must relearn even the simplest things to fit in – for example, how was she to know that there was a right and wrong way to eat peas? But her upbringing has given her self-assurance, and she isn't shy to call things out when it is deserved.
The second half of this novel is when the story really takes off, and the book becomes impossible to put down. Kitty is accepted into Bellevue Hospital's nursing program, and leaves the life of wealth and comfort her grandmother would provide in favour of becoming a nurse. I really enjoyed reading about how hospitals were run in the early twentieth century, which is a subject I don’t think I have come across in a book before, especially from the perspective of a nursing student. I also enjoyed getting to know some of the other students, especially Annabelle. And of course, one must not forget the dashing Dr Samuel Hayden, who can’t seem to take his eyes off of Kitty. In addition to getting to know the nurses, I also loved reading about some of the patients under their care, especially Mr Eisenmenger, who absolutely does not want to be in the hospital any longer, and is constantly trying to make a break for it so he can go home.
This novel focuses first and foremost on Kitty’s life, but it would be impossible to ignore the time period this book is set in. Kitty’s father enlisted, which helps to remind the reader that this is not only a period in time when a pandemic is raging, and nurses are fighting to save the lives of the sick, but the world war is still going ahead. It has, however, been pushed a little to the background, which differs from other books I have read set in this period. For Kitty, the world war is not the most important thing happening, and she chooses to focus on the things that, to her, are more important, such as trying to keep patients alive, and spending time with Samuel.
The reality, and horrors, of the flu pandemic of 1919 has been captured within the pages of this novel. The devotion of the nurses, doctors, and staff in this book does not come as a surprise, especially considering the parallels you can draw to the covid-19 pandemic the world has gone through only 100 year later. Although there were many saddening aspects, the lining up of bodies outside the morgue and houses because there was not enough room was especially heartbreaking. I did not know much about the flu pandemic of 1919, it is a specific topic I have never come across in any books before, all I knew is that it killed missions of people. However, it seems that the flu wasn’t generally the cause of death, but the secondary pneumonia that followed. The immense suffering of so many people was difficult to read about at times, for the author does not sugarcoat the reality of what living through this pandemic was like. This is something to bear in mind when you read this book.
I thought the author has created a very believable world and I did, despite all the heartbreak, really enjoy Kitty's story. She is a character that initially captured my interest but by the end of the novel, she had earned my respect. This is a novel that I can see myself reading again and again.
Renee Yancy is a history and archaeology nut who works as an RN when she isn’t writing historical fiction or traveling the world to see the exotic places her characters have lived.
A voracious reader as a young girl, she now writes the kind of books she loves to read—stories filled with historical and archaeological detail interwoven with strong characters facing big conflicts. Her goal is to take you on a journey into the past so fascinating that you can’t put the story down.
When she isn’t writing, Renee can be found in the wilds of Kentucky with her husband and a rescue mutt named Ellie. She loves flea markets and collecting pottery and glass and most anything mid-century modern.
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I am so glad you enjoyed More Precious Than Gold. Thank you so much for hosting today's tour stop.
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Mary Anne
The Coffee Pot Book Club
Thank you so much!
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