Book Reviews
In 1943...Juliet Dufresne signs up to be an Army nurse,....surpris[ing] herself with her capacity for growth and for maintaining her own integrity against seemingly insurmountable odds. The book does not shy away from the grotesque details of battle or the horrible decisions that ordinary people must make when faced with war’s extraordinary demands.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review.) Readers will fall in love with the delightful Juliet, who is a smart and courageous heroine, and other hospital workers as they form friendships and struggle to accept tragedy and loss while treating their patients' physical and mental wounds.... [T]he only disappointing thing about this book is that it has to end. —Vicki Briner, City Coll. Lib., Fort Lauderdale, FL
Library Journal
Vanderbes graphically depicts the gruesome nature of battlefield injuries, both to the body and to the psyche, even as she shows Juliet’s courage and strength. The skillful Vanderbes’ aching depiction of Juliet’s struggle to maintain her humanity amid the army’s callous bureaucracy and the horrors of war works as both an homage to our armed forces and a moving personal story of emotional growth.
Booklist
When her beloved brother is declared missing in action, smart, flinty Juliet Dufresne, training to be a nurse, goes to Italy to find him, in an empathetic, oblique take on the layers of damage done during war. Part mystery, part coming-of-age tale, part World War II novel...[w]hat begins as formulaic turns unusual and affecting as the emotional depths of Vanderbes' story slowly emerge.
Kirkus Reviews
Secret of Raven Point (Vanderbes) - Book Reviews
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