The Rose of Sebastopol

Summary (from the publisher): In 1854, beautiful, adventurous Rosa Barr travels to the Crimean battlefield with Florence Nightingale's nursing corps. A headstrong idealist, longing to break out of the rigid confines of life as a young lady, Rosa is determined to make a difference in the world.

For Mariella Lingwood, Rosa's cousin, the war is contained within the pages of her scrapbook, in her London sewing circle, and in the letters she receives from her fiancé, Henry -- a celebrated surgeon who has also volunteered to work within the shadow of the guns. When Henry falls ill and is sent to recuperate in Italy, Mariella impulsively decides she must go to him. But upon her arrival at his lodgings, she makes a heartbreaking discovery: Rosa has disappeared without a trace. 

Following the trail of her elusive cousin, Mariella's epic journey takes her from the domestic restraint of Victorian London to the ravaged landscape of the Crimea and the tragic city of Sebastopol, where she encounters Rosa's dashing stepbrother, a reckless cavalry officer whose complex past -- and future -- inextricably bound up with her own. As Mariella's quest leads her deeper into the dark heart of the conflict, her ordered world begins to crumble and she finds she has much to learn about secrecy, faithfulness, and love.

Review: I somehow managed to snag this at Dollar Tree so I didn't have to pay the $24.95 cover price. And this read was well worth $1!! I love historical fiction but it irks me that these novels typically portray adventurous young ladies, chafing against social convention, and biting at the bit to push the boundaries of polite society, because that's just not how all ladies behave. Instead, this novel is told from the perspective of Mariella, a sweet young lady who loves to sew and has always been in love with, and expects that she will marry, her adoptive brother, the surgeon Dr. Henry Thewell. However, that "chafing against social convention" is thrust upon her in the form of her spirited and philanthropic minded cousin, Rosa. 

Although similar in age and appearance, Rosa is dissatisfied with the prospect of life as a wife and mother and longs to make a difference through joining Florence Nightingale's corps of nurses who are serving in the Crimean War (conveniently where Henry Thewell, Mariella's fiance is stationed). However, when Henry returns ill and raving for his "love" Rosa, and Rosa stops communicating or sending letters home, Mariella is forced to abandon her tranquil life of embroidery and travel to try to find her cousin, who may or may not have stolen her betrothed's heart. The crux of the novel is - what happened to Rosa?

As mentioned, I liked the characterization in this novel. I also enjoyed the slightly non-chronological story telling, as the novel jumped from 1844 and 1854, backwards and forwards throughout, so we get to see Mariella and Rosa as children side by side with their adult selves. I also enjoyed getting a glimpse of the Crimean War, which I haven't encountered in a novel before. I especially liked reading about medical care during this time period both from the perspectives of doctors and nurses and post-battlefield triage. 

Another note - this isn't really a criticism, more of an observation - what the heck was going on between Rosa and Mariella? It's definitely hinted that Rosa only ever "loved one person" and that person was Mariella. And she pretty much demands that she share a bedroom with Mariella when she comes to live with her after her stepfather's death. And then things like this happen: "She lunged under the bedclothes, took hold of my bare foot, and pressed the sole with her fingertips so that I writhed. 'Or this?' and she clenched my thigh and tickled my stomach until I was howling with laughter and my legs were tangled with the sheets. 'Stop it. Stop. You'll wake the house.' After we'd recovered she stroked my hair and studied my face." ...Maybe there was another reason Rosa didn't want to get married/resented Mariella's love for Henry? Because that is just...intimate. (And, it's also hinted that Mariella had an inappropriate relationship as a child with a pedophile, Rosa's stepfather, although nothing specific is ever said, only alluded to.)

Just like the inconclusive allusions of inappropriate sexual liaisons in this novel, I was a bit frustrated by the conclusion, which leaves Mariella at the end of her mission but without resolving her future. Does she return home? Does she marry her Henry? What happens to Max? Tell me more! 

Stars: 4