The Roses of No Man's Land

Oct 4, 2024 5:17 PM

Author:Lyn Macdonald,Alison Dowling

Brought to you by Penguin

THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE BBC DRAMA THE CRIMSON FIELD

'On the face of it,' writes Lyn Macdonald, 'no one could have been less equipped for the job than these gently nurtured girls who walked straight out of Edwardian drawing rooms into the manifest horrors of the First World War ...'

Yet the volunteer nurses rose magnificently to the occasion. In leaking tents and draughty huts they fought another war, a war against agony and death, as men lay suffering from the pain of unimaginable wounds or diseases we can now cure almost instantly. It was here that young doctors frantically forged new medical techniques - of blood transfusion, dentistry, psychiatry and plastic surgery - in the attempt to save soldiers shattered in body or spirit. And it was here that women achieved a quiet but permanent revolution, by proving beyond question they could do anything. All this is superbly captured in The Roses of No Man's Land, a panorama of hardship, disillusion and despair, yet also of endurance and supreme courage.

'Lyn Macdonald writes splendidly and touchingly of the work of the nurses and doctors who fought their humanitarian battle on the Western Front' Sunday Telegraph

Over the past twenty years Lyn Macdonald has established a popular reputation as an author and historian of the First World War. Her books are based on the accounts of eyewitnesses and survivors, told in their own words, and cast a unique light on the First World War. Most are published by Penguin.

Reviews

The tale is allowed to tell itself without any frontal assault on the emotions, and is all the more stirring thereby

—— Observer

A shrewd, humane and balanced account of this most controversial target of the Anglo-American strategic bombing campaign, the ferocious consequence of the scourge of Nazism

—— Allan Mallinson, author of Fight to the Finish

Authentic and authoritative, a masterpiece of its genre

—— Damien Lewis, author of Zero Six Bravo

Compelling . . . Sinclair McKay brings a dark subject vividly to life

—— Keith Lowe, author of Savage Continent

One of my favourite historians

—— Dan Snow , History Hit

This is a brilliantly clear, and fair, account of one of the most notorious and destructive raids in the history aerial warfare. From planning to execution, the story is told by crucial participants - and the victims who suffered so cruelly on the ground from the attack itself and its aftermath

—— Robert Fox, author of We Were There

McKay's rich narrative and descriptive gifts provide us with an elegant yet unflinching account of that terrible night . . . a very readable and finely crafted addition to the literature on one of modern history's most morally fraught military operations

—— Frederick Taylor , Wall Street Journal

Masterful

—— Simon Griffith , Mail on Sunday

Along with much affecting human detail, I particularly like the way it contextualises the city's obliteration with scenes from Dresden's rich history

—— Bookseller

Extraordinary . . . a remarkably faithful account

—— Guardian on The Secret Life of Bletchley Park

Painstakingly researched and fascinating

—— John Harding , Daily Mail on The Secret Listeners

Lucid, well-researched and rich in detail

—— John Preston , Daily Mail on The Spies of Winter

Fascinating, riveting, unsettling, and wonderfully rich in period detail

—— Craig Brown , Mail on Sunday on Mile End Murder

McKay brings that time vividly alive but he's also alive to the moral ambiguities

—— Charlotte Heathcote , Daily Mirror

McKay recounts the story of Dresden's destruction through the recollections of those who miraculously survived, creating a kaleidoscope of experience . . . His prose, even when describing gruesome destruction, is often breathtakingly beautiful. This superbly rendered story allows the reader entry into the soul of an extraordinary city

—— Gerard DeGroot , The Times

A carefully researched, finely written and moving account of one of the great tragedies of 20th-century history

—— Saul David , Daily Telegraph

There have been many books on the bombing of Dresden (not least Kurt Vonnegut's novel, "Slaughterhouse Five"), but Sinclair McKay's account is a worthy addition. McKay's purpose is neither to condemn nor condone, but to record what happened and why. Above all, he rejoices in the modern city's resurrection

—— Economist

Accomplished

—— Prospect

Rich and colourful . . . [there is] a vividness and poignancy that other accounts have lacked

—— Richard Overy , Financial Times

McKay's book is better than narrative history. It is biography, but of place, rather than person. He makes Dresden come alive, before, during, and after the infernal 13th

—— John Lewis-Stempel , Daily Express, *****

A passionate and original account of the Allied bombing of Dresden in 1945, one of the most controversial evens of the Second World War

—— Best Books of 2020: our favourites so far

A weighty and considered investigation of events . . . an excellent book . . . providing a reliable, engaging, informative and, above all, sober narrative of events. The book will enable readers to make up their own minds - should they so desire - on the rights and wrongs of the matter. It is highly recommended

—— BBC History Magazine

This minute-by-minute retelling tackles the big questions, but also - by drawing on the letters and diaries from the Dresden City Archive - never loosed sight of the experiences of people who witnessed, and suffered, the attach first-hand

—— BBC History Revealed, Book of the Month

It's a wonderful book, so absorbing, thoughtful and thought provoking, I didn't want it to end

—— Maureen Waller, author of London 1945: Life in the Debris of War

The story of the Allied bombing of Dresden in 1945 is well known, but McKay's searing account is in a league of its own. His research is first-class, his writing elegant and emotive. He is brilliant at portraying the city's prewar beauty, grimly powerful on the horror of the firestorm, and moving and thoughtful about Dresden's rise from the ashes. By the end, I was itching to jump on a flight to Germany. That tells you about the skill and spirit of this terrific book

—— Dominic Sandbrook , The Times/Sunday Times Books of the Year

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