From the acclaimed author of Schindler’s List , the epic, unforgettable story of two sisters from Australia, both trained nurses, whose lives are transformed by the cataclysm of the first World War. From the acclaimed author of Schindler’s List comes the epic, unforgettable story of two sisters whose lives are transformed by the cataclysm of the First World War. IN 1915, Naomi and Sally Durance, two spirited Australian sisters, join the war effort as nurses, escaping the confines of their father’s farm and carrying a guilty secret with them. Though they are used to tending the sick, nothing could have prepared them for what they confront, first on a hospital ship near Gallipoli, then on the Western Front. Yet amid the carnage, the sisters become the friends they never were at home and find them­selves courageous in the face of extreme danger and also the hostility from some on their own side. There is great bravery, humor, and compassion, too, and the inspiring example of the remarkable women they serve alongside. In France, where Naomi nurses in a hospital set up by the eccen­tric Lady Tarlton while Sally works in a casualty clearing station, each meets an exceptional man: the kind of men for whom they might give up some of their newfound independence—if only they all survive. At once vast in scope and extraordinarily intimate, The Daughters of Mars brings World War I vividly to life from an uncommon perspec­tive. Thomas Keneally has written a remarkable novel about suffering and transcendence, despair and triumph, and the simple acts of decency that make us human even in a world gone mad. Sally and Naomi Dorrance, grown sisters, aren’t particularly close. Personality ­differences nudge them apart. Sally has stayed home on the family’s farm in New South Wales and practices nursing close to home, while Naomi has fled to Sydney to nurse in wider, deeper waters. When their mother is verging on death, Naomi returns home, and the sisters perform an act that binds them in a peculiar way, as they now have to carry a guilty secret between them. Their world is opened drastically as they volunteer as nurses during WWI and are loaded onto a hospital ship treating Australian soldiers who have been wounded in the disastrous Battle of Gallipoli in Turkey. Their ship is torpedoed off the Greek islands, and the sisters’ survival of a sinking ship is perhaps the most compelling—and longest—scene in this lengthy novel, the latest from the author of many distinguished historical novels, including Schindler’s List (1982). The sisters end up nursing on the western front, and, in the end, it is their nursing experiences, their having to face countless horrors of loss of life and limb, that become the true meaning of their sisterly bond. Greatly detailed, alternately fast moving and slow, this story boasts authentic characters set in equally authentic locations. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Active advertising and scheduling of the author for interviews make up a portion of the publisher’s large publicity campaign for this book. --Brad Hooper “ Poignant . . . masterly . . . epic . . . [Keneally] has rescued forgotten heroines from obscurity and briefly placed them center stage.” ( The New York Times Book Review ) “A burly, captivating saga of Australian nurses on the front lines of World War I... I nscribed with the stately, benign authority of an eminent tale-spinner. ” ( Wall Street Journal ) “ Magnificent… a stunning performance , full of suspense, searing particulars, and deep emotion.… The huge talents of Thomas Keneally are everywhere on display.” ( The Guardian ) "The Daughters of Mars is the work of a master storyteller , sharing a tale that is simultaneously sprawling and intimate." ( NPR ) “The story has a surprise ending — two, in fact — that add to its fascinations. Keneally’s best-known book is likely to remain 'Schindler’s List,' but this is his masterpiece. ” ( Minneapolis Star-Tribune ) "[A] poignant novel." ( New York Times, Editor's Choice ) “May be the best novel of Keneally’s career … a book that aims for, and achieves, real grandeur.” ( The Spectator, One of the Best Books of 2012 ) "An epic , sweeping book." ( LA Times ) “Extraordinarily moving… Keneally is a master of character development and period detail …. Fans of Downton Abbey and Gallipoli alike will find much to admire in Keneally’s fast-moving, flawlessly written pages.” ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review ) “Superbly exciting to read….. An unmissable, unforgettable tribute .” ( The Times (London) ) "Keneally has a Tolstoy-like gift for getting into his characters’ heads , as well as for portraying great turns of history in scenes of everyday life." ( The Dallas Morning News ) “Not only is The Daughters of Mars one of the most ambitious novels in a career that stretches back to 1964, but it might even be the best… The result is something few other authors would aim for, let alone achieve: ge