When The World Fell Silent by Donna Jones Alward

When The World Fell Silent My Rating: 4.9

1917 Halifax, Nova Scotia, two story lines. Nora Crowell wants more than her sister’s life as a wife and mother. As WWI rages across the Atlantic, she becomes a lieutenant in the Canadian Army Nursing Corps. But trouble is looming and it won’t be long before the truth comes to light.

Having lost her beloved husband in the trenches and with no-one else to turn to, Charlotte Campbell now lives with his haughty relations who treat her like the help. It is baby Aileen, the joy and light of her life, who spurs her to dream of a better life.

When tragedy strikes in Halifax Harbour, nothing for these two women will ever be the same again. Their paths will cross in the most unexpected way, trailing both heartbreak and joy its wake…

When the World Fell Silent is a moving and immersive story that shines a light on a little-known period of Halifax history. I found myself both learning and feeling throughout the pages—history came alive in a way that was both educational and deeply personal.

The characters were well developed and layered, and I quickly found myself invested in their lives. Their struggles and resilience felt authentic, and I could easily empathize with the difficult circumstances they endured. The author has a gift for weaving historical fact with human emotion, giving the reader a sense of what it might have been like to live through such a time.

This book not only taught me about a part of history I had previously known little about, but it also left me reflecting on the strength of the human spirit in the face of hardship. For readers who enjoy historical fiction with heart and depth, this is a story worth picking up.