In Falling Snow

July 8, 2013
The well-crafted new novel from Australian author MacColl, her first to be published in America, traces an elderly woman’s reflections, avoiding the trappings of sentimentality while easily slipping through time. Iris Crane is comfortable in her Australian life when an invitation for a commemoration catapults her back 60 years to WWI and her stint as a nurse in a Parisian abbey. Iris remembers the past she has kept hidden from Grace, her obstetrician granddaughter whom she raised. Iris’s career as an attendant began in childhood when she began caring for her younger brother, Tom, after the untimely death of their mother, and it’s why she followed his trail after he enlisted as a young man. In 1978, Grace tends to her patients yet ignores potential evidence pointing to a health risk in her young son, Henry, while worrying about Iris’s health. The ceremony in France serves as a catalyst for Grace to learn more about her grandmother’s mysterious past and her own heritage. MacColl’s novel will appeal to a wide audience including those who enjoy historical fiction and medical drama. Agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House.

May 15, 2013
A chance discovery about a hospital established by women during World War I results in a well-crafted U.S. debut by Australian author MacColl. Iris Crane is a naive girl in 1914 when she travels from her native Australia to France in search of her 15-year-old brother. Tom ran away to enlist in the war effort, and Iris intends to take her younger brother back home. But after she lands on French soil, Iris is co-opted into service by Dr. Frances Ivens and soon finds herself establishing a field hospital for the wounded and assuring her father that both she and her brother are safely removed from the fighting. Now, 60 years later, she's invited to a ceremony honoring the women who served at Royaumont. The invitation unleashes in Iris many long-buried memories that often blur the lines between past and present. Like the snow that blankets Royaumont in the winter, the story that unfolds is at once chilling yet strangely beautiful. The book touches on the contributions made by a group of pioneering women who succeed despite society's bias toward their gender; the strong friendships that develop, particularly between Iris and ambulance driver Violet Heron; Iris' increasing love for medicine and her involvement with a man she meets during the war; the men and boys whose lives are sacrificed for a cause many of them don't identify with or understand; and the far-reaching effects of the war on the generations that follow. While Iris' memories propel the narrative, her granddaughter's interwoven story adds another moving dimension. Grace Hogan, an OB-GYN with three children, is raised by Iris following her mother's death during childbirth. Struggling to cope with her grandmother's declining health, fears about her son's well-being and a colleague's complaint, she, like her grandmother before her, begins an incredible journey of love, sacrifice and, ultimately, understanding. MacColl's narrative is fortified by impeccable research and her innate ability to create a powerful bond between readers and characters. Well done.

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August 1, 2013
This satisfying saga from an award-winning Australian author takes the reader across continents and time. After her 15-year-old brother goes off to fight in the Great War, Iris Crane journeys to France with the intention of bringing him home. Soon after she arrives, however, Iris, who is a trained nurse, is persuaded to join the staff of a military hospital set up in the French abbey of Royaumont. All who work there, from doctors to drivers, are women. The hospital at Royaumont really existed; it was part of the efforts of the Scottish Women's Suffrage Federation to give women's medical units a chance to serve on the Western Front. Back in Australia 60 years later, Iris considers whether to attend a Royaumont commemoration, and her granddaughter, Grace, struggles to balance family and career. Grace makes missteps in her work as an obstetrician while simultaneously trying to ignore the fact that there might be something wrong with her son. Women as healers, family secrets, medical mysteries, historical settingcall the producers of Call the Midwife.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

July 2, 2012
When Iris, an elderly widow, receives an invitation to a reunion in France, where she worked as a nurse during the First World War, she’s determined to go. But Iris’ journey summons memories of a bittersweet past: of her first love, her best friend and a tragedy that changed everything. In Falling Snow is the latest novel from Vogel-shortlisted author Mary-Rose MacColl, and it’s an evocative and intriguing tale that encapsulates the horrors of war and the powerful legacy of love. As Iris recalls her wartime experience, she draws the reader deep into her past, eventually revealing the tragic secret that has shaped the rest of her life. Interwoven with this is the story of Grace, Iris’ granddaughter, a headstrong doctor with a family of her own in 1970s Brisbane. Both women’s voices are compelling and believable, and their differing perspectives offer insights into the changing role of female medical professionals during the 20th century. MacColl skilfully blends meticulous historical research with a moving human narrative: In Falling Snow may be one among many novels about wartime love and heroism, but it’s a well-executed and gripping piece of popular fiction.

Carody Culver is a bookseller at Black Cat Books in Brisbane, a PhD student and a freelance reviewer