Not for the fainthearted, the 647 pages of Florence Nightengale by Mark Bostridge is a detailed account of the life and times of the heroine.
Florence herself can take the credit, or blame, for the size of the book because she left behind more than 200 volumes of her writings, including drafts, letters, reports and even scraps of papers. More is known about Florence than any other woman from the Victorian era.

Read this book and be inspired. Nurses are special people.

The era in the 1800's is landscaped by Bosteridge, drawing on the influences of religion, family life, culture and economic influences, many of which are mirrored in the financial meltdown of 2008. They had bank failures back in the 1800's; crop failures, and the poor struggling to exist. It is in this backdrop that Florence first moved to help those in need.

Florence is best known by the public for her Lady of the Lamp reputation earned in the Crimean War and while this defines her, that war experience was for a brief period of her 90 years life, 1854 to 1856. One third of the book deals with the Crimean action, the rest deals with an outstanding woman in troublemsome times. Florence was intelligent, well travelled, musically talented, forceful, determined and caring.

Bosteridge draws out her character and leaves us in no doubt we are dealing with an exceptional lady with the stamp of leadership.

On the subject of Florence's sexuality, the author is a little disappointing. Towards the end of his book he notes the several works about Florence, with the more modern views suggesting that she was lesbian. Her celibacy obviously drew attention and caused writers to wonder or assert.
While Bostridge mentions that these assertions are unfounded, we need to look to Gillian Gill's "Nightingales Florence and Her Family" for a more determined rejection of the lesbian suggestions.

Gill points out that the commencement of sexual innuendo commenced in 1940 when a prominent biographer insinuated that Florence had lesbian proclivities. Others, including American academics, and some film makers, marched to the sound of that drum. Gill maintains that there is just no evidence that Florence engaged in sexual activity with women (or men!) and the huge weight of documentation about her life defends that view.
Gill puts the record straight.

Florence lived to 90 years of age, a spinster. She was an attractive young lady and sought after, turning down offers of marriage. In her early days she wanted freedom. Her attitudes are recorded. Marriage interfered with her view of freedom so she avoided it. After Crimea she sought privacy and seclusion, beset by long standing ill health.

In 2010 there will be world wide acknowlegements of the centenary of her death. There will be some who will point out that nursing, and the views of Florence, have changed in 100 years but there will be no escaping that our world is a better place for her life. In any event there are signs that modern nursing preparation and training are unlikely to stand the 100 year test.
She struggled when women were powerless. Nursing was mostly an ugly profession outside the Religious Orders, and certainly in England nurses were primarily engaged in washing, cooking and bed making. Bosteridge shows nurses to have been drunks on duty, with night nurses prone to drinking and spending time in bed with their patients. No wonder the well-off Nightingale family tried to discourage Florence reaching out to those in need, even in the local community.

And the soldiers looked after by Florence and her 38 nurses in Crimea were low in the Army food chain. Their plight was revealed by newspaper correspondents and caring people, including Florence. The army left them to die of disease and was in denial until they were subjected to the wrath of the British public showing interest in the welfare of 30,000 of their men.

The Florence Nightingale book by Bosteridge belongs in your libary. You will wish to return to it to review the facts and engage again in the life of Florence for inspiration.

Richard Glenister B.A (hons)

Florence Nightingale was homeschooled to be a Victorian lady but chose instead to become a nurse - then an unsuitable profession for her class. Despite her widespread actions it's surprising to note this is the first major biography of Florence Nightingale in more than fifty years - and it uses much previously unpublished material to explore her world, from family papers to journals. A vivid biography of her life and times makes for a top pick for any lending library strong in either health history or biography.