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A majestic novel of Florence Nightingale, whose courage, self-confidence, and resilience transformed nursing and the role of women in medicine
“Pritchard’s splendid latest illuminates the life of Florence Nightingale…Marvelous and moving.”— Publishers Weekly (Starred review)
“A fresh imagining of an icon (Florence Nightingale,)…in Pritchard’s portrayal, is an indomitable force.”–Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Georgia Author of the Year 2025 nominee
A Favorite Book of 2024: The Washington Independent Review of Books
“…an amazing book. Just an incredible book. Definitely worth reading.”–NPR/GPB’s Peter Biello, All Things Considered
A BookBrowse “TOP PICK”
“Melissa Pritchard makes Nightingale’s heroism even more intimate — and more interesting — by portraying her not as ‘some sweet, feminine savior’ but as a stubborn, tormented striver who spent her youth and early adulthood struggling to break free from the constraints of Victorian society.”–New York Times
“A standout.” –The New York Sun
A “Reading with Arizona PBS” selection
“An awe-inspiring story” – Denver Post
“An addictive read…(Flight of the Wild Swan) unfolds in short punchy chapters punctuated with snippets of letters, journal entries and other bits of ephemera that help humanize Nightingale and provide insight into her sharp mind.”
–Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“From country houses to city slums and distant war zones, Pritchard renders the people and places of Florence’s world in lush, richly detailed prose…A compelling story and satisfyingly human portrait of an extraordinary woman.”— Booklist (YA recommended)
“In Pritchard’s rich and detailed portrayal of Nightingale, the reader learns not only of a courageous woman…but also of the broader structural challenges and constraints women encountered in the nineteenth century…Exceptional!”
–The Southern Literary Review
“This powerful biographical novel of Florence Nightingale…uncompromising…a significant tribute.”
–Historical Novel Society
“Exceptional…transformative and riveting…”
–Midwest Book Review 1/24
“Enthralling…an inspiring novel about a woman whose single-minded determination comforted and inspired thousands.”
—Foreword Reviews
“Flight of the Wild Swan is the best of Melissa Pritchard. In this novel, you will come to know Florence Nightingale close up, not as a faraway, distant figure.”
–Joy Harjo, three-term U.S. Poet Laureate, author of Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light and Poet Warrior: A Memoir
“What an amazing book this is…the journey this novel takes is mesmerizing and unforgettable.”
–Joan Silber, Pen/Faulkner award-winning author of Improvement and Secrets of Happiness
“Pritchard’s tour de force evokes nursing and medicine today…an enchanting, inspiring and utterly relevant novel.”
–Suzanne Koven, MD, author of Letter to a Young Female Physician