Nightingales Books in Order

In London’s East End in 1940, a terrified young woman gives birth then plans to give her baby up, only for an air raid to separate mother and child. Eighteen years later, student nurse Amy finds a mentor in Sister Elizabeth Clyde, unaware that a long buried secret is about to upend both their lives.

In 1957, a new generation arrives at the Florence Nightingale Hospital. Winnie hopes nursing will finally win her mother's approval, rebellious Viv must prove she can stick to anything and thoughtful Beth follows her late sister's dream. Together they face modern medicine, strict rules and the pull of their own pasts.

In East London in 1917, Anna is thrilled when her wounded sweetheart returns from the front so they can plan a longed for wedding. On the wards, Grace and Dulcie care for shell shocked soldiers and chase their own hopes for happiness as war grinds on.

East London, 1914. As war looms, new recruits Anna, Kate and Sadie arrive at the Nightingale Hospital, each escaping family pressure and chasing a different dream. Training brings friendships, prejudice and sacrifice, and one Christmas that will shape their futures.

Christmas 1945 finds the Nightingale Hospital scarred by bombs and loss. Matron Kathleen Fox tries to rebuild both the wards and her staff by staging a Christmas show, but feuds, rivalries and private sorrows threaten to derail the one bright hope they share.

In 1944, Dora Riley juggles ward duties and worry for her husband at the front when she is put in charge of German prisoners of war. As Kitty grows close to one of the men and Helen returns with a secret, loyalties and compassion are tested at Christmas.

Christmas 1941 forces many Nightingale staff into the countryside after bomb damage closes parts of the hospital. Jess resents leaving East London, Effie throws herself into friendships with nearby airmen, and newly widowed Millie turns back to nursing as past loves reappear.

With Britain at war, Dora leaves her young twins to return to Nightingale Hospital, determined to help the effort. Volunteers Cissy and Jennifer soon learn wartime nursing is no romantic adventure, while shy Eve escapes home only to find new battles on the wards.

In 1937, Dora and long time rival Lucy are paired on the children's ward for their final months of training. New ward maid Jess Jago and lively trainee Effie O'Hara arrive with big dreams and complicated families, bringing fresh chances and hidden secrets to the Nightingale.

As Christmas 1938 approaches, Sister Frannie Wallace dreads the hint of another war, Helen Dawson searches for love after bereavement and Matron Kathleen Fox fights to keep the Nightingale open. One winter of choices will change the hospital and its staff forever.

Back for their second year, Dora, Millie and Helen face stricter ward sisters and tangled hearts. Mysterious night sister Violet hides a past that intrigues her colleagues, while Dora and Millie juggle romance, family troubles and a growing sense that the world beyond the hospital is shifting.

In their final training year, Helen battles her domineering mother over both career and marriage, Dora cannot forget Nick despite his marriage to her friend Ruby, and Millie worries for her fiancé reporting from Spain. With fascism rising and war looming, the Nightingale students must decide what kind of lives they want.

On a foggy Christmas Eve in 1936, a pregnant woman steps in front of a trolley bus and loses her memory. At the Nightingale Hospital, the nurses deliver a healthy baby but face a heartbreaking task, helping a confused mother accept the child she cannot remember.

In mid 1930s London, three very different young women begin training at the prestigious Nightingale Hospital. Tough East Ender Dora longs to escape her abusive home, quiet Helen lives under her mother's control and high spirited aristocrat Millie craves purpose, not society. Nursing will test them and bind them together.