An American Nurse in Paris

Novels of the Great War #1

by John F. Andrews

Paris, 1918. Staring into the muzzle of a French policeman’s pistol . . .Journalist Alice Simmons’s last chance to stay alive is a nursing degree she never intended to use. A lowly job in a Red Cross hospital becomes the scoop of her career—and the key to her heart.Alice’s ambition to be a Great War correspondent careens headlong into a wall of sexism and deceit. The officer in charge of the American Army press office refuses to authorize Alice to leave Paris unless she agrees to certain favors. One evening, his lust escalates to a drunken assault. The unsuccessful attacker begins a campaign of false allegations to explain his injuries and cover up his crime. These culminate when he accuses her of being a German spy.A nursing assistant job in an American Red Cross military hospital is Alice’s only hope. She confronts chaos and heartbreak as American casualties from the Battle of Belleau Wood flood her ward. A tragic death amid the human wreckage of war unlocks Alice’s compassion and her capacity to love, both long-buried after a childhood tragedy. Her patients’ courage and support from unexpected allies inspire Alice’s fight to restore her honor.

Genres: Historical Fiction

330 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 7, 2023

About the author

John F. Andrews is the award-winning author of the Novels of the Great War Series, including OUR DESPERATE HOUR, AN AMERICAN NURSE IN PARIS, and DOGS DON’T CRY. He writes from the perspective of a service family father and critical care physician to craft unique stories based on real events. His characters struggle shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the real heroes of WWI as well as showing the plight of civilians caught in one of the most horrible conflicts in human history. His novels are stories of courage, struggle, survival, PTSD, hope, resilience, and love.

Reviews

[Margaret Rodenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in France during World War I, this is an enthralling story of a young nurse’s quest to be a war reporter when women weren’t welcome at the front. The author—who’s a doctor with a son in the U.S. Marines—brings realism to both hospital and battle scenes. The main character Alice Simmons is engaging, stubborn, and ambitious, but we love her because her actions are tempered with a nurse’s sensibility and a young woman’s vulnerability. She’s beset with adversaries, but also allies, all of whom are fascinating characters in their own right. I thoroughly enjoyed every page! I'm looking forward to the promised sequels.

[John Andrews]

Kirkus Star award and Get It recommendation:

Fans of inspiring war narratives will find much to love in this novel.
Rousing historical fiction with a feminist bent.
Kirkus Reviews

[HalKid2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

AN AMERICAN NURSE IN PARIS is the third in a series of historical novels written by John F. Andrews about World War I, but the first that I’ve read. Not surprisingly, (since the author is also a physician), the protagonist in this one is a nurse working at a makeshift hospital treating wounded soldiers.

Alice Simmons longs to be a journalist covering the war for audiences back home in the States. But misogyny in both the military and among other journalists is just too deeply ingrained. So, having recently completed nurse’s training, Alice falls back on what turns out to be a career at which she excels. She will use her proximity to injured soldiers to write human interest stories that other journalists don’t see. And she hopes she will be able to get them published once the war ends.

Alice winds up working alongside her best friend, Trudy, and near her journalism mentor, Ian Cunningham, who happens to be Trudy’s father. But this is not just a novel about a nurse providing good care or about the importance of friendship in trying times.

It’s a story of about what war does to individual soldiers — those who are injured, those who die, and those who are missing. For added realism, the author includes some information about the era’s “state-of-the-art” treatment techniques, and examines efforts by the military to both control public information and cover up mistakes. Be warned there is also a storyline involving a couple of psychopaths inflicting violence against women and rape.

On the plus side, with all the characters in the middle of a war, the novel offers plenty of drama. And an interesting mix of characters at different levels of the military (which importantly means different levels of power). I maintained interest throughout, eager to find out how the different storylines would be resolved.

For me there were two issues that bothered me, though I’m sure many readers will disagree:

1. The book is written in what I might describe as a distinctive clipped style with lots of tight short sentences. That was not the issue. What bothered me was that even though different chapters are narrated by different characters, I could not discern any difference between their voices. Even when one is a single woman in her early 20s and another is a middle aged officer with adult children.

2. The other issue concerns Alice as protagonist. Even though she is a young woman, I felt throughout that her personal reactions, thinking, and actions didn’t quite ring true. She felt much more male to me than female.

I do recommend AN AMERICAN NURSE IN PARIS. The story is compelling and you’ll get a real sense of the chaos of war and what can happen, especially to those with little or no power. Not to mention a vivid reminder of how some women were treated by some men in the not-too-distant past.

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

AN AMERICAN NURSE IN PARIS switches between Alice and Ira narrating the story set in Paris during WWI.

Alice trained jointly as a journalist and a nurse but faces barriers to being accepted in the male-dominated field; Ira is her father-figure, also stationed in Paris as a journalist. After she survives an assault, he encourages her to use her nursing skills instead, and Alice blossoms as she hears the stories from the front (no surprise that she will also find herself writing in the evenings to process her days).

Our book club chose this self-published title since some of the members knew the author, who used to be a practicing doctor in the area before retiring and moving out west. The author clearly knows his field and obviously did research to strengthen the story's WWI plot, but my primary criticism is that Alice doesn't appear to have flaws (family tensions and grief after an earlier death in the family are not weaknesses); the best I could perceive: Alice doesn't realize how beautiful she is.

Everyone contains nuance; no one is entirely good or entirely bad, and there can be great value in seeing those differences war against each other. That depth wasn't present in this book. All the same, it was enjoyable to discuss this at our monthly meetup, as it felt like a writing workshop as we imagined what could change if the POV wasn't only first-person, which plots we particularly enjoyed or what was missing, and so on.

[Michael Doane · Rating 5 out of 5]

An American Nurse in Paris is a compelling work of historical fiction that brings World War I vividly to life through the eyes of a determined and deeply human protagonist. John F. Andrews crafts a story that intertwines wartime chaos, institutional injustice, and personal transformation with emotional precision and historical authenticity.

Alice Simmons’s journey from ambitious journalist to reluctant nurse is driven by both survival and integrity. Her confrontation with sexism, abuse of power, and false accusation adds a tense moral dimension to the narrative, underscoring the vulnerabilities faced by women in wartime institutions. Andrews handles these themes with gravity and restraint, allowing Alice’s resilience and intelligence to carry the story forward.

The hospital scenes following the Battle of Belleau Wood are especially powerful, rendered with compassion and unflinching honesty. Amid devastation and loss, Alice discovers a capacity for empathy and love that reshapes her understanding of purpose. Rich in atmosphere and character, An American Nurse in Paris is a moving tribute to courage under fire and the quiet heroism found far from the front lines.

[Rick Molitor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great look at the WW1 era. It is a story about Alice Simmons and her journey through WW1 in Paris. She faces lots of obstacles just because she is a woman. She is sexually assaulted by Major Martel and his partner but escapes because of her wits and their drunkenness. Major Martell has everyone on his side as he tries to do everything he can to get rid of Alice. This is a story of hope and perseverance as she battles almost impossible odds and finds her true self as she fights to win her battle.

[Rex Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

AN AMERICAN NURSE IN PARIS is the story of a young woman determined to report on The Great War, but is thwarted every step of the way. Alice, the heroine, struggles against personal, professional, and predatory "demons" to find her place in the war. A heartfelt, compelling story of a woman who overcomes great adversity, AN AMERICAN NURSE IN PARIS is a novel that will evoke anger, joy, resolution, and humility, but will never leave you wanting, even after the end.

[DarcyJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Give me a good soldier death and I WILL CRY!

Yep! Bawled my eyes out. I really liked this book. Alice was wonderful. She was compasionate, strong and could kick a little ass. I liked that last part a lot!! I love that she was a sort of proxy daughter, sister and friend to the men in the ward. The spyish "you have friends" part was a little off for me, but other than that I really enjoyed the book and will recommend it to my reading friends.

[Kathy Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book particularly for the strong female characters during a time where woman are seen a week. I learned a lot about WWI and the struggles that females encountered. Clearly the author did extensive research in writing this book, its fiction mixed with facts. Anxious to read more from this new author.

[Terri Haese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

This is a great book, it pulls you in ,and just keeps you going. I can't say enough . I enjoyed the book Immensely.

[Debi Yoneda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a few chapters to really get into this book, but when I did I quite enjoyed the storyline.

[ANN COLLINS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmmm, seemed like a prolonged journey to the conclusion