Review of Edith Cavel: Faith Before the Firing Squad by Catherine Butcher

Brief Summary courtesy of Amazon:


"Edith Louisa Cavell was a British nurse. She is celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers from both sides and in helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium during the First World War, for which she was arrested. She was subsequently court-martialled, found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. She was shot by a German firing squad at the age of 49. Her execution was greeted with worldwide condemnation and extensive press coverage. A woman of profound faith, she told her chaplain, on the night before her execution, "Standing as I do in view of God and eternity, I realize that patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone." Her death caused international outrage and may have contributed to America's decision to enter the war. Three films and a stage play have been written about her life, and many public buildings and streets named after her. She will feature on a commemorative GBP5.00 coin in 2015."




My Review: 


I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest unbiased review. This is the first biography that I have read in 2015 so I was not sure what to expect. The reason it grabbed my attention was because of its historical significance and that it talked about a woman's journey to help others. 


I found that this book was hard to get into. It seemed to me that the author took too long to get to the important part of the story. She went too far in depth of Edith's life prior to the first world war. Once I got to the actual part of the story where Catherine talked about Edith and her involvement in the War I was hooked. In addition, I found it interesting how she relied on her faith to get her through the dark times. 


I would have to say that all though I enjoyed learning about Edith and hearing about her involvement in saving 200 soldiers this wasn't my favorite biography of this time that I have read. It seemed in many ways like a text book that I would have read in high school which is dull and un interesting.