Flight of the Wild Swan

Essayist and novelist Pritchard (A Solemn Pleasure; The Odditorium) offers a sentimentality-free portrait of Florence Nightingale, the ever-determined woman who pioneered modern nursing. As a child, Nightingale desired the privileges of being a boy and yearned to work among the sick and the poor. Though her parents initially resisted her desires, she was eventually afforded the education necessary to follow her dreams. Pritchard’s expansive portrait of Nightingale allows listeners to see her not just as a legendary nurse but as a human being with aspirations not befitting her station and with the will to stand up against society’s expectations. Listeners hear the entirety of her life from childhood to death. Narrator Jayne Entwistle’s skillful performance is wide-ranging, ably capturing Nightingale’s voice at the beginning of the book and an eyewitness’s account toward the end. The book begins with a first-person narration centered on Nightingale’s letters and diary entries; the narrative later switches to the third person, creating some disconnect.