The Pull of the Stars

Julia Power, the novel’s protagonist and first-person narrator, is a nurse working in a major hospital in Dublin in 1918. The novel begins on October 31, 1918, the day before Julia’s 30th birthday. Julia lives with her younger brother Tim, a World War I veteran. Every day, Julia rides her bike to the tram station and commutes to work at the hospital. Julia began working as a nurse at age 21 and specializes in midwifery. During the novel, Julia is assigned to oversee the small, makeshift Maternity/Fever ward for pregnant women infected with the 1918 influenza virus. Julia is a skilled and experienced nurse. When Bridie first comes to help at the hospital, Julia carefully shows her how to clean equipment and wash her hands, showing how seriously she takes her work. She even tells Bridie, “If a nurse looks worried, patients will worry. So guard your face” (73), which shows that, for Julia, a calm and reassuring demeanor is just as important when working as a nurse as medical procedures. Due to the shortage of doctors, Julia sometimes must collaborate with young doctors who have less experience treating pregnant women, which can be frustrating to her.