I’m torn between a three or four stars. Reading the epilogue kind of helped me? I was analyzing the writing style and then I read all the awards the author won because of said style. I kept trying to decide if I liked the way he built the scene or if I really had to bear the explanation of how stove fans work, how the smoker sucks his cigarette into his body, and how people pull their shirts over their arms one sleeve at a time. It felt pedantic. But the story was riveting, despite a lot of scen...

I could see this being made into a film. The story is ripe for that kind of treatment. While it is a story of grief and loss brought about by war, it’s also about the resilience of women affected by y that loss and grief. And the importance of friendship in processing that loss and grief. Slava Ukraini!

Moving and beautifully written

I loved this book, such descriptive writings and so moving. It's one of the best books I have read in a long time. I am recommending it to all my friends. Brings the horror of the Ukraine alive but in a way to make you really think about all wars.

This is a very timely and timeless book focusing on the impact of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia. What follows is an honest and voluntary review of a complimentary ARC. The continuing invasion now in 2025 makes reading this novel very emotional. While the characters are fictitious the context is very real. The novel follows three heterosexual couples in different life circumstances who each make a decision that the male will volunteer to fight for Ukraine against Russian onslaught. The a...

The Sunflower Widows tells the intertwined stories of four women whose lives have been forever altered by the war in Ukraine. Through their voices, the novel reveals how grief, love, and resilience coexist in the shadow of conflict, and how ordinary people navigate extraordinary loss.The book unfolds with the intimacy of a stage play; its structure, rhythm, and dialogue seem almost written for performance. Each new chapter introduces another widow, and I found myself needing to pause, to take a ...

An unexpectedly emotional read about the reality of war in Ukraine and those that are left behind to deal with grief and loss. From a young couple just starting out in their life, to an older couple in which the husband had retired years ago from the military, to an older woman who holds regular meet-ups in her farmhouse giving women a place to speak to others who have suffered loss. There are references to the reality of war itself, with the characters hearing weaponry in the near distance, a d...

This is a quiet read and is an important addition to war literature; but not just for it depictions of war but for the focus on its rippling affects. Each widow loses her husband to a war that is not of their making. No matter what ‘patriotic’ feelings catalyse each one’s the decision to join the war, it brings home the fact of ordinary people’s forced participation in violence perpetrated by an egotistical maniac who has manoeuvred himself into a seat of power. The story is definitely an import...

Beautiful story of sorrow, loyalty and love

Lovely writing takes you through the journey of 4 women as they love and lose their loved ones. Heartbreaking and brilliant

Some books are like a punch to the gut but in the best way possible, The Sunflower Widows by Matthew Fults is one of those. It’s emotional, beautiful, and basically impossible to forget once you start reading.This isn’t your typical war story. Forget the battlefield, this book zooms in on the women left behind, carrying grief in kitchens, nurseries, and empty homes. And honestly? That’s where the real heartbreak (and strength) lives.Kathryna stole my heart. She never even met her father, who die...

I'd like to thank the author for including me in the advanced reader copy list.The Sunflower Widows isn't usually my kind of book. I lean toward thrillers, but was willing to give this a read based on the author's previous work. I'm glad I did.For anyone who watches what's happening in Ukraine, you've probably become numb to all of it. You shouldn't, and this book will show you why. It was emotionally wrenching, really bringing the war to the front door of regular people. The characters were lik...