NIGHTINGALES: THE EXTRAORDINARY UPBRINGING AND CURIOUS LIFE OF MISS FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, by Gillian Gill, Ballantine, 535 pages, $27.95.
Although an accomplished scholar, Gillian Gill approaches the life of 19th century legend Florence Nightingale in a rich, interesting style worthy of a novelist in "Nightingales."
It is Gill's aim here to carefully examine not only Florence but the rest of the Nightingale family, using a plethora of evidence.
For instance, Florence had a spiritual experience when she was only 16 in which God allegedly told her to devote her life to the service of others. She didn't share that story with her parents and sister, but she made it clear that her life would be unorthodox — she would not get married and she would look for ways to devote herself to service.
Her parents were stunned. They heavily pressured her to live the life expected of a Victorian woman — to be married and raise a family. When Richard Monkton Milnes approached her as a marriage prospect, she resisted not once but twice, even though her parents considered Milnes to be a terrific catch. Florence admitted later that he was the only possible suitor who had even "tempted" her.
Gill reveals for the first time that Milnes was actually leading a double life — yes, he was a successful young businessman, a member of Parliament and a representative of a good family. But he was also gay and deeply addicted to erotica in literature. In fact, his library became probably the most complete depository for erotic literature in all of England. There is also evidence that he consorted with others to experiment with unorthodox sexual practices.
Had Florence consented to be his wife, her reputation would have been ruined. There is no evidence that she ever knew about Milnes' other life, but he did marry another prominent English woman who either looked the other way or never learned the truth.
Florence was in her 30s before she was able to devote herself to acts of service full-time, culminating in her travels to the Crimea to act as head of nurses who treated British soldiers wounded in the Crimean War against Russia. There she played not only a compassionate personal role but became a reformer of Britain's health-care system after being shocked by the inadequacy of means and materials to care for wounded soldiers.
Although she was always able to interact easily with men, she demanded too much of women, especially those who worked for her. Many of her nurses left the Crimea in anger or disgrace because they fell short of Florence's requirements. Florence badly overworked her own body as well, becoming quite ill by the end of the war.
When she returned to England, she became an eccentric and confined herself to her bedroom at the age of 37 and remained there for some 40 years. During that confinement, she met people who wanted to see her only by appointment and engaged in voluminous correspondence, as well as composing numerous documents, most of which researchers have never seen. When those materials become available to scholars, it will be time for someone to write the definitive biography of Florence Nightingale.
Until that happens, this book is a wonderful glimpse into the Nightingale world and the social and cultural life of Victorians. It is well-written and succeeds in establishing the already prevalent notion that Florence was one of the greatest and most self-sacrificing women of her time.
E-mail: dennis@desnews.com