The Healer's War

This is a fantasy novel set during the Vietnam War. It's about an army nurse who becomes the possessor of an amulet that lets her see auras. It's really a war novel with a little fantasy thrown in. The author was previously known for writing humorous fantasy novels, but with this book, she took a more serious turn and won the Nebula for 1989 for it. It's a powerful novel with a terrific ending that left me nearly in tears. The prose is great. The character development is really good. The only thing lacking was the plot. It reads like a memoir rather than like a developed novel. The author says it is not autobiographical, but I'm sure the themes are based on her experience: racism, sexism, the horrors of war, and what it's like to be a life saver and caregiver in an environment of death and destruction.

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