Lindsey Fitzharris has crafted a fascinating, informative and moving look at the work of Dr. Harold Gillies, who pioneered facial reconstructive surgery in Britain during the First World War. The author brings Gillies, a few of his colleagues, and select examples of patients to life through dramatic narrative drawn from letters and journals, and supplemented by archival photos.

As the foreword notes, Fitzharris had a bit of a challenge scoping this book, as there are other books about Gillies, and certainly many more about WWI. Her approach to telling the story through a group of real-life characters, is effective at drawing you in and keeping you reading. There are a few points where it feels that things go off on a tangent, like the part where anesthesia is discussed, and I wanted more depth in terms of Gillies' life and specifics on procedures. But ultimately I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to those who are curious about medical history.