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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
Really liked this. Thank you Mindy for the recommendation. The writing was well done and evocative. She used period words as though you should automatically know what they are (I like that!)and sucked you into the story with her characters and settings. Well done.
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
It is obvious that Robin Oliveira did a ton of research for this deeply engaging tale of a young girl, Mary Sutter, who wants to become a surgeon.
The beginning of the book took me some time to get into just because of the historical nature of the writing which is much more narrative than what I’ve been reading recently.
The characters of this book do come alive in such vivid ways that once I got into the story, it was hard to pull myself away. It became easy to lose myself.
This story deals heavily with the medical side of the Civil War, and all the gore and lack of knowledge and materials inherent during that time period. It paints a stark picture of the reality of war.
It is not for the squeamish or the faint of heart.
I ended up giving this 4 stars instead of five mostly because of one scene involving Jake Miles. It was truly unnecessary and was pretty disturbing. Also, I felt as if the final thread of his character was lost.
Mary’s character was passionate about medicine, and this book highlights how difficult it was for a woman to be taken seriously.
Overall, this was a very good depiction of the time period, the war, and the historical figures of the time.
The beginning of the book took me some time to get into just because of the historical nature of the writing which is much more narrative than what I’ve been reading recently.
The characters of this book do come alive in such vivid ways that once I got into the story, it was hard to pull myself away. It became easy to lose myself.
This story deals heavily with the medical side of the Civil War, and all the gore and lack of knowledge and materials inherent during that time period. It paints a stark picture of the reality of war.
It is not for the squeamish or the faint of heart.
I ended up giving this 4 stars instead of five mostly because of one scene involving Jake Miles. It was truly unnecessary and was pretty disturbing. Also, I felt as if the final thread of his character was lost.
Mary’s character was passionate about medicine, and this book highlights how difficult it was for a woman to be taken seriously.
Overall, this was a very good depiction of the time period, the war, and the historical figures of the time.
3.5 The romance needed some work and most chapters involving Lincoln were a snooze fest. I enjoyed the beginning very much... but had to force myself to finish. The audiobook was far better than reading it physically. I probably won't be reading the sequel.
This was a good story of a woman with dreams of becoming a surgeon during the Civil War and making that happen. She faced many problems and trials and overcame. It is also a story about falling in love during these times.
I'm acutally giving this book 3.5 stars. I loved all the history in this novel. Usually when I read books about the civil war the focus is on the South. It was interesting to hear about the trials the North faced. I don't think I realized how unprepared they were. I loved hearing Lincoln's thoughts too.
Good book with strong characters. I liked the premise of Mary becoming a doctor during this time period (Civil War). The historical references were also intriguing since I am currently living in the D.C. area.
Of course I loved this book - it's historical fiction set during the Civil War era. But more than that, Oliveira created an intense, heart-wrenching story within that setting that focuses on a young midwife searching for her place in the impenetrable, male-driven world of medicine. I loved that Mary's story delved into issues like family, politics, loyalty, and loss without revolving around the plot device that so many historical novels fall back on - "who will win the heart of our young heroine?" The romance aspect is present, but is muted by the devastation of war and Mary's unyielding quest to become a true surgeon. I also loved that Oliveira told a Civil War story using an often-overlooked or forgotten perspective - the field surgeons and nurses who occupied makeshift hospitals in DC and on the battlefields and tried - often in vain and under the worst conditions imaginable - to breathe life back into a divided nation state.
Although I liked this book, it felt like it went on forever!
I wanted to like this book. I enjoy Civil War era books, I enjoy midwife books, and I thought I would really get into My Name is Mary Sutter. However, Mary Sutter wasn't very appealing. She was hard to like, because she modeled herself after her midwife mother's attitude at births: there to get the baby out, but not personally attached. She is so rigid that she just watches as her twin sister steals the man she loves. Honestly, that part made me hate Jenny a little and hope that her marriage didn't go well. In general I didn't feel any connection to the characters, so I just skimmed ahead to see what happened at the end. I would read another book by the author though, because I thought she did a great job with the setting.