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My Name Is Mary Sutter
by Robin Oliveira
I received this book for free in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review
My Name is Mary Sutter offered many things I look for in a book: great writing, strong emotions, kickass female protagonists, and an intriguing bonus lesson on midwifery. My main problem was the love rhombus and waves of inaction. How does bossy Mary Sutter amass three gentleman callers when I'm bossy in the twenty-first century with zero? Mary reminded me of Jennifer Worth from my ultra-fave series, Call the Midwife. They were both experienced midwives, no-nonsense ladies, and had their heart pulled in different directions. Mary Sutter was a total badass but my ultimate complaint is that I was not happy with the bachelor she chose behind the proverbial door number three. These men weren't the most ideal doors, but they all offered a different path in Mary's life.
Mary Sutter's Love Rhombus (In No Particular Order)
Thomas Fall
Handsome young orchard owner. Tender heart and even gentler apples. Looking for a shoulder to lean on and a family to start. Husband material to either Sutter twin. Possible suitor to Mary in the first 1/3 and last 1/3 of the book. New York's most eligible bachelor of the 1860's.
Dr. Stipp
Wise doctor with enough ghosts in his past to take up residency in Luigi's Mansion. Taught Dr. Blevens and shares Mary's love of medicine. Teaches her how to amputate legs (yuck) and loves her. The age difference is significant but it wasn't an issue during the Civil War. Cantankerous at times, but he has a soft spot for the midwife. Better suited as a father figure rather than a love interest. Beginning to lose his memory, but is willing to teach Mary and fulfill her dream of becoming a surgeon.
Dr. James Blevens
Ooh, boy! My personal favorite and draft pick to become Mr. Mary Sutter. Handsome doctor with enough baggage to fill a Greyhound bus. He's emotionally unavailable but shows character growth throughout the novel. He's constantly evolving chapter by chapter and has great depth. His romantic past is tricky but he could rip a few pages from Jane Eyre if he really needed. He's introduced on the first page of the book and that's fate, people.
The romance was not the main feature of the novel but it still drew me in. I was mesmerized by the midwifery aspect and I appreciated the details, albeit gruesome, of childbirth. The writing was very well done and I ensnared by all the drama and heartbreak. This was a fantastic novel and I am thankful to have won it in a giveaway. I only wish it would have picked up the pace at times and that Mary would have chosen a different suitor in the end. I did not like the epilogue but I'm just nitpicking at this point. Civil War literature have a duty to educate us about the past as well as entertain us with a great story that is "delivered" by the author. It's a girl, and her name is Mary Sutter! There's a generation of midwives in the next century with a lot to learn from her.
My Name is Mary Sutter offered many things I look for in a book: great writing, strong emotions, kickass female protagonists, and an intriguing bonus lesson on midwifery. My main problem was the love rhombus and waves of inaction. How does bossy Mary Sutter amass three gentleman callers when I'm bossy in the twenty-first century with zero? Mary reminded me of Jennifer Worth from my ultra-fave series, Call the Midwife. They were both experienced midwives, no-nonsense ladies, and had their heart pulled in different directions. Mary Sutter was a total badass but my ultimate complaint is that I was not happy with the bachelor she chose behind the proverbial door number three. These men weren't the most ideal doors, but they all offered a different path in Mary's life.
Mary Sutter's Love Rhombus (In No Particular Order)
Thomas Fall
Handsome young orchard owner. Tender heart and even gentler apples. Looking for a shoulder to lean on and a family to start. Husband material to either Sutter twin. Possible suitor to Mary in the first 1/3 and last 1/3 of the book. New York's most eligible bachelor of the 1860's.
Dr. Stipp
Wise doctor with enough ghosts in his past to take up residency in Luigi's Mansion. Taught Dr. Blevens and shares Mary's love of medicine. Teaches her how to amputate legs (yuck) and loves her. The age difference is significant but it wasn't an issue during the Civil War. Cantankerous at times, but he has a soft spot for the midwife. Better suited as a father figure rather than a love interest. Beginning to lose his memory, but is willing to teach Mary and fulfill her dream of becoming a surgeon.
Dr. James Blevens
Ooh, boy! My personal favorite and draft pick to become Mr. Mary Sutter. Handsome doctor with enough baggage to fill a Greyhound bus. He's emotionally unavailable but shows character growth throughout the novel. He's constantly evolving chapter by chapter and has great depth. His romantic past is tricky but he could rip a few pages from Jane Eyre if he really needed. He's introduced on the first page of the book and that's fate, people.
The romance was not the main feature of the novel but it still drew me in. I was mesmerized by the midwifery aspect and I appreciated the details, albeit gruesome, of childbirth. The writing was very well done and I ensnared by all the drama and heartbreak. This was a fantastic novel and I am thankful to have won it in a giveaway. I only wish it would have picked up the pace at times and that Mary would have chosen a different suitor in the end. I did not like the epilogue but I'm just nitpicking at this point. Civil War literature have a duty to educate us about the past as well as entertain us with a great story that is "delivered" by the author. It's a girl, and her name is Mary Sutter! There's a generation of midwives in the next century with a lot to learn from her.