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A review by book_concierge
My Name Is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira
3.0
Audio performed by Kimberly Farr
3.5 Stars
This is a work of historical fiction, centering on Mary Sutter, a midwife in Albany, New York, who is determined to become a surgeon. As the novel opens the Civil War is just beginning and she has been turned down, yet again, by the only medical school in Albany. Mary decides to seek an apprenticeship with a practicing surgeon, and so appears at the door of Dr James Blevin’s clinic just as he was about to send for her to help deliver a woman whose labor is not going well. She saves the mother and child and impresses Blevins with her knowledge and skill. However, Blevins is about to enlist as an Army surgeon and insists he cannot accommodate her request that he teach her what he knows. This refusal only strengthens Mary’s determination, however, and when she sees an advertisement for nurses she heads to Washington.
I really enjoyed this book and was drawn in immediately. I particularly appreciated the information Oliveira included about the very poor state of medical care, and how what was learned by Army surgeons on the battlefield helped to change the practice of medicine. There were times, as I listened, that I wanted to yell to the characters,“Wash your hands! Use a clean cloth!” I felt enervated by the seemingly never-ending horrors of war witnessed by these brave men and women, despite my obvious distance from the actual events. Their tireless service in the face of impossible odds was commendable. That they had any success at all, given their ignorance of the infectious process, and their lack of supplies (seems that the most heavily used “medication” was whiskey) was nothing short of miraculous. The writing was vivid, and the aftermath of the battles – thousands of dead and wounded, laid so closely together it was nearly impossible to walk among them – called to my mind the scene from the movie of Gone With the Wind when Scarlett goes in search of the doctor for Melanie and the camera crane zooms out to show a screen filled with thousands waiting for any little comfort.
Oliveira doesn’t just write about war and medicine, however. Her characters have to deal with various weaknesses and emotions – pride, guilt, sibling rivalry, impetuousness, fear (and even cowardice), snobbery, ineptitude, joy, excitement and love. There is underlying romantic tension between Mary and certain male characters, which I found a little distracting and unnecessary to the basic story. However, I’ll admit that I have always been interested in reading about medicine and that was much more interesting to me than her love life.
Kimberly Farr did an excellent job of reading the audio book. She had a somewhat limited range with the male voices, but was credible and it was still easy to distinguish among the characters when there were two- or even three-way conversations.
3.5 Stars
This is a work of historical fiction, centering on Mary Sutter, a midwife in Albany, New York, who is determined to become a surgeon. As the novel opens the Civil War is just beginning and she has been turned down, yet again, by the only medical school in Albany. Mary decides to seek an apprenticeship with a practicing surgeon, and so appears at the door of Dr James Blevin’s clinic just as he was about to send for her to help deliver a woman whose labor is not going well. She saves the mother and child and impresses Blevins with her knowledge and skill. However, Blevins is about to enlist as an Army surgeon and insists he cannot accommodate her request that he teach her what he knows. This refusal only strengthens Mary’s determination, however, and when she sees an advertisement for nurses she heads to Washington.
I really enjoyed this book and was drawn in immediately. I particularly appreciated the information Oliveira included about the very poor state of medical care, and how what was learned by Army surgeons on the battlefield helped to change the practice of medicine. There were times, as I listened, that I wanted to yell to the characters,“Wash your hands! Use a clean cloth!” I felt enervated by the seemingly never-ending horrors of war witnessed by these brave men and women, despite my obvious distance from the actual events. Their tireless service in the face of impossible odds was commendable. That they had any success at all, given their ignorance of the infectious process, and their lack of supplies (seems that the most heavily used “medication” was whiskey) was nothing short of miraculous. The writing was vivid, and the aftermath of the battles – thousands of dead and wounded, laid so closely together it was nearly impossible to walk among them – called to my mind the scene from the movie of Gone With the Wind when Scarlett goes in search of the doctor for Melanie and the camera crane zooms out to show a screen filled with thousands waiting for any little comfort.
Oliveira doesn’t just write about war and medicine, however. Her characters have to deal with various weaknesses and emotions – pride, guilt, sibling rivalry, impetuousness, fear (and even cowardice), snobbery, ineptitude, joy, excitement and love. There is underlying romantic tension between Mary and certain male characters, which I found a little distracting and unnecessary to the basic story. However, I’ll admit that I have always been interested in reading about medicine and that was much more interesting to me than her love life.
Kimberly Farr did an excellent job of reading the audio book. She had a somewhat limited range with the male voices, but was credible and it was still easy to distinguish among the characters when there were two- or even three-way conversations.