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A review by carolpk
My Name Is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira
4.0
Most of my GR friends rated this 3 star. Most did not comment so I'm not certain what kept them from giving My Name is Mary Sutter a higher rating. A solid 4 for me. Length and a bit too much war kept it from a 5 star rating though that might not be entirely fair. After all this is as much a story of the men of the Civil War as it is historical fiction of a determined young woman with aspirations of becoming a surgeon. The war is a perfect backdrop for this as where else might Mary have achieved her goal.
Through the course of the novel Mary only ages a few years but how she grows and changes in these. We meet Mary when she is just twenty years old, a competent mid-wife but one who sees more for herself. She practices her craft at the side of her mother, Amelia, who has taught her much but has already surpassed her mother's expertise. Mary is a twin to her sister Jenny, a relationship that bespeaks the bonds and yet a tenseness that perhaps only they can understand. Mary meets and falls for Thomas, a new neighbor. He initially seems interested in Mary but soon he only has eyes for Jenny.
When nurses are being recruited by Dorothea Dix, Mary travels to Washington, D.C. in hopes of realizing her dream of not becoming a surgeon. Little does she realize where this path will take her.
Many passages gave me food for thought. My Name is Mary Sutter is a story of mothers and daughters, of sisters and family, of love and war, of want and desire and of perseverance and hard work to meet one's goals.
A subtle quote but one that I loved
"We love too little
We love too much"
speaks to guilt and the hard decisions that sometimes must be made in spite of the consequences.
My Name is Mary Sutter is well told historical fiction but not for the squeamish as many of the battle scenes with their depictions of the wounded are brutal. My Name is Mary Sutter is a debut. Robin Oliveira has recently published I Always Loved You, a fictional bio of Mary Cassatt. If it's half as good as My Name is Mary Sutter it goes on my list.
Recommended to me by my good friend Judy who is not a member of GR. I will thank her personally for leading me to this superior read.
Through the course of the novel Mary only ages a few years but how she grows and changes in these. We meet Mary when she is just twenty years old, a competent mid-wife but one who sees more for herself. She practices her craft at the side of her mother, Amelia, who has taught her much but has already surpassed her mother's expertise. Mary is a twin to her sister Jenny, a relationship that bespeaks the bonds and yet a tenseness that perhaps only they can understand. Mary meets and falls for Thomas, a new neighbor. He initially seems interested in Mary but soon he only has eyes for Jenny.
When nurses are being recruited by Dorothea Dix, Mary travels to Washington, D.C. in hopes of realizing her dream of not becoming a surgeon. Little does she realize where this path will take her.
Many passages gave me food for thought. My Name is Mary Sutter is a story of mothers and daughters, of sisters and family, of love and war, of want and desire and of perseverance and hard work to meet one's goals.
A subtle quote but one that I loved
"We love too little
We love too much"
speaks to guilt and the hard decisions that sometimes must be made in spite of the consequences.
My Name is Mary Sutter is well told historical fiction but not for the squeamish as many of the battle scenes with their depictions of the wounded are brutal. My Name is Mary Sutter is a debut. Robin Oliveira has recently published I Always Loved You, a fictional bio of Mary Cassatt. If it's half as good as My Name is Mary Sutter it goes on my list.
Recommended to me by my good friend Judy who is not a member of GR. I will thank her personally for leading me to this superior read.