This third book completes the story arc in this historical fiction novel about Dr. Nora (Beady) Gibson in London in the 1840s.
It’s 1849, London, and Dr. Nora Gibson faces a dual struggle as she fights for midwives to gain professional recognition while battling a devastating cholera epidemic. As society and the medical establishment push back against her, Nora risks her reputation and personal safety to honor her oath to save lives.
What a powerful and immersive conclusion to Nora’s journey! It perfectly blends medica history with Nora’s personal stakes. It focuses on Nora’s continued resilience as she fights both personal and professional battles. The medical details are authentic and the story is deeply moving. This book functions as a poignant capstone to Nora’s story as it shifts focus from her quest for credentials to the grittier reality of trying to practice medicine and surgery while facing gender bias.
It’s obvious that the book was meticulously researched and, late to the party, I just discovered that Audrey Blake is a pseudonym for the two true collaborators, Regina Sirois and Jaima Fixsen. They used several real life women doctors as a guide for the character of Nora and the treatments that she performs are straight from clinical studies, case reports, and research articles published in that time period. I found it all extremely interesting and I was riveted by Nora’s story. I loved all the characters and I will miss them. Surely there’s still another adventure that can be told?
I was lucky enough to be able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book, both provided by the publishers. The narrator, Susan Lyons, did an exceptional job voicing all the characters. Her ability to create unique voice prints for all the different characters was phenomenal and it produced a truly immersive experience. She has a way with accents as well and no trouble pronouncing medical terms.
Great series, I highly recommend it.
This is the third and final book in the trilogy that should be read from the beginning in order.
Genre and tags: historical fiction, London, 1840s, female doctors, cholera, midwifery, medicine, surgery
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