I really can’t be the only one who loves epic civil war dramas, right?? Like, I actually love learning about Bull Run, Antietam and Shiloh. I swear if I had all the money in the world, I would totally go back to school and get a graduate degree in US history. Then, I would finally beat Adam in trivia. Some things are just priceless.
That all being said, I LOVED this book. It was the story about a young midwife who desperately wants to be a surgeon during the Civil War. It definitely wasn’t a fluffy chick-lit story though—the amount of research gone into writing this shines through with detailed accounts of major war battles and the character of Abe Lincoln. Some of the amputation scenes were rather gruesome and it didn’t shock me to learn that the author is actually a registered nurse specializing in critical care.
In terms of Civil War books, I liked this book way more than this one, which shocked me because the latter came highly recommended by another book nerd friend. Well…my grandma recommended Mary Sutter to me and I should have known that she wouldn’t let me down! My grandma also randomly sends me ten dollar bills in the mail sometimes, which I appreciate as well. I think she thinks that you can still buy a new hardcover book for ten dollars.
{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
I love this kind of book. I will have to pick up a copy! Thanks for the suggestion!
Glad to hear you like this! I have it on my shelf and have been looking forward to reading it!
Love your book posts! Thanks for sharing!
Your grandma is like Seinfeld’s granny that sent him checks for a buck. You may not be able to get a new book, but you can a couple of chick-lit rom-coms with $10. Or a few coffees.
You are on nerd par with me
Except my obsession is WWII. You have Netflix, right? Watch “America: The Story of Us.” It’s a multi-part series. I think you’d really like it.
Glad you do so many book reviews Jenna — I’m such a bookie myself. And you SO were meant to be born in another century (as you’ve said many times before)! Well, at least I can see that from some of your book choices
It’s interesting to think about what era I might choose if I could. Possibly the 50s…I could see myself being very housewifey 
Anyway, thanks for the review!
Hi, Jenna! Polly and I just attended the Book Club at our church and read Though Waters Roar by Lynn Austin. We even had a 1-hour phone conference with the author last night! It was so cool!! And, she writes historical fiction. You should check her out!
i read this book…it is soooo good! and as a current grad student, i would NOT recommend grad school for something you love. you’ll end up hating it! lol. i like one of my programs but the other one…not so much
Ooh! I am definetly interested in reading this one! I love civic war stories….I am a history major though so I prettty much love anything historical
Oooh I’m looking for another book after I finished my last one. Have you read “I Am Memory?” I want to get it out of my memory. This book may do it!
Hehehe…Grandmas are awesome <3 I'm looking for a good holiday read so may have to check this one out!
xyx
I picked up this book in the Atlanta airport during a day of flight delays that just didn’t seem to end. I sat there and read the book cover to cover – it was fantastic. I was still stuck in the airport, but this made the time go oh so much faster. I love the way it doesn’t shy away from difficult scenes, and that the author did so much research to make it historically accurate.
I love your website! It’s not just about food, but books, yoga and life! You are doing a great job at this and I read it every day! Thanks!! I’m definitely going to check out this book as well!
I’m going to have to try this one!! I’m almost always in agreement with the books you recommend!
I still get money in the cards from my Grandma too. Love it!
Right now I am loving the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters. I highly recommend it. And if your into Civil War novels, I’m assuming you’ve read Gone With the Wind (one of my favorite books).
I actually did not like this book at all, which was surprising for me since I have loved nearly every book you recommended. I thought there was a huge lack of character development, the vignettes with Lincoln seemed out of place, and all the medical jargon took away from the relationships in the story. I really wanted to like it, and at parts I did…but it was overall a frustrating and very disappointing read.
I could not get into this book and I live near Albany, did it get better after the first 60 pages?
So, I add just about every book you review you my Goodreads “to-read” queue. Right now I am busy re-reading Anne Frank (Man, is this way better than it was when I was 10 years younger or what???), but I will get to them soon, hopefully! Ah, I love books! I also love grandmas–mine have both passed, but I definitely identify with the random $10 cards. Anyways, yay for books and grandmas!
I love Civil War epics also, I will definitely pick up this book to read!
Sounds fantastic! And, I truly miss those random $5′ers my grandma used to send.
I love loved this book. Read it in 4.5 hrs until 3 am. I was dragging the next day, but I do it every time with good historical fiction.
Gotta love Grandmas.
Mine are both on facebook, and are infamous for “liking” every single status update any of their grandkids make, ever.
Jenna, have you read “March” by Geraldine Brooks? It’s a Civil War-era book that imagines what Mr. March (yes, the father of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy) was up to while he was away. It’s graphic, shocking and an absolute page-turner.
I really enjoyed this book too!
Oh man! I checked that one out from the library & didn’t get a chance to read! I’ll have to pick that back up!! ASAP!
Thanks for the review! I just added this book to my to-read list.