The Doctor's Lady
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The Doctor's Lady
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4.38 of 5 stars
Priscilla White knows she'll never be a wife or mother and feels God's call to the mission field in India. Dr. Eli Ernest is back from Oregon Count... read full description

reviews

Nov 30, 2011
Michelle rated it: 5 of 5 stars
When I received the opportunity to read this novel, I jumped at the chance! I had read so many wonderful things about Jody Hedlund's writing, that I knew I couldn't pass it up. Within just a few pages, I knew that all of the 5 star reviews were right -- The Doctor's Lady is a story not to be missed! And as the old saying goes, you can't judge a book by its cover, well with this one you can. The cover is one of the most gorgeous I've seen, and the story inside the cover is just as captivating More...
0 comments like (4 people liked it)
Dec 27, 2011
Rachelle rated it: 4 of 5 stars


Though the beginning started out slowly, the tension gradually builds to an adventure-and-action-packed plot in The Doctor's Lady. I read this book in less than twenty-four hours, drawn in by the development of the characters and details of what the trip West was like for the first female to cross the Continental Divide.



I enjoyed how Priscilla and Eli interacted with one another. They learned to trust one another achingly slowly, which at times made me want to More...
2 comments like (2 people liked it)
Dec 09, 2011
Jane rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Where I got the book: review copy from publisher on author's behalf.

This is Jody Hedlund's second book, and I enjoyed it very much. The author seemed much more at home in this American pioneer setting, and the positioning of the tone of the book a little farther away from the inspirational side of things and a little closer to the romance also seemed to work for Hedlund.

In a story where the characters are on a journey, the background sometimes threatens to dominate the storyl More...
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Dec 03, 2011
Linda rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Priscilla White knew that God had called her to be a missionary, which she thought to be India, as a single woman. However, the missionary board changed their stipulations and ruled that only married couples could serve as missionaries.

Dr. Elijah (Eli) Ernest’s goal was to return to the Oregon Territory to minister to the Nez Perce natives. Since he, too, was single, he now had to marry in order to go back to the Territory. Meeting Priscilla in her church in Angelica, NY, as he pe More...
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Oct 30, 2011
Tima rated it: 4 of 5 stars
The Doctor's Lady is historical romance that was inspired by Marcus and Narcissa Whitman. Pricilla White has been instructed that she can't be sent to the mission field unless she's married. She is convinced that God wants her in the ministry in some way. Dr. Eli has returned from Oregon with a burden to minister to the American Indians there and is recruiting funds when he hears the same message - he must be married in order for the mission board to support him.
The two form a business mind More...
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Oct 23, 2011
Mary Louise rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Priscilla White has applied to serve the Lord and save the lost people in India where there are established missions. She also wants to leave the country so as to escape the questions people will ask her about why she can't marry or have children. She never considered being a missionary to the Indians in the west,like Dr. Eli Ernest, who is visiting the community to raise funds for the mission he wants to build in Oregon Territory to serve the Nez Perce Indians. Then the Mission board sends Pris More...
0 comments like (2 people liked it)
Oct 17, 2011
Courtney rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Jody Hedlund in a fairly new author but I must say she has got to be one of my favorite new authors I’ve been introduced to this year!! Her books are amazing and The Doctor’s Lady is no exception!! In fact, The Doctor’s Lady has just made my favorite Christian Historical book of 2011!!

Priscilla is a young lady who feels God is calling her to the mission field but is heart broken when the Board of Missions refuses to send her on a mission unless she is married. In steps Eli, Eli is you More...
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Oct 16, 2011
Vera rated it: 5 of 5 stars
This fictionalized story of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, missionaries to the Nez Perce Indians in the Oregon Territory in 1836 and their journey to reach Oregon is fascinating and very close to the actual historical story of the real life couple, and a very good read.

Priscilla White (the story's Narcissa Whitman) and Dr. Eli Ernest (the story's Marcus Whitman) are faced with the dilemma of not being able to fulfill their longing and calling by God to be missionaries because the missio More...
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Oct 14, 2011
Janna rated it: 5 of 5 stars
I am fond of historical fiction but in the hands of certain writers I love historical fiction. After reading her 1st two books, I have decided that Jody Hedlund is one the historical fiction writers that I love. She has a penchant for taking a true story and fictionalizing it to life. That is what she has done here. The story of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman (whom I had heard of but didn't really know anything about) comes to life in the telling of Priscilla White and Dr. Eli Ernest. These two unl More...
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Oct 09, 2011
Kara rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Jody Hedlund is a new author to me, and I really enjoyed her novel The Doctor's Lady. Set in 1836, it is the story of Priscilla White, a godly young woman from New York state who is committed to serving as a missionary to India. When she learns that her church's mission board will no longer accept unmarried missionary candidates, it seems that her dream of going to India is out of reach.

At the same time, a young missionary doctor named Eli Ernest visits her church and shares of his More...
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Oct 06, 2011
Krystal rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Priscilla is an unusual woman for her time period. She doesn't want to take the traditional route and become a wife and mother. She wants to help the world, make a difference. She decides to go out West to help, but is stopped when she realizes unmarried women cannot volunteer. Dr. Eli also needs to be married to help out. They come to the conclusion that they need to join together to achieve their overall goals.


Priscilla is a sweet, practical, and brave character. Eli More...
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Oct 04, 2011
Kathi rated it: 5 of 5 stars
The Doctor’s Lady is a wonderful read full of everything you expect and more. It's about a young missionary couple determined to set up a mission in the Oregon Country to help the Nez Perce natives. It’s the story about travelers on the Oregon Trail and the hardships they endured, but mostly it’s the story of a couple destined to be together and find love.

Doctor Eli Earnest is a rugged explorer of the West. The Nez Perce Indians want him to buy some of their land and set up a medica More...
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Sep 28, 2011
Michelle rated it: 5 of 5 stars
It would be difficult to say whether Jody Hedlund’s newest novel, The Doctor’s Lady, excels more for its incredibly smooth research or the skilful building of the relationship between the two main characters, Priscilla White and Eli Ernest.

When Priscilla, a well-bred and well-educated New York teacher, learns illness will prevent her from becoming a mother, she breaks her engagement and decides to dedicate her life as a missionary.

Eli is a doctor determined to set up a clinic More...
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Sep 26, 2011
Laura rated it: 5 of 5 stars
When author Jody Hedlund debuted her first book The Preacher's Bride, I instantly fell in love with her characters and her writing and deemed her "another favourite author". So when her next book came out I wondered if she would be able to impress me again.

I don't have to wonder any longer.


The Doctor's Lady is an incredible book that will sweep you away and I guarantee you will not be able to put it down until you are finished.

Yes - it is that good.
More...
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Sep 19, 2011
Erika rated it: 5 of 5 stars
The novel begins in 1836 in Angelica, New York, where Priscilla White, an unmarried woman with a wish to be a Christian missionary in India, waits to find out her assignment. Her life takes an unexpected turn, however, when Dr. Eli Ernest, a single man in need of a wife in order to accept the sponsorship of the Mission Board for his own mission into the West, makes her a business proposal. If she will agree to marry him, on paper alone, they will get the approval of the Board, and each will be a More...
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Sep 15, 2011
Kat rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Priscilla White has always dreamed of becoming a missionary in India. She has felt its been God's calling in her life especially since finding out when she got the mumps that it left her with the ability of not being able to have children. Rather than allow the people of her small town learn the truth, Priscilla sees this as another sign of God's telling her that she needs to head to India.

When Dr. Eli Ernest arrives at their church service complete with two Indian boys, he shares with More...
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Aug 25, 2011
Jill rated it: 5 of 5 stars
From the stunning cover and the engaging opening, all the way through to the emotional ending, I adored The Doctor's Lady.

Eli Ernest, will stop at nothing to return to Oregon and start a mission for the Nez Perce Indians, including getting married and doing the unthinkable--journeying out west with a woman. Priscilla White burns with fervor to teach the gospel in India and, for personal reasons, leave the nest of her hometown, but unless she's married, she can't do mission work. An u More...
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Aug 16, 2011
Keli rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Jody Hedlund’s debut novel, The Preacher’s Bride, captivated readers and left them wanting more of her page-turning stories. They’re sure to be satisfied with The Doctor’s Lady because she’s crafted another gripping tale, one that takes her characters—and her readers—on a journey fraught with hardships and heartache. When Eli Ernest and Priscilla White learn that they must wed in order to fulfill their dreams of serving the Lord as missionaries, they agree to a marriage in name only. They embark More...
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Sep 15, 2011
Carly rated it: 5 of 5 stars
I didn’t read Jody Hedlund’s first book, The Preacher’s Bride. I did buy it, but as usual, I have not had a chance to read it. I did very much want to read The Doctor’s Lady though. The story was so much more appealing to me. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words which is why I am big on letting a book cover be a huge factor in my decision making about whether or not to read a book. I thought the cover of The Doctor’s Lady was absolutely beautiful, even the back cover was beauti More...
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Sep 12, 2011
Katherine rated it: 3 of 5 stars
It was well-done in parts, but after awhile all the pent-up longing and smoldering glances got a little bit old.

I know that conflict provides the heart of a novel, but so much of the conflict here amounted to bickering between the protagonists.

Still and all it was a compelling enough story to keep me reading through the preacheriness.

Two things cost this book a fourth star in my mind.

1. Why do all these women have to be so beeyooteeful? Is i More...
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Oct 09, 2011
Julie rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Priscilla White knows that she is called to be a missionary. After all, she knows she will never marry because of the heart-breaking secret she carries with her each day.

Dr. Eli Ernest has a dream to become a missionary in Oregon country. He too carries scars from his past. He also knows that the mission field is no place for a woman.

Unfortunately for both Eli and Priscilla the mission board is no longer sending out single people. They wish for only married couples to go into More...
4 comments like
Jan 20, 2012
Nancy rated it: 5 of 5 stars
The book, set in 1836, tells the story of Priscilla White and Dr. Eli Ernest who are both single yet filled with the desire to be missionaries. They have applied to be so, but the mission board no longer permits the sending of unmarried men and women into the mission field (one of the reasons subtly stated is to prevent the unwanted strain in the relationships between the missionaries and the natives due to “loneliness”). The two’s last resort is to get married. So they enter into a marriage of More...
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Oct 18, 2011
Margaret rated it: 5 of 5 stars
In short -- Jody Hedlund is another new author for me and this book took my breath away.

The basic things were very well done. She did her research and I felt like I was traveling with Priscilla and Eli as they went through the trials of reaching their new mission field. The author's notes at the end were fascinating as well. I also think the pacing was very good -- none of it seemed to lag or move too quickly. Although faith plays a part in their individual lives and the plot of the More...
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Sep 10, 2011
Holly rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Priscilla White longs to rescue the heathen residing in unknown parts of the world from the fires of hell, should they never hear of Jesus Christ. Priscilla is preparing to leave for India to just that . . . until she receives devastating news--the mission board will no longer send unmarried candidates into the mission field. The painful reality that she can never bear a child has left her determined to never wed, but now she must re-consider her choice.
Eli Ernest has spent years convi More...
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Dec 21, 2011
Dianna rated it: 3 of 5 stars
It is the year 1836 and America is not yet settled in the West. Priscilla White is a school teacher who aspires to spread the word of God in India, without a spouse. Elijah Ernest is a Doctor who desires to travel to the West, so that he can serve the Lord by helping the Indian tribes in Oregon County. The missionary board requires for missionaries to be married, otherwise they can’t go anywhere. Despite the fact that Priscilla won’t be able to go to India she still wants to serve the Lord; They More...
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Oct 31, 2011
Bluerose's rated it: 4 of 5 stars
4.5 stars

I was drawn to The Doctor's Lady for the Native American aspect of it. It's based upon the lives of Narcissa Whitman and Eliza Spalding, the first white women to cross the Continental Divide and travel to the far west, and their husbands. In 1836, they traveled to Oregon to start a mission with the Nez Perce natives. The story is a mix between fact and fiction. Some of the plot was taken right from the journals of Narcissa(with a fictional addition, of course). That makes th More...
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Sep 19, 2011
Karen rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Priscilla White planned on going to India to become a missionary. She'd prayed, planned, and prepared, sure that God was calling her to go. When her plans were sidetracked by the Missionary Board's newest requirement - that all missionaries be married couples - she was stunned. Surely there was a way around it. She'd vow to be devout, celibate, whatever it took to bring the Gospel to the poor heathens in that distant land. This was 1836, after all, and she was a strong, modern Christian woman.
More...
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Sep 16, 2011
Clockstein rated it: 3 of 5 stars
The Doctor's Lady by Jody Hedlund is the compelling story of the first white woman to cross the Continental Divide. Priscilla White has known since a bout with the mumps left her barren that she was meant to work in the mission field for God's glory. She is determined to go to India, but the Mission Board refuses her because she is unmarried. Dr. Eli Ernest is facing trouble with the Mission Board of his own. He wants nothing more than to return to the Oregon coast and serve the Nez Perce Indian More...
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Nov 12, 2011
Catherine rated it: 5 of 5 stars
I finally got around to reading this book. Honestly, I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but I know Jody and was looking forward to reading her next novel after having enjoyed The Preacher's Bride. I have to say I enjoyed this book more than the first! The setting was totally different, and I was drawn in right away. I loved the growth of all the characters throughout the novel. Admittedly, toward the end I got a bit impatient for them to just declare their undying love :) but I don't trav More...
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Oct 26, 2011
Angelc rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I really loved the beginning half of the novel, but towards the end it really slowed down for me. I didn't feel like the romance was developing enough. And so much happened, it seemed to hop from event to even really quickly.

I enjoyed the start of the book very much, before they started their journey west. Priscilla was downright unlikeable, but I really liked the author's choice to portray her this way. She was so sheltered and close-minded at the beginning, we were really able to a More...
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