Dr. Norton's Wife

by Mildred Walker, David Budbill (Introduction)

Dr. Norton’s Wife was praised for its quiet honesty and artistic integrity when it was first published in 1938. It stands up firmly as a portrait of a marriage subjected to the strain of unexpected invalidism. As a doctor’s wife, Sue Norton is no stranger to matters of life and death. But medical shoptalk screens her from the realities of illness until she is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Never clinical, Walker, herself the wife of a doctor, accurately describes the disease’s progress and the adjustments necessary to cope with it. The result is a tender story of “the marriage of true minds.”

269 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1938

About the author

Mildred Schemm Walker (May 2, 1905 – May 27, 1998) was an American novelist who published 12 novels and was nominated for the National Book Award. She graduated from Wells College and from the University of Michigan. She was a faculty member at Wells College from 1955 to 1968. Walker died in 1998 in Portland, Oregon.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is well written though I can't say it is a stand out favorite. I give it 4 stars because it sure makes you think! To see the progression of such an illness and how it affects all those around you. I liked being able to really understand all 3 of the main characters perspectives and how they played together. It isn't a very happy book, definitely a more heavy read. But well done, Mildred Walker does a fantastic job.

[Chanell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mildred Walker books are in a class of their own. She’s well written and tells a simple story, I always enjoy what she has to say and I appreciate her uncomplicated and innocent way. Dr. Norton’s Wife was exactly what I anticipated it to be; another favorite. Nothing extraordinary happens, there’s no plot twist or cliff hanger, it’s just a well written story of life and love.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Ms Walker and I found this to be one of her most sensitively written books. It is a heartbreaking story of the bedridden but devoted wife of a middle aged doctor. Everyone in the household is upset and changed due to the progression of her illness. Ms. Walker was married to a doctor and she has first hand knowledge of this type of relationship. Without spoilers, I recommend anyone who liked any of her other books & I have read 6 others, read this one. You won't be disappointed..the story and acute feelings are timeless

[Lynne]

Sadly unable to tolerate reading the copy I obtained through inter-library loan, as it was old and dusty and musty...my lungs couldn't take it. Hopefully I'll be able to find a readable copy at some point of time.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite Mildred Walker book.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very old-fashioned, quiet book. But I really liked it, and the end made me cry. Mildred Walker may be one of my new favorite writers.

[Colette Thompson]

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[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently read a book by the same author that felt timeless, but this one, published in 1938, overall felt very dated (first hint: the title). Sue, a middle-aged woman whose husband, Dan, is a doctor at a teaching hospital, has Multiple Sclerosis. The treatment for MS has obviously come a very long way in the past 75+ years. At that time at least some cases were terminal. Clearly a woman couldn’t possibly cope with the truth about her illness, so everyone kept telling her she was going to get better. Being reasonably intelligent, not to mention having been exposed to a lot of dinner-table talk about medical issues, she figured it out on her own.

A big part of the story is the impact of the disease on Sue and Dan’s marriage. While human emotions don’t necessarily change all that much through the decades, the relationship issues were very much driven by the lack of truthfulness, which is what I think Mildred Walker was trying to drive home.

[Honey · Rating 2 out of 5]

tear jerker

[S Sande · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a doctor's wife herself, Walker undoubtedly brings some real life experiences into her novels. Always her books deal with real life. And reality is hard and difficult much of the time.