My Name is Mary Sutter 4 stars

[Joanne]

My Name is Mary Sutter 4 stars

A great tale of strong women, medicine and the Civil War.

Mary Sutter lives in Albany with her family, her mother being a sought after mid-wife in the community. As Mary grows-up she begins to follow her mother to appointments and births and begins to love the work. Her twin sister Jenny, not so much. But Mary had higher aspirations and searched for a Surgeon to apprentice with, or a Medical School that will admit her. Neither materializes and with the the outbreak of the Civil War, Mary eyes Washington as the place she may be able to follow her calling.

Robin Oliveira writes with passion and color. This book won the James Joyce First Novel Fellowship for a work-in-progress. She mixed fictional characters with real people(among those in this novel, Lincoln, Clara Barton, Dorthea Dix and of course all those names of Generals we know from that time period).

There is a sequel to this book Winter Sisters, which I read last year, before I knew it was # 2 in the series. Both can be read as stand-alone, but I am glad I went back to learn about the younger Mary.

[[deleted user]]

Love your review. I have been eyeing Winter Sisters and had no idea there was another book. Good to know.