London, 1845: Raised by the eccentric surgeon Dr. Horace Croft after losing her parents to a deadly pandemic, the orphan Nora Beady knows little about conventional life. While other young ladies were raised to busy themselves with needlework and watercolours, Nora was trained to perfect her suturing and anatomical illustrations of dissections.
Women face dire consequences if caught practicing medicine, but in Croft's private clinic Nora is his most trusted-and secret-assistant. That is until the new surgical resident Dr. Daniel Gibson arrives. Dr. Gibson has no idea that Horace's bright and quiet young ward is a surgeon more qualified and ingenuities than even himself. In order to protect Dr. Croft and his practice from scandal and collapse Nora must learn to play a new and uncomfortable role-that of a proper young lady.
But pretence has its limits. Nora cannot turn away and ignore the suffering of patients, even if it means giving Gibson the power to ruin everything she's worked for. And when she makes a discovery that could change the field forever, Nora faces an impossible choice. Remain invisible and let the men around her take credit for her work, or step into the light-even if it means being destroyed by her own legacy.
***
Hefting his black bag, Dr. Horace Croft stumped down the uneven pavement. PROLOGUE
***
(@Sourcebooks, 4 May 2021, ebook, 384 pages, borrowed from @GlasgowLib via @OverDriveInc, #biglibraryread)
***
***
I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't aware of this period in history when women were forbidden to practice medicine so found the detail included in the book fascinating. Nora is a great character, strong-willed and feisty, determined to do the right thing no matter the cost. I admired her a lot. The book doesn't end as I hoped but I still enjoyed where the story took me.
