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Critics' Opinion:
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First Published:
Sep 2019, 672 pages
Paperback:
Aug 2020, 672 pages
Book Reviewed by:
Tara Mcnabb
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From the international bestselling author of The Gilded Hour comes Sara Donati's enthralling epic about two trailblazing female doctors in nineteenth-century New York.
Obstetrician Dr. Sophie Savard returns home to the achingly familiar rhythms of Manhattan in the early spring of 1884 to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. With the help of Dr. Anna Savard, her dearest friend, cousin, and fellow physician she plans to continue her work aiding the disadvantaged women society would rather forget.
As Sophie sets out to construct a new life for herself, Anna's husband, Detective-Sergeant Jack Mezzanotte calls on them both to consult on two new cases: the wife of a prominent banker has disappeared into thin air, and the corpse of a young woman is found with baffling wounds that suggest a killer is on the loose. In New York it seems that the advancement of women has brought out the worst in some men. Unable to ignore the plight of New York's less fortunate, these intrepid cousins draw on all resources to protect their patients.
Chapter 1
Later, when people asked about her travels, Sophie would put it simply: the trip to Europe as a bride was hazy in her memory, but she would never forget the voyage home as a widow.
To travel from an alpine village some six thousand feet above sea level to a port on the Mediterranean was not a simple undertaking in winter with so many of the mountain passes closed, but it went without incident: first by sleigh down mountainsides on narrow, winding roads to the river valley, then by rail from Chur to Zürich where she spent the night in the Hotel Widder. On the second morning she traveled by rail to Lucerne, where she took a room at the Schweizerhof Hotel. It was small but elegant, with a comfortable bed in which she found no rest.
When the train left the station early the next day she studied the city, awash in snow flurries, swaddled in low clouds that hid the lake from view and robbed Lucerne of its charms. She could not find any way to feel about the city or the country....
Here are some of the comments posted about Where the Light Enters.
You can see the full discussion here.
"A woman who puts her profession before raising [her] children has no grounds for complaint when they are taken away." Do you find this sentiment is still present today at some level?
Although today children are not taken away from professional women, in many other ways the children sail out of sight for some professional women who leave the upbringing of their children to the care of Nannies, who are not always the best choice ... - evelyng
Anthony Comstock expended great time and energy on arresting and prosecuting physicians, midwives, and pharmacists. What do you think are his real motivations? What drives him? Do any of his reasons continue to have validity today?
I think he was a despicable character but necessary to the plot. Unfortunately, there are still people out there today who are prejudiced, egotistical, and refused to accept change in society because it would undermine his power and authority. - dorothyl
Ask the Author
I have read The Wilderness series, the two new books about Sophie and Anna, and some of your blogs. My husband was a big fan, too, and we shared your wonderful Elizabeth Bonner from the beginning to almost the end. When it seemed certain that ... - crisandy5
Cap writes to Rosa that "When hard things come along someone always has to be the strong one, the one who takes charge..." Do you agree with this statement? Do you feel Rosa is capable of filling this role?
Bless Rosa's heart, she has had too much to carry on her young shoulders. She will be strong with her siblings, but she will need the strong adults to lean on until she grows up. She is already showing characteristics of becoming "the strong one", ... - crisandy5
Do you think the adults in Rosa's life are doing the right thing for her? How does the fact that Anna and Sophie both lost their parents inform the way they treat her?
I have a little different view on the adults than has already been mentioned here. I find it interesting that Sophie seems to be a lot closer to Rosa than Anna is. I realize that she was staying at Sophie’s house, but it seems like Anna would have ... - mtnluvr
With its focus on smart, courageous women physicians, who were a rarity but certainly not unheard of in the late 19th century, Where the Light Enters easily sets itself apart in the genre of historical fiction. It is an excellent followup to The Gilded Hour, but also can be read as a standalone novel. The controversial themes, headstrong heroines and gripping accounts of high-stakes medical trials all come together to create a winning combination...continued
Full Review
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(Reviewed by Tara Mcnabb).
The 19th century was a time of revolutionary changes in the areas of industrialism, democracy and the sciences, yet despite these radical shifts in society, the general public still viewed women as inherently less intelligent and less capable than men. Revered 19th century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche remarked, "When a woman has scholarly inclinations there is usually something wrong with her sexual organs." Given this backdrop of sexist thinking, it's not surprising that many women had to fight to prove themselves worthy of professional titles. Perhaps one of the most notoriously difficult career choices a woman could make at that time was to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. Women had long been considered "morally unfit" to...
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