Overall, what do you think of The Nurse's Secret (no spoilers in this thread, please)

Overall, what do you think of The Nurse's Secret? (no spoilers in this thread, please)

I liked the book and found the history of the time period very interesting. The portrayal of the living conditions of the poor was illuminating. Particularly I enjoyed the establishment of the first nursing school and the protocols followed and requirements for nurses. It was a good story, well told, with a mystery and historical references.

I enjoyed this book and the historical significance of the beginnings of standard nursing education in our country. There was a lot going on, but the author pulled it all together in a rewarding read.

I enjoyed this book very much. I appreciated learning the historical aspects as well as the culture/classes of the time period. The mystery and love story was a nice bonus plot thickener.

I enjoyed reading The Nurse's Secret because it provided historical insight into this time period especially how poor people often survived plus how nursing education started in this country. The characters added dimension to our understanding of the rich vs the poor and of course the reader gets to identify and root for the central character Una and her accomplishments and yes failures. An excellent book that keeps interested and involved. Just a note I think that the author being a nurse herself does provide a deeper understanding to the historical background and makes the novel flow with more intrigue.

I enjoyed reading the Nurse’s Secret. It described the beginning of nursing education, 1880 medical practices, the socioeconomic differences which provided a rich background for Una’s story.

It was an enjoyable read - easy to get hooked at the beginning, no slow parts and a twist you don't see coming until the end. The characters were well-developed and the setting had enough detail that you really felt like you were on the streets of New York in the Gilded Age. If you like books by Kate Morton, you should read this book!

I really liked The Nurse's Secret!! I thought the author did a good job with character
development and establishing a sense of place and time. I also liked her
description of the nursing school training at Bellevue and how the development of sanitary conditions, especially during surgery.

My favorite genre is historical fiction. I think Skenandore did a great job of displaying this slice of life in late 19th century New York City beautifully. This reader fell into the setting, enjoyed the plot and the various rounded characters and learned a great deal about this time and place. In my opinion the definition of a good novel.

I did enjoy this novel, though perhaps not as much as her previous book The Second Life of Mereille West, which was fascinating. The author knows the nursing field, has worked thru a pandemic, and she always does an incredible amount of research. The life of the poor during this era was not new to me, nor was the setting of Bellevue, but the nursing program was a fantastic way to demonstrate how quickly and immensely the medical field and the nursing practice was changing at that time.
I liked her character development and writing in general. Can't wait for the next novel!

I thought this was a fascinating book. I appreciated the up close look at how patients were treated at Bellevue, particularly those with addiction or mental health issues. I thought Una’s character showed how difficult it was to try and change your social status-without fake papers she never would have been given the opportunity to become a nursing student. The book also showed why judging someone on based only education, clothing, address, or gender does not provide the entire picture of the person. One’s social status doesn’t predetermine the contribution he/she can make in society.

I liked it -- not something I would have picked up myself but thought it was interesting historical fiction. Parts were a little hard to believe -- like that Una would have gotten into a program like that.

I thought the author tried to cover too many genres in one book. It was at once an adventure story, mystery, romance novel, and historical reference. I found that made the story feel contrived. For example, Una's attempt to evade the law set up the adventure story, however, her decision to become a nurse as a result seemed unlikely. She was in no way qualified to carry out an investigation of the deaths at the school, yet felt compelled to do it anyway. I thought it very foolish of her to confront dangerous people. Finally, her romance with Edwin also seemed unlikely and very cliche, the basic stuff of every class difference love story ever written. The book, in my view, lacked originality in all of the genres.

Overall it was okay - a book I’ll lend it to a nurse friend. I liked the Poe quotes but felt the romance was impossible (yet enjoyable) and the mysterious murderer obvious.
I really appreciated the parts dealing with the medical practices of that time.

What a fun read! I enjoyed the creative approaches that Ana Kelly used to get out of the many troubles she inadvertently created. I learned about the training of the Bellevue Training School for nurses in New York City, 1883.
It was an historical fiction with a touch of detective but predictable. I would recommend this book if you want to have an enjoyable reading.

I really enjoyed this book, learning about the living conditions of the poor in 1880’s New York City and the Bellevue Hospital Nursing School, the first in the US to be run according to Florence Nightingale’s nursing principles. I also liked the murder mystery, light romance and female friendship aspects.

I love a book that I teaches me something while also having a captivating story to tell. This book does both. It was so interesting to see what the early days of nursing were like and the expectations placed on those early women who bravely stepped into to this new endeavor. A enjoyable history lesson on nursing and its origins.

I liked the book a lot. It was an interesting story and was pretty plausible. There was some information about health care that I had not read before....what was tough were the numbers of characters and the number of plot twists and turns. Too many.

I enjoyed this book however the storyline seemed a bit too predictable and the romance somewhat unlikely. I was expecting more focus on the history of the first nursing school and would have preferred more in depth medical characters. Good writing and story but I wanted more.

I really enjoyed this novel. It felt well researched and I enjoyed the characters. I would have loved to see more interaction between the nursing students, especially Una and Dru. Overall, it was a fun read!

Historical fiction is my favorite genre. I really enjoyed reading about the first nursing school and nursing education during that time period, I was aware of some of the history of nursing education, but this novel really helped to illustrate the conditions.

I also love historical fiction. After reading this book, I read two others by this author. I had no idea about the early history of the nursing profession so this book filled a gap in my knowledge. What better way to learn some history than to find it embedded in an exciting story.

I really enjoyed this one! Even though there was a romance threaded almost throughout, I didn't feel this detracted from the historical significance and serious topic. I'm not fond of "historical romances" dressed up as historical fiction. I didn't get that sense with this book, probably due to the time the author spent with historical details regarding medical knowledge/practices and caring for the ill and poor at that time period. Also, the theme of having a scrappy outsider make her way in a medical environment was entertaining.

I really enjoyed the book. I loved the history part of a nursing school and the focus on the survivor aspect of the main character. The author did a great job with character development of all the characters. I must admit I wasn't sure how I would like this book but it did grab me from the beginning and did not disappoint with the ending. I would recommend this book to any book clubs.

I really enjoyed the book for several reasons. Although I am not a nurse myself, I come from a family of nurses, and reading about the history of nursing education fascinated me. Also, the Bellevue School of Nursing is in my neighborhood, and reading about how the neighborhood was in the Gilded Age gave me points of identification with the story.

I enjoyed the subject of the book. The historical time period is one of my favorites. However, I personally found the writing style lacking. It did hold my interest as well as I had hoped it would.

Topic very interesting but written at a teen-age romance level. Not very realistic in my mind. Romance implausible. Ending illogical.