Call number
FIC OLI
Collection
Genres
Series
Publication
Viking Adult (2010), Edition: 1, 384 pages
Description
Traveling to Civil War-era Washington, D.C., to tend wounded soldiers and pursue her dream of becoming a surgeon, headstrong midwife Mary receives guidance from two smitten doctors and resists her mother's pleas for her to return home.
User reviews
LibraryThing member mckait
This book had an interesting cast of characters. Not only did Mary herself have a very strong personality, but her family was presented in a rich and pleasant way. It was very easy to be drawn into their lives from the very beginning. At first, I was very impressed by Mary's knowledge and strength.
Mary came from a long line of midwives. She was considered to be gifted in caring for mothers, whatever
difficulty she encountered. She surpassed even her own mother in the esteem given her by those for whom she cared.
Indeed, her mother also held her in high regard. Despite many obstacles, Mary found a way to begin to realize her dream to become a doctor, a surgeon. At that time, it was all but impossible for a woman to do more medically than become a midwife.
Through sheer stubbornness and determination she was finally accepted into a medical hospital as a nurse. Much of her work was simply menial labor. She cleaned, she did laundry, she went to markets to find what she could in the way of supplies. Food was plain and spare. Somehow she found time to not only do these things, but give the soldiers in her care gentle aid and true compassion. A doctor finally realized how valuable she was and began to give her what training he could under the circumstances.
This book is filled with tragedy and horror, as you would expect of a story that takes place during wartime. But this is tempered by love and passion.
recommended
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I never really lost that. Mary came from a long line of midwives. She was considered to be gifted in caring for mothers, whatever
difficulty she encountered. She surpassed even her own mother in the esteem given her by those for whom she cared.
Indeed, her mother also held her in high regard. Despite many obstacles, Mary found a way to begin to realize her dream to become a doctor, a surgeon. At that time, it was all but impossible for a woman to do more medically than become a midwife.
Through sheer stubbornness and determination she was finally accepted into a medical hospital as a nurse. Much of her work was simply menial labor. She cleaned, she did laundry, she went to markets to find what she could in the way of supplies. Food was plain and spare. Somehow she found time to not only do these things, but give the soldiers in her care gentle aid and true compassion. A doctor finally realized how valuable she was and began to give her what training he could under the circumstances.
This book is filled with tragedy and horror, as you would expect of a story that takes place during wartime. But this is tempered by love and passion.
recommended
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LibraryThing member saratoga99
For those who thought that Gone with the Wind epitomized a fictional authoritative chronicle before and during the Civil War, in this tumultuous period of our own current history, it is clear that My Name is Mary Sutter, has commendably garnered a pinnacle in what this voracious generation desires
In a magnificent debut novel, Robin Oliveria offers an unsurpassed entre into one woman’s unrelenting quest to ascend from mere acceptable midwifery to a 19th century avant-garde physician and surgeon.
My own personal curiosity developed from the introduction of Albany, New York as Mary’s birthplace and pivotal foundation for her initial unremitting quest to Albany Medical College in pursuit of her befitting profession as a female physician and surgeon.
Immediately with excitement, the unforgettable locales presented an Albany I knew from early childhood, and the impeccable descriptive narrative tendered Mary Oliveria’s impermeable research not only to locales but also to characters imbedded in this superbly written narrative.
The haunting depiction of young warriors, whose only knowledge of war was the initial exuberance of proclaiming victory yet to be won, the vivid portrayal of unrelenting suffering in needless battles, the laudable women who sacrificed decorum for indefatigable efforts to save the wounded without adequate medical supplies, and Mary Sutter, unforgettable in her unwavering courage and undoubting determination to risk all.
This year is less than six months old, but I venture to say this book will be a valiant tribute to the women who willingly forfeited a superior life to advance women in the medical profession fully as physicians and surgeons.
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to know.In a magnificent debut novel, Robin Oliveria offers an unsurpassed entre into one woman’s unrelenting quest to ascend from mere acceptable midwifery to a 19th century avant-garde physician and surgeon.
My own personal curiosity developed from the introduction of Albany, New York as Mary’s birthplace and pivotal foundation for her initial unremitting quest to Albany Medical College in pursuit of her befitting profession as a female physician and surgeon.
Immediately with excitement, the unforgettable locales presented an Albany I knew from early childhood, and the impeccable descriptive narrative tendered Mary Oliveria’s impermeable research not only to locales but also to characters imbedded in this superbly written narrative.
The haunting depiction of young warriors, whose only knowledge of war was the initial exuberance of proclaiming victory yet to be won, the vivid portrayal of unrelenting suffering in needless battles, the laudable women who sacrificed decorum for indefatigable efforts to save the wounded without adequate medical supplies, and Mary Sutter, unforgettable in her unwavering courage and undoubting determination to risk all.
This year is less than six months old, but I venture to say this book will be a valiant tribute to the women who willingly forfeited a superior life to advance women in the medical profession fully as physicians and surgeons.
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LibraryThing member vernefan
Robin Oliveira shoots from the historical fiction starting gate like a rocket to the moon with her new debut novel My Name is Mary Sutter. This incredibly well crafted story is impressive and well polished, and should rise to the top of most of the bestseller lists without hesitation.
Mary Sutter
Turned away from medical school, and rejected by two local prominent surgeons, Mary runs away to make her way alone, running headlong into the blood and heat of the American Civil War. Determined to offer nursing services to the wounded, even here she is again rejected due to her age and future aspirations that many feel are impossible to achieve.
War rages while the North and the South convene on bloody battlefields. The need for proper hospitals, surgeons and nurses are high, as thousands upon thousands of America's sons are wounded and killed enmass every single day. Mary eventually stumbles into a way to achieve her dream when one of the surgeons that had rejected her, finally allows Mary to assist him in the midst of chaos and carnage neither of them could have ever envisioned possible. Readers will admire Mary's undaunting courage and dedication to caring for the dying as she soon becomes knee deep in the slaughter hearing the pitiful cries of the men who are thirsty and cold, and will feel their own hearts pounding as Mary overcomes fear and doubt as many surrounding her die in her arms. Mary Sutter makes many mistakes. At times I felt I wasn't sure that I even liked her character for at times she was harsh, rude, and self-centered to the point of hurting her own family, and disregarding them in their own time of suffering and great need of her assistance. But as the novel moves along my attitude changed and I found myself arriving at a clearer picture of Mary and of the war story as a whole. This is certainly not a happy story; it is a tale of war. It is gritty, and at times difficult to read. The author does not fluff over or silver line the truth of what this war brought to soldiers who were no more than little boys. But throughout this story of turmoil and terror, there are images of courage, passion, family loyalties, battles of the minds between mothers and daughters, babies born out of love in a time of war, and a heroine so full of strength and determination you can not help but root for her, and her dream to succeed.
Profoundly well-written, good story line and well-developed characters, give this gripping and stunning debut five stars. My Name is Mary Sutter is an outstanding achievement for a first book by newcomer Robin Oliveira, and I can't recommend it enough. If you are a member of a book club discussion group, put this high up on your list for it is extremely thought-provoking and a book that will leave you breathless.
Mary Sutter
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of Albany New York is in her late twenties, a bit plain and thought to be spinsterish. She is a talented midwife, taught by her mother and grandmother before her. The Sutter women, generations of midwifery, are the best in the land at bringing forth America's babies safely into the world and into their mother's arms. But Mary Sutter, belligerent, headstrong and selfish, wants more. Her dream is to be a surgeon; to know the human body inside and out, to view the world of anatomy like no other has before, to risk ridicule and rebel against social status and the common belief that medicine is men's work. Reminiscent of the television drama Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, the character of Mary Sutter is similarly stubborn, and determined to find her way against her mother's wishes, and the advice from the male surgeons she approaches for apprenticeship. Turned away from medical school, and rejected by two local prominent surgeons, Mary runs away to make her way alone, running headlong into the blood and heat of the American Civil War. Determined to offer nursing services to the wounded, even here she is again rejected due to her age and future aspirations that many feel are impossible to achieve.
War rages while the North and the South convene on bloody battlefields. The need for proper hospitals, surgeons and nurses are high, as thousands upon thousands of America's sons are wounded and killed enmass every single day. Mary eventually stumbles into a way to achieve her dream when one of the surgeons that had rejected her, finally allows Mary to assist him in the midst of chaos and carnage neither of them could have ever envisioned possible. Readers will admire Mary's undaunting courage and dedication to caring for the dying as she soon becomes knee deep in the slaughter hearing the pitiful cries of the men who are thirsty and cold, and will feel their own hearts pounding as Mary overcomes fear and doubt as many surrounding her die in her arms. Mary Sutter makes many mistakes. At times I felt I wasn't sure that I even liked her character for at times she was harsh, rude, and self-centered to the point of hurting her own family, and disregarding them in their own time of suffering and great need of her assistance. But as the novel moves along my attitude changed and I found myself arriving at a clearer picture of Mary and of the war story as a whole. This is certainly not a happy story; it is a tale of war. It is gritty, and at times difficult to read. The author does not fluff over or silver line the truth of what this war brought to soldiers who were no more than little boys. But throughout this story of turmoil and terror, there are images of courage, passion, family loyalties, battles of the minds between mothers and daughters, babies born out of love in a time of war, and a heroine so full of strength and determination you can not help but root for her, and her dream to succeed.
Profoundly well-written, good story line and well-developed characters, give this gripping and stunning debut five stars. My Name is Mary Sutter is an outstanding achievement for a first book by newcomer Robin Oliveira, and I can't recommend it enough. If you are a member of a book club discussion group, put this high up on your list for it is extremely thought-provoking and a book that will leave you breathless.
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LibraryThing member ClearlyKrystal
I received this as an advanced reading copy at ALA last week and as I began reading, felt a combination of anticipation as well as some trepidation. Historical fiction done well can be a delightful way to learn about other time periods from a new and interesting perspective; on the other hand,
Mary Sutter is a young midwife who wants to become a surgeon above all else. No easy feat for a woman in the mid-19th century. The author did a great job of describing war time medicine and the heroine's story was both believable yet inspiring.
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inaccuracies and anachronisms annoy me and can ruin an otherwise well-written work for me. My Name is Mary Sutter did not disappoint. Ms. Oliveira's writing style took a bit of getting used to but the story was compelling and well-told. Mary Sutter is a young midwife who wants to become a surgeon above all else. No easy feat for a woman in the mid-19th century. The author did a great job of describing war time medicine and the heroine's story was both believable yet inspiring.
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LibraryThing member varwenea
For such a promising premise, this book falls flat.
The book begins during pre-Civil War when the threat of the pending war is permeating everyone’s lives. Mary Sutter is a mid-wife, same as her mother, who has the ambitions of becoming a surgeon. Will she or won’t she?
The satisfying elements
This is possibly a three-star book but minus half a star, especially for the Lincoln passages.
Some quotes:
On grief:
“No one ever told her that grief was a leveling of all emotion, that life would stretch before you, colorless and endless, devoid of any hope.”
On slavery:
“Their slaves’ skin might be black, but it was not as black as the souls who might enslave them.”
On injured soldiers:
“This thirst is not thirst. This pain is not pain. This world is not being rent in two.
That howling is only a whisper. That screech is just a murmur. That explosion is nothing but a sigh. That musket fire is but a rustle.
I am not here. We are not here. Armies are not here. The country is not depending on this moment.
Battles are conversations. An exchange. A dialogue.
None of this is true.”
The book begins during pre-Civil War when the threat of the pending war is permeating everyone’s lives. Mary Sutter is a mid-wife, same as her mother, who has the ambitions of becoming a surgeon. Will she or won’t she?
The satisfying elements
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in this book includes the portrayal of American Civil War brutalities and its complete lack of decent medical care including the numerous amputations, and Mary Sutter’s work ethnics. The distracting elements are the love triangle between Mary and her twin sister that needlessly thread into the storyline even though they are in separate locations (get over it already!) and the inclusion of President Lincoln into the story, adding false gravitas to a story that turned out to be only a hair above chick lit. SMH.This is possibly a three-star book but minus half a star, especially for the Lincoln passages.
Some quotes:
On grief:
“No one ever told her that grief was a leveling of all emotion, that life would stretch before you, colorless and endless, devoid of any hope.”
On slavery:
“Their slaves’ skin might be black, but it was not as black as the souls who might enslave them.”
On injured soldiers:
“This thirst is not thirst. This pain is not pain. This world is not being rent in two.
That howling is only a whisper. That screech is just a murmur. That explosion is nothing but a sigh. That musket fire is but a rustle.
I am not here. We are not here. Armies are not here. The country is not depending on this moment.
Battles are conversations. An exchange. A dialogue.
None of this is true.”
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LibraryThing member tututhefirst
This one has a very gutsy- some would say too gutsy to be believed- protagonist, set in the blood and gore of the American Civil war. Mary Sutter is a midwife by training and vocation. However, she wants to be a doctor, and is frustrated by the constant refusal of medical schools of the time to let
When she sees a call for nurses to help the wounded in the recently declared war against the south, she packs her bags, heads for Washington DC and doesn't look back. Once again her expectations are dashed. She doesn't want to be a nurse, she has not credentials, she's young and unmarried, the deck is not stacked the way she wants it. The story of her back-breaking, spirit crushing work and her medical education in various venues both on the battlefields and in the filthy, unhygienic amputation tents and military hospitals is not for those with weak stomachs. It is however, a compelling read, giving us a sense of horror at the senseless waste of life and limb.
The telling of Mary Sutter's personal relationships with her mother, her twin sister, her brother-in-law, and the doctors she works with givie a well-developed character whose motivation is clear, whose actions are believable, and whose pain we can feel.
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her study and by her failed attempts to apprentice herself to a practicing doctor.When she sees a call for nurses to help the wounded in the recently declared war against the south, she packs her bags, heads for Washington DC and doesn't look back. Once again her expectations are dashed. She doesn't want to be a nurse, she has not credentials, she's young and unmarried, the deck is not stacked the way she wants it. The story of her back-breaking, spirit crushing work and her medical education in various venues both on the battlefields and in the filthy, unhygienic amputation tents and military hospitals is not for those with weak stomachs. It is however, a compelling read, giving us a sense of horror at the senseless waste of life and limb.
The telling of Mary Sutter's personal relationships with her mother, her twin sister, her brother-in-law, and the doctors she works with givie a well-developed character whose motivation is clear, whose actions are believable, and whose pain we can feel.
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LibraryThing member hollysing
Mary Sutter drives a wedge into convention, opening for herself the door of undaunted, faithful service to the ill and injured solders she treats. Mary Sutter is a woman you won’t soon forget after you turn the last page of Robin Oliveira’s book. A woman with a dream that wouldn’t die, her
The scholarship of Robin Oliveira’s research into mid 19th century medical practice and procedures is admirable. Vignettes of surgical practices, the filth of army hospitals and the desperation of doctors fully aware that they didn’t have knowledge necessary to save their patients fill the novel.
I found the love stories in the novel of secondary interest to the characterization of Mary. Snippets of descriptions of her personality from wounded soldiers, President Lincoln, Dorothea Dix, the men who love her and Mary herself weave into a vividly drawn female protagonist. “She balanced pain with anger and so was able to survive.”
Reviewed by Holly Weiss, author of Crestmont
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persistence, intelligence and candor drove her undeterred from a relatively safe career as a midwife in Albany to the throws of the battlefield hospitals during the Civil War. The scholarship of Robin Oliveira’s research into mid 19th century medical practice and procedures is admirable. Vignettes of surgical practices, the filth of army hospitals and the desperation of doctors fully aware that they didn’t have knowledge necessary to save their patients fill the novel.
I found the love stories in the novel of secondary interest to the characterization of Mary. Snippets of descriptions of her personality from wounded soldiers, President Lincoln, Dorothea Dix, the men who love her and Mary herself weave into a vividly drawn female protagonist. “She balanced pain with anger and so was able to survive.”
Reviewed by Holly Weiss, author of Crestmont
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LibraryThing member tloeffler
Mary Sutter is a highly acclaimed midwife in Albany NY, and she wants to be a surgeon. Unfortunately, the United States is on the verge of a Civil War, and women just do not become surgeons. Her twin sister Jenny has married the man Mary loves, so when the war begins, and the call goes out for
This is a rather gory book, as you would expect a Civil War novel about doctors and nurses to be. And when the story is about Mary, it's very good. But occasionally, the author takes us into the White House and inside Lincoln's head, and it's kind of distracting and unnecessary. Mary's affection is all over the place, and it's almost a tease to see which man she will end up with (if any). Outside of those two points, it was a very interesting book.
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nurses, Mary leaves her mother and twin sister and travels to Washington on the heels of her brother & brother-in-law. She is turned down because of her age, but she manages to find a place where she is needed, and begins studying anatomy books when she has a chance. When her mother writes and asks her to come home to tend her sister when she goes into labor, Mary is torn between doing the work she wants to do, and going back home.This is a rather gory book, as you would expect a Civil War novel about doctors and nurses to be. And when the story is about Mary, it's very good. But occasionally, the author takes us into the White House and inside Lincoln's head, and it's kind of distracting and unnecessary. Mary's affection is all over the place, and it's almost a tease to see which man she will end up with (if any). Outside of those two points, it was a very interesting book.
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LibraryThing member writestuff
Women in the 1860’s had few choices when it came to the medical field – they were either nurses (although no formal nursing schools existed in the United States at the outset of the Civil War), or midwives. Physicians (all male) during this time period left the delivery of babies largely to
But for Mary Sutter, simply delivering babies is not enough … she desires to be not only a physician, but a surgeon. As the novel opens, tensions are high with Civil War threatening. As Mary’s brother and future brother-in-law join the ranks of volunteer soldiers, Mary is attracted by a news release that Dorothea Dix is requesting women to sign up as nurses to care for the wounded. Although she does not meet the age requirement of 30 years old (Mary is still in her early twenties), she leaves her home in Albany against her mother’s wishes and strikes out for Washington City.
My Name is Mary Sutter is Mary’s story – the story of an adventurous, persistent young woman during a tumultuous time in American history. In the pages of her novel, Oliveira captures the chaos, death, and trauma of under supplied hospitals and overwhelmed doctors and nurses…bringing to life the amazing stamina and courage of those who filled those roles. Physicians during the Civil War were inadequately trained for the trauma and infection which struck down men during battle. At the outset of the war there were only 27 surgeons and no nurses for an army of 13,000 soldiers and 75,000 volunteers. Surgeons learned how to amputate limbs in the field with no formal training.
I found myself quickly absorbed in Mary’s life – the frustration of being turned away from medical school, the horror of the battlefield and field hospitals, and the uncertainty of survival. This is not just a story of one woman’s courage in the face of war, however, but it is also a love story and a story of familial ties. Mary’s rivalry with her twin sister Jenny provides an emotional backdrop to the larger story; and Mary also has a surprising impact on two men who grow to love her – William Stipp, a surgeon nearly three decades older than she, and James Blevens, a doctor who realizes that research is the key to uncovering the mysteries of medicine.
Oliveira has clearly done her homework, and the historical detail in the novel is impeccable. My Name is Mary Sutter is engrossing, vivid, and powerful. Mary is an inspiring and unforgettable character who symbolizes the many women who were the unsung heroes of the battlefields and hospitals during the Civil War. Oliveira includes many historical figures in her novel including Dorothea Dix, John Hay, President Abraham Lincoln, and Clara Barton (the ‘Angel of the Battlefield’) which lends authenticity to Mary’s story.
I was hooked on this novel from page one. Those readers who love historical fiction and strong female characters will love this book. Robin Oliveira succeeds in revealing not only the facts and details of an era, but the motivations and emotions of the men and women who lived it. A compelling blend of politics, medicine and war…this is a book I can highly recommend.
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female midwives. When physicians were obligated to intercede, their use of chloroform (anesthesia) necessitated the use of forceps to deliver the babies from their unconscious mothers…this resulted in many deaths and complications due to bleeding and tearing. Robin Oliveira’s first novel centers around a young woman who learns the art and skill of delivering babies at a very early age from her mother who is also a midwife.But for Mary Sutter, simply delivering babies is not enough … she desires to be not only a physician, but a surgeon. As the novel opens, tensions are high with Civil War threatening. As Mary’s brother and future brother-in-law join the ranks of volunteer soldiers, Mary is attracted by a news release that Dorothea Dix is requesting women to sign up as nurses to care for the wounded. Although she does not meet the age requirement of 30 years old (Mary is still in her early twenties), she leaves her home in Albany against her mother’s wishes and strikes out for Washington City.
My Name is Mary Sutter is Mary’s story – the story of an adventurous, persistent young woman during a tumultuous time in American history. In the pages of her novel, Oliveira captures the chaos, death, and trauma of under supplied hospitals and overwhelmed doctors and nurses…bringing to life the amazing stamina and courage of those who filled those roles. Physicians during the Civil War were inadequately trained for the trauma and infection which struck down men during battle. At the outset of the war there were only 27 surgeons and no nurses for an army of 13,000 soldiers and 75,000 volunteers. Surgeons learned how to amputate limbs in the field with no formal training.
I found myself quickly absorbed in Mary’s life – the frustration of being turned away from medical school, the horror of the battlefield and field hospitals, and the uncertainty of survival. This is not just a story of one woman’s courage in the face of war, however, but it is also a love story and a story of familial ties. Mary’s rivalry with her twin sister Jenny provides an emotional backdrop to the larger story; and Mary also has a surprising impact on two men who grow to love her – William Stipp, a surgeon nearly three decades older than she, and James Blevens, a doctor who realizes that research is the key to uncovering the mysteries of medicine.
Oliveira has clearly done her homework, and the historical detail in the novel is impeccable. My Name is Mary Sutter is engrossing, vivid, and powerful. Mary is an inspiring and unforgettable character who symbolizes the many women who were the unsung heroes of the battlefields and hospitals during the Civil War. Oliveira includes many historical figures in her novel including Dorothea Dix, John Hay, President Abraham Lincoln, and Clara Barton (the ‘Angel of the Battlefield’) which lends authenticity to Mary’s story.
I was hooked on this novel from page one. Those readers who love historical fiction and strong female characters will love this book. Robin Oliveira succeeds in revealing not only the facts and details of an era, but the motivations and emotions of the men and women who lived it. A compelling blend of politics, medicine and war…this is a book I can highly recommend.
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LibraryThing member Kimaoverstreet
A historical novel that follows Mary Sutter (as can be inferred from the title!), a young midwife who wants to become a surgeon. It is set during the Civil War and, at the time, such opportunities are not typically afforded women. Mary is a memorable, believable protagonist. This story deals well
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with the brutality of war, and is chock full of historical detail. Recommended for fans of historical fiction! Show Less
LibraryThing member zibilee
Mary Sutter, a young midwife living in 1860’s Albany, longs to become a surgeon. Though she has requested admittance to every medical school in her area, she has been invariably denied, a situation that frustrates and angers her. Mary is also struggling with the pain and heartache of an
Though I have read an awful lot about various wars, I've never really read much about the Civil War. Many of the specifics eluded me, and though I do have a few books on my shelf that deal with this particular war, I have not yet read them. I was really excited to get the chance to read this book, not only for the story of Mary, a woman who wants to break past the gender boundaries of her time, but also to read and learn more about the aspects of the Civil War that I had been so ignorant of. The book did not disappoint in any way, and I found myself completely enthralled with the story it told.
In Mary, Oliveira has created a woman of substance and integrity. She is described as more plain than pretty, and it is only as the reader gets to know her that her internal beauty and mettle begin to shine forth. Mary is as headstrong and ambitious as it is possible to be. Though she has mastered the art of midwifery, she finds herself dreaming of and planning for the day she will become a surgeon and does everything in her power to hasten this outcome. Though she sometimes seems to lack the internal component for being loyal and compassionate to her family, she eventually manifests loyalty to an extreme degree that awed me. Mary is not the forgiving sort and those who land on the wrong side of her temper are often forced to live in her chilly regard for long periods of time, but it can also be argued that once you have earned her friendship she is not quick to let you go. I found Mary to be an extremely complex woman and, despite the fact that I never knew what she was going to do next, I really came to admire her. Not only for her persistence and determination but also for her hard work and scruples. Mary Sutter is a woman who trades her softness for competence and ambition, and though at first this puts her at a disadvantage, in the end it is this competence that saves many lives and touches so many people.
As I've mentioned before, this book was told in the dual narrative form. One half of the book was given over to the story of Abraham Lincoln's frustrations and difficulties with his Union Army, which was mostly filled with volunteer soldiers who hailed from various towns. In these sections, Lincoln himself graces the pages with his gentle and preoccupied laments over the war. Many of the depictions of war in these sections were frightening. Oliveira makes the reader see the futility of battle and the harrowing damage that the soldiers inflict upon each other. The dead and injured lay strewn across the fields with flyblown wounds festering in the heat. These depictions were startling in their violence and horrible to really sit and contemplate. Some of the sections in these parts of the book read like a history book and it pleased me that I was able to basically get two books in one with this story. It was half history book and half historical drama folding in upon itself in complex and thought provoking directions.
I was also very pleased with the medical complexities of this story. Oliveira doesn't dumb down the medical diagnoses and treatments, but instead explains them to the lay reader who might not be very familiar with these practices. There were some nail-biting and horrific moments when Oliveira fleshes out and describes the procedure of amputation, a technique that was in its infancy during this time period. As a reader, it was interesting to see the huge differences between medicine today and medicine in those forgotten times. Simple things we take for granted everyday were all but unheard of at that time, and despite the amazing things that were done during those furiously dangerous surgeries, the things that undid all their work seem so simple to the modern reader. I found these aspects of the story to be the most compelling and watching Mary learn, struggle and triumph through them made me cheer for her and the doctors that worked beside her.
A lot of this story speaks to the huge gulf between the sexes when it came to opportunities for advancement throughout schooling and career. According to society, Mary had reached the peak of her usefulness as a midwife. Never mind the fact that she wanted to go further and could go further. Even the woman in charge of nurses during that period discounted Mary due to her age and experience. It was a hard time to be a woman. I can't imagine not being able to pursue my dreams, to always be shut in a box of society's making and to have to go to superhuman lengths to get out of that box. There was even some conversation in the book about the accomplishments of a woman named Florence Nightingale, but even then, she was the exception and not the rule. I can imagine that it must have felt so limiting and horrible to be in Mary's position, and realistically, that was the plight of women all over the country at that time. She broke free of the chains of convention, and that in itself was reason enough to love this book.
If you can't tell by now, I really loved this book. There was a lot going on but the story never seemed to be overcrowded at all and the character creation was expert. I cherished the reading of this book because it bought me into a whole new frontier in terms of understanding the Civil War and the complexities of living in 1860's America as a woman. I think this book would be interesting to many readers for a bevy of reasons, but mostly, I would steer those interested in historical fiction towards this story. There is much to admire in the story of Mary Sutter and her experiences, and I highly recommend this book!
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unrequited love, which is why she flees her home and practice when the Civil War begins in earnest and the call for nurses is put out. But Mary is not exactly welcomed with open arms into the nursing profession and soon finds herself in an inhospitable and unsanitary hotel that has been transformed into a Union hospital. Before she really knows what is happening to her, Mary begins to get the education that she has desired for so long, but it comes at a very heavy price. When Mary’s mother sends a message that her skills are urgently needed at home, Mary makes a choice that will have devastating consequences for both herself and all the people she loves. After circumstances force her to briefly give up nursing, Mary, with the help and admiration of her mentor, William Stipp, plunges headfirst back into the maelstrom of war and learns that to truly become fulfilled she must decide on her future and be true to herself and her dreams. Along the pitted path of war and its aftereffects, Mary discovers not only the secrets of surgery but the secrets of her hidden heart. A dual narrative that races between the fate of Mary and her compatriots and the difficult choices that faced Lincoln and his men, My Name is Mary Sutter is a charged and action-laden debut worthy of critical acclaim and praise.Though I have read an awful lot about various wars, I've never really read much about the Civil War. Many of the specifics eluded me, and though I do have a few books on my shelf that deal with this particular war, I have not yet read them. I was really excited to get the chance to read this book, not only for the story of Mary, a woman who wants to break past the gender boundaries of her time, but also to read and learn more about the aspects of the Civil War that I had been so ignorant of. The book did not disappoint in any way, and I found myself completely enthralled with the story it told.
In Mary, Oliveira has created a woman of substance and integrity. She is described as more plain than pretty, and it is only as the reader gets to know her that her internal beauty and mettle begin to shine forth. Mary is as headstrong and ambitious as it is possible to be. Though she has mastered the art of midwifery, she finds herself dreaming of and planning for the day she will become a surgeon and does everything in her power to hasten this outcome. Though she sometimes seems to lack the internal component for being loyal and compassionate to her family, she eventually manifests loyalty to an extreme degree that awed me. Mary is not the forgiving sort and those who land on the wrong side of her temper are often forced to live in her chilly regard for long periods of time, but it can also be argued that once you have earned her friendship she is not quick to let you go. I found Mary to be an extremely complex woman and, despite the fact that I never knew what she was going to do next, I really came to admire her. Not only for her persistence and determination but also for her hard work and scruples. Mary Sutter is a woman who trades her softness for competence and ambition, and though at first this puts her at a disadvantage, in the end it is this competence that saves many lives and touches so many people.
As I've mentioned before, this book was told in the dual narrative form. One half of the book was given over to the story of Abraham Lincoln's frustrations and difficulties with his Union Army, which was mostly filled with volunteer soldiers who hailed from various towns. In these sections, Lincoln himself graces the pages with his gentle and preoccupied laments over the war. Many of the depictions of war in these sections were frightening. Oliveira makes the reader see the futility of battle and the harrowing damage that the soldiers inflict upon each other. The dead and injured lay strewn across the fields with flyblown wounds festering in the heat. These depictions were startling in their violence and horrible to really sit and contemplate. Some of the sections in these parts of the book read like a history book and it pleased me that I was able to basically get two books in one with this story. It was half history book and half historical drama folding in upon itself in complex and thought provoking directions.
I was also very pleased with the medical complexities of this story. Oliveira doesn't dumb down the medical diagnoses and treatments, but instead explains them to the lay reader who might not be very familiar with these practices. There were some nail-biting and horrific moments when Oliveira fleshes out and describes the procedure of amputation, a technique that was in its infancy during this time period. As a reader, it was interesting to see the huge differences between medicine today and medicine in those forgotten times. Simple things we take for granted everyday were all but unheard of at that time, and despite the amazing things that were done during those furiously dangerous surgeries, the things that undid all their work seem so simple to the modern reader. I found these aspects of the story to be the most compelling and watching Mary learn, struggle and triumph through them made me cheer for her and the doctors that worked beside her.
A lot of this story speaks to the huge gulf between the sexes when it came to opportunities for advancement throughout schooling and career. According to society, Mary had reached the peak of her usefulness as a midwife. Never mind the fact that she wanted to go further and could go further. Even the woman in charge of nurses during that period discounted Mary due to her age and experience. It was a hard time to be a woman. I can't imagine not being able to pursue my dreams, to always be shut in a box of society's making and to have to go to superhuman lengths to get out of that box. There was even some conversation in the book about the accomplishments of a woman named Florence Nightingale, but even then, she was the exception and not the rule. I can imagine that it must have felt so limiting and horrible to be in Mary's position, and realistically, that was the plight of women all over the country at that time. She broke free of the chains of convention, and that in itself was reason enough to love this book.
If you can't tell by now, I really loved this book. There was a lot going on but the story never seemed to be overcrowded at all and the character creation was expert. I cherished the reading of this book because it bought me into a whole new frontier in terms of understanding the Civil War and the complexities of living in 1860's America as a woman. I think this book would be interesting to many readers for a bevy of reasons, but mostly, I would steer those interested in historical fiction towards this story. There is much to admire in the story of Mary Sutter and her experiences, and I highly recommend this book!
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LibraryThing member Soniamarie
This is a good book, just not great. Mary Sutter is a young lady in a country on the verge of a civil war. She is also an excellent midwife and has the preposterous idea that she can be a surgeon in a world in which women are not even accepted as nurses yet. Mary will not be deterred, however. She
The war giveth and taketh away. Tho it brings Mary this oppurtunity to establish and improve her medical skills, it also wreaks havoc on her family. Between the losses that are common with warfare and the tense relationship with her twin sister, Jenny, a bundle of guilt is laid at Mary's doorstep. It could possibly turn Mary away from the medical field completely, making all she has been thru for naught.
I have two minor issues that prevent this book from being a five star read. A known author promises in a quote that this will is a "gorgeous love story." Um, where is the love story? There are three men at some time or another desiring Mary's affections, but Mary desires nothing but to be surgeon. She is rather "mechanical" and this trait of hers costs her at least one relationship. Never did I detect any strong feelings of love or desire really radiating off the characters involved. Like Mary, the "love" story feels mechanical and often out of place.
Lastly, the parts with Lincoln and Hayes. I get that their excerpts are to establish the war history throughout the novel, but at times, I failed to see what their conversations had to do with Mary's story. Those already familiar with Civil War history may find themselves nodding off at these moments.
A good read, but I never laughed till my belly hurt nor had a tear run down my cheek. I wasn't "moved." Four stars.
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goes to hospital after hospital, appeals to surgeon after surgeon. In a way, the war is just what Mary needs, as suddenly her services are needed at the Union Hotel aka Pestilence Palace where many wounded men are discarded awaiting medical care. The war giveth and taketh away. Tho it brings Mary this oppurtunity to establish and improve her medical skills, it also wreaks havoc on her family. Between the losses that are common with warfare and the tense relationship with her twin sister, Jenny, a bundle of guilt is laid at Mary's doorstep. It could possibly turn Mary away from the medical field completely, making all she has been thru for naught.
I have two minor issues that prevent this book from being a five star read. A known author promises in a quote that this will is a "gorgeous love story." Um, where is the love story? There are three men at some time or another desiring Mary's affections, but Mary desires nothing but to be surgeon. She is rather "mechanical" and this trait of hers costs her at least one relationship. Never did I detect any strong feelings of love or desire really radiating off the characters involved. Like Mary, the "love" story feels mechanical and often out of place.
Lastly, the parts with Lincoln and Hayes. I get that their excerpts are to establish the war history throughout the novel, but at times, I failed to see what their conversations had to do with Mary's story. Those already familiar with Civil War history may find themselves nodding off at these moments.
A good read, but I never laughed till my belly hurt nor had a tear run down my cheek. I wasn't "moved." Four stars.
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LibraryThing member SamSattler
Before it was over, the War Between the States would claim several hundred thousand lives. Sadly, a good many of those lives were given up by men who never saw a battlefield or by those who succumbed to secondary infections spread to them by the very doctors and nurses whose job it was to save
The war offered a unique opportunity to someone like Mary Sutter, the heroine of Robin Oliveira’s Civil War novel, My Name Is Mary Sutter. Already an accomplished midwife in her native Albany, New York, Mary desires more. With all her heart, she wants to become a surgeon. The local medical school, however, refuses even to consider the possibility of admitting a female and none of the doctors in the area will agree to teach her what he knows. When Mary hears that Dorothea Dix has convinced President Lincoln to allow her to recruit female nurses, she heads to Washington to offer her services to Dix - only to find out that she is too young to qualify.
But no one would accuse Mary Sutter of being a quitter. If Dix will not accept her as a nurse, she will find someone who will. A chance meeting with John Hay, one of Lincoln’s White House secretaries, ultimately leads Mary to the Union Hotel Hospital and the job of assisting the hospital’s chief surgeon, William Stipp. Stipp needs Mary’s help as badly as she needs him to teach her, so the two form a partnership each of them will barely survive. Mary is shocked by what she sees: the hospital is short on supplies and long on patients, Dr. Stipp seems to be learning as he goes, and many of the wounded survive horrific amputation surgery in good shape only to die within days anyway.
My Name Is Mary Sutter is Civil War history as seen primarily through the eyes of the doctors and nurses who struggled, so often in vain, to save the lives of the wounded and sick soldiers placed in their care. Robin Oliveira vividly portrays the medical knowledge and limitations of the day, be it through her detailed descriptions of amputations or those of the potential terrors associated with childbirth of the period. She also reminds her readers of the great number of lives lost so needlessly to secondary infection, a medical problem that would not be solved until after the war.
All of this is tied together by the intriguing story of the Sutter family itself and how the war all but destroyed it. Some readers, I suspect, will find some aspects of the family story to be a little too strongly of the sort found in romance novels; others will find this to be the best part of the book. My Name Is Mary Sutter will appeal to a variety of readers.
Rated at: 3.5
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their lives. Volunteers, especially at the start of the war, were thrown together in crowded camps within which little regard was given to sanitation. Young men from rural areas were suddenly victim to numerous infectious diseases to which they had never been exposed. Those from the city, not as likely to fall to the more common diseases, were still easy prey to the dysentery that ravaged the tent cities. The war offered a unique opportunity to someone like Mary Sutter, the heroine of Robin Oliveira’s Civil War novel, My Name Is Mary Sutter. Already an accomplished midwife in her native Albany, New York, Mary desires more. With all her heart, she wants to become a surgeon. The local medical school, however, refuses even to consider the possibility of admitting a female and none of the doctors in the area will agree to teach her what he knows. When Mary hears that Dorothea Dix has convinced President Lincoln to allow her to recruit female nurses, she heads to Washington to offer her services to Dix - only to find out that she is too young to qualify.
But no one would accuse Mary Sutter of being a quitter. If Dix will not accept her as a nurse, she will find someone who will. A chance meeting with John Hay, one of Lincoln’s White House secretaries, ultimately leads Mary to the Union Hotel Hospital and the job of assisting the hospital’s chief surgeon, William Stipp. Stipp needs Mary’s help as badly as she needs him to teach her, so the two form a partnership each of them will barely survive. Mary is shocked by what she sees: the hospital is short on supplies and long on patients, Dr. Stipp seems to be learning as he goes, and many of the wounded survive horrific amputation surgery in good shape only to die within days anyway.
My Name Is Mary Sutter is Civil War history as seen primarily through the eyes of the doctors and nurses who struggled, so often in vain, to save the lives of the wounded and sick soldiers placed in their care. Robin Oliveira vividly portrays the medical knowledge and limitations of the day, be it through her detailed descriptions of amputations or those of the potential terrors associated with childbirth of the period. She also reminds her readers of the great number of lives lost so needlessly to secondary infection, a medical problem that would not be solved until after the war.
All of this is tied together by the intriguing story of the Sutter family itself and how the war all but destroyed it. Some readers, I suspect, will find some aspects of the family story to be a little too strongly of the sort found in romance novels; others will find this to be the best part of the book. My Name Is Mary Sutter will appeal to a variety of readers.
Rated at: 3.5
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LibraryThing member exlibrismcp
Great historical novel set during the onset of the Civil War. Mary Sutter is a midwife, as was her mother and her grandmother. Yet she is driven by a greater amibition - to become a physician in a time period in which that was unthinkable for a woman. Against the odds, her mother's wishes and by
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sacrificing love and more she follows her dream until she finds the two men who out of necessity begrudgingly take her under their tutelage. Oliveira succeeds in producing a story that reveals both the physical and emotional wounds and scars that the war inflicted not only on the front lines of the battles, but also on the home-front. Vivid and grim descriptions of medical practice in the era highlight the struggles encountered by all. If you are looking for an inspiring story with a strong heroine, then look no further than My Name is Mary Sutte Show Less
LibraryThing member horomnizon
Mary Sutter is an excellent Albany (NY) midwife who wishes to become not only a doctor, but a surgeon. However, medical schools will not admit women in the 1860s. So when the Civil War begins and a call for nurses is made, she flees to Washington DC, not only to pursue her quest for an
She is savvy and when turned down by Dorthea Dix because of her young age, she finds her own appointment at the Union Hotel hospital and there is somewhat reluctantly apprenticed to the surgeon when he realizes he needs her help and she is steadfast and stubborn. And, as her new brother-in-law and brother find out about camp life - which includes many communicable diseases, since they didn't know what caused them or how to treat them - Mary's mother pleads with her to return home to deliver her sister's baby.
I do enjoy reading about the Civil War and this was no different. While some others I've spoken with felt the chapters focusing on Lincoln to be a separate story from those of Mary Sutter, I did not mind the dual focus. I found the Lincoln chapters to be amusing and true to other books I've read about him and the insight into what was happening in the war certainly had an impact on Mary's story of nursing/doctoring during that time.
The story is well-written and while it might be considered a romance, the historical aspect was what drew me in. I almost felt it didn't go into enough detail at times, but then it might have had to become a horror story, so that's probably for the best. The conditions are unimaginable to us 150 years later - even the thought that destroying one railroad bridge could make delivery of needed supplies impossible seems silly to us with our planes, trains and automobiles.
All in all, I really enjoyed the book and the strong female character of Mary Sutter - although sometimes too pig-headed for her own good and not always for the purest of reasons, her accomplishments are remarkable and her determination is uplifting.
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apprenticeship, but to escape her household where her twin sister has just married the man Mary is in love with. She is savvy and when turned down by Dorthea Dix because of her young age, she finds her own appointment at the Union Hotel hospital and there is somewhat reluctantly apprenticed to the surgeon when he realizes he needs her help and she is steadfast and stubborn. And, as her new brother-in-law and brother find out about camp life - which includes many communicable diseases, since they didn't know what caused them or how to treat them - Mary's mother pleads with her to return home to deliver her sister's baby.
I do enjoy reading about the Civil War and this was no different. While some others I've spoken with felt the chapters focusing on Lincoln to be a separate story from those of Mary Sutter, I did not mind the dual focus. I found the Lincoln chapters to be amusing and true to other books I've read about him and the insight into what was happening in the war certainly had an impact on Mary's story of nursing/doctoring during that time.
The story is well-written and while it might be considered a romance, the historical aspect was what drew me in. I almost felt it didn't go into enough detail at times, but then it might have had to become a horror story, so that's probably for the best. The conditions are unimaginable to us 150 years later - even the thought that destroying one railroad bridge could make delivery of needed supplies impossible seems silly to us with our planes, trains and automobiles.
All in all, I really enjoyed the book and the strong female character of Mary Sutter - although sometimes too pig-headed for her own good and not always for the purest of reasons, her accomplishments are remarkable and her determination is uplifting.
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LibraryThing member picardyrose
Aside from descriptions of battles and arguments about generals, Mary's story was pretty interesting. Now I know how to amputate a leg.
LibraryThing member Ginerbia
I've never read a Civil-War book from this point of view before. It was very interesting. Mary Sutter, a midwife from upstate New York, wanted so much to be a surgeon but there wasn't a medical school or doctor that would take her seriously. When the Civil War started, she followed her brother and
I enjoyed reading this book, it was very well written and moved easily in time and place between the characters. I'm anxious to see what Robin Oliveira comes out with next.
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brother-in-law to war. They went to Virginia to build a fort, she went to Washington to provide medical help. Medicine at this time wasn't very far advanced, they didn't know enough to wash their hands between patients and women were not known to be doctors or even nurses at this point. Mary struggles to find her place in the medical field and in the process sacrificing so much of herself.I enjoyed reading this book, it was very well written and moved easily in time and place between the characters. I'm anxious to see what Robin Oliveira comes out with next.
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LibraryThing member jdquinlan
From the Inside Flap:
On the eve of the Civil War, Mary Sutter is a brilliant, headstrong midwife from Albany, who dreams of becoming a surgeon. Determined to overcome the prejudices against women in medicine - and eager to run away from recent heartbreak - Mary travels to Washington, D.C. to help
My Review:
Determined to study medicine and unable to find a surgeon in New York willing to take her as a pupil, Mary Sutter, "taller and wider than was generally considered handsome", packs a bag and boards a train to answer Dorothea Dix's call for nurses in Washington at the outset of the Civil War.
What follows is a wonderful novel detailing Mary's struggle to realize her dream and reconcile her heart and her desires with those of her family, and the government's woefully inadequate struggle to treat the neverending stream of wounded men that starts pouring into Washington and the surrounding area as the war commences, along with the rampant sickness that accompanies them.
This one can't breathe.
Give him whiskey.
This one can't walk.
Give him whiskey.
That one can't stop itching.
Give him whiskey.
This one has diarrhea.
Haven't they all?
We've run out of quinine.
Give oil of turpentine.
We've run out of turpentine.
Then boil some willow bark and put it in whiskey and give it to him.
We've run out of whiskey.
The magnitude of the Civil War is so huge that I always feel like there's such a large element of anonymity - there were so many soldiers, so many casualties, so many lives effected - and what I love about this novel is that the author manages to bring people together again and again despite the enormity of it, interweaving motivations and circumstances to give the story and the war a much more personal, intimate feeling.
As Mary navigates army red tape and the reluctance of men to let her help, she forms relationships with two overwhelmed surgeons and as the war deepens she crosses paths with the aforementioned Mrs. Dix, Clara Barton, John Hays, and Abraham Lincoln himself. The author does a fabulous job of depicting Lincoln, combining a sense of hopelessness with a determination to persevere. My only complaint would be that at times I felt like these forays into his inner world and into the worlds of some of the other historical figures, while there to provide historical context and insight into the bigger picture, detracted from Mary's story.
This is an impressive, impeccably written story of not only Mary's determination and perseverance, but of that of everyone who attempted to make a difference and find some shred of hope and meaning in a bloody and oppressive war.
I marked many passages as I was reading and I'll end with one that comes near the end of the book at the Battle of Antietam, a passage that I think illustrates the beauty of how simple words can create such visceral images and have such a profound effect:
In the night, while they had been sleeping, the Union general Joseph Hooker and his division had tramped past them toward a cornfield, where now the stalks were rustling like silk, giving the Union soldiers the misimpression of safety, which allowed them to fling themselves into the corn and disappear by the hundreds, their muskets upright against their chests, a parade of bobbing bayonets glinting above the stalks in the feeble morning sun. For one moment, the hills and woods around held their collective breath. For one last, beautiful second, the silvery light on the slender leaves made everyone believe that despite the roar of artillery falling nearby, restraint was still possible...
By the time that last beautiful second had passed, the field enveloped both armies, the Federals and the Rebels alike, the silky corn thread brushing their weathered cheeks, the light shifting between the stalks, the cool, wet dirt cushioning their bare feet...
But in each row of corn, the enemy appeared as if from nowhere. Face to face, at intimate range, each man was alone with his opponent. Each knelt, fired, charged with his bayonet, stabbed with his knife, and wielded the butt of his musket. Each stepped over and on the fallen, friend or enemy, wounded or dead, groaning or silent, to get to the next man and the next, until few were left alive.
There was nothing beautiful about it.
Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5
On the eve of the Civil War, Mary Sutter is a brilliant, headstrong midwife from Albany, who dreams of becoming a surgeon. Determined to overcome the prejudices against women in medicine - and eager to run away from recent heartbreak - Mary travels to Washington, D.C. to help
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tend the legions of Civil War wounded.My Review:
Determined to study medicine and unable to find a surgeon in New York willing to take her as a pupil, Mary Sutter, "taller and wider than was generally considered handsome", packs a bag and boards a train to answer Dorothea Dix's call for nurses in Washington at the outset of the Civil War.
What follows is a wonderful novel detailing Mary's struggle to realize her dream and reconcile her heart and her desires with those of her family, and the government's woefully inadequate struggle to treat the neverending stream of wounded men that starts pouring into Washington and the surrounding area as the war commences, along with the rampant sickness that accompanies them.
This one can't breathe.
Give him whiskey.
This one can't walk.
Give him whiskey.
That one can't stop itching.
Give him whiskey.
This one has diarrhea.
Haven't they all?
We've run out of quinine.
Give oil of turpentine.
We've run out of turpentine.
Then boil some willow bark and put it in whiskey and give it to him.
We've run out of whiskey.
The magnitude of the Civil War is so huge that I always feel like there's such a large element of anonymity - there were so many soldiers, so many casualties, so many lives effected - and what I love about this novel is that the author manages to bring people together again and again despite the enormity of it, interweaving motivations and circumstances to give the story and the war a much more personal, intimate feeling.
As Mary navigates army red tape and the reluctance of men to let her help, she forms relationships with two overwhelmed surgeons and as the war deepens she crosses paths with the aforementioned Mrs. Dix, Clara Barton, John Hays, and Abraham Lincoln himself. The author does a fabulous job of depicting Lincoln, combining a sense of hopelessness with a determination to persevere. My only complaint would be that at times I felt like these forays into his inner world and into the worlds of some of the other historical figures, while there to provide historical context and insight into the bigger picture, detracted from Mary's story.
This is an impressive, impeccably written story of not only Mary's determination and perseverance, but of that of everyone who attempted to make a difference and find some shred of hope and meaning in a bloody and oppressive war.
I marked many passages as I was reading and I'll end with one that comes near the end of the book at the Battle of Antietam, a passage that I think illustrates the beauty of how simple words can create such visceral images and have such a profound effect:
In the night, while they had been sleeping, the Union general Joseph Hooker and his division had tramped past them toward a cornfield, where now the stalks were rustling like silk, giving the Union soldiers the misimpression of safety, which allowed them to fling themselves into the corn and disappear by the hundreds, their muskets upright against their chests, a parade of bobbing bayonets glinting above the stalks in the feeble morning sun. For one moment, the hills and woods around held their collective breath. For one last, beautiful second, the silvery light on the slender leaves made everyone believe that despite the roar of artillery falling nearby, restraint was still possible...
By the time that last beautiful second had passed, the field enveloped both armies, the Federals and the Rebels alike, the silky corn thread brushing their weathered cheeks, the light shifting between the stalks, the cool, wet dirt cushioning their bare feet...
But in each row of corn, the enemy appeared as if from nowhere. Face to face, at intimate range, each man was alone with his opponent. Each knelt, fired, charged with his bayonet, stabbed with his knife, and wielded the butt of his musket. Each stepped over and on the fallen, friend or enemy, wounded or dead, groaning or silent, to get to the next man and the next, until few were left alive.
There was nothing beautiful about it.
Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5
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LibraryThing member shazjhb
Very interesting book. What was especially interesting is how medicine was changed by war. This continues to happen today. Wonder if triage actually began during Civil War.
LibraryThing member milibrarian
Mary Sutter is an accomplished midwife, but she dreams of becoming a doctor. However, it is 1861, the Civil War is about to begin, the Albany Medical College does not accept women, and no male doctor will even consider teaching her. Yet when Mary's brother, brother-in-law, and a local doctor head
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to Washington to enlist in the Union Army, Mary is determined to follow in response to Dorthea Dix's call for nurses. Even Dix's refusal because she is too young does not deter her for long. This fine historical novel traces the horrors Mary faces after both Battles of Bull Run and Antietam, and well as the decisions she must make as her mother and sister repeatedly request that she return home. Her determination and stubbornness earn her the love of two doctors as she works in appalling conditions and without modern medical knowledge. Strong characters and an authentically evoked time and place make this a powerful novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member meland2lilones
I really enjoyed this book. This book kept me interested the whole time and I finished in just over 2 days. I have not read many war stories but this one caught my eye. Mary was such a strong and brave character and was definitely the star of the book.
LibraryThing member meacoleman
FABULOUS book, telling a civil war story from the viewpoint of a woman. Robin Oliveira spares no details in describing the horrors of battle and treating wounded soldiers. She also weaves in thoughts about goals and losses that relate to modern life. And her prose is beautiful.
LibraryThing member GramRock
Another excellent book set in the North during the Civil War
LibraryThing member troygirl
I thought the premise of the book would prove to be very interesting but was basically bored with the book. The beginning was very promising but then it just dragged on and on.
LibraryThing member countrylife
Mary Sutter is a midwife yearning to become a surgeon. Midwifery is in her blood, through a long maternal family line of midwives. Her longing to become a doctor seems to find an opening when the casualties in the American civil war demand nurses in the country's capital.
Mary manages to get to DC
At Manassas ... a continuous, unbroken multitude of men lay on the rocky ground. She could not see the end of them. She had guessed before that there were perhaps five hundred wounded, but now she saw that there were thousands. … Stipp stopped and shut his eyes for a moment, as if he couldn't stand to see the unraveling scene before him. Then he said, “We don't have a choice. We'll have to transport the ones we can save first. That's what we'll do. Otherwise, we are all doomed. Afterwards, we'll load the rest.” He turned toward Mary, relieved he'd found the answer. “I need you to help, Mary. I need you to go down to the depot and sort them.”
“Sort them?”
“Organize the wounded into groups.”
It took a moment for what Stipp was saying to her to penetrate, and then its meaning entered her like a knife. “You want me to choose?”
“Listen to me, Mary. You see all those men? Most of them will die. If not here, then back in Washington. On the Peninsula, no one shot in the belly or chest or head survived, not one, no matter how fast we got to them. Do you understand? We have to save the most men. If we let one on the train who will die anyway, it will doom two.”
Through a woman's eyes, we see the brutality of war, the harsh reality of unnecessary deaths because of a necessity for more advanced surgical techniques, the need for advanced medicine. All of the aspects of the story were fascinating, the writing well done, the settings memorable, the characters lived. Mary, especially, as she made choices, had trod the impossible line. Had tried to reconcile need with mercy.
This one has become a sentimental favorite.
************
Stars:
...Writing: 4
...Story: 4.5
...Character: 4.5
...Sense of place: 4
...Enjoyment factor: 5
ARBITRARY OVERALL BOOK RATING: 4.5
Mary manages to get to DC
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to answer the call to nurse, hoping to learn surgery. There she is assigned to a very poor hospital, under Dr. Stipp, who, along with the other doctors of that time and place, discover how much they need to learn about anatomy in order to perform the surgeries which this war made necessary. It was one thing to cut skin, another to sever muscles. Would they snap back? Disappear under the flesh? To what would he anchor them afterwards? Oh, curse his medical training! Six months of courses at Yale; not one surgery performed under anyone's auspices. … Any latent skill he possessed was merely guesswork augmented by common sense. What would a cut muscle do?At Manassas ... a continuous, unbroken multitude of men lay on the rocky ground. She could not see the end of them. She had guessed before that there were perhaps five hundred wounded, but now she saw that there were thousands. … Stipp stopped and shut his eyes for a moment, as if he couldn't stand to see the unraveling scene before him. Then he said, “We don't have a choice. We'll have to transport the ones we can save first. That's what we'll do. Otherwise, we are all doomed. Afterwards, we'll load the rest.” He turned toward Mary, relieved he'd found the answer. “I need you to help, Mary. I need you to go down to the depot and sort them.”
“Sort them?”
“Organize the wounded into groups.”
It took a moment for what Stipp was saying to her to penetrate, and then its meaning entered her like a knife. “You want me to choose?”
“Listen to me, Mary. You see all those men? Most of them will die. If not here, then back in Washington. On the Peninsula, no one shot in the belly or chest or head survived, not one, no matter how fast we got to them. Do you understand? We have to save the most men. If we let one on the train who will die anyway, it will doom two.”
Through a woman's eyes, we see the brutality of war, the harsh reality of unnecessary deaths because of a necessity for more advanced surgical techniques, the need for advanced medicine. All of the aspects of the story were fascinating, the writing well done, the settings memorable, the characters lived. Mary, especially, as she made choices, had trod the impossible line. Had tried to reconcile need with mercy.
This one has become a sentimental favorite.
************
Stars:
...Writing: 4
...Story: 4.5
...Character: 4.5
...Sense of place: 4
...Enjoyment factor: 5
ARBITRARY OVERALL BOOK RATING: 4.5
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Awards
Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction (Winner — 2011)
David J. Langum, Sr. Prize in American Historical Fiction (Honorable Mention — 2010)
All Iowa Reads (2015)
Rise: A Feminist Book Project for Ages 0-18 (Selection — 2011)
Pages
384