My
Name is Mary Sutter
was not my first choice of the books suggested, but I did think it
sounded interesting and I looked forward to reading it. I’m glad
it was chosen, because I really enjoyed it.
One
reason I didn’t pick it was that I’ve read quite a few books set
during the Civil War. That period in American history isn’t one
I’m especially interested in, and I wasn’t sure whether I would
find it easy to engage in the story. But, this was a different
perspective of that war, in several ways.
For
one thing, I liked that much of it took place right where I live, in
Northern Virginia and Washington. Manassas, Fairfax Court House,
Centerville, etc., are all places I’ve visited or driven past many
times, and, of course I’m familiar with many of the spots mentioned
in D.C. I’m always fascinated with what a small and un-lovely
place Washington was at that time. So, the setting helped me get
interested, because I learned a lot about what was going on in the
city. I had no idea, for example, that many of the government
buildings and hotels were turned into medical facilities.
I
also enjoyed the focus on medicine and especially on the fact that
the protagonist was a woman trying to establish herself in the
medical field. I wasn’t surprised at the brutal descriptions of
the wounds and sicknesses caused by the war. I was surprised that
there were doctors and other medical people trying to do research to
find out how some of the problems could be lessened.
In
other words, I liked the book because it wasn’t what I expected
from a “Civil War Novel.”
Mary
Sutter was a good character. I could identify with her frustration
at being shut out from a profession that she knew she would love and
could excel in. Her persistence was almost comical, but it’s
probably the only way she could have broken into that good old boys’
club. It was nice, but probably not realistic, that some of the
doctors accepted her pretty quickly. On the other hand, considering
the conditions, perhaps their desperation would have helped Mary
break down the barriers. I found the depiction of Dorothea Dix very
surprising! She’s always painted as someone quite saintly, but she
certainly had some character defects in this book.
The
character that bothered me the most was Mary’s mother. So many
times in the book she didn’t give Mary the support she needed. Her
attitude was that Mary was very strong, so she could take care of
herself. Mary was strong, but everyone needs support, and Mary
didn’t always get it from her mother. When Mary failed to save
Jenny, she felt a lot of guilt. The fact that her mother not only
didn’t help her get over it, but actually made Mary feel even
guiltier was, for me, unforgiveable.
Finally,
I liked the book because it was so well written. I read it quickly,
and, in fact, had trouble putting it down. It wasn’t a page-turner
in the usual sense, but I cared a lot about Mary and always wanted to
find out how her life would turn out. And, can I just say that I
like the happy ending! Good for you, Mary!
I
would recommend this book to just about anyone. The female
protagonist, the setting, and the medical plot thread all set it
apart from most other books written about the Civil War period.
My
question to everyone is this: What, if anything, surprised you?
I, like Bec, enjoyed the book very much; therefore, don’t take the negative things I say as total criticism of the book.
ReplyDeleteWhat surprised me about the book? Mostly that the two doctors in Mary’s life found her so compelling. Don’t get me wrong. I found her compelling. After all, her persistence in becoming a doctor was remarkable. She was very clear in her goal, and the amount of resistance she encountered was certainly emblematic of the sorts of things women encountered in the 1860s (and beyond).
Still, I didn’t get a strong sense of her personality beyond her grim persistence. She seemed somewhat dull and narrow-focused – and not pretty to boot (not that there’s anything wrong with that, as Seinfeld would say) Still, I just couldn’t see why they were so fascinated by her.
Though I have read a number of books about the Civil War, I’m not sure if I have read many (if any) from the North’s perspective. And, like Bec, I was fascinated to read about what a dirty cowtown Washington D.C. was back not all that long ago. I found those aspects especially interesting.
Mary’s mother did bother me a great deal, though she had lost a lot in her life and likely couldn’t deal with losing Jenny too. I was happy to see that in the end, they came back together.
Bec mentioned that Mary’s determination was somewhat comedic, and I agree with that assessment. I wonder how many times Mary said, “I want to be a surgeon,” in the book. Still, I loved that fact that she was clear about what she wanted and was willing to do what it took to get there, despite all odds.
The descriptions of the conditions, particularly the medical conditions, were graphic, but I learned a lot from the book. In particular, I didn’t realize the extent that amputations took place during the Civil War. It was as if (and I’m certain this is true) they didn’t know what else to do but to cut off the limb. Very grizzly details that I found difficult to read sometimes.
Having said all that, I really did enjoy the book. I found the writing to be good and the characters to be interesting. And, like Bec, I liked the ending. I’m a sucker for a book that ends the way “it should.”
I also voted for a different book but ended up liking this one much more than I had expected. I think there were a couple reasons. I am, like Bec and ER, not typically a fan of stories about the Civil War ....or any war for that matter, but I liked the perspective from which this one was told. I tend to read swiftly through descriptions of battles, but this book didn't give the types of details I usually prefer to skip. Also, I really enjoyed this author's writing. I never got confused or bored by lengthy descriptions or tangents.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the characters go, I did like Mary a lot and I actually liked William Stipp and James Blevens. The men seemed bpvery true to their profession and to the time. I was frustrated with Amelia because she always seemed to put Mary last because she considered her "strong". I also did not like Jenny's husband (I have forgotten his name) because he one, let Mary down and two, fell for beauty over brains. I liked Mary's personality and her stubbornness. It's funny but because this book had so many historical figures and events in it, I had to keep reminding myself that Mary was only a fictional character. I actually admired her and thought of her as someone who had contributed to the advancement of women...then I would come up for air.
I think the one aspect of this story which surprised me was how Presidant Lincoln was portrayed. I have no idea if it is at all accurate because I only know the grade schooler's facts about him. I liked him so much in this story. And I felt so sad for him. At the time I was reading the part about his son dying, I really wondered how much was true because it made him so much more real than the little paper pin up I used to have in my classroom.
Another thing that wasn't necessarily surprising, but I had not thought a lot about, was how the doctors of that time would have to make due with so little and would have to substitiute one remedy for another because they were so short on supplies. ( Having just had LASIK, I am amazed at how far medicine, procedures, equipment etc has come in this period of time. )
Hmmmm....was there anyone who didn't like this book at all?
Interesting point about Lincoln. Yes, it's sometimes hard to remember he was human and certainly would have grieved over the death of his son and worried about his wife's White House expenditures.
ReplyDeleteIf you are interested, I read a really good novel about Mary Todd Lincoln some time ago: The Emancipator's Wife: A Novel of Mary Todd Lincoln, by Barbara Hambly. It presented the human side of the Lincolns, and gave some background on why Mary Todd Lincoln was fairly coo-coo.
ReplyDeleteOn my husband's side of the family, someone had the last name of Hanks, which was Mary Todd's maiden name. In addition, Bill has seen (though no one knows quite where it currently is located) a tintype of Abraham Lincoln amongst his family's things (he thinks a cousin might have it). The theory is that there is some relationship to Mary Todd Lincoln on his mom's side. That would also make him related to Tom Hanks. Funny, that.
I had heard that Mrs. Lincoln had trouble later in life due to loosing many of her children. I think that book sounds like something I will request from the library.
ReplyDeleteQuestion for Bec.....which book had you selected? Have you read it yet? I have read The Devil in the White City and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. What Alice Forgot is waiting for me at the library now. I like the long periods we have for each book because I often read all the books that were offered. For a while I just didn't have time and I barely read. That was a hard time for me.
Sorry I'm so long in replying.
DeleteI chose The Devil in the White City, and I haven't read it yet. I always think I'm going to read the other books, but I never do. I will read that one, though, because it's on the list for my other book club. What did you think of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close? Maybe I'll try that, too.
This is Beckie's comment. Sory for the name confusion.
DeleteI enjoyed this book very much. I agree with Beckie that it wasn't a page turner in the normal sense, but I couldn't wait to get back to this book every evening. I love reading a book that I look that forward to the time I can read it again.
ReplyDeleteI am very drawn to the civil war era but enjoyed that this book was from the northern perspective. Surely I've read books from this perspective before but few if any. Why are books during this period always from the southern perspective? It was interesting for me because although the hospital and medical conditions were gruesome, they seemed much better than what you read about in the south. At least they typically had ether so they could sleep thru the surgical part of the amputation. And the book spoke about supply trains where in the south there was nothing coming in to the battle fronts.
I liked Mary and thought Jenny was a brat. I knew though, as she was stubbornly insisting on being a surgeon where this storyline was going. Be careful what you wish for. I had no doubt she would become a surgeon but enjoyed very much how that was developed in the book. I also enjoyed how the friendship/love relationships developed between Mary, James and Stipp.
I enjoyed reading about Washington during that period. It really is fun reading a book that takes place in an area you are familiar with. Envisioning cattle on the mall! The captitol dome not completed and being able to picture where Mary's hotel was from the white house, etc.
The thing I found surprising about the book was the bit she wrote from Lincon's perspective. I thought it was a bit random how she wove in some personal things about him as he wasn't a major character in the book. I wonder if she and her editor went back and forth about leaving that in or taking that out. I enjoyed that part though.
I thought it was a great read and I most always enjoy historical fiction.
Although I liked this book, I don't think I liked it as much as everyone else. It took me a while to get on board -- I liked when the author wrote descriptions, but I wasn't a fan of most of the dialogue. It didn't seem real to me. I think I became more interested in the book when Mary left to go to Washington. By the end of the book, I found the overall quantity of parentheticals funny. (At first, the author used them for thoughts; later, they were used for re-iteration of earlier events of the book.)
ReplyDeleteI agree with the crowd about the general dislike of Amelia's treatment of Mary, and Jenny's character in general. Did Jenny really have to die in childbirth? I actually think Amelia did a lot of harm with the laudanum, but it was awful that she blamed Mary.
I think I have a weak stomach -- I had to skip the very descriptive medical parts. Did those bug anyone other than me, or shall I be dubbed the wimpy one?
I grew up near Albany, and I really liked reading about the setting. My brother went to Boy's Academy (now called Albany Academy for Boys), and my sister is Assistant Dean of Students (and a doctor) at Albany Medical College. So, that was really cool for me to read about those times. By the way, according to my sister, there's still some of the "good old boys club" mentality there! I think she'd like this book :)
In a belated response to Margaret, you are definitely not the wimpy one. The descriptions were really graphic and difficult to read. I skimmed a lot of the really difficult parts. But I found it interesting to learn about the medical practices during this period. I'm glad it's the 21st century. Lord only knows what would have happened if I would have had my medical situation of 2011 in the 1860s!
ReplyDelete