My Name Is Mary Sutter

A Novel

By: Robin Oliveira

Narrated by: Kimberly Farr

Length: 14 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

In this stunning historical novel, Mary Sutter is a brilliant, headstrong midwife from Albany, New York, who dreams of becoming a surgeon. Determined to overcome the prejudices against women in medicine—and eager to run away from her recent heartbreak—Mary leaves home and travels to Washington, D.C., to help tend the legions of Civil War wounded. Under the guidance of William Stipp and James Blevens—two surgeons who fall unwittingly in love with Mary’s courage, will, and stubbornness in the face ofsuffering—and resisting her mother’s pleas to return home to help with the birth of her twin sister’s baby, Mary pursues her medical career in the desperately overwhelmed hospitals of the capital.

Like Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain and Robert Hicks’s The Widow of the South, My Name Is Mary Sutter powerfully evokes the atmosphere of the period. Rich with historical detail (including marvelous depictions of Lincoln, Dorothea Dix, General McClellan, and John Hay among others), and full of the tragedies and challenges of wartime, My Name Is Mary Sutter is an exceptional novel. And in Mary herself, Robin Oliveira has created a truly unforgettable heroine whose unwavering determination andvulnerability will resonate with readers everywhere.

©2010 Robin Oliveira (P)2010 Penguin

Critic reviews

"Oliveira depicts the amputation of a leg, the delivery of a baby, and soldierly life; these are among the fine details that set this novel above the gauzier variety of Civil War fiction. The focus on often horrific medicine and the women who practiced it against all odds makes for compelling reading." ( Publishers Weekly)

Boring..

I really enjoy historical fiction, and had high hopes with the reviews, but this book did not hold my attention. There were moments of excitement, but overall it was boring to me, I zoned out quite a bit.

Not a feel good story

This is a very depressing story. Very well written, entertaining, and a good description of war during the 1800’s and what it entailed, but very depressing. I did not like how the author jumped back and forth between characters internal thoughts, but over all the story was good. The reader was decent but she doesn’t have many accents for the different characters so much of it blurred together. Her tone fit the dreary nature of this book. Don’t read this if you are looking for a feel good story, not until the epilogue do you feel a sense of peace about the characters.

enthralling

there is much about this novel that I really enjoyed. highly recommend to anyone who enjoys medicine, civil war history and strong woman.

Woman struggles to break into medicine

Well written, and appropriately gritty. I'm not as familiar with all of the historical facts, but it seems to be blended right into history without being encyclopedic.

A very grim story

Most of this book is devoted to discribing the horrors of medical practice in the mid 1800's.
Interesting but grim.

Very good but not great

This was an enjoyable story with interesting characters, and it brought the Civil War era to life very well. It gave an interesting perspective on what life must have been like as a woman in that time who wanted more out of life than marriage and children. That being said, I only gave it a 4, rather than a 5, because it left me a little cold. I was not as invested in what happened to the characters as I am when I read a novel that I consider to be great. The narration took me a little while to warm up to, as the speaking style is very deliberate, highly enunciated, and does not sound totally natural right away, but as the book progressed, I grew to like the narration. The narration was, like the book, very good but not great.

Amputations, family tiffs, and the Civil War

Mary Sutter wants to be a surgeon. Then the Civil War gives her the opportunity. This book presented a stark, and most likely accurate, horrific picture of the Civil War. This was a time when modern medicine was In Its infancy. The setting is interesting, but the fictional characters were not as appealing as they might have been.

War is hell.

The main character serves her country in the Union Army hospitals under deplorable, unsanitary conditions. There is a lot of war and battle history in this fictionalized account. If medical and battle history does not interest you, there is not a lot in this story for you. This piece of historical fiction is well researched and we meet some interesting characters. I would recommend this for someone who likes this type of book.

Lenghty

It was a good book, however, I thought quite a bit long. Probably won't read again

Fantastic!!

This book is an awesome, sad and enduring story. The author has done a fantastic job at portraying the civil war.