The Physician’s Daughter

Book Review

Author: Martha Conway (Instagram: @marthamconway)
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3.5/5

Plot

It is 1865, the American Civil War has just ended, and 18-year old Vita Tenney is determined to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a doctor like her father. But when her father tells her she must get married, she plans an escape with help from a war veteran Jacob Culhane, who is himself struggling with his demons. Only the plan goes awry as Vita and Jacob try to navigate the world torn between their dreams and the reality of the world around.

Review

When the whole world tells you not to chase your dream, sometimes the will to pursue it becomes that much stronger. And that is the essence of Vita’s journey that Martha narrates in this very engrossing book. I could imagine the vast emptiness or Lark’s eye, the bloody cruelties at Andersonville, the scenes at the Soldier’s Home, and the busy streets of Cleveland vividly just by reading the succinct but effective descriptions. Written in an an easy style of prose, the book just flows and is somewhat unputdownable, despite it not being a thriller or a mystery novel.

The plot feels real and heartfelt, the struggle of Vita as a woman comes across as poignant, and the underlying quest for “worthiness”, “acceptance”, “cynicism”, “guilt”, “shame” and “love” get conveyed subtly yet effectively. Despite it being the journey of Vita’s pursuit of medicine and Jacob’s reconciliation with the war, the book does not rely on excessive facts, complicated vocabulary or cliched wartime tropes to make a point. Refreshingly told with genuine emotion, this book connects. This is how historical fiction should be written.

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