A review by aw21594377
The Girl in His Shadow, by Audrey Blake
4.0
I really enjoyed this one! I found the science aspect really fascinating as well as the social parts— I.e. being a woman in a male-dominated field. The fact that it was illegal for women to practice medicine just blows my mind, but also doesn’t surprise me. At times I felt like Nora was a little aggressive and unnecessarily antagonistic, but it also makes a lot of sense in the context of the world she was raised in.
I liked her mentor a lot! I think the opening scene was a great introduction on how they met and how unconventional but also good-hearted he is. Daniel had a good character arc, although perhaps a little trope-y. I think he was truly conflicted about wanting to “protect” women from the “atrocities” of blood and gore. The birthing scene was really tragic and gruesome, but I believe treating women like they’re fragile and going to break at any moment also does them a disservice.
I felt like the author did a really good job of setting the tone of the world. The rampant bawdy sexism and harassment made my stomach roil. However there were still some good eggs: Henry and John, Dr. Gibson., Daniel, the housekeeper. Nora’s opportunity to leave London to start afresh in Italy sounded like a dream come true; it also felt very realistic: her reputation was tainted after the revelation of her involvement in John’s surgery. That incident would follow her everywhere she went. Women’s being invited and encouraged to participate in practicing medicine would be a whole new experience for her, and probably extremely refreshing. Having to hide a part of you is.. hard. So I can strongly relate to how that takes a toll.
I would definitely read the sequel(s). Admittedly, though, it’s been a few weeks and I’m already not remembering a ton; I gave 4 stars because I really enjoyed listening to this, but I’m not sure the story itself was particularly unique. I think in certain instances the characters felt more like plot devices than unique people.
I liked her mentor a lot! I think the opening scene was a great introduction on how they met and how unconventional but also good-hearted he is. Daniel had a good character arc, although perhaps a little trope-y. I think he was truly conflicted about wanting to “protect” women from the “atrocities” of blood and gore. The birthing scene was really tragic and gruesome, but I believe treating women like they’re fragile and going to break at any moment also does them a disservice.
I felt like the author did a really good job of setting the tone of the world. The rampant bawdy sexism and harassment made my stomach roil. However there were still some good eggs: Henry and John, Dr. Gibson., Daniel, the housekeeper. Nora’s opportunity to leave London to start afresh in Italy sounded like a dream come true; it also felt very realistic: her reputation was tainted after the revelation of her involvement in John’s surgery. That incident would follow her everywhere she went. Women’s being invited and encouraged to participate in practicing medicine would be a whole new experience for her, and probably extremely refreshing. Having to hide a part of you is.. hard. So I can strongly relate to how that takes a toll.
I would definitely read the sequel(s). Admittedly, though, it’s been a few weeks and I’m already not remembering a ton; I gave 4 stars because I really enjoyed listening to this, but I’m not sure the story itself was particularly unique. I think in certain instances the characters felt more like plot devices than unique people.