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A review by karaklos
The Girl in His Shadow by Audrey Blake
3.0
3.5 stars.
The Girl in His Shadow hooked me from the very beginning. Taking place in England in the 1840s, Nora is the orphan ward of Dr Croft. Dr Croft has trained her to be a dr even though it is illegal for women to be doctors. Nora treats patients, assists with surgeries, conducts research, and does anatomical drawings.
I loved learning about this strange time in medical history from both a medical advancement and women’s rights perspective. The infighting with the physicians and the students picking one side or the other was fun. The book is thoroughly researched and the setting was clear and vivid. The plot moved forward at a nice pace with plenty to keep my interest.
When an assistant dr is hired and Nora’s position is threatened, I didn’t feel a whole lot of empathy for her when I should have. She acted very childish and didn’t discuss her thoughts and feelings with anyone. This was an opportunity to give the reader a real understanding of what it was like to be an intelligent, talented woman at this time. I wanted more from Nora as a character.
The part of the book I did not enjoy at all was the romance. Nora could not have picked a more inappropriate or boring man if she tried. The worst part is that it was predictable that they would get together and there was no impetus for her to suddenly feel the way she did.
I will probably read the second book in the series.
The Girl in His Shadow hooked me from the very beginning. Taking place in England in the 1840s, Nora is the orphan ward of Dr Croft. Dr Croft has trained her to be a dr even though it is illegal for women to be doctors. Nora treats patients, assists with surgeries, conducts research, and does anatomical drawings.
I loved learning about this strange time in medical history from both a medical advancement and women’s rights perspective. The infighting with the physicians and the students picking one side or the other was fun. The book is thoroughly researched and the setting was clear and vivid. The plot moved forward at a nice pace with plenty to keep my interest.
When an assistant dr is hired and Nora’s position is threatened, I didn’t feel a whole lot of empathy for her when I should have. She acted very childish and didn’t discuss her thoughts and feelings with anyone. This was an opportunity to give the reader a real understanding of what it was like to be an intelligent, talented woman at this time. I wanted more from Nora as a character.
The part of the book I did not enjoy at all was the romance. Nora could not have picked a more inappropriate or boring man if she tried. The worst part is that it was predictable that they would get together and there was no impetus for her to suddenly feel the way she did.
I will probably read the second book in the series.