This was the first book by Minette Walters I had read so I was unfamiliar with her background in crime fiction but I was impressed with this book foraying into historical fiction.
Set in 1642 the story begins amid a brutal civil war and we follow Jayne Swift, a trained physician who is on a mission to offer her help and services to anyone who needs her, regardless of their political views and which side they are on. This is a long book which includes a lot of detail about the civil war and the individual patients who Jayne treats. While I was interested in the latter, I was less engaged with the former and must admit that I found some of the passages outlining the historical context quite dry to read even though the information may be necessary for the plot.
I liked getting to know Jayne over the course of the book, she is an interesting and likeable character, and seeing the challenges she faces as a woman in her field and working against the attitudes of the time. These things were explored really well although I feel like the book could have gone further with it as sometimes Jayne won people over or gained their trust a bit too quickly to be believable.
I am glad to have read this book and would be curious to try some of Walter's other novels in this genre.
Thank you to Readers First for the copy of this book.
Set in 1642 the story begins amid a brutal civil war and we follow Jayne Swift, a trained physician who is on a mission to offer her help and services to anyone who needs her, regardless of their political views and which side they are on. This is a long book which includes a lot of detail about the civil war and the individual patients who Jayne treats. While I was interested in the latter, I was less engaged with the former and must admit that I found some of the passages outlining the historical context quite dry to read even though the information may be necessary for the plot.
I liked getting to know Jayne over the course of the book, she is an interesting and likeable character, and seeing the challenges she faces as a woman in her field and working against the attitudes of the time. These things were explored really well although I feel like the book could have gone further with it as sometimes Jayne won people over or gained their trust a bit too quickly to be believable.
I am glad to have read this book and would be curious to try some of Walter's other novels in this genre.
Thank you to Readers First for the copy of this book.