My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira

What a terrific book! I've read a lot of books set during the Civil War, but this book had a different twist to it. It had a woman who wanted to be a surgeon as the central character, so much of the book was about her frustrations with a male dominated field and the assumed "sensitivities" of women. The book also had a lot of admirable, but flawed, characters. I loved Amelia (Mary Sutter's mother), loved Thomas, James Blevans and Dr. Stipp. It was clear that the author did an awful lot of research; in her acknolowdegments section, the author mentioned many of her primary sources. It was interesting to read about midwives and medicine. I thought the main plot had enough intrigue and love to sustain some of the subplots about medicine and politics. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and an author's keen attention to details.