The Surgeon's Daughter: A Novel

Audrey Blake

May 2022 · Sourcebooks, Inc.

About this eBook

SheReads Best Historical Fiction Of Summer 2022!

"This is an intense, suspenseful, and insightful read about the challenges both women and doctors faced in the 19th century...Our heroine rises to the challenge with courage and determination." —Historical Novel Society

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Girl in His Shadow comes a riveting historical fiction novel about the women in medicine who changed the world forever.

Women's work is a matter of life and death.

Nora Beady, the only female student at a prestigious medical school in Bologna, is a rarity. In the 19th century women are expected to remain at home and raise children, so her unconventional, indelicate ambitions to become a licensed surgeon offend the men around her.

Everything changes when she allies herself with Magdalena Morenco, the sole female doctor on-staff. Together the two women develop new techniques to improve a groundbreaking surgery: the Cesarean section. It's a highly dangerous procedure and the research is grueling, but even worse is the vitriolic response from men. Most don't trust the findings of women, and many can choose to deny their wives medical care.

Already facing resistance on all sides, Nora is shaken when she meets a patient who will die without the surgery. If the procedure is successful, her work could change the world. But a failure could cost everything: precious lives, Nora's career, and the role women will be allowed to play in medicine.

Perfect for book clubs and for fans of Marie Benedict, Tracey Enerson Wood, and Sarah Penner comes a captivating celebration of women healthcare workers throughout history.

Ratings and reviews

#2 in the Nora Beady series has the talented healer finally pursuing her educational dreams but fighting against the male medical establishment all the way!

The Surgeon's Daughter by Audrey Blake is Historical Medical Fiction set in mid 19th Century Bologna and England. This book is the exciting story of a young woman determined to become a Physician in a time when that was forbidden in England. I loved Audrey Blake’s first book and was delighted to read her new book. Excellent medical details and procedures on the training of medical students. Women had to work even harder than men to achieve their medical degrees. Even after obtaining their degree they had to struggle in licensing in medical practice and cultural prejudices. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book. 5 Stars

historical-fiction, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-setting, history-and-culture, medical-doctor, education, internship, women-in-science, medical-treatment, 19th-century***** This book is a fictionalized and personalized account of a female medical student in the nineteenth century. Even as she is ridiculed and bullied at every turn, she demonstrates that she can make a big difference in the care and treatment of patients. Having been raised by a noted surgeon after her parents died in an epidemic, she has a much greater understanding of the field than her fellow students. She also shares a love with another medical student who has returned to London while she must continue on in Italy. The descriptions of conditions and treatments of the day are spot on but may not be comfortably appreciated by non-medical readers. Excellent read. I requested and received a free e-book copy from Sourcebooks Landmark via NetGalley. Thank you!

About the author

AUDREY BLAKE has a split personality— because she is the creative alter ego of Regina Sirois and Jaima Fixsen, two authors who met online in a survivor style writing contest. They live 1500 miles apart, but both are prairie girls: Jaima hails from Alberta, Canada, and Regina from the wheatfields of Kansas. Both are addicted to history, words, and stories of redoubtable women, and agree that their friendship, better and longer lasting than any other prize, is proof that good things happen in this random, crazy universe.