Book Review: The Gilded Hour by Sara Donati

[Maryrose]

Synopsis
The internationally best-selling author of Into the Wilderness makes her highly anticipated return with a remarkable epic about two female doctors in 19th-century New York and the transcendent power of courage and love.

The year is 1883, and in New York City it’s a time of dizzying splendor, crushing poverty, and tremendous change. With the gravity-defying Brooklyn Bridge nearly complete and New York in the grips of antivice crusader Anthony Comstock, Anna Savard and her cousin, Sophie – both graduates of the Woman’s Medical School – treat the city’s most vulnerable, even if doing so may put everything they’ve strived for in jeopardy.

Anna’s work has placed her in the path of four children who have lost everything, just as she herself once had. Faced with their helplessness, Anna must make an unexpected choice between holding on to the pain of her past and letting love into her life.

For Sophie, an obstetrician and the orphaned daughter of free people of color, helping a desperate young mother forces her to grapple with the oath she took as a doctor – and thrusts her and Anna into the orbit of Comstock, a dangerous man who considers himself the enemy of everything indecent and of anyone who dares to defy him.

With its vivid depictions of old New York and its enormously appealing characters, The Gilded Hour is a captivating, emotionally gripping novel that proves Sara Donati is an author at the height of her powers.

Review
It took me awhile to pick this book up. I love the Wilderness Series and wasn’t quite ready to let go of life on the frontier. However, I’m glad I did pick it up. 1800’s New York was brought to life with Donati’s vivid descriptions. I could almost smell the dank of the city or picture the cobblestone streets around the park. And just like her characters in her earlier books, she writes them with personality, color & quirks. She really has a way of eliciting a feeling with her heroes/heroines & villains alike. I enjoyed that aspect of the book very much. The stereotypes & struggles for sex, race & religion were weaved perfectly throughout the story, creating 2 female characters that stood out & stood strong in that every day battle. It really set the tone for book against that New York backdrop.

The audible version of the book is one of my favorites. Narrated by Cassandra Campbell, every characters was brought to life. I loved hearing the accents of each character & wish I had listened to the audio versions of the Wilderness books – just to see how my favorite characters would sound

My issue with the book is the mystery element to the story. It kept me engaged with the book only to be….SPOILERS AHEAD…..

….disappointed in the lack of resolution. I will leave it at that as there is a sequel to the book which I hope will address the main conflict. One the closing credits of my audible book started, I immediately had to rewind to make sure I didn’t space out. It felt unfinished for me.

But overall, a great read!
Purchase the book on amazon.com

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