I was raised in a family of seven girls—no boys—with a tough but loving mother. I’ve been around strong women all my life. As a teenager I got tired of reading about smart, capable heroines who, by the end of the story, are oppressed and defeated. I get it: women have been stomped on. And I appreciate authors in past centuries who acknowledge that fact. But now I want to see women win; it’s as simple as that. This is what I like to read about and what I like to write about. The battles are never easy, but hey, that’s half the fun.
I wrote...
The Physician's Daughter
By
Martha Conway
What is my book about?
It is 1865, the American Civil War has just ended, and 18-year old Vita Tenney is determined to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a country doctor like her father. But when her father tells her she must get married instead, Vita explores every means of escape - and finds one in the person of war veteran Jacob Culhane. Damaged by what he's seen in battle and with all his family gone, Jacob is seeking investors for a fledgling business. Then he meets Vita - and together they hatch a plan that should satisfy both their desires.
From the winner of the North American Book Award for Best Historical Fiction comes this compelling new novel of female perseverance. Set in the aftermath of the Civil War, The Physician's Daughter is the engrossing story of two people trying to make their way in a world that is struggling to escape its past.
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The Books I Picked & Why
A Very Long Engagement
By
Sebastien Japrisot
Why this book?
Unable to walk since childhood, Mathilde Donnay never lets her limitations get in her way. She is on the search for her fiancé who was reported killed in the Great War, but whom she believes might still be alive. Mathilde is feisty, caring, strategic, and driven—all things I’d like to be.
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Life After Life
By
Kate Atkinson
Why this book?
Ursula Todd is born in 1910 — and then dies and is reborn over and over again. Ursula does not wholly understand that she’s had past lives, and yet she is able in later lives to conquer the boy who once raped her, the husband who abused her, and she even aims a gun at Hitler in the hopes of avoiding World War II and saving her younger brother. It made me think I could heal past wounds even if I didn’t get the chance to live through a difficult experience again.
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Three Hours in Paris
By
Cara Black
Why this book?
Speaking of World War II, Kate Rees is an expert marksman hired by the British government in 1940 for a very particular mission: to assassinate Hitler during his brief visit to occupied France.
Kate navigates her way out of Paris after the mission fails (no spoiler there!); she’s a creative and sly mouse who won’t let the cat (a German officer on her trail) catch up to her. I felt like I was seeing Paris in a new way as Kate raced through little-known nooks and neighborhoods. A fast-paced and twisty thriller!
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Longbourn
By
Jo Baker
Why this book?
Why do I think Sarah, the orphaned housemaid to the Bennet family (of Pride and Prejudice fame) is a kick-ass heroine? Because despite never being given a surname, she’s smart and observant, she’s not afraid of having a mixed-race relationship (unusual in 1813), and she leaves the safety (I won’t say comfort) of her job at Longbourn to find and help a man in trouble. I loved re-reading Pride and Prejudice from a maid’s point of view. Lots of dress washing and chamberpot emptying, and snarky remarks about class differences.
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The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton
By
Jane Smiley
Why this book?
Tall, plain, and fearless Lidie marries Thomas Newton before heading out to the Kansas Territory in 1850. She’s thrilled to be having an adventure, although Kansas turns out to be more rough and violent than she imagined. Lidie is skilled with horses and guns, which turns out to be a good thing, and she can also dress to look like a man—also helpful. I had never read about the troubles in Kansas before the American Civil War and I was astonished at how dramatic and prophetic it was. Lidie needed every bit of her strength and cunning to survive.