Everybody, including her mother, believes that Kate's father committed suicide. Determined to prove otherwise, Kate sets out on a fascinating and sometimes hysterical journey through antebellum law and medicine. Set in 1860s Nashville and told with a biting wit, determined Kate finally discovers the truth - but at what cost? Will she ruin her own life trying to defend the life of her dead father?
Excerpt
Nashville, 1860
That early November Sunday Dr. Edgar glanced over the congregation at First Presbyterian and his gaze met mine. I quickly looked down, pretending to fumble in my Bible for the text he’d announced. I wondered if he could tell, if with his spiritual eyes he could visualize my newly black heart. Did he know I went to church to practice hate and revenge? Or that every Sunday I indulged myself in a full hour of loathing and plotting the demise of one of his most prominent members?
I wondered too if my motivation for church attendance was shared by any of the other three hundred congregants. Did Mrs. Polk, the president’s widow, ever entertain such thoughts beneath that black headwear? Or all the pious appearing bankers and businessmen who attended faithfully? What about the negroes lining the back row? I used to be just like all these people – attending church to worship God in hopes of avoiding hell – but hell no longer scared me.
No, that was not entirely true. Roasting in hell actually terrified me but my plan was to live long enough to repent after doing what I needed to do, and I had no idea what kind of sinning that might involve. Afterward I planned to fully repent of any transgressions and lead a godly life. For the time being I prayed for an exemplary sense of timing.
Professional Reviews
My favorite of the year.
I am normally not a reader of what I would call quality character books that are worthy of a review. They may be best sellers but are usually simply repeatable murder mysteries that I can read in bed to put me to sleep. I have just finished The Doctor's Daughter: Journey to Justice by Belle Blackburn and have to say it is not a book to use for putting yourself to sleep. You will keep forcing your eyes open trying to read another page until you can't do it anymore. Then you will want to get back to it as soon as you can. You will meet self reliant poor folk and rich people who are good but helpless without their servants. You will hear colloquialisms of the time and the place such as chirky, coryza, flibbertigibbet, Buck shoes for Buck Dancing, doing the Dancing Dan. But of course the story is in the first person of an 18 year old girl's perseverance on her mission to find the truth and obtain justice for her father's death at the same time that she finds love and a different life. If you like to analyze characters in a story you will find plenty here and some surprises. I urge you to read the book. The Doctor's Daughter: Journey to Justice
Continuing the lineage of great southern literature.
Southern literature has always been a favorite of mine: Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor, Walker Percy, etc. And it's easy to understand why - southern authors always have a deep well to draw from, their stories steeped in southern heritage and painted by colorful and memorable characters. And so the tradition is carried forth in the Doctor's Daughter, providing a prime example of a southern yarn that drops you right into olden Nashville, hooks you with the anguish Kate feels over the death of her father, and carries you along with the multitude of unforgettable characters that surround her, armed with quotable slang and southern charm. The main thrust of course is Kate's journey, set off by the death of her father. Its through her eyes though that we see not just a vivid portrait of the times, but how a single driving force can consume you and carry you to your journey's end, no matter what that end may be. Overall a great read for lovers of southern lit.
Insight into a special time.
I have to admit that I normally am not a reader of fiction. However, on the suggestion of a friend I found myself immediately engrossed in the story of Kate, a young woman coming of age in the early days of Civil War Nashville. Belle Blackburn has succeeded in weaving the little known details of that time into a story that includes love, revenge, compassion, and humor. She provides insight into how the upheaval of the Civil War affected individuals and families on both sides of the social "tracks". The story has more twists, turns, and surprises than the road from Nashville to Peony. When you think you have "figured it out" you quickly find out you don't. Blackburn's humor sneaks up on you in the oddest places. I actually laughed out loud - not something that I do very often when reading a book. If you like a story that tugs at your heart, raises your spirit, surprises you continuously, and educates, I highly recommend the Doctor's Daughter. I look forward to the sequels.
Tralee, Ireland. September 1948.
An arrogant, and highly agitated, priest arrives home after 40 years.
Days later he's dead. Suicide? Or did his past catch up with him?
Dublin 1941. A brutal murder. Mistaken identity. And barman Eamon Foley is running for his life.
Nine months later Foley is in a crowded pub, and his brother-in-law is shot dead.
