Very interesting! 3.75 stars.
But some parts were slightly slow, but still very interesting. The cover dose not do this book justice.

Her Quiet Revolution by Marianne Monson was an interesting read. I was kind of shocked and alarmed I had not previously heard of the remarkable real-life woman portrayed as the main character. As other reviewers noted, her life displayed some dichotomies with her professional ambitions not necessarily matching mainstream expectations for the choices made in her personal life. I have mixed feelings about the author taking some liberties... I feel like it can help make a story more compelling but also regret the loss of pure authenticity.

This novel shown light on a very little known woman. However, this was not well-executed. Some of the parts seemed rushed and some seemed to drag. Martha is a very strong character and seems like an interesting figure that it made me want to read more about her. While I’m glad that the author shown on a forgoing figure, this novel left me wanting.

There is an innocence, for lack of a better word, that seeps throughout this book. (Perhaps simplicity is the better word.) I also found many grammar issues, which hopefully were fixed before publication, but were so glaring to me, that it was distracting. (Certainly my grammar isn’t perfect, but I seem to notice it more with other people’s writing.)

The story also had this assumption of deep knowledge of the Mormon religion. There were words and things that I didn’t quite understand what was going on. I suspect the book is written for a particular audience and I am not it.
Unfortunately, with all these issues I had to stop reading around a quarter of the way in. The struggle was too much for me to get into the story of this woman who sounds like she was amazing. Hopefully this will work better for others.

Please note my rating is based only on the first 25% of the book and consider that with your evaluation.

I was not able to get interested in this book and I did not finish it. The characters and the plot were not able to catch or keep my attention.

Loved this historical fiction novel about a lesser known woman. I enjoyed this, but it's sad that I had learned about this amazing woman in a history fiction text and not in school.

WOW! I was transported, This was such an intimate and dynamic narrative of a part of history I am ashamed that I am not as familiar with. The way this followed her life from little girl to state senator was masterful. I was immediately pulled in and it didn't let go. I felt like I was a part of a sacred experience in watching Mattie fight for the things that she wanted and for the betterment of others. There were quotes from her life and the lives of her contemporaries that are just as relevant now as they were then. I never knew so much about Martha Hughes Cannon and her influence in the way people are cared for and women's health.

I would recommend this book.

I love reading historical novels about people. It gives the reader more of a complete picture of life for that person and life at that time in general. This book did that for me, and more!

I had heard of Martha Hughes Cannon. But, I knew very little about her. But I’d never really wondered how she was as a person. Or what kinds of things she would have gone through in her life. I loved learning all of those things as I read this one.

This book really helped me form a more complete picture of life would have been like for women in the late 1800’s. There were so many little things that I picked up from this novel that I wouldn’t have been able to in other ways.

And there were a bunch of things that I learned about polygamy from Martha’s experiences as well. One thing that really fascinated me was the way she had to leave the country for a time to escape being arrested for being the wife of a polygamist. This book really opened my eyes to some of those things.

I loved reading this book!

A lot of the historical details were interesting, some of them were infuriating. It wasn't as easy to slip into this story as I wanted it to be. I most enjoyed the part of the story that dealt with Mattie's traveling in Europe with her very young daughter. The epigraphs in part five were also interesting.

I think the story would have been much more interesting to me if it hadn't felt as though there was some distance kept from Mattie's feelings regarding entering into and living in a plural marriage. Mattie was clearly intelligent and not afraid to do what she thought needed to be done. Her career was important to her. She would have understood the likely consequences of her choice. I wanted to get some idea of how she felt when her time in office ended, and when her last child was born. It was too bad the book stopped before then. I never really understand much about what motivated her husband to take the actions he did either. I don't have to agree with all the choices a character makes, but I do want to understand, and I didn't feel as though I did here. That said, Martha Hughes Cannon was a remarkable person and I'm glad to know a little bit about her.

I really liked Her Quiet Revolution: A Novel of Martha Hughes Cannon: Frontier Doctor and First Female State Senator and am giving it four stars.

An intense look at one woman who had quite a grand life. Martha Hughes Cannon had quite a vast life. From breaking ground in medical school as one of a handful of women pursuing a doctorate degree to being the first female elected to state senator position in Utah, she had quite the life and I enjoyed reading a detailed focus on her life.

Martha or Mattie as she was called had a life and there were so many moments where I kept looking up to confirm that this fictional novel was based in truth. I appreciate books that walk the line and the reader can't figure out what is fact and fiction. I love when fact seems so crazy that it could be fiction and it isn't!

It feels weird to talk about Martha as a character because she was someone in real life. I appreciated getting to know someone who is far different from who I am and in a time that is different from what I live in. I liked seeing her interact or be in the presence of other historical characters that I have read and seen in other books, it helped place her in this time and place.

I also enjoyed reading about the people that surrounded Mattie. I think the author did a great job of allowing the reader to get to know Mattie's friends, family and co workers to even get a more round view of her and her world.

After reading this book, it made me want to search more of these out. I would love to read more books that are focused looks at people in history that probably haven't been highlighted in typical fashion. Have you read any books like this that you would recommend?

I love reading historical fiction , this book was well researched, and documented the era very well.

#netgalley #herquietrevolution
This was quite a story, I had a hard time getting into it. Mattie worked hard to become a doctor when women were not likely to succeed. She married a polygamist and was forced to flee to escape being arrested. When she did return, she joined other women who were seeking the right to vote. She was eventually voted into the Senate. It was an interesting read.

4.5 Stars. The first fourth to third of the book was much better than the last fourth. Monson covered several topics with frank truthfulness including polygamy and faith/blessings involving healing in the early days of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The book was a difficult one for me to read and left me a bit unsettled. However, just because a book was unsettling does not mean it was not good. So, I gave the book five stars in spite of my own discomfort.

Polygamy was unsettling as could be expected. In part, it was troubling for me in particular because because my husband was widowed before I married him. The idea that there can only be "one true love" in life doesn't sit right. I know polygamy was hard for many, but I've also heard situations where it was good, where the women became dear friends and sisters. I don't believe we know all of the emotions of Mattie or the others. Maybe she really struggled with it all the time. On the other hand, maybe it was more mixed--times when was fine with it and times when she was not. Regardless, I did appreciate the perspective of polygamy and its difficulties, especially after the proclamation that ended the open practice of polygamy.

I gave the book such a high rating because the novel was very well researched, the narrative was engaging, the story captivating, and it was very educational. It even held me captive during the COVID-19 quarantine where my mind is any place but centered on fiction. In fact, I found the medical aspects of the book quite fascinating in light of our current pandemic. I found myself driven to the Internet to learn more about medicine, pioneer lives, and the people in the book.

I loved the chapter end notes. This allowed me to know which parts were fictitious and assumptions the author made and which parts were factual. Those completed the book for me.

I wish the end had dealt less with the Chicago World's fair (in fact, I'd almost say to skip those two or three chapters as they spend most of the time quoting others' speeches) and spent more time focusing on the realities of women's suffrage efforts in Utah and Cannon's political campaign. The book ended too soon for me, which was right after she won the election. I would have loved to hear about her time in the legislature.

As a child, Mattie and her family traveled by covered wagon to Utah. Along the way, her baby sister and father died. This ignited in Mattie a desire to study disease and healing. This book follows her life through medical school, marriage to a polygamist, travels to Europe, and into politics.

This was definitely an interesting story. However, at times the book seemed to skip through events, or skip forward in time in a lurching, jolting way. My other big criticism is that the author included quotes from Mattie at the beginning of each chapter. The quotes often made little sense and did not work with the short chapters. This felt like a first novel, with need of critical editing. Overall, 3 out of 5 stars.

Her Quiet Revolution ended up being a great surprise to me. I love history and reading historical fiction. This book happens to be a Biographical Historical Fiction. It's based on the life of Martha Hughes Cannon (1857-1932) a Pioneer woman, one of the first female doctors to go to medical school, and the first female state senator. Her credentials are quite impressive but she went through a lot to get to that long list of accomplishments.

This book spans four decades starting when she came across the plains of America in a covered wagon with her family. During this trip, her baby sister dies and her father dies three days after they enter the Salt Lake Valley. These tragic deaths motivate her to study to become a healer and eventually a well-respected doctor. During this period, and in Utah, it is amazing that she was able to reach her goals. I admire Mattie so much and how she didn't give in and always was looking for ways to achieve her dreams. She definitely was not like most women in her time period. Mattie wanted more than to just have a husband and children. The one aspect of her life that shocked me a bit is when she fell in love with Angus Cannon, a prominent Mormon leader, and polygamist. Though she married him and had children with him, she never had him fully in her nor her children's life. Polygamy was not a popular thing in the late 1800s in the USA and Mattie had to flee a few times to protect her and her children from local & federal authorities.

This book showcases so many ideas and the beginnings of women building a place for themselves in the USA and the world.

This was an incredible read that made me grateful for women like Mattie. They paved the way for the women of today. I highly recommend this book to all readers who love historical fiction.

I had never heard of the woman that this novel is based on but from the premise the novel sounded interesting, let me tell you it didn't disappoint in being a great novel. I was invested in what I was reading and it got me to look up the real person Martha Hughes Cannon. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and Martha Hughes Cannon herself.

Thanks to #shadowmountainpublishing and #netgalley for the opportunity to read and review #herquietrevolution. This excellent book tells the story of Martha Hughes Cannon. Martha was the daughter of Welsh immigrants who came to America as converts to the LDS religion. She grew up in the late 1800's in Utah. She was fascinated by the human body and persisted against the more of the time that women didn't become physicians. Her struggles to forge her own path is truly inspiring. She was persecuted for her marriage to a man who practiced polygamy. She endured prejudice in her career, but never lost her courage or her principles. An excellent book and recommend highly.

This was quite a story. Mattie fought to become a doctor when men dominated the field, then married a polygamist and was forced to flee to escape being arrested. When she returned, she joined other women seeking the right to vote, and was eventually voted into the Senate. Quite a read

This is an interesting novel about an historical person with whom I was unfamiliar. Ms. Monson did extensive research into the life of Martha Hughes Cannon. In the first parts of the novel every chapter begins with an excerpt from one of Mattie's journals from medical school, and last part of the book each chapter begins with a quote from one of many her speeches. From these quotes and the story of the novel, the reader learns about life in the early Utah territory and the struggles faced by women in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Mattie had to fight to get an education and eventually go to med school. Just getting an education was unusual, but Mattie also taught others and opened a hospital nursing school before becoming a state senator.

For me the story dragged in places, but I am glad I learned about Martha Hughes Cannon. I received a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you #NetGalley.