I requested to read Her Quiet Revolution on Netgalley based on the description of a pioneering woman doctor and first state senator. The name Martha Hughes Cannon was not familiar to me so I was intrigued. The story started off a little slow with her family emigrating to the western frontier but I stuck with it and am certainly glad I did. Mattie became a fascinating person to me. To become a doctor, a fugitive, a teacher, and a senator all while being (in my opinion) a single parent is amazing. I applaud all of her accomplishments she achieved despite the struggles of sexual discrimination. This book has opened my eyes to a whole world of women that paved the way for us today. Her choice to enter into a polygamist marriage seems to go against all reasoning but such is life sometimes. This was her life, her choice. While polygamy is not a practice I agree with I appreciate the author’s ability to stay neutral on the subject and just give us information needed that is relevant to the story. I have learned many tidbits of history from this story and am thankful to Marianne Monson for the introduction.

Mary Hughes Cannon was known as Mattie in her life. She was born in Wales. As a small child, she went to America with her parents and two siblings. As they travel across the Unite States by wagon train, her father and the baby died. Her mother Elizabeth was heart broken but determined to make it to Salt Lake City. Elizabeth remarries and has more children. Mattie has a good relationship with her stepfather. Her mother wants Matti to marry and have babies which Mattie doesn’t want. Mattie wants to be a doctor. She works during the day and goes to school at night. She goes to medical school in Michigan. She becomes a doctor in spite of the attitudes of the male professors and students and pranks that happen to her. After graduation she goes on to the medical school of Pennsylvania. She is proposed to and turns down the offer of marriage. She goes home to start a private practice and works as a doctor at the new Desert Hospital. She quickly becomes the head of the hospital. Before she went to medical school, most of society through of women as inferior beings. She became involved in the suffragette movement due to this thinking and treatment of women. Mattie does fall in love but with a man who already has three wives. He was arrested by federal marshals and spent time in prison. The federal government wanted Mattie to give testimony against those who practiced polygamy. She had to leave the country with her new born baby when they found out she was married to a polygamist. When she did come back from Europe, it was due that the arrest warrant was no longer in effect. When she came back she was asked to run as a Democrat to become a Senator. She ran against her own husband who was a republican. Guess who won!

This historical novel gives the biography of a woman who did many significant things during a time in history where much was in flux. She went from being a daughter to the first woman senator in Utah. It was unthinkable in her time. There are footnotes given for where the author learned about this remarkable woman. It’s a great read!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Shadow Mountain publishing for providing me with ARC.
This is the first novel to me by Marianne Monson and i hope to read more for her soon.
This novel is so good, i love biography novels so much because it made me live events and met people i never met or know before.
This novel is about an amazing woman Martha Hughes Cannon (1857-1932) the first female physicians and America’s first female state senator.
I always believe that women have an incredible power to change the history.
To be honest the novel is little bore for me and the other characters is not good as Mattie but the novel is well written.

I have mixed feelings about this book. My rating is probably more accurate at 3.5 but the subject of this book is quite fascinating. This woman accomplished much in life. Parts of the book were hard for me to read since it deals with some difficult topics; losing a child, polygamy, potential abandonment, and so forth. But the woman led such an interesting life. I was grateful for the end notes to get an idea of how much was fabricated by the author for this story and how much was factual history. Since the book covers so much there is a lot of time jumping and sometimes it took me a bit to figure out how much time had passed and where we were as we started a new chapter. More than once I had to reread some sections.
I recommend the book because I found the subject so interesting.

No sex, language or violence
*I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley and voluntarily chose to review it.

An incredibly interesting book about a fascinating woman! A Quiet Revolution is about Martha Hughes Cannon, the first female state senator, a doctor, and influential voice in women's suffrage, public health and medical education for women. Dr. Cannon was also a Mormon, involved in a plural marriage, and the book tells her story about the prejudice she had to deal with because of it. I was very surprised at how much the Mormon church supported Martha, not only in her desire to become a doctor, but also in becoming a state senator. There were many obstacles to overcome her family's objection to medical school among them. Author Marianne Monson has deeply researched Dr. Cannon and creates a fascinating story that educates as well as entertains. I highly recommend this book!

Wow! What a great book. This was different from most of the books I’ve read. It made me so grateful for all the amazing women who broke through all the poop barriers so that I have the opportunity to pursue any career I want. I had no idea that Utah was so involved in women’s rights. The author made this book so enjoyable to read and at the same time gave me a history lesson. Well done- I would for sure recommend this book!

This book is based on the life of Martha Hughes Cannon ,the first AmericanState Senator from Utah.
She Became a Doctor at 23 in the late 1800’s.She taught classes and trained midwives.She was a Suffragette and very vocal about women’s rights.
What was fascinating to me was that this strong independent woman married a man who practiced Polygamy.Would have liked a bit more details about polygamy at that time.
Fascinating book.
Thankyou Netgalley for this ARC

I needed to have some time after reading Her Quiet Revolution by Marianne Monson to think about this review. It is a difficult one to write. Upon reading the book description, I was quite interested. I was completely unfamiliar with Dr. Cannon and wanted to find out more. A woman in her time who became not only a doctor but also a senator! Amazing! And from Utah? Why have I not heard of her? From the description I expected to find out why, after being uninterested in being in a polygamist marriage she then ended up marrying a polygamist. I wondered why such an independent woman decided on following that path in life and how it affected her previous decisions and future ambitions.

I was disappointed to see that those issues, while promised, went unaddressed. Her Quiet Revolution, at times reads like propaganda for the LDS. Obviously , at the time, polygamy was church policy. One that has since been reconsidered. This book does not educate the reader on polygamy. We are not told exactly what it is or the reasoning behind it. We are not told how it was viewed by church members, either female or male, nor are we told much of how non-believers viewed it. We aren't even told anything about Dr. Cannon's views and the book is about her!

There is obviously more to this book than polygamy but much of thus book seems to take place after her marriage to Angus Cannon and her flight, with child, to elude government officials. How much she may have accomplished if she did not have to abandon her life here we will never know. She accomplished much with all of the troubles brought into her life by this marriage.

The reader is not given very information about the courtship between Dr. Cannon and Angus Cannon at all. What did she see in him that she not only went against her purported feelings about plural marriage but seemed worth the sacrifices she must have known would be required? She was well aware that the government was cracking down on polygamists at that time, she knew she needed to hide the relationship and the marriage. I don't understand, the book did not show or tell us why. We do see some of her frustration at the situation and him but not much. Why, when we read of her admiration for her mother's and step-fathers's marriage and her desire to replicate it, did she then change her mind and enter into a plural marriage?

We also are not told what happened to the wives. Neither before or after the crackdown. Dr. Cannon was certainly the exception to the majority of plural wives. She married a "celebrity" in the LDS world as opposed to just a regular guy. He had money and a name. She had a career and her own money. She was able to go on the run, she even traveled to Europe. What about the ordinary people who did not have similar resources? Once polygamy was no longer allowed and only first wives recognized, what happened to the other wives and the other children? As a women's rights proponent, did Dr. Cannon turn a blind eye, was she unaware? We don't know. I think this should have been addressed. She is not accountable, nor should she be, but as a woman who was interested in women's suffrage, etc. it seems to me, at least, that this is something she would have thought about.

Her Quiet Revolution promises more than it delivered in my opinion. I expected an insight into Dr. Cannon's life, her choices. I expected to learn more about this remarkable woman, how she became who she became, her quest for education, her career both as a doctor and a senator but so much of that was missing.

A wonderful read. The main character drew me in and, surprisingly, despite her successes and milestone events had me angry at choices she made for herself and her family. A sign of a great read - I kept going, learning, journeying, and discovering.

Martha Hughes Cannon was a strong woman who overcame odds and accomplished many things. She was an interesting person, pioneer, doctor, senator and had an important role as Utah became state. I had never heard of her prior to this book. So I learned something!

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

While I’m not LDS and I’ve never read any of the closely faith-based Shadow Mountain publications before, I was intrigued by the subtitle and blurb of Her Quiet Revolution, suggesting Martha Hughes Cannon was a woman defying both historical and religious conventions. And in the hands of the right author, I think it could have been great.

But it felt more watered down than anything else, more telling than showing, without any real substance to make the story memorable. The short chapters end so abruptly, and I never fully got the sense that Monson delved into Martha Hughes Cannon to the point of really bringing to life all of her accomplishments, Martha professes to be passionate about women’s suffrage, but I never felt like the conflict was strong enough to justify it, even though Monson went on at length about it in her endnotes.

One positive is that it is a fairly readable, if somewhat basic, introduction to a little known pioneering woman who should be studied both as a part of LDS history and the history of her role in politics in the late nineteenth century.

In short, it didn’t live up to its potential for me. But I do still feel like this could be a great starting point to introducing people to a fascinating historical figure. History buffs might want to consider giving this one a chance if they find her story at all interesting.

Fictionalized Biography of an Outstanding 1800s Woman
This is a very in-depth account of the true life of Martha Hughes Cannon. The added fiction allows the book to become alive and follows her life story quite well. I was disappointed that the story ends with her election to the State Senate of Utah. The remaining years of her life were as productive as the early years. The book is highly readable, not stuffy and is a page-turner. The reader quickly becomes immersed in post Civil War life. It is a compelling account. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

This was a novel based closely on the life of Martha Hughes Cannon, MD. Born in Wales and brought to this nation as a convert to Mormonism as a child, her story began in this book with the long journey from NYC to Utah in 1861.

The book covers 4 decades of history and presents them in a most readable manner. Marianne Monson is to be congratulated on the depth of her research and the presentation of her material. I found this book to be most interesting and – once again – an historical novel which will lead me into further research about the information covered. That’s always a winner in my opinion.

There were many questions in my mind as I read the history covered. Questions such as, “What happened to all the other wives disenfranchised when polygamy was ruled illegal and the men were not only labeled as bigamists, but sent to prison?” Following the story of Dr. Cannon’s life (which ended all too abruptly), the reader is treated to about 35 pages (roughly 10% of the total) of the author’s notes, chapter by chapter. That was interesting and helped to answer some of the lingering questions that I had.

All in all, it’s a worthy read. It’s part of the history of the United States as well as being a history of medicine and a history of women’s suffrage.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Shadow Mountain Publishing , for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting read and Mattie was certainly a very determined woman. I was conflicted about her relationship with Angus though and her putting up with polygamy seemed contrary to her spirited striving. Seems like this was glossed over.

This book made for fairly compelling reading initially. Mattie and her family's experience journeying to Utah, her clashes with her mother, and her stepfather's support of her desire to study helped me understand where Mattie was coming from, wanting to become a doctor in a time when female professionals was such a rarity.
This book also gave insight as to why some women agreed to become plural wives. Mattie's thoughts of how it could work for her broadened my perspective and understanding of the subject.
However, I was disappointed in Angus' character, and that Mattie seemed to just accept it.
As it is based on real people and true events, there may be some gaps on the narrative. It would have been good to have these filled in by the author for the purposes of the novel, with an explanation of the fact/fiction parts at the end. E.g. what was the true nature of Mattie and Angus' relationship upon her return to Utah? Did they still consider themselves married, or were they truly divorced? How did this impact on their children? Their extended families? Etc.
I was surprised to learn that in that day and age, a man who had disregarded the law as much as Angus, and spent time in jail, could be in the running for a state senator.
An educating read.

#HerQuietRevelution #NetGalley

A historical novel on the life of Martha Huges Cannon. Mattie learned about death from a young age and grew up loving to learn about science. She worked as a type setter, to pay her way through school. Against her mothers wishes, Mattie went back East to college, to study medicine and become a doctor. Mattie was smart and was at the top of her class. When Mattie came back to Utah, she joined the women's suffrage and was an advocate for women. Mattie married a polygamist around the time the government was trying to ban polygamy. Mattie became Utah's first woman senator. This book could have been a little shorter, I liked Mattie's strong determination to become a doctor, in a time where only a few women went into the medical field.

Thank you to Net Galley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the chance to read and review this book. I really liked this book-it was well researched and I learned a lot about a fascinating lady. This story is based on the real life of Martha Hughes Cannon. She was a frontier doctor in the frontier territory of Utah in the late 19th century. She was also the first female state senator. I was so impressed with all of her accomplishments and all of her work to benefit women and children. I would have liked to know more about the relationship between her and Angus-maybe a little more details about their time together. Other then that, it was a very enjoyable book.

Her Quiet Revolution
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.The book is based on the life of Martha Hughes Cannon, the first female senator from Utah in the late 19th century. From the author’s notes after the end of the book, it is obvious that a lot of thorough research went into writing this book and the novel closely follows real life people and events.
Martha or Mattie as she is known is brought to Utah from Wales as a child. During the trip west, the family loses a child and a father. This loss has a great impact on Mattie’s decision to eventually become a doctor. In Utah Mattie is faced with religious practices, and she admires those healers who employ science in their work. Mattie pursues education in spite of lack of support from her mother. Her stepfather, James however is very supportive of Mattie. She is accepted to the University of Michigan medical school, one of a handful of women. When she comes back to Utah after graduation, she marries Angus, a polygamist and has a child with him. Due to the government trying to abolish polygamy, and arrest those practicing, she needs to escape to Europe alone with a baby, but she returns to Utah a few months later.
Mattie’s courageous struggle for independence, woman’s rights eventually wins her the democratic nomination to the Utah senate, after Utah becomes a state.
This book is very well written, and I found it very educational. I also could very much identify with the women’s struggle for equality. More than a 100 years later, there is still wage inequality for women.
I found the ending very abrupt, and also felt that Angus’s and Mattie’s relationship after she returns from Europe was not explained enough.
Overall, good, interesting read, 4 stars.
Thanks NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced copy.

Her Quiet Revolution
by Marianne Monson
A wonderful, intricately woven story of Martha “Mattie” Hughes Cannon, who became the first female U.S. senator. The book details the trials of the journey from her home of Wales, across the American frontier to Utah.
Poetically written in language reminiscent of the times, the author even adds in Welsh phrases to add to the authenticity. This is a very comprehensive story about Mattie’s hardships and struggles of family life, polygamy of the Morman religion, and the desire to become educated (and ultimately educate) as a doctor before becoming a Senator. With so many accomplishments and achievements in her time, I’m surprised she is not more well known. This is not a light read. It is a well researched, thoroughly portrayed story of women’s historical fiction. I would say it is best suited to readers that prefer this genre.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @shadowmountainpublishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This well researched and presented book is a novelized history of a very real woman.  Her very real struggles are compellingly conveyed, as well as her many accomplishments and triumphs.  Mattie's early years are thoroughly described; I feel I have a solid sense of her roots and background.  I was impressed with the broad scope of this book.  Mattie's life encompasses challenges with discrimination against women (especially in her chosen field), life practicing polygamy during widespread persecution and subsequent discontinuing the practice, and educating a populace who has been taught erroneously and resists her scientific-based reteaching efforts.  Despite her many challenges, I felt of her faith and trust in God as she made the most of the gifts and experiences she had.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.  All opinions are my own.