I read this novel in one day.

It was a windy, gloomy day. But that is not why I read it in one day. I read it in one day because I did not want to stop reading.

I loved the narrative voice, the feeling of being transported back several centuries, the knowing wink to the style of the early 19th c in lines like "No one who had ever seen Margaret Brackley in her infancy would have supposed her born to be a heroine (or so Jane Austen might have written of her..."

I was interested in the questions the narrator struggled with, about choice and chance, gender identity, the gap between male and female autonomy and self-determination.

Which of us is undisguised, after all? Which of us reveals himself truly to the world. ~from The Cape Doctor by E. J. Levy

The Cape Doctor is based on the true story of a woman who posed as a man to gain an education and become the first female doctor. She performed the first recorded, successful Cesarean operation.

Levy's character is inspired by the historical Barry, but Levy gives her own spin to the story, concentrating on the feminist issues. Her Dr. Perry lives as a man, but identifies as female. (Another character is hermaphrodite, which some believe Barry was, while others believe Barry was transsexual. Those controversies do not affect my reading of this novel, as this is historical fiction inspired by true events, and not a biography.)

Under Levy's hands, the imagined character Margaret Brackley becomes Dr. Jonathan Mirandus Perry. She tells her story of transformation from a subservient and invisible female to an authoritative and competent professional man of society.

In dire poverty, Margaret's mother sends her to beg aid from her uncle. There, she meets General Mirandus, who takes an interest in her brilliant mind. After her uncle's death, the general sends her to be educated in Edinburgh's esteemed medical school with plans for her to become his personal physician in Caracas.

Margaret cuts her hair and binds her breasts and dons a boy's clothing. She learns to lower her voice, to change her actions and her attitude, to mimic. She learns how to masquerade, how to pass.

As Dr. Perry, she becomes a successful army doctor in Cape Town, with at least one young lady falling in love with her.

When her true sex is discovered, she has a love affair and must chose between love and her career, and more importantly, "the right to think and speak and move as I chose, not as others bade me. To experience life on my own terms."

I thought of Mary Wollstonecraft, another brilliant woman who was also against marriage, whose love affairs were scandalous.

As a first-person narrative in the style of the early 19th c, Margaret/Perry speaks to issues of identity and freedom, often in pithy epigrams. And most are quite timeless. Including, "You can judge a culture by its medicine, by how it treats is most vulnerable--the ill."

It is interesting to learn that the Cape Doctor is the name for a strong wind that today blows away the pollution over Cape Town and provides waves for perfect surfing, but which was believed to also blow away bad spirits, healing the town. And that fair weather comes after the blow.

I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

Truth certainly is stranger than fiction, as it is said often. Had this novel not been based on historical events and people I would not have believed it possible for a woman to pull off passing as a man, despite a love affair and a full-term pregnancy. E. J. Levy bring Margaret Brackley, aka Dr. James Perry, to life in this excellent historical novel. Although beautifully written, there are times when it's a slow read and questions still linger after it ended. But those are quibbles and this is a fascinating novel based on the life of a determined woman.

I loved the premise of this story, inspired by the real life Dr. James Miranda Barry, who was discovered upon his death to be a woman. The story starts in the early 19th century, when James is actually Margaret Buckley. In the book, James Barry becomes Jonathan Perry
Jonathan’s education at the University of Edinburgh is much more than just medical
studies. He learns how to be a man of rank - to have the confidence, and oftentimes, arrogance of a man, but also how to take part in society.
I appreciated Levy’s ability to give us a detailed time and place. I really enjoyed Perry’s attitude towards medicine - common sense based in an era when medicine more often killed than cured. In fact, much of her time in Cape Town was spent trying to stop druggists from selling fake medicines for profit.
I will admit to getting a wee bit bored with the repeated references to her monthlies and the tactics necessary to hide the evidence. I was more questioning how she hid the more often need to urinate.
As someone who has often thanked God to have been born when I was, I fully understood Jonathan’s need to consistently put brain ahead of heart. More than once, she had to make the decision to maintain the facade rather than opt for love. “That I had to give up the second greatest love of my life, Lord Charles, to preserve the first: not medicine, but the liberty of my own mind. The right to think and speak and move as I chose, not as others bade me. To experience life on my own terms. The only liberty worth the name.” Because in the end, this is a story of sacrifice. No one gets to live a life without regrets and Perry had more than his share of regrets.
This is a highly engaging historical fiction. Levy did meticulous research to present us with this story and it shows throughout the book.
My thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown & Co. for an advance copy of this book.

This book takes a look at the extraordinary life of Dr. James Miranda Barry. The overall tone of the book is not typical of biographical fiction. The author chose to utilize a more reflexive and contemplative approach to unraveling Dr. Barry's life. Throughout the story numerous examples were used to identify how society identified with gender and how those notions stipulated what was deemed "acceptable" behavior. Dr. Barry's contributions to the medical world include performing the first documented successful caesarean section by a European in Africa, introducing plant based treatments for syphilis and gonorrhea, and initiating medical reforms for wounded soldiers through his posting as Inspector General of military hospitals. The book is seemingly well researched. The author chose a remarkable person to explore. Personally, I found the literary style a bit slow and struggled at times to continue.

I received an advance copy of this title via NetGalley.

What an amazing story. This book tells the tale of a woman who lived as man to become a doctor. While there was no discussion of Barry being trans due to the time period, perhaps Barry was, but the reader is left unsure.

I fell in love with Barry's character. Very inspiring indeed.

I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone!

Historical fiction at it's best! E.J. Levy's, The Cape Doctor, is a beautifully written book about a woman posing as a man to become a doctor, in a time when neither was legal. Posing to become and continue to be the best could cost her everything. All she has to do is reveal her secret in order to have love, family, etc., but it could cost her life. A book of choices and consequences. A book you should read. Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC ebook version of The Cape Doctor in exchange for an honest review.

“She died, so I might live.”

A lot of people have never heard of this brilliant physician. I had read another book on him and quite enjoyed it.

Starting out as a child in Ireland, Margaret Bulkley, her sister, and her parents are not well off. But Margaret has ambitions and her mother leaves home with her to study at Edinburgh’s medical school. With a wealthy patron behind her, there is only one problem. Women are not allowed in medical school.

It was a problem, but one that was easily and willingly solved by getting rid of Margaret and becoming James Barry. And he did it well. Of course, there were dangers of being found out. And there was a lot of talk. There was a lot of tragedy.

Dr. Barry was simply brilliant. She served in military hospitals, she brought female medicine out of the dark ages, even performing the first C-Section in Africa! He was a strong advocate of equal access to medical care and the treatment of leprosy.

It must have been a lonely life with few to confide in. Even after the first woman graduated from medical school, he stayed James.

The ease with which he embraced James was interesting to me. He was comfortable with himself and maybe he was trans.

Of all the magnificent achievements he made, after death, his secret was laid bare on an autopsy table. A man, born a woman who had delivered a child at one time.

Very controversial in that time and to be honest in this one as well.

Well researched and written.

NetGalley/ June 1st, 2021 by Little Brown

A well written piece of historical fiction. Ms. Levy tells a realistic tale of a woman passing as a man to make her life better and to use her intellect to help the field of medicine and to help her patients.
Well told and easy to get lost in the world where a woman is able to be what she wants, but costs her much.