4.5 dazzling stars for this well written historical fiction novel. The title and cover enticed me to listen to this audiobook. I basically began to listen to Susan Lyon’s performance of The Surgeon’s Daughter without reading reviews or finding out much about it before I began to listen. Susan Lyon’s performance was well done as she effortlessly switched from character to character. I found out after I completed the audiobook that The Surgeon’s Daughter was the second book that Audrey Blake had written about courageous and determined Nora Beady. Not having read the first book, The Girl in His Shadow, I was not deterred in any way from enjoying The Surgeon’s Daughter. In my opinion, The Surgeon’s Daughter can be read as a stand-alone book. That being said, I decided to listen to the first book, The Girl in His Shadow, just to gain background information about the characters I was introduced to in The Surgeon’s Daughter. Audrey Blake is the pen name for authors Jaima Fixsen and Regina Sirois. Together they have written these two captivating historical fiction novels. They are both on my radar now. The Surgeon’s Daughter was well paced and was enriched with many vivid details of the time period and of how hard it was for a woman to become a doctor in both Italy and England. The story alternated between Nora’s medical training in Bologna, Italy and with Nora’s fiancé, Dr. Daniel Gibson, and the challenges he faced in his medical practice with Dr. Croft.

The Surgeon’s Daughter took place in the early to mid 1800’s, when women with any ambition of pursuing a medical career, were frowned upon, degraded and challenged relentlessly. Nora Beady, the ward of respected and brilliant surgeon, Horace Croft, was one of those women. She had aspired to become a doctor in England but due to circumstances beyond her control, Nora was forced to pursue her medical training in Italy at the University of Bologna, the oldest university in Europe. She had acted as Dr. Croft’s assistant since he began to teach her when she was merely fourteen years old. Now Nora found herself as the only female student in her medical class. Her goal was to become licensed as a surgeon and then return to home to England to practice beside her mentor, Dr. Croft and her fiancé, Dr. Daniel Gibson. Nora had to work twice as hard as any of her male counterparts in her class even though her medical talent was far superior to them. She was not at all deterred when the male doctors passed her over and chose male medical students instead of herself. Nora excelled in administering ether and was often called upon to demonstrate her knowledge of this or use it in certain surgeries. One day, Nora was attending to a pregnant female patient. The patient was in distress and the birth was proving to be very complicated and beyond Nora’s capabilities. It was then that Nora was joined by Dr. Magdalena Morenco, the only female doctor, and made to assist in performing a cesarean section on the patient. Nora was fascinated and terrified at the same time. Over time, the two women came to respect each other and made a pact to teach each other their noted skill. Nora taught Magdalena how to administer ether and Magdalena taught Nora how to perform cesarean sections.

The Surgeon’s Daughter was very well written. Having two daughters in the medical field and knowing how hard they had to work to get where they are in their careers, I can’t imagine how hard it had been for the women back in the nineteenth century. The Surgeon’s Daughter was so insightful about all the challenges those women faced and the courage and determination they had to have to succeed. This novel focused on the themes of friendship, love, family, resilience, courage, being open to new medical breakthroughs, confidence and caring. I really enjoyed listening to The Surgeon’s Daughter by Audrey Blake and look forward to the next book about Nora Beady and the other well developed and likable characters that the authors brought to life for me. I find myself still thinking about the characters and the story even though I finished the book. I highly recommend this book.

this audio was just amazing. it was a great plot and so exciting also. i loved the narrator. As soon as i was finished i went and got the ebook because i needed it to read

An absolutely incredible historical fiction novel set in the late 1800's about a woman and her journey to be recognized as a doctor, focusing on c-section procedures. This book was simply fascinating from every standpoint. From the moment it began, I was enthralled and needed to keep listening. So many emotions are provoked throughout the book too, as a woman and as someone who has had a c-section.

As a forewarning, there are quite graphic descriptions of medical procedures, including c-section births. It definitely added another element to the story telling however. If you have any interest in women's history, the medical field, or women in the medical field, this book and The Girl In His Shadow (the first book in this series) are definitely ones to pick up!

Apparently I’m on a kick of sequels. The Surgeon’s Daughter is the follow up to Audrey Blake’s The Girl in His Shadow that follows Horace Croft’s discovery of Nora Beady. In this next chapter, Nora takes her knowledge gained from growing up with one of London’s most renowned surgeon’s to Bologna. In Italy, they recognize that women too are capable of becoming licensed doctors.

Regardless of Italy’s stance on allowing women into medical school, Nora still faces a steep uphill battle in a field set against her success. When she begins studying under Magdalena Morenco, the only female doctor on staff, Nora begins to see a future in medicine for herself that isn’t in Horace’s shadow. Magdalena teaches Nora all she knows about obstetrics, including the new surgery called Cesarean section. This innovative surgery bypasses the birth canal all together, but comes with great risk. Magdalena sees Nora’s expertise on ether as an asset to the new surgery, and the women trade their knowledge to best serve their female patients.

When Nora meets a wealthy and titled patient who is in need of this new surgery, she recognizes that her success or failure in this one birth can change her entire career trajectory. With most of the male doctors proclaiming her failure before it has even happened, Nora must choose ifs is she will attempt save this woman and her unborn child’s life and risk her potential career, or take a safer pathway.

Audrey Blake has written another fascinating piece of historical fiction. Nora is a fantastic heroine, but hard working and humble. As a reader you can’t help but root for her success.

This was such a fascinating read, and I love a strong female lead being empowered.

Nora Beady is in Italy attending medical school, but after learning a few medical procedures, Nora is faced with discrimination because she is a woman, and there aren’t any opportunities for her to work as a physician in London.

I loved the audiobook too, which was narrated by Susan Lyons, and she really brought to light the issues of women’s rights, and medical ethics.

*many thanks to RB Media and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Sequel to The Girl In His Shadow, Nora Beady is now in Italy attending med school. After learning medical procedures from Dr. Horace Croft, a noted surgeon in London, she must leave home because of the absence of opportunities for women to become physicians in 19th Century England. Her boyfriend Dr. Daniel Gibson, stays in London to work under his mentor Dr. Croft. Neither Nora nor Daniel have smooth sailing in this second installment.

Nora faces male derision and prejudice from students and instructors. She finds a kindred spirit in Dr. Magdalena Morenco, a doctor on the cutting edge of new gynecological procedures like Caesarian sections. Just as Nora was a leader in using ether during surgery, Morenco is demonstrating a way to potentially save women and infants in difficult deliveries.

Daniel, meanwhile, must deal with antagonism from the head of surgery who is determined to stop both him and Dr. Croft from helping the underprivileged. Being socially responsible is met with hostility and the two doctors become targets of the hospital administrator’s duplicity and devious plans. Both Daniel and Nora are subjected to unwarranted attacks that might put their futures as physicians at risk.

The book points to the efforts of women to break barriers and become physicians. Other books like The Gilded Hour by Sara Donati and Women in White Coats by Olivia Campbell, join Blake’s books in highlighting the obstacles facing women who wanted to practice medicine in the 19th century.

There are many rich topics covered here – women’s rights, medical ethics, the disparity of treatment for the rich and the poor, jealousy, sexual harassment, groundbreaking medical treatment and the consequences of a male dominated society. Blake covers historical times, inserting real people into her fictional tale. Nora and Daniel are caring individuals who really want to help others. Nora must also deal with male attentions in an environment where women are basically absent. Her relationships become obstacles that add to the tension.

Susan Lyons voice is perfectly suited to the book and adds a rich flavor. This is a great conclusion to Nora’s story.

I struggled to connect with this audiobook, possibly because I didn't particularly enjoy the narrator. Have got the ebook to continue and finish. Thanks.

.4.5 stars rounded up to 5

Before starting my review I want to make it clear that this is the 2nd in the Nora Beady series, The Girl in His Shadow being the first. I point this out because I had no idea! Due to Ms. Audrey Blake’s excellent writing skills Nora’s past is seamlessly woven into the narrative. I never felt like I was missing a piece of the story!
I loved this novel. The story, the strong female protagonist and the descriptions of early medical practices combined into an engrossing tale that had me hooked from the very beginning!
It’s the mid 19th century. It’s a time when gently raised young women,ie wealthy or upper middle class, were expected to be demure and submissive to the will of first their fathers and then their husbands. Their role is to be mere adornments for the men. The activities they were permitted to pursue were the genteel arts of watercolors, painting, knitting and all forms of needlework. Definitely NOT anatomical dissection and drawing from corpses and the pursuit of medicine or surgery as a career! Of course in real life there were a handful of courageous and impressive women who did just that and succeeded! It is these women that Ms Blake honors with her book.
We meet Miss Eleanora Beady (Nora for short) in Bologna,Italy. She is from England and is in her second year studying medicine and surgery at the prestigious University of Bologna. A degree from them just might help her practice in England where the guilds block women from joining. She has given up a lot to come here. Mainly leaving 2 men behind that are important to her for three years while she studies. The first is the famous Dr. Horace Croft, Nora’s guardian and mentor. He took her in at a young age when her parents died and introduced her to and induced in her a love of medicine. The second is Dr. Crofts’ young associate Dr. Daniel Gibson her boyfriend and hopefully future husband.
It does not come as a surprise when Nora faces bigotry and discrimination from most of her professors and fellow students. Though more knowledgeable and talented than most, she is seldom selected for procedures and often derided when she advocates for herself. This begins to change when Dr. Magdalena Morenco, returns from a trip to Cairo. Dr. Morenco is a pioneer of Caesarian sections. This procedure so common and safe today was at that time considered barbaric and gruesome. It also had a low success rate. Dr. Morenco plans to change that. Soon Nora is working with her and has found in her a mentor.
Though it sounds like I have given away the whole story in truth I’ve only scratched the surface. It’s a wonderful historical fiction with some romance and even some suspense replete with a villain.
I do have to place a caution here though. The subject matter contains many descriptions of medical procedures that today are seen as brutal. But remember the medical field truly was in it’s infancy. Doctors were just beginning to use Ether as an anesthesia, prior to this, as described in the book, nothing was used. Pain management wasn’t even thought about let alone practiced. And the use of sterile technique was years away from discovery as was the knowledge that microorganisms caused disease and infection. The book describes much of this and though I personally found it all fascinating not all will.
Though I cannot praise the writing skill enough I do have one small complaint about some of the terminology used. For example, the book describes a late term abortion of a fetus to save the mothers life as a craniotomy I can find no such reference in my personal library of medical history books or on the internet. I believe the proper term is cranioclast. It is for this and several other inconsistencies that I have dropped a half a star.
I do not know if this will be an ongoing series but if so I will definitely continue. I will also be reading the first book and will probably reread this one after.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, RB Media and NetGalley. This fact in no way influenced my review.

I didn’t realize that this was a sequel. It reads fine as a stand alone book. I liked the descriptions of the struggles women in medicine had many years ago, It was a bit depressing to hear about how they were treated even if they were very skilled. It was a bit slow for me but it was very informative. I thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to hear this audio ARC.

An interesting read for women in the medical field. As one myself, I enjoy these types of storylines. I did find the beginning to be pretty slow-paced, but that's not super abnormal in historical fiction. This one is definitely heavier on the science and feminism sides! I really loved the line about women needing advocates to advance in medicine, because that's something that was relevant in this time and also still today.

Thanks to Recorded Books for the copy of this book.

This was good there’s nothing wrong with it there’s nothing remarkable about it it’s fun it’s a great solid three star read

Historical fiction is my jam and this book did not disappoint. Medically sound writing as well as a feminist heroine. I enjoyed listening to the struggles of a woman in the late 1800s as she tries to breach the male dominate medical field. The narrator had the perfect amount of accent to make it more realistic. Also had a voice that was easy to listen to. Well done!

This book was a great follow up to the previous book in the series. I do think you should read them in order to fully understand Nora’s journey. It wrapped things up nicely and I was so happy to see Nora evolve as a doctor and as an independent woman. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Rating 4.8/5 stars

As the only female at a prestigious medical school in Bologna, Italy, Nora Beady is an oddity. Due to this, Nora’s unconventional and ambitious goal to become a licensed surgeon offends the men who are Nora’s fellow students, doctors and professors. After all, in the 1840’s, women are expected to stay home and become homemakers. Though, sitting idle is not something that Nora has ever done, having been raised by renowned London surgeon, Dr. Croft.

Much changes when Nora allies herself with Magdelena Morenco, the only female doctor on staff. Initially unimpressed by Nora, Dr. Morenco soon becomes Nora’s mentor and close friend. Together, the two women develop new techniques on the groundbreaking but yet highly dangerous and frowned upon cesarean section.

In Italy, Nora gruels to complete her medical degree as quickly as possible as she misses Dr. Croft- the man who raised her, but also her partner, Dr. Daniel Gibson. However, tragedy strikes, causing Nora to take her examination weeks earlier than expected so she is able to return to London, hoping her small family is intact.

Upon returning to London, Nora is shaken by a wealthy patient who needs her assistance or both the woman and child will die. Her success depends on not only her livelihood, but also the livelihood on Croft and Gibson, and the future of women and the role they could play in the medical field.

Goodness goodness, oh goodness. I wish that I had recorded some notes whilst listening to The Surgeon’s Daughter by Audrey Blake. There is so much to unpack here, so many raw emotions. Of loss, tragedy, anger, and growth. Nora Beady went through it all in the 19+ hour long audiobook copy narrated by Susan Lyons.

Whilst in Bologna, Nora faces inequality and much more as she works to become a practicing surgeon. After being driven out of London, Nora knows that her future depends on her success in Bologna. But is success an option when the men around her do nothing but scorn her?

Driven by strong females, The Surgeon’s Daughter is a story I found myself enraptured with. When I wasn’t actively listening to it, I was thinking about it (When my head wasn’t full of Fullmetal Alchemist). The medical details are precise, especially for its time but not gorey nor too difficult to understand. Though, I could probably credit that to the fact that I was obsessed with medical dramas as a teenager and had lofty dreams to become a surgeon before I found out that education was my calling.

There is also a lot of growth in the book. Though, by the end of it all, Nora is still quite naive, she definitely grows as a woman and a surgeon, having been exposed to the death of her patients and failures of the cesarean sections.

I found myself thoroughly enjoying this book and enjoyed not only Nora’s perspective, but also Daniel’s. It’s great that Blake included the latter, so readers weren’t left in the dark about the happenings in London while Beady was studying abroad.

My only complaint though is the fact that I don’t think that Nora ever found any closure in Bologna. She left it quite quickly to get back home due to Croft’s deteriorating health. I feel that the young woman deserved closure. I would have also loved to learn more about Nora’s friendship with Magdelena and what became of that.

Overall, I found the book enjoyable and rate it a solid 4.8/5 stars. Kudos to Blake for writing such a brilliant novel.

Also, I had no clue that this book was the second book in a series(?) or duology(?). It was great as a standalone and not difficult to understand if one had not read the first one much like myself, but now I find that I have to go back in time to find out what happened before the events in The Surgeon’s Daughter.

I received this audiobook from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion and feedback. All opinions in this review are my own.

"The Surgeon's Daughter" is apparently a continuation of the author's other novel, which I didn't know when I started reading it, but it can be read on its own.

I'm not sure how much really liked this novel: the blurb sounded interesting and I really liked the idea of it, but I think the author focused on the wrong things during the novel (at least in my opinion): the medical aspect of the story was just in the background and Nora's medical expertise was more talked about than actually shown and established during the novel.

Instead, the focus was on her relationships with various men and the medical issues were actually focused on more in Daniel's part of the story, which is stupid considering that this was supposed to be about a female doctor making her way in the world.

Also, every time something bad happens when Nora does practice medicine she takes it super hard even though just pages before she talked about having learned to deal with stuff like this.

The ending also wasn't surprising and felt rather too neat to be realistic.

The Surgeon's Daughter is set in the mid-1840s in London, England and Bologna, Italy. Eleanore "Nora" Beady was a small child when renowned English surgeon Horace Croft attended her family for a serious illness. Her parents and siblings died and he took Nora to his home so she could recover. She never left. Dr. Croft and his housekeeper Mrs. Phipps, raised Nora. Being a curmudgeonly nonconformist, when Nora turned out to be very bright and very curious, Dr. Croft raised her up to be a doctor herself. But no medical school would admit women and when Nora participated in a surgery with Dr. Daniel Gibson, who worked for Dr. Croft, she was exposed and publicly shamed. A mentor, Dr. Pera of the University of Bologna, surfaces and helps Nora be admitted to the medical school there. While women are not treated as equals, they may at least become doctors in Italy. Mrs. Phipps accompanies Nora to Italy, leaving the aging Dr. Croft and Daniel, now definitively Nora's love interest and almost fiancé, to carry on the practice.

Throughout, this book is engrossing for its description of the practice of medicine in general and surgery in particular in the mid-nineteenth century. Nora has come from England with significant knowledge of the use of Ether as anesthesia, cutting edge for the times. But while in Italy, she has the opportunity to participate in Caesarian sections, which are not countenanced in England. (There went my perception that these were way more routine than they were for hundreds of years!) We spend time all through the book in London, where Dr. Gibson runs the children's wards of a hospital, in addition to his private practice, often dealing with the tragic illnesses that endangered particularly the poor, but could strike everyone. Nora deals with intense bias and disapproval from her male peers and professors, but her brilliance cannot be denied as she proves herself consistently.

This would not be a realistic novel at all if there were not many heartbreaking deaths, illnesses and surgeries. We get a wonderful sense of the cultural differences and personas of Italians and this Englishwoman. The characters are very relatable, including those we root for, those we loathe and those we waffle over. The story was genuinely a can't put it down (or in my case, couldn't stop listening to the audio version) and it had a very modern feel as Nora dealt with the challenges of being female in a male profession, the various surges in killer viruses and infighting among medical professionals.

This is an entertaining book and an easy read, while educating us on some issues and advances of the period. It has lots of intrigue, romance, life lessons, near disasters and real disasters to move the story along but it leaves us with lots to think about the era. I was surprised to learn that the author is two authors who used Audrey Blake as their nom de plume. As usual, I can't say much more without spilling the beans on the plot and subplots, so read The Surgeon's Daughter, okay?

Also, as to the audio version of this book, the narrator was terrific! Spot on with her characters and tone and inflection. Loved listening to her.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early read/listen. The characters were all likable. Narrator did a great job telling the story and giving each character their own voice. Will recommend.

Nora has struggled to become a doctor. She is the only female at her medical school. She has fought against so much unfairness but her strength and her intelligence always shows through. She and Dr. Morenco, the only female doctor on staff, develop the Cesarean section. And, as you can guess…there is so much resistance in the use of the profound procedure.

Now, if you read any of my reviews you know I LOVE strong women characters. I mean…where would we be if some of these women had not gone before us. This book has one of the best!

Being in the medical field myself, I found this novel fascinating. I love Nora and the medicine. Talk about well researched! This book may not be for everyone, like I said, it has a good bit of science and medicine. But, I was hooked from the very beginning. The struggles women have gone through to have proper medical care and to achieve their goals is all in this book!

Need a fantastic historical fiction…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

In a Nutshell: I liked it, I didn’t love it. The medical details are excellent. The characters failed to make an impression. Why isn’t it revealed anywhere that this is a sequel?!?!?!!? Grrrrrr!!!!

Story:
Nora Beady has arrived at the famed medical school in Bologna to study medicine as her native England doesn’t allow women to become licensed surgeons. She is very clear that on completion of her studies, she will return to her country and practise along with her mentor Dr. Horace Croft. Though the Italian college has opened its doors to women, the biases still remain. Nora has to work harder to show that she is as capable (maybe, even more) to handle surgery, especially in the field of obstetrics, where she is learning the new technique of the Caesarean section under the only female doctor on staff, Dr. Magdalena Morenco.
The story is written in a limited third person point of view of Nora and Dr. Daniel Gibson, her beau who is facing his own problems back in England.

First things first. I had no idea that this was a sequel to ‘The Girl in His Shadow’. There is no indication of this on Goodreads, or NetGalley, or even on the book’s cover. The story very clearly continues from the events of the book one. So to put it quite bluntly, I feel cheated.

Second. A book MAY not be advertised as a sequel if it can be read as a standalone. While this story is complete by itself, there are many references to events that happened in the first book (please note, only reference, no details.) Most of the characters are from the first book, so there is not much background info on them in this novel. It is assumed that you know them well and hence will understand their behaviour without much elaboration required. I repeat, I feel cheated.

(Just in case my irritation hasn’t made itself evident, let me clarify further. I am a series freak and I avoid reading books out of series order. There are exceptions, of course, but this is when I know that the book is a part of a series and I am aware of the break in the order when I make my choice. This title didn’t award me that knowledge.)

Where the book worked for me:
👌 The medical details are outstanding. Whether it is about the Caesarean section or the other ailments peppered regularly in the story, the doctors’ busy lives and their attempts to learn more using corpses, everything connected to the medical world is enlightening. (It might be better to read the book while you aren’t eating. Some of the procedures will make you queasy!)

👌 The book casts light on the limitations placed on women not just in medical school but also in general society. While we are already aware of the struggles of the women of the past whose battles have allowed us a much better life in the 21st century, it is still good to know more on this topic.


Where the book could have worked better for me:
☠ Ahem… If I had known that it was a continuation and not a standalone as I was led to believe.

☠ If the character backstories had been provided in greater detail so as to not inconvenience those readers who pick this book without reading the first one. All the returning characters felt flat because of this writing choice.

☠ I don’t think the cover suits the book AT ALL! (Actually, even the title left me confused for a long time. It took me almost half the book to understand that the surgeon’s daughter referred to Nora and not Magdalena.)

☠ The book should have established its time period clearly right at the start. Only at the 70% mark is it revealed that the story is set in 1847. (Not sure if I missed an earlier reference in the audiobook.) So until that time, I wasn’t sure where to place the story, though I knew it was in some historical period.


The audiobook experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 13.5 hrs, is narrated by Susan Lyons. Her narration was good, not outstanding but not bad as well. Actually, her reading felt more like a general reading than a performance. No separate accents, no nuanced distinctions between characters. While all this isn’t a must, it does help enhance the listening experience if well done. Still, it is a decent audiobook and would definitely work for audio newbies as well as regulars.

All in all, I certainly would have enjoyed the story a lot more had I had the chance to know the characters better through the first book. I liked the story but couldn’t establish a connection with a single character, which is quite sad considering there were two strong female characters - Dr. Nora Beady and Dr. Magdalena Morenco.

Recommended to those who have read and loved ‘The Girl in His Shadow’.

3.5 stars, rounding down because my disappointment doesn’t allow me to click that fourth star.

My thanks to RB Media and NetGalley for the ALC of “The Surgeon's Daughter”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.

What a wonderful story of a woman's foray into the medical field. The story follows Nora Beady as she travels from her home country of England to Bologna, Italy, to study medicine and get her degree to practice surgery. She is mentored by a female surgeon who is pioneering the Caesarean section, inspiring Nora practice and perfect this potentially life saving procedure. When her mentor Dr. Horace Croft falls ill she has to speed up her studies in the hope to obtain her degree and rush home to see Dr. Croft before in his failing health. The medical scenes are tense, detailed and expertly researched and Nora's story is fascinating and well paced. I really felt invested in Nora's life's work and noble quest right up to the end. About halfway through the book, I learned this book is actually a sequel to Blake's prior novel, The Girl in His Shadow. Blake provides enough backstory for The Surgeon's Daughter to stand alone, but I will definitely be catching up with her prior book sooner rather than later. This is an intense, suspenseful and insightful read about the challenges both women and doctors faced in the late 19th c .The sweet love letters exchanged between Daniel and Nora and picnic outing with expatriates add lightness and charm. Our heroine rises to the challenge with courage and determination.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher.