This was decent. A little slow for the story to develop and a lot of characters to keep track of as the book went along.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this arc.

Tucia Hatherly never imagined back in medical school that she'd end up with no choice but to join a traveling medicine show in order to pay off her debts and support herself and her son, but that's exactly what happens. Along the way she faces a number of challenges including an abusive boss, ethical dilemmas (obviously), and a devastating hurricane. But she also finds friends and a potential romance, as well as unique ways to use her medical training.

This is like no historical fiction novel I've read before! Maybe a bit reminiscent of Where the Light Enters, if I had to draw a comparison. I love that the author included soooo many marginalized groups and differently abled people in this book. Tucia struggles with trichotillomania, something I dealt with as a child. I was so surprised by this. Her son Toby has Down syndrome, and he melts my heart. Obviously she meets many people who were labeled as "freaks" at the turn of the century because of their disabilities and backgrounds, and they are all portrayed here in such a compassionate light. The story itself is fast paced and riveting, especially near the end when the hurricane hits.

My hat is off to the audiobook narrator for voicing such a variety of characters so proficiently. I really enjoyed listening to her.

The synopsis of this novel implies that the medicine woman helps after a devastating storm. However, the storm doesn't happen until 80% through this storm so it's very misleading. It's a very slow book until that point and I disliked the main character

There was a lot to like! I enjoyed the backstory of each member of the troupe. I enjoyed the Trichotillomania rep (her hair pulling). The narration was engaging! The pacing was off which caused me to lose interest at some parts.

I enjoyed listening to this story narrated by Amanda Stribling. The narrator drew you into the story and brought you on the journey of Tucia and her son, Toby. Set in the late 1800s, this book tells the story of what women were up against when they wanted to be more than just a wife and mother. Tucia Hatherley went to school and became a doctor, but the men around her made that an almost impossible task. She had to find other work to take care of her son, Toby, but finding care for him was a challenge as he had Down's Syndrome. Then along comes Huey, a traveling medicine showman, who offers to take care of her debt but she must join his show and use her medical degree to give the show a doctor. Tucia became Huey's assistant and had to perform other parts of the traveling show much to her dismay. The other performers became her friends and helped to take care of Toby and give him some sense of family. When the show took a break in Galveston, 1900, it was hit by a devastating hurricane that took out most of the city. In the final fourth of the book, Tucia finally got the opportunity to use all of her training and medical knowledge to help the people of the city and her show family.
This book felt like two stories-Tucia and the traveling medicine show and Tucia and the hurricane. I find stories of women finding their passion, such as being a doctor, when the norms say otherwise empowering. I also liked that Toby was treated as just another boy by the traveling show family and another character, Fanny, with her gigantism, had her own story to tell in a positive way. The author has detailed notes at the end that describe the research and information that went into writing the book.
If you are looking for a good female-centered book told through a good narrator, I would recommend this one.

#NetGalley #TheMedicineWomanofGalveston
Thank you RB Media and Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Much slower than I am used to from Amanda Skenandore; this book is my least favorite of hers. That’s not to say it wasn’t good – there’s a lot of world building and character development = but it was difficult to get invested in the story when it moved as slowly as it did. It didn’t pick up until the very end and by that point I had given up liking anything about this story.

She is ahead of her times. A single mother who goes to medical school but cannot get through an internship. She continues to hit roadblocks while trying hard to take care of her special needs son. When things get very desperate a traveling medicine man gets her to come along with him to be able to use her license to add validity to the work he tries to seem to do. He is not a good person and has background information on every person who travels with him and he lords that information over their heads whenever someone wants to go elsewhere. As they travel to new towns it becomes very apparent that he will do anything to make the money he wants. When the travel to Galveston Texas to sit out the Winter, he tries to get her to do things that are not good for her. What happens next is a hurricane that tears up the city and gets her away from her past. A story of struggles for sure, but a story of resilience that made the story come to life. Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC. Great narrator.

A beautifully written historical fiction account detailing the trials and joys of some of the first women doctors. We follow our freshly minted doctor through the south as she was forced to become part of a traveling “medicine” show which is really a traveling side show because she is unable to pay her debts. People just didn’t trust a woman doctor. The intricacies of this story are on point with rich character development. And the story comes to a head when they winter in Galveston, and that decision meets up with a horrible hurricane. This is where the decisions - both in medicine and life - culminate in a terrific storm. Thanks to NetGalley for the read. The narrator was an easy listen and really brought out the story.

I love the history and I didn’t even knew any of this happen. This author had this story well thought out and a must for historical fiction lovers!

Around 1900, a young woman doctor who had been mistreated by her teacher, has left the profession and struggles to provide for her special needs child at a menial job. The world was harsh for this unwed mother as she tried to survive. This reflects the treatment of women through the years, and gradually shows her personal struggles through the previous years. The story culminates with the infamous hurricane of Galveston.

Historical Fiction at it's best!
And, what a powerful book...
One minute you are laughing, the next you are crying, and the next you want to hit some people in the head!!
Tucia Hatherly is one of the first female doctors in the country.
We are in the late 1800's.
She graduated at the top of her class!
But, times were different back then. The male docs did not ACCEPT that women could in fact be doctors, and in fact, abused them...on many levels.
After one grueling experience in the OR and another at the hands of her mentor, she decides that she will never practice medicine again.
BUT...she has a young son...and he is disabled...and she needs to keep a roof over their heads and food in the home...
So she takes a job at a factory...but because her son is not well, she's been late a few times...

When all other options run out, she is approached by a man who says he can use her in his traveling medicine act. She's really unsure about this to say the least, but as she's running out of time and options, she goes with him...only to find out that he is NOT actually what she believed him to be.

As time goes on she does make friends and a life for herself...but it is not what she wants, and she does not see a way to escape.

Their travels bring them to Galveston Texas, just in time for the horrific hurricane of 1900. Tucie is presented with multiple impossible situations..and finally realizes that she CAN do whatever she puts her mind to!

Beautifully written, heart-wrenching story filled with love, life, family, friends that become family...and so much more!

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 💫 for me!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HighBridgeAudio for an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

#TheMedicineWomanOfGalveston by #AmandaSkenandore and narrated nicely by #AmandaStribling.

This was just released on 5/21/24. OH...and I LOVE the cover!!

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The Medicine Woman of Galveston by Amanda Skenadore follows Dr. Tucia Hatherley as she struggles to make her way after leaving medicine. It depicts the struggles a female physician would have faced in that time, and provides accurate descriptions of PTSD and Trichotillomania. Through the characters in the medicine show, the author also explores the impact of race, criminal status, and disability.

I really enjoyed the progression of Tucia's story, her growing self-confidence, and the reemergence of her love of medicine. It took me a little bit to get into the book, I don't think I was expecting so much of the book to be focused on her time in the medicine show, but once I adjusted my expectations I really enjoyed that portion of the story.

I was lucky enough to review this book in audio format and enjoyed Amanda Skenanore's depiction of the characters.

Thank you to Amanda Skenandore and HighBridge Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of this book.

I really enjoyed this audiobook! This is historical fiction about a female doctor who can’t quite find her place. She decides to join a traveling sales trip that consisted of a snake oil salesman, “freaks” and others who are just getting by. She makes new friendships and finds her path in life. Just as things are going her way multiple things happen to put her to the test. A great read!

I am not normally a huge historical fiction fan but seeing Galveston in the title really got me interested. Unfortunately, only about the last 25% is actually in Galveston. The book is extremely slow paced for the majority and doesn't really pick up until the end. I kept waiting for something to wow me but it never really got there. I loved the relationship between all the performers and especially the love between Tucia and Darl. It was an interesting story but not really for me.

Thanks to Netgalley I was able to listen to and review the audiobook. I loved the bond that the "misfits" formed. The friendship that developed among the caravan, minus Huey, and how they found ways to support each other. It was interesting to hear how the people who worked these shows and the choices that lead them to that life. The story does touch on cruelty, abuse, sex, and hurtful words.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. The narrator was good. It was a little slow for me and I would have liked to have seen more growth in Tucia as a character but overall it was interesting and I liked the side characters. The title doesn't really reflect the book. Galveston doesn't come into play until near the end.

I am a big fan of Amanda Skenandore’s books. Each has been fascinating historical fiction which sheds light not just on the time in US History but also gives a glimpse into how medicine was practiced during that time. Tucia was a wonderful character and it’s easy to see how she “made a deal with a devil” like Huey to keep her son safe. Huey was the kind of character we all love to hate. I was touched by the other unique cast of characters Tucia and her son ended up traveling with during their time with the traveling show. I devoured this audiobook and the narrator was perfect for Tucia’s compelling story.

An interesting look into a woman in medicine in the 1900's.

Caught in the great Galveston Hurricane of 1900, a female doctor who’s joined a traveling medicine show to support her disabled son is forced to weather the storm and its aftermath in a town hostile to the troupe’s unconventional ways but desperate for their help.

Readers of Ellen Marie Wiseman, Sandra Dallas, and Sara Donati will be captivated by this story of medical historical fiction by Amanda Skenandore, registered nurse and acclaimed author of The Nurse’s Secret and The Second Life of Mirielle West.

Once a trailblazer in the field of medicine, Dr. Tucia Hatherley hasn’t touched a scalpel or stethoscope since she made a fatal mistake in the operating theater. Instead, she works in a corset factory, striving to earn enough to support her disabled son. When even that livelihood is threatened, Tucia is left with one option—to join a wily, charismatic showman named Huey and become part of his traveling medicine show.

Her medical license lends the show a pretense of credibility, but the cures and tonics Tucia is forced to peddle are little more than purgatives and bathwater. Loathing the duplicity, even as she finds uneasy kinship with the other misfit performers, Tucia vows to leave as soon as her debts are paid and start a new life with her son—if Huey will ever let her go.

When the show reaches Galveston, Texas, Tucia tries to break free from Huey, only to be pulled even deeper into his schemes. But there is a far greater reckoning ahead, as a September storm becomes a devastating hurricane that will decimate the Gulf Coast—and challenge Tucia to recover her belief in medicine, in the goodness of others—and in herself.

This is the second book I've read by Amanda Skenandore, and it was an enjoyable read. The main character, Tucia, is a very determined and strong-willed woman, who I admired. The book kind of dragged in the beginning, and it didn't get really interesting until Tucia finally made it to Galveston and the storm hit, which didn't happen until close to the end of the book. I wish I had read the digital book instead of listening to the audiobook, because I wasn't particularly fond of the narrator's voice. She did a good job portraying each individual character, but...I don't know...something about her voice just rubbed me the wrong way. I would recommend this book, but I still prefer Amanda's book, The Nurses Secret, over this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for my ARC of Amanda Skenandore’s latest novel. Dr. Tucia Hatherley makes a devastating decision to join a traveling medical show in hopes of paying off a serious debt. Her naïvety doesn’t allow her to see that the ringleader is a crook with an opium addiction. Once they (FINALLY) arrive in Galveston, the entire Gulf Coast is decimated. Not only is Tucia trying to find her special needs son but others are requiring medical attention. I was put off that only the last 20% of the story actually takes place in Galveston. This one was not as good as The Nurse’s Secret. 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4.
Release Date: May 21, 2024
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