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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Dr. Tucia Hatherley is a woman ahead of her time. Despite her stepmother finding her vocation unseemly and refusing to fund the remainder of her schooling after Tucia’s father dies, she persists. In rooms full of men Tucia is scrutinized, criticized, and neglected, and yet she remains at the top of her class. When a professor gives her a chance in the operating theater, she doesn’t realize he is setting her up for failure. Her fatal mistake, that could have been prevented with proper mentoring and assistance, changes the trajectory of her life.

After the death of the woman at her scalpel, Tucia begins having panic attacks and pulling out patches of her hair. Her severe PTSD prevents her from reentering her profession and she ends up working at a garment factory to support herself and her young disabled son Toby. Huey, a man who runs a traveling medicine show, offers to clear her debt if she travels with him, as he needs a licensed doctor in many of the small towns he stops by to sell his tonics and salves. Seeing this as her best way forward, Tucia reluctantly agrees and finds Huey pushing her to her ethical boundaries at every stop. The rest of the show’s participants, a giantess, a musical cripple, a Native American, and a handyman help her swallow her pride and do what Huey asks so that she can hopefully take back control of her life.

Though the title implies the story takes place in Galveston, it takes a while for Tucia to physically and mentally get to a point where she could render her services after the Great Hurricane of 1900 decimates the small island. Tucia’s journey is a painful one, and makes the reader appreciate her resiliency and moral compass in the face of so many setbacks and Huey’s unrelenting charlatan behavior. Though some take issue with her name, I actually struggled more with the name Darl, as in my head I very much wanted it to be Darryl. Names eventually fade as I read though, and well written characters like Tucia take shape regardless of what they are called.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Books, High Bridge Audio, and of course the author Amanda Skenandore for the advanced copy of the book. The Medicine Woman of Galveston comes out tomorrow. All opinions are my own.

A very unique novel. Obviously tons of detailed research into a time when a female doctor in the 1900’s was not accepted. She ends up in a traveling medicine show to earn enough to support her son.

Very moving!

This was a confusing "read" for me! Allow me to explain.

The audio is so crisp it was almost off-putting. Once I settled in to the voice of the narrator, I found she really hit the mark. This made it easy for me to tune in. She also did a wonderful job of switching characters in a way that wasn't distracting. I would be happy to listen to her all day (and in fact, I did!) any day.

Now - the book itself. I wish I could give it a 3.5, because I really felt like it was better than a 3 but not quite at the level of what I consider to be a 4. Dr. Tucia Hatherley was a lovely and worthy companion. If there were a second book featuring her family (both biological and found) I would be happy to read it. I love the era this book takes us to, a time of snake oil peddlers and sideshows. It's unique and I can only imagine the amount of research Amanda Skenandore did in order for it to really take us there. I am so grateful when an author makes me want to learn more about a time or place. I feel like this book could have suffered from over-editing. I wish there were more characters, more imagery. That's not something I usually find myself thinking once I've finished a book. Perhaps it's just my desire to live in that world a little longer, but I felt like it was a little shallow in that way. Hence the confusion, I did really enjoy the book, but it felt like it was just on the verge of really "going there" but it just doesn't.

If you're a fan of books like Outlander, that have a strong-willed female lead who may be a little out of the ordinary then I would highly recommend this book!

3.5

Dr. Tucia Hatherley was a trailblazer in the early 1900's going to medical school to become a doctor and it wasn't easy as the men resented her for this. So much so, the head doctor made her life miserable. The trauma she suffered left her working in a factory, loaded with debt, and a small son to care for. What looked like a way out of her problems, she lowered herself to working in a traveling medicine show. At least 75% of the book is the story of their travels in this group and the people in the group. It wasn't until the last 20% that they get to Galveston and quickly suffer the Great Hurricane of 1900. I really wanted more about Galveston, since this is in the title of the book.

It is easy to care about (or hate) the characters in this traveling medicine show, which were very popular at the time, and learn about this trend in history. The Author's Note at the end really highlighted what and why she focused on certain things in the book. An interesting book.

My thanks to Net Galley, Kensington Publishing, and High Bridge Audio for advanced copies of the e-book and audiobook.

Historical fiction circa 1900 about a discredited American female doctor who finds that her only option is to join a traveling medicine show.

Tucia Hatherley, once the top student in her medical school class, killed a patient during surgery while the attending physician looked on, berating and humiliating her. She had been barely tolerated during her studies and this surgical mistake ended her hopes and career dreams. Suffering from a sort of post traumatic stress as well as trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling), Tucia has few options for employment. Add in the fact that she has a young son with Down Syndrome, Tucia is in debt with no where to turn. Then, in desperation, she falls in with Hugh Horn (Huey) who is the dubious owner of a group of rag tag performers in a group called The Amazing Adolphus And his Traveling Medicine Company. They travel about the country doing their show, dispensing fake potions and tonics, and leave the area before they get caught hawking those dubious cures. Since Tucia has a medical license, Huey puts her to work as a quasi medical assistant, mind reader, and fortune teller. She longs to escape, but is indentured. Then, they make it to Galveston right before the great hurricane.

OK, this was all very interesting about the medicine shows and such, but it went on far too long only getting to Galveston and the natural disaster at about 80% in the book. I picked this novel because I wanted to hear about Tucia practicing medicine during the hurricane. Honestly, Tucia (where in the world did the author find that name?) was mostly an annoying mess with all her panic attacks and hair pulling that was just overdone. It was hard to believe she would ever get herself together and actually be productive. The other characters in the book were exactly the odd bunch that one imagines would be found in a circus - the giant, the Native American, the tinker, the cripple, etc. All with hearts of gold of course. Stereotypes. The description of the hurricane coming so far into the book was too little too late. I expected the neatly wrapped ending. But, overall, just disappointed as this was not the book I had expected.

I listened to the audiobook while also reading along in the e-book — both provided by the publishers. The narrator was OK but the accents and many different voices proved a bit much for a single person to voice. If you are looking for a novel about heroism during a historic natural disaster, this might not be the one to pick.

This was a wonderful historical fiction! I don't usually reach for historical fictions, but lately, I have been wanting to branch out and try them more, and I'm so glad that I received an arc of the audiobook from NetGalley! It's heartbreaking, empowering, harrowing, and inspirational. It is definitely not a lighthearted story, but I think that the constant hope that Dr. Tucia Hatherley exhibits no matter what circumstances she finds herself in, allows the story to have tones of positivity throughout.

Since I did listen to the audiobook, it must be mentioned that the narration was done extremely well, and really brought the story to life.