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Kirkpatrick (This Road We Traveled, 2016) returns with dramatic literary force in this late-nineteenth-century novel based on the true story of Jennie Pickett. Jennie is a homeopathic healer in her Willamette Valley, Oregon, community, but neither herbal remedies nor love for her child offers any cures for the toxicity of her husband's addictions, abuse, and neglect. As her desperate family situation disintegrates, Jennie sets out to chase her dream of becoming a physician. Leaving past hurts behind is easier said than done, and Jennie must chart a path through the pain that threatens any chance of future joy. Kirkpatrick is an unwavering pillar in historical fiction, showcasing the power of her meticulously researched and richly rendered details. Heart-wrenching and heavy with the emotional trauma and confusion of the children of addicts, this is a story of fallibility and determination, of failing but still showing up. Kirkpatrick offers an ode to the hardworking women and mothers who face head-on the pressures of family, social status, and career while fighting for their dreams.--Campos, Kate Copyright 2017 Booklist

Library Journal
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Self-taught herbalist Jennie Pickett dreams of one day becoming a doctor, but the Oregon territory of the 1870s holds no place for women physicians. Suddenly divorced by her alcoholic, abusive husband, Jennie is left with a debt she can't afford to pay and a young son to care for. Yet Jennie gets a second chance at life and love if she's not afraid or too proud to take this chance when she is hired to nurse the elderly Mrs. Parrish. -Kirkpatrick (This Road We Traveled) bases her story on the real-life Jennie Pickett, one of the first woman doctors on the Oregon frontier. Painting a detailed portrait of life in the early American West, she shines a harsh light on the cruelty and abuse, as well as the drug addiction and alcoholism that raged in the camps and small towns. VERDICT Strong characters, exceptional settings, and a tender romance make this a story most readers will appreciate. Suggest to fans of Pam Hillman and Tracie Peterson's 'Sapphire Brides' series. © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.