Book Review: The Heart Specialist

I think I have been searching for this book for years without ever knowing it. This past winter, I went on a Canadian Lit binge and read as much as I could get my hands on, so when I saw that this novel was going to be published in the US I jumped on it! I devoured this book while trying my best to savor every sentence. When I read the last page, I was sad to see the book end but also so pleased that I had finally found a book worthy of a five star rating. If I have one thing to say to you, it is this...stop reading this review right now and pick up this book!!

For those of you who are not taking my advice and want a little more information, this novel is set at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th when women in Montreal (and around the world) were still shunned from the academic and medical world. Agnes White is not a typical woman of her day. At an early age, she becomes enthralled with dissections and mammal organs. She thinks that her passion comes from her father who left her family when she was five. Not long after her sister was born, her mother died leaving Agnes and her sister in the care of their grandmother. Their grandmother was the epitome of proper and therefore had no use for Agnes’ gory obsessions. However, Agnes savior came in the form of a governess who pushed Agnes to get an education and live her dreams of becoming a woman of medicine. While this was a hard road for Agnes, it was easier at times than coming to grips with her father’s tragic past and her sister’s troubled future.

Inspired by the life of Dr. Maude Abbott, Claire Holden Rothman develops the character of Agnes in a way that endears the reader while keeping her realistic. At times, I found Agnes to be unlikeable and even aloof. Still, I felt invested in her life and challenges. She is certainly a hero but she is not without her faults and it is for that reason that I adored her even when I didn’t understand her. Rothman’s character development in nothing short of beautiful and her language is inspiring. So stop looking, because this is the complete package! Now go read it already!!

-DLP