Lekarka z Galveston

by Amanda Skenandore, Jakub Radzimiński (Translator)

Amanda Skenandore – autorka bestsellerowej powieści Sekret pielęgniarki – powraca z historią lekarki, która podczas wielkiego huraganu musi zmierzyć się ze sceptycznymi mieszkańcami pewnego miasteczka...

Doktor Tucia Hatherley, niegdyś pionierka w dziedzinie medycyny, nie dotknęła skalpela odkąd popełniła błąd na Sali operacyjne. Zamiast tego pracuje w fabryce gorsetów, by utrzymać siebie i niepełnosprawnego syna. Gdy źródło zarobku jest zagrożone, Tucia dołącza do przebiegłego showmana imieniem Huey, i zostaje częścią jego objazdowego programu medycznego.

Gdy grupa dociera do Galveston, Tucia próbuje uwolnić się od Hueya, ale zostaje wciągnięta jeszcze głębiej w jego szemrane plany. Wrześniowa burza zamienia się w niszczycielski huragan. Uwięziona w samym jego środku Tucia będzie musiała zmierzyć się z własnymi demonami by odzyskać wiarę w medycynę, dobroć innych, a przede wszystkim by odzyskać wiarę w siebie.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Book Club, Audiobook, Westerns, Romance

464 pages, Paperback

First published May 21, 2024

About the author

Amanda Skenandore is an award-winning author of historical fiction and a registered nurse. Her books have been translated into multiple languages and garnered accolades from the American Library Association, Reader’s Digest, Silicon Valley Reads, and Apple Books. She is a 2024 Nevada Arts Council’s literary fellow. Amanda lives in Las Vegas with her husband and their pet turtle, Lenore.

Reviews

[Christy fictional_traits · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Sometimes medicine presents us with impossible choices. Sometimes life does as well'.

Trucia Hatherley fought hard to become a doctor. She fought her step-mother, her classmates and she fought off a senior doctor during her internship. But after a fatal mistake in the operating theatre, she's now just fighting to keep debt collectors from her front door and keep food in her son's mouth. However, Huey seems to offer her a lifeline by asking her to join their traveling medicine show, where her medical license will offer credence and her past misfortune will surely be buried amongst a band of misfits, 'Snakes and imposters who besmirched the noble profession...A blight to humanity...It made her head throb all the more to think she'd joined one'. Yet, as she gets to know the other performers, she begins to understand there's more to them than meets the eye. And, maybe, just maybe, there's a way this new low won't be the end of her, but rather, the making.

Amanda Skenandore has clearly done an immense amount of research about this era, both within the medical field and the 'snake oil' peddlers. I enjoyed reading the back stories of the other show members. For me, the were a few slow patches within the book but overall I thought it was a good read and many historical fiction lovers are sure to enjoy it.

'there's more to a person than the worse thing they done'.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an entertaining, well written, historical fiction novel which is based on an actual event. It has a strong and resilient female protagonist who faces adversity, an interesting cast of secondary characters, and vividly described settings. I listened to the audio book, and the narrator, Ms. Amanda Stribling, has a lovely voice and does an outstanding job voicing the characters.

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tucia Hatherley no longer practices medicine, she has a young son Toby who has a disability and is struggling to make ends meet working in a corset factory. Hugh Horn or the Amazing Adolphus offers her a job, he owns a traveling medicine show, and he needs the legitimacy of her medical license to keep the authorities away. Tucia doesn’t have a lot of choice, she and Toby leave with Huey and travel west to meet up with the other members of the troop.

When they arrive the Traveling Medicine Company isn’t what Tucia is expecting, and she vows once her debts are paid, she and Toby will leave. The other members of the troop don’t think she will last, Cal Crip Caboo a bow legged musician, Grazyna the Dancing Giant and Chief Big Sky and Darl who does odd jobs and puts up the tents. Tucia discovers that Huey is not only controlling, he has other unsavory habits and he’s dishonest.

Tucia hates it how Huey is taking advantage of uneducated and desperate people, and selling his snake oil and salve. Tucia makes friends with the other members of the troop, by the time the show reaches Galveston, Texas she’s had enough and Huey wants her to take part in a degrading act. She has no idea a hurricane is about to hit Galveston in September 1900, and the storm surge will destroy bridges to the mainland and houses, and injure and kill thousands of people.

I received a copy of The Medicine Woman of Galveston from Kensington Publishing and Edelweiss Plus in exchange for a review. Amanda Skenandore likes to combine real facts and fiction to create her historical stories. Medicine shows and nostrum sellers did travel country America, and people would pay money to look at someone different and get conned into buying quack cures.

I admired Tucia character she's a wonderful mother, offers medical assistance where she can in Galveston and it's a story of hope, courage, resilience and at a time when women doctors weren't accepted. Once again Amanda Skenandore has written an engaging historical fiction narrative, five stars from me, due to be released on the 21st of May 2024 and I highly recommend.

[Marilyn (not getting notifications) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several years ago, I was fortunate enough to have read The Nurse’s Secret by author, Amanda Skenandore. When I saw that she had written a new historical fiction novel, The Medicine Woman of Galveston, I was very excited to read it. Both of the books that I have now read by Amanda Skenandore have had to do with strong and capable women who were both associated with the medical field in different capacities. Since both of my daughters are in the medical field, one a doctor and one a nurse practitioner, I found both of these books captivating and interesting. The Medical Woman of Galveston explored the many obstacles women physicians had to face during the early 1900’s and the resentment and anger that male physicians felt toward their women counterparts who had completed their medical training and studies. Amanda Skenandore’s research into this time period which included traveling medicine shows, the snake oil and salves that they sold to the unassuming and gullible locals who attended their shows and the natural disaster of the hurricane that hit Galveston in September of 1900 was impressive and very informative. I listened to the audiobook that was narrated very well by Amanda Stribling. Her performance allowed her to distinguish between the characters easily and distinctively.

Becoming a woman doctor in late 1800’s to the early 1900’s was not an easy feat. Tucia Hatherley learned that the hard way. She was met with opposition from her stepmother and fellow male doctors at every step she took. Tucia knew that she had to study twice as hard as any of the male doctors she encountered. Despite everything that Tucia was confronted with, she became of the first female doctors to graduate from the all female medical school in Chicago. If anything, Tucia continued to have to prove herself to her male counterparts at every turn. When forced into performing a procedure she had no business performing in the operating theatre, everything that could have gone wrong had and she was forced to take the blame for losing that patient and leave the field of medicine. The results of that procedure haunted Tucia for years. Everything that Tucia had worked so hard for was snatched away from her by an imposing and cruel male doctor.

Eight years later, Tucia had found a small apartment for herself and her disabled young son, Toby. She was working at a factory that produced corsets. Tucia had accumulated a sizable debt and the manager of the corset factory was not very forgiving when Tucia often arrived late to work. Her young son required her attention and the time often got away from her. This was often the cause for Tucia’s tardiness to work. She really needed the job but when her boss placed Tucia in a very uncomfortable position, Tucia met the limits to her patience and did something that cost her the job she so badly needed.

Just when Tucia’s luck was at its lowest point, she was offered an opportunity that was hard to pass up. A familiar looking man but one that Tucia knew nothing about appeared at her apartment door a day or so after Tucia had been fired from her job at the corset factory. His name was Hugh Horn but preferred to be called Huey. Tucia learned that he owned a ran a traveling medicine show. Huey was in search of a real doctor who possessed a medical license. Even though Tucia had not practiced medicine for more than eight years, Huey didn’t seem to care. His show just needed a real doctor that possessed a medical license to authenticate the show. Huey seemed to know everything about Tucia even though they were complete strangers. When Huey offered to pay off Tucia’s loan she agreed to work for him. Tucia hated everything that Huey represented and stood for. It was everything that went against what Tucia believed in but Tucia knew that she couldn’t afford to say no to his offer. Her plan was to repay Huey as quickly as she could and then she and her young son, Toby, would leave and start their life over again. Right now, Tucia had to think of what was best for Toby and going with Huey was the best choice for right now.

When Tucia and Toby arrived with Huey at the sight where the traveling medicine show was going to perform its various acts she wondered again if she had made a mistake by accepting Huey’s proposition. Tucia and Toby met the other members of the traveling medicine show. Each of the members had their own stories, backgrounds and reasons for why they had joined the traveling medicine show annd were compliant to Huey’s orders. Over time, Tucia learned their stories and even became friends with some of them. Very quickly, Tucia learned how deceitful and dishonest Huey was. It soon became apparent to Tucia that Huey was interested in making as big of a profit for himself even if it meant exploiting the members of the company. He was a ruthless and self absorbed man. With each new location the traveling medicine show settled in, Huey expected Tucia to do more and more things that she was uncomfortable with. Most of the things Huey expected from Tucia were either dishonest or were of the nature of putting her in a compromising position.

Then in late August to early September, Huey decided to bring the show to Galveston, Texas. It was the first time ever that the show was to perform in Galveston. The traveling medicine show had only been in Galveston for a few short days when Galveston became the target of a monster hurricane with unrelenting intensity and consequences. What would happen to the island of Galveston, its inhabitants and the members of the traveling medicine show?

Amanda Skenandore was able to combine just the right combination of facts with fiction to make The Medicine Woman of Galveston believable and so compelling. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters in The Medicine Woman of Galveston. I especially admired Tucia for how she always put Toby’s needs before her own. Amanda Skenandore portrayed Tucia as a mother first and foremost, as a strong and intelligent woman, as a woman who showed compassion for others, as a good and loyal friend and confidant, as a woman who learned how to be confident again, as a woman who knew what she had to do to survive and succeed and as a woman who was capable of helping others by using her knowledge of medicine. I had heard about the great hurricane of Galveston but was not aware of all the destruction, damage and loss of lives it inflicted. I really enjoyed listening to The Medicine Woman of Galveston by Amanda Skenandore and highly recommend it. I look forward to reading the next book Amanda Skenandore writes.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for allowing me to listen to The Medicine Woman of Galveston by Amanda Skenandore through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was anticipating an interesting read when I requested this book from NetGalley. A woman in medicine called a “trailblazer” in the description makes a mistake in surgery and now works in a corset factory. And … ends up traveling in a medicine show with her son along with a German giantess, a bow-legged musician, an American Indian poet, and a can-fix-anything man.

What I liked about the story …

- The characters of the giantess, the musician, and the fix-it man. These are not dumped on the reader with full descriptions of each but the characters are built much as a person getting to know more about them as time goes on.
- Huey who was not mentioned above. He is the lead of the medicine show. You know from the beginning that he is lying all the time. And he gets worse as the story goes. His character is key to what happens to everyone else. You will not like him; I didn’t.
- Life in a traveling medicine show. What it took to put up the stage at every stop. What kinds of acts would appeal to people. Huey’s ways of getting poor people in his audience to spend when they shouldn’t. About the care and feeding of people in the traveling caravan (not that Huey cared all that much). And why Huey wanted a “real” doctor in the group.
- The handling of what a hurricane would be like in 1900.
- The friendship that developed among the caravan (sans Huey) and how they found ways to support each other.

Now that’s a good list. BUT … What I did not like …

- The title of the book is The Medicine Woman of Galveston. In the description, “When the show reaches Galveston…” should have read “When the show FINALLY reaches Galveston …” I expected a good section about the book being about how she becomes a “real” doctor in Galveston, the challenges, and yes, triumphs, there. Instead, they arrive just before the end which makes the title — well, flat wrong. It was in THIS section that the book became compelling.
- The name of the doctor — Tucia. Authors, if you want the reader to identify with your lead character, do not give her a weird name. I *still* don’t know if I’m pronouncing right. Maybe if the author had explained why she had such a name … Tucia is also a surname. I know, I know. You probably won’t agree but I never got used to the name all 409 pages.
- Tucia’s panic attacks. There were just too many of them and they sorta got old. The author does explain why she has them.
- Tucia’s pulling out her hair leaving bald spots. I’ve heard of people doing this but like the panic attacks — just too many.
- I kept waiting for Tucia the Real Doctor to show up. Appreciated her workaround to give REAL information out, but longed for a “will the real doctor please stand up” moment.

The five-like list, for this reviewer, did not outweigh the five did-not-like list resulting in a three-star rating. I leave it up to you future reader. You may like this story tremendously. I kept waiting for it to get better.

I received a complimentary DRC (digital review copy) of The Medicine Woman of Galveston via NetGalley from the publisher, Kensington Books | Kensington. A positive review was not required; the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Rating: 3 stars
Cover: Fits the story.
Pages: 409
Publish Date: 21 May 2024
#TheMedicineWomanofGalveston #NetGalley #AmandaSkenandore

[Lisa M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The synopsis and title is misleading as the story doesn’t even arrive in Galveston until 80% of the book is over. The story focuses on Tucia—a licensed physician who has sworn off doctoring after a horrible debacle in a surgery room that has left her with severe PTSD. Her fight for survival for she and her Down syndrome son is the crux of the story. She also does self harm of pulling her hair out to cope with stress.

For those who like to know—There are times of cruelty in the story, abuse, sex, and heavy innuendo.

Scattered through the plot are mini stories of the people with her in the Medicine show. They are kind of out of place with the story.

Tucia finally gets her redemption and chance for a new life—-but she has to scratch and claw her way for it.

I just was at Galveston in September so it was nice to “revisit” The Strand. But I expected the story to spend wayyyy more time there.

3 stars tops.

*I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley. I wasn’t required to write a positive review and all opinions are my own.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

This book started slowly for me, but once it picked up, I ended up enjoying it. I didn’t love the writing style, but I enjoyed learning the backstories of many of the characters.

Audio book source: Libby
Story Rating: 3 stars
Narrators: Amanda Stribling
Narration Rating: 3.5 stars
Genre: Historical
Length: 12h 2m

[Taury · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Medicine Woman of Galveston by Amanda Skenandore is a historical fiction novel set Galveston, Texas, 1880. It centers around female doctor, Dr. Ella, who faces challenges in a male dominated field. The novel explores themes that include gender inequality, and the complexities of medicine. The author does a good job detailing medical practices and the cultural climate of Galveston. The novel includes strong female characters and well-researched historical settings.

[Kristy Johnston · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this one. I never connected with the main character of Tucia. I found her to be an inconsistent character that had a lot going on. She suffered from trichotillomania, or hair pulling disorder, and when her anxiety sky-rocketed, the itch to pull her hair out would get worse leading her to feel ashamed, paranoid that everyone was looking at her. That in and of itself was a lot to deal with. It was made worse by her obvious PTSD from something that happened when she was training to be a doctor, which apparently caused her to abandon her career aspirations of being a doctor despite other responsibilities that I felt should have taken precedence.

Tucia defied the position of women in society at that time and trained to be a doctor prior to the beginning of this story. She attended a women’s medical school, admitting to finding her place comfortably among the females there that she had not found with the other female relationships in her life. She cared not for what her stepmother or the rest of society thought of her aspirations, and yet I’m supposed to believe that she does now, to the point of crippling anxiety and worry about what the members of a snake oil salesman’s show say about her when she leaves the room.

In addition, she has the responsibility of feeding and housing a child, not just any child, but a child with special needs that has more requirements than just food and a roof over his head. Yet, she’s more worried about the morality of selling snake oil and the shame she feels at tearing her hair out. Don’t even get me started on her signing an ambiguous contract with said snake oil salesman. Who is this woman? An intelligent doctor and caring mother or a naïve, anxiety ridden girl with an exacting morality. I had a problem reconciling all of this into one character. The anxiety disorders and their manifestations combined with the lack of a support system just doesn’t account for all of this.

Other reviews have made the comments that the actual advertised plot of the Galveston hurricane of 1900 takes up little space in this novel, so I will add only that if you’re looking for a historical fiction novel set around the hurricane of 1900, I’d recommend The Promise by Ann Weisgarber.

This one just didn’t work for me due to the protagonist. The writing was good, and I would be open to reading another book by this author in hopes of it working better for me. I listened to portions of this novel via audiobook that was expertly narrated by Amanda Stribling and switched the egalley when convenient.

Thank you to Netgalley, Kensington Books and HighBridge Audio for a copy provided for an honest review.

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the aftermath of the deadliest natural disaster in America and highlighting unscrupulous medical practitioners on show circuits, this fantastic book examines the different trajectories our lives take when we make one wrong move.

Tucia Hatherley is a formidable woman; she has always fought for her future. Readers see the challenges women of the time faced when wanting to pursue further education and a career in a traditionally male field. Dr. Hatherley fought for the right to be allowed a place at medical school, fought to be considered good enough to work in an emergency room at a busy hospital, fought to be on the cutting edge of medicine, fought to mother a disabled child, and now fights for her future after a workplace error. Working in a corset factory isn’t what she had in mind after climbing to be recognized in her career but it pays the bills…almost. When she’s forced to consider another alternative, a morally questionable one, she discovers that it takes her life in another direction she hadn’t prepared for.

Tucia joins a misfit troupe of medicine show performers who get caught in the Galveston, Texas hurricane of 1900. Her choices help her believe in herself again, believe in her dream, and belief of medicine and the natural disaster ties it all together by showing her the goodness in others.

I appreciated the inclusion of a boy with Down syndrome and the examination of a vaguely familiar term - ‘snake oil.’

I was captivated by the colourful world of medicine shows, their vibrant performances and the touting of infamous miracle elixirs. Congratulations on a unique plot featuring unique characters!

I was gifted this copy by Kensington Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

[Margaret H. Grimes · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry I couldn’t give it 1/4 star. This book was not as described. Almost the entire book was her dealing with a cruel snake oil salesman and his traveling show. She did not get to Galveston until I had read approximately 94% through it. I was hoping to read about a woman doctor during and after the hurricane in Galveston. Not so. I’m sorry I stuck with it.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good story about Dr. Tucia Hatherley, a female doctor in Galveston who joins a traveling medicine show to support her son. Dr. Tucia Hatherley also faced the great Galveston Texas Hurricane in 1900. The story is well written, and this is the second time I have read Amanda Skenandore books hopefully, it won't be the last. I won this book from Goodreads giveaway and Amanda Skenandore ( thank you )!

[Kathy Curry · Rating 1 out of 5]

The title of this book is misleading. Galveston isn’t even mentioned until page 265. I found this book difficult to read because I felt so misled by the title and book description. It felt like a constant drip of mental/emotional dysfunction of the main character. My advice on this one is to skip it.

[eyes.2c · Rating 5 out of 5]

Missouri 1900, A Doctor’s struggle!

Uplifting, often sombre story of a woman doctor in the 1900’s who’d been let go from a hospital after an operation resulted in the death of a patient.
As a recently graduated doctor Tucia Hatherley was being supervised by the hospital surgeon Dr. Archibald Addams. He’d bullied Tucia into performing an operation she wasn’t ready for, a situation where she’d froze.
Blackballed Tucia fought for her and her son’s survival, taking a job in a mill.
Answering an advertisement for a Doctor, she’s employed by Hugh Horn aka the Amazing Adolphus, a snake oil seller, to look after his troupe. Tucia’s son Toby has Downes Syndrome. All Tucia wants to do is protect him. She takes the position.
Their journey to the travelling show and subsequent involvement with the show folk is an eye opener for Tucia.
Even more so when she realised their employer has something on everyone
During the show’s long journey Tucia connects with troupe members and learns each person’s story.
Despite protests Horn insists on taking the show to Galveston
No one was prepared for what happened next.
This story winds its way into the consciousness, never letting up. A story of retribution, of reconciliation and of love.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I didn't expect to.

A Kensington Books ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

[Amy | Foxy Blogs · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Medicine Woman Of Galveston is the fifth novel by American author, Amanda Skenandore. The audio version is narrated by Amanda Stribling. Once top of her class at the Women’s Medical College of Chicago, now, at the start of the twentieth Century, Tucia Hatherly is out of options. She owes the loan company six hundred and sixty dollars, she has an almost-seven-year-old son with Down syndrome to support, and she has just lost her job at the corset factory.

When Hugh Horn turns up on her doorstep with a solution, she’s wary, but the idea of Toby landing in an asylum while she ends up in the poorhouse? That has her signing a document she’d never have considered, had she a choice.

Huey owns the Amazing Adolphus and his Travelling Medicine Show Co, and he needs her qualifications as a doctor to stay on the right side of the law. While his patter is convincing, she knows he’s really just a huckster, a con man, but the extent of his deception only becomes apparent in the months that follow.

For now, it’s bad enough that she has to become Madame Zabelle, fortune teller and mind reader, and has to perform in front of a crowd, something that triggers the flashbacks to an awful episode in the operating theatre at Fairview Hospital, the reason she doesn’t practice as a doctor. Overcoming her stage fright takes some time, and the help of one of the other performers, most of whom think she won’t last long.

The others are surprisingly talented, and Tucia wonders why they’re working for this demanding, insulting man prone to mercurial moods. The mind reading act isn’t the worst of what Huey dreams up: while the yokels are sold Revivifying Rattlesnake Oil and Miraculous Corn-busting Salve during the main show, in the case-taking tent, Tucia has to play the role of nurse as Huey diagnoses ailments, then prescribes his Revitalizing Crystals. It goes against everything she swore to uphold when she took her oath. Huey has yet more indignity in store for Tucia when they arrive in Galveston.

When she tries to leave, she discovers just how vague but watertight her contract is, and it soon becomes apparent that he has some sort of hold over each of the others as well: the ballet-dancing giantess, her crippled musician husband, the “savage” Indian, and the aloof behind-the-scenes maintenance man. Uniting against a common enemy, and kindnesses shown, make them friends.

Tucia manages to surreptitiously offset some of the bogus health advice Huey spews during the show by giving proper medical care in addition to reading palms. The troupe has mixed feelings about arriving in Galveston, but before they can even start rehearsals at Darby’s Museum of Wonders, Toby goes missing, just as a hurricane hits the island.

Skenandore conveys her setting and era with consummate ease; her characters are appealing for all their flaws, except those who deserve to be despised, and she gives even the least of them insightful observations: “There’s more to a person than the worse thing they done”. The story deftly illustrates the lack of agency suffered by not just women, but non-whites and the handicapped, in the early years of the twentieth Century. A moving and thought-provoking read.
This unbiased review is from an audio copy provided by NetGalley and High Bridge Audio

[♥ Sandi ❣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars Thank you to Kensington Publishing for this book in return for an honest review.

Am I getting pickier about the books I read? I am not sure, but I know I look for books that will teach me something, give me information I can learn from, or ones that entertain me. I seem to have had my fill of gore, sex and family drama - those books just do not draw me in anymore.

So what was it about this book, The Medicine Woman of Galveston, that drew my attention? I think maybe two things - 1. the 1900 Galveston Hurricane and 2. an historical capture of women in medicine.

So, gore - none at all; sex - minimal and I would call it more romance than sex; and family drama - yes but not overtly and in small doses. And what did I learn? I learned a little bit about the 1900 hurricane in Galveston and the lives it took and property it destroyed, at least enough to want to learn more about it. I also learned how hard it was for female physicians in the late 1890's and early 1900's. And all of that wrapped up in a good story about traveling medicine shows, popular at that time - based on journals and newspapers and very good research.

This book has a strong plot, likable and unlikable characters, factual information on the early careers of women doctors, the reality of the ravaged remains of a hurricane, and the vivid world of traveling medicine shows. A page turner...

[Valerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title is misleading and so is the synopsis which leads you to believe that the focus of the story is about the hurricane in Galveston. It’s not until 85% of the book is completed that they even reach Galveston.
I’ve read two other books by AS which I enjoyed, but this one was not as interesting.

[linda hole · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very interesting and entertaining read

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Medicine Woman of Galveston by Amanda Skenandore

Summary:
A downtrodden female doctor takes up with a traveling medicine show to support her disabled son, joining a German giantess, a bowlegged musician, an indentured Creek poet, and a handsome tinker under the thumb of a charismatic but menacing swindler on a collision course with the deadliest natural disaster in American history – the Galveston Hurricane of 1900.

Readers of Christina Baker Kline, 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.

Review 4-star

While this story is very well written it’s not a page-turner, I could put the book down and do other stuff and not even think about the story at one point it didn’t pick it back up for three days., and this makes it a 4-star and not a 5-star in my eyes.
The story flow is spot-on, as is the editing. The characters are where the story fails and makes it where it’s not a page-turner. I don’t know what anyone looks like and I couldn’t picture the story at all in my mind. These two things are important to me to make a great story.

Conclusion:
Would I recommend this book to others? YES
Would I read other books by this Author? Maybe
I received this book from NetGalley for my honest review.

[Evelea J. Heer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not worth the read

Main character is so stupid I couldn't finish it. It was a free book and not worth the price. The concept of the book could have worked if characters were even slightly believable. Truly a penny dreadful.

[Sandy (Sandy.Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.25 Stars

I always forget how much I love historical fiction until I pick up a book like The Medicine Woman of Galveston. I’m so glad this popped up on the Libby app because once I started, I couldn’t put it down!

Set against the backdrop of Galveston’s rich history, this book beautifully weaves together resilience, medicine, and the enduring spirit of its protagonist. The atmospheric writing pulled me in, making me feel like I was walking the streets of Galveston in the late 19th century. The historical details were so vivid, and knowing I live just over an hour away made it even more fascinating to read about the events that shaped the region.

The character development was a definite highlight—our heroine was strong yet deeply human, facing both societal and personal challenges with a determination that felt authentic. The pacing was solid, though there were a few moments where the story slowed a bit, keeping it just shy of a full five-star read for me.

Overall, if you love historical fiction with compelling characters and immersive settings, this is absolutely worth picking up!

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the nurses secret by this author so was excited to get an advanced copy of this one!! I will say it wasn’t quite as good but definitely still worth a listen!

Really enjoyed the narrator, no issues there and could listen at my usual accelerated speed without any difficulty.

Tucia has completed medical school to be a doctor but is working at a corset factory while trying to support her son on her own. The book lists numerous times—to many really—that she had an event/accident and the trauma from this keeps her from being a doctor due to flashbacks and anxiety attacks. So this is just a bit unbelievable for me, I’m doing whatever I need to so my child is cared for and she’s on the verge of losing housing and hungry.

I loved how the author wrote and created family for Tucia and Toby despite them really having none. The bonds between characters that work with her at the traveling medicine show are strong and deeply developed. Enjoyed the short blurbs about each of their backstories and the true friendships that arise. Also even with the working girls close by the boarding house in Galveston. She definitely is an overcomer!

Bit slow at times but all in all I enjoyed and would recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley and RB Media for my advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Theresa Mary Stem · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed. I usually like this author’s books but this one was hard to get into. I didn’t like the main character and it was just so hard to enjoy. I finished it because I started it but it was a chore.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like other reviews mention, the title is misleading - Galveston isn’t mentioned until the last 50 pages of the book when it took a drastic turn. I enjoyed the story and learning about the traveling medicine days (it’s a modern day MLM tale! Anyone remember the It Works! fad?) when wagons would travel and sell their rattlesnake potion and cure all medicines. Then the story landed in Galveston and went a completely different direction. I felt like I read two different stories.

[Susan Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I love most about Amanda Skenandore’s historical fiction novels is that she takes us to events, places, and times in history that are unique, that might not be well-known, or that we might have forgotten. In the Medicine Woman of Galveston, we are taken to the fascinating world of the traveling medicine show in the year 1900. When we meet our heroine Trucia, she is facing desperate times. Although she is a female doctor, she is unable to practice medicine due to a traumatic experience, and has cobbled together a paltry living to support herself and her disabled son. When she meets charismatic showman Huey, he offers her a way out of debt and destitution—as a doctor, she can give legitimacy to his traveling medical show, and in return he can give her a chance at a better life for herself and her son. We are then swept away into this world of snake oil and deception, and we are introduced to this bedraggled yet talented troupe of fascinating characters. As a reader, I was not just an observer, I felt part of this show—watching the performances, feeding off the desperation tinged with hope that the yokels bring with them. This is a fast-paced story, and yet the author takes the time to introduce all of the characters to us in such a way that we see beyond the talents and skills they bring to the medicine show—their secrets and pasts are revealed to us so that we understand how they all came to be traveling with Huey. This compelling book will take readers deep into the world of the seediness of the medicine show, while at the same giving us unique characters who add many layers of compassion, talent, and determination that takes us beyond the tents and wagons of the traveling show. I received an advanced reader copy of this book via the publisher and Net Galley.

[John Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, except I just couldn’t stand the Huey character. Also, you can’t read this book with today’s sensitivities as it took place in 1900. You see the not great ways they characterized people with disabilities, Native and African Americans, and of course women. But overall it was a pretty good story about a time and place we don’t often see.

[Lynn Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5. It’s 1900, and Tucia, a woman, has attained her medical degree, against all odds. But she works in a corset factory and has not worked as a doctor for 8 years due to an incident in surgery. She has a son who has a weakened heart and she is in debt and barely surviving when a man comes to her door making her an offer she can’t refuse. Be the “doctor” behind his traveling medical show where he sells medicines to people.

As this book goes on, every once in a while a chapter will delve into each person’s background and why they ended up in this circus-type show. I loved this background into the eccentric but loving people who made up the shows.

As the medicine show continues on Tucia is asked to take on more and more tasks. All comes to a head when they arrive in Galveston and a hurricane arrives.

I loved this story. Firstly, because I’m fascinated by traveling medicine shows/circuses etc and the people that put on these shows. Secondly, being one of the first women doctors could not have been easy, especially when men didn’t think them capable. Excellent story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amanda Skenandore and Kensington Books for this ARC. This will not be my last book by Ms Skenandore.

[Sherril · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have to love a book that makes you love the main characters as they are developed. The Medicine Woman of Galveston was such a book. The author, Amanda Skenandore is the author that made it so.

[Jessica Cate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow start until halfway through. Loved the ending.