What do you think?
Rate this book
Mattie
Poor and illegitimate, young Mattie was introduced to the world of medicine when she was hired by an enfluential doctor to care for his daughter. By sheer determination, she grows up to become a doctor herself and sets up her practice amid the soddies and farmhouses of Nebraska. During the years of Mattie's practice, her life is filled with battles won and loved ones lost, challenges met and opportunities passed. This novel offers a portrait of life on the plains and of a most unforgettable woman.
185 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1988
340 people are currently reading
415 people want to read
About the author
Judy Alter
146 books133 followersAfter an established career writing historical fiction for adults and young adults about women of the nineteenth-century American West, Texas author Judy Alter turned her attention to contemporary cozy mysteries and wrote three series: Kelly O’Connell Mysteries, Blue Plate Café Mysteries, and Oak Grove Mysteries. She has most recently published two titles in her Irene in Chicago Culinary Mysteries--Saving Irene and Irene in Danger.
Her most recent historical books are The Most Land, the Best Cattle: The Waggoners of Texas and The Second Battle of the Alamo, a study in both Texas and women’s history. Judy’s western fiction has been recognized with awards from the Western Writers of America, the Texas Institute of Letters, and the National Cowboy Museum and Hall of Fame. She has been honored with the Owen Wister Award for Lifetime Achievement by WWA and inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame at the Fort Worth Public Library. She was named One of 100 Women, Living and Dead, Who Have Left Their Mark on Texas by the Dallas Morning News, and named an Outstanding Woman of Fort Worth in the Arts, 1988, by the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women
Judy is a member Sisters in Crime and Guppies, Women Writing the West, Story Circle Network, a past president of Western Writers of America, and an active member of the Texas Institute of Letters.
Retired after almost thirty years with TCU Press, twenty of them as director, Judy lives in a small cottage—just right for one and a dog—in Fort Worth, Texas with her Bordoodle Sophie. She is the mother of four and the grandmother of seven. Her hobby is cooking, and she’s learning how to cook in a postage-stamp kitchen without a stove. In fact, she wrote a cookbook about it: Gourmet on a Hot Plate.
Her most recent historical books are The Most Land, the Best Cattle: The Waggoners of Texas and The Second Battle of the Alamo, a study in both Texas and women’s history. Judy’s western fiction has been recognized with awards from the Western Writers of America, the Texas Institute of Letters, and the National Cowboy Museum and Hall of Fame. She has been honored with the Owen Wister Award for Lifetime Achievement by WWA and inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame at the Fort Worth Public Library. She was named One of 100 Women, Living and Dead, Who Have Left Their Mark on Texas by the Dallas Morning News, and named an Outstanding Woman of Fort Worth in the Arts, 1988, by the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women
Judy is a member Sisters in Crime and Guppies, Women Writing the West, Story Circle Network, a past president of Western Writers of America, and an active member of the Texas Institute of Letters.
Retired after almost thirty years with TCU Press, twenty of them as director, Judy lives in a small cottage—just right for one and a dog—in Fort Worth, Texas with her Bordoodle Sophie. She is the mother of four and the grandmother of seven. Her hobby is cooking, and she’s learning how to cook in a postage-stamp kitchen without a stove. In fact, she wrote a cookbook about it: Gourmet on a Hot Plate.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
March 13, 2015
Nice story
This is an enjoyable story of a girl who grows up in the late 19th century, and overcomes time-bound obstacles to create a meaningful life during a time when women's roles were more rigid and less friendly. There are some interesting historical references, particularly to homesteading the plains, but it reads more like a memoir.
Toward the end of the book there was a reference that I didn't think was historically accurate, so I looked into it, and verified that it was not correct. This was a bummer, because I assumed the historical details were accurate. Now I'm wondering if the homes were really built according to the author's description, if the field of medicine developed as she said it did, etc.
When I read historical fiction, I assume the history is accurate, and the story is created by the author.
This is an enjoyable story of a girl who grows up in the late 19th century, and overcomes time-bound obstacles to create a meaningful life during a time when women's roles were more rigid and less friendly. There are some interesting historical references, particularly to homesteading the plains, but it reads more like a memoir.
Toward the end of the book there was a reference that I didn't think was historically accurate, so I looked into it, and verified that it was not correct. This was a bummer, because I assumed the historical details were accurate. Now I'm wondering if the homes were really built according to the author's description, if the field of medicine developed as she said it did, etc.
When I read historical fiction, I assume the history is accurate, and the story is created by the author.
September 2, 2015
Resounding, earthy story
Every once in a while an author makes you feel as if you are living in their story world. Judy Alter accomplished this and more. This gritty tale of a lady pioneer doctor in Missouri has all the elements of a great novel: real life characters with real life emotions, needs, attributes and flaws; setting; pacing; conflict; and, above all, a story to care about. A definite must-read.
Every once in a while an author makes you feel as if you are living in their story world. Judy Alter accomplished this and more. This gritty tale of a lady pioneer doctor in Missouri has all the elements of a great novel: real life characters with real life emotions, needs, attributes and flaws; setting; pacing; conflict; and, above all, a story to care about. A definite must-read.
January 9, 2015
Disappointing to me
I read this book because I thought it was about early trials of being a doctor. It was too simplistic. At times I thought I was reading a middle school level of writing. Ugh....I have read too many good doctor type books to enjoy this one.
I read this book because I thought it was about early trials of being a doctor. It was too simplistic. At times I thought I was reading a middle school level of writing. Ugh....I have read too many good doctor type books to enjoy this one.
February 6, 2019
This is an enjoyable fictional story about a young girl growing up in the 1800s, without her parents. She is able, with help from a benefactor, to get into medical school when women were not usually allowed. She ends up practicing rural medicine on the plains of Nebraska. This is a good book for mature junior high school girls on to adults who want a light story to escape to. The author did a good job developing characters and demonstrating the gradual decline in a marriage.
I read a similar but excellent non fiction account of a woman doctor, in the 1800s, “Pioneer Doctor: The Story of a Woman’s Work” by Mari Grana .
If you want to read an account of a woman doctor this true story is the one to read.
I read a similar but excellent non fiction account of a woman doctor, in the 1800s, “Pioneer Doctor: The Story of a Woman’s Work” by Mari Grana .
If you want to read an account of a woman doctor this true story is the one to read.
February 27, 2017
I loved the story. I could relate to many of her feelings and concerns as she struggled with raising her family and succeeding within her career.
November 15, 2015
An easy read about the life of a woman doctor in pioneer Nebraska. I enjoyed reading this tale of Mattie's establishing herself and her practice in such an outback of the west. I did hope there would be more about the rigors of being a woman doctor in such a harsh environment and not so much about her personal life, but I did enjoy this novel.
January 3, 2018
Well written
Simple and realistic. Mattie doesn't follow the traditional cookbook formula of life in the new old west, rather the characters are surprisingly complex for such a story. I enjoyed it.
Simple and realistic. Mattie doesn't follow the traditional cookbook formula of life in the new old west, rather the characters are surprisingly complex for such a story. I enjoyed it.
December 10, 2010
I found this book to be very interesting.
November 5, 2015
I enjoyed the story line, but the writing was amateurish at times. A little distracting but it kept my interest non the less.
July 30, 2018
Excellent solid five star book. I love historical fiction about the early west, and this one is a winner. We follow Mattie as she is a little girl in the mid 1800's whose mother is of "dubious background" as she has two children and nobody knows who their two fathers might be. Mattie is bullied, and hates her station in life. As we follow Mattie as she grows older, she is given a chance to be the first female to attend the Omaha Medical School which she does, graduating at the top of her class. Then to her dismay she is forced by circumstances to move from the bustling Omaha out west to the prairie lands to live with her brother and step father in a "soddie" - which she is shocked to learn is a dirt house!
The historical times and the people that started tiny prairie towns miles and miles away from anywhere are an amazing story in themselves. Maddie does become a prairie doctor, riding alone for miles, day and night, to get to ailing patients. To see how Maddie's life unfolds - much hardship and tragedy with enough good thrown in to keep her going, this is a book that I wished would never end. I highly recommend this book.
The historical times and the people that started tiny prairie towns miles and miles away from anywhere are an amazing story in themselves. Maddie does become a prairie doctor, riding alone for miles, day and night, to get to ailing patients. To see how Maddie's life unfolds - much hardship and tragedy with enough good thrown in to keep her going, this is a book that I wished would never end. I highly recommend this book.
March 17, 2021
Real life characters are developed in the story. Mattie was born into poverty to a single mother during the latter part of the 19th century in the Midwest. To escape her greatest fear of repeating her mothers life, she is taken in by a married doctor to care for his daughter. His wife is plagued with depression which was little understood then. Mattie is very bright and eventually becomes the first woman doctor in Nebraska. She moves to a small prairie community to become the only doctor for a hard-working group of farmers in a town that was in its infancy. She has many loves and many disappointments, successes and failures but she dedicates her life to the people of the planes.
June 22, 2018
I had read the book Libbie by Judy & being from the area that some of the story was set, I really enjoyed it. I wanted to read something else of hers to see how she did in a different setting. I enjoyed reading Mattie. It showed what a determined woman can do even if she comes from a past she would like to forget. She overcame many things in her life to become a woman doctor & invested her time & money into a sanitarium that would help others. She made some bad decision about relationships but still became successful. A great bit of history.
January 18, 2020
Great read about a turn-of-the-century woman, the first female doctor in Nebraska...loved the story. Extremely well written!
Great story, written in first person, about Mattie Armstrong and her life in Nebraska. Clear, concise writing, a great story of adventure, romance, and a hard life on the prairie in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Mattie is stronger than she is pretty, and not always honest with herself, but her life is interesting and a very good read. Read it in one sitting. Highly recommend this book!
Great story, written in first person, about Mattie Armstrong and her life in Nebraska. Clear, concise writing, a great story of adventure, romance, and a hard life on the prairie in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Mattie is stronger than she is pretty, and not always honest with herself, but her life is interesting and a very good read. Read it in one sitting. Highly recommend this book!
September 2, 2017
I thought I knew all about Nebraska
She opened my eyes about a lot of things. I gained a new perspective about the women who helped settle the west: how strong they were, the way they worked, the boredom they experienced, the love they had for family. I want to read another one of her books right away.
She opened my eyes about a lot of things. I gained a new perspective about the women who helped settle the west: how strong they were, the way they worked, the boredom they experienced, the love they had for family. I want to read another one of her books right away.
June 16, 2018
Amazing Woman
This book was about a woman who was at
strong, smart, go-getter! I enjoyed the journey she took from her childhood to her becoming a woman. The writer detailed this woman as who wanted to help people even from a young age! A woman doctor was not heard of, but she did and became a well respected one. Awesome book and highly recommended.
This book was about a woman who was at
strong, smart, go-getter! I enjoyed the journey she took from her childhood to her becoming a woman. The writer detailed this woman as who wanted to help people even from a young age! A woman doctor was not heard of, but she did and became a well respected one. Awesome book and highly recommended.
October 24, 2020
I read this in one day, because I couldn't lay it down. What a sweet story of love and loss, overcoming and triumph. The characters are real, some flawed, most strong and brave, all very human. I thoroughly enjoyed it..
It just proves that obstacles can be overcome with perseverance and determination and hope. I will look forward to reading more of Judy Alter's books.
It just proves that obstacles can be overcome with perseverance and determination and hope. I will look forward to reading more of Judy Alter's books.
February 14, 2018
Once great read about life and living.
Pleased to be able to review this refreshing book about a simple life with the same problems we experience in today's society. A must-read for all.
Pleased to be able to review this refreshing book about a simple life with the same problems we experience in today's society. A must-read for all.
December 21, 2018
This is a great book to remind us of the selfless acts of women during the early years in Nebraska. I grew up in that great state, and the historical aspects of this book were brought to life in the writing of this book.
September 26, 2019
Loved the story, hated the outcome.
Super good reading. I enjoyed how the story flowed from one scenario to another. Loved the era in which she lived. Very disappointed in her losing her lover at the end. Then felt even worse with the epilogue which left her alone.
Super good reading. I enjoyed how the story flowed from one scenario to another. Loved the era in which she lived. Very disappointed in her losing her lover at the end. Then felt even worse with the epilogue which left her alone.
March 21, 2020
The First Woman Doctor in Nebraska
Mattie is the story of the first woman doctor in Nebraska. The story begins in Maggie's childhood and continues through her life. Mattie was determined to help others and that is exactly what the book describes.
Mattie is the story of the first woman doctor in Nebraska. The story begins in Maggie's childhood and continues through her life. Mattie was determined to help others and that is exactly what the book describes.
May 16, 2020
SURVIVAL
I would say this story is very similar to the many ways that people have found their way through the life they made for themselves. I enjoyed the history details included and the ways and means people had to find a way just to survive from day to day.
I would say this story is very similar to the many ways that people have found their way through the life they made for themselves. I enjoyed the history details included and the ways and means people had to find a way just to survive from day to day.
May 25, 2020
This book was pretty good, but I enjoyed it a lot less after it's started talking about her sex life with her husband and also with another man later on. The main character's personality grated on me, too.
July 20, 2020
Bentsen Bound
My 1st Judy Alter book.Won't be my last!! Enjoyed Mattie..Grit..Guts and Gusto. And A little Glory!!.She Set the mark as a Woman Doctor in the last century which was a Hard thing for some folks to swallow..
My 1st Judy Alter book.Won't be my last!! Enjoyed Mattie..Grit..Guts and Gusto. And A little Glory!!.She Set the mark as a Woman Doctor in the last century which was a Hard thing for some folks to swallow..
August 6, 2020
Historical
Mattie by Judy Alter. A story of the life of a young girl that becomes a doctor. Her struggles with her practice of medicine on the prairie and her life sharing her career and family.
Mattie by Judy Alter. A story of the life of a young girl that becomes a doctor. Her struggles with her practice of medicine on the prairie and her life sharing her career and family.
February 6, 2021
My Review
I enjoyed reading the story of Mattie and how her life evolved. I gave it four stars because I thought Mattie should have taken Sara away from Omaha. Also she didn't marry Eli. The ending was very disappointing.
I enjoyed reading the story of Mattie and how her life evolved. I gave it four stars because I thought Mattie should have taken Sara away from Omaha. Also she didn't marry Eli. The ending was very disappointing.
August 22, 2017
Well written
I really enjoyed reading this book. Would have liked more detail about the daily lives of the people of that period in history.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Would have liked more detail about the daily lives of the people of that period in history.
October 22, 2020
Beautiful story of strength and perseverance
I found this to be a quick and delightful read. I had a hard time putting it down and finished it in one day.
I found this to be a quick and delightful read. I had a hard time putting it down and finished it in one day.
April 1, 2021
A pleasant read
I found this to be longer than it needed to be; a bit slow in parts, but an interesting story.
I found this to be longer than it needed to be; a bit slow in parts, but an interesting story.
March 6, 2022
Enjoyable read
I liked Mattie's story of her life. Not everything was tied up neatly so it had a ring of truth. Very good fiction!
I liked Mattie's story of her life. Not everything was tied up neatly so it had a ring of truth. Very good fiction!
June 29, 2023
Outstanding read
I don 't know how I've missed Judy Alter's books but I won't make that mistake again. A beautiful novel!
I don 't know how I've missed Judy Alter's books but I won't make that mistake again. A beautiful novel!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews