What do you think?
A Light Within
Cora Fielding dares to dream of becoming a physician, a profession all but closed to women in 1859 America. Her twin brother Carl has already been admitted to California’s new medical college even though his true passion lies with his woodcarving skills. Cora, unwilling to bow to the new school’s decision not to admit females, disguises herself as a man and gains admittance only to be unmasked by her brother. The resultant furor prompts their physician father to send both to the East Coast, where Cora can follow her dream at the Female College of Philadelphia and Carl can enroll at the University of Pennsylvania’s Medical School.
The siblings pursue vastly divergent paths in Philadelphia. Having attained the freedom to choose her own future, Cora finds herself drawn to the plight of those bound in slavery. Her new city being the cradle of the abolitionist movement, she soon becomes embroiled in the activities of the Underground Railroad. Carl, on the other hand, is bored with medicine, a field that holds no interest for him, and he searches elsewhere for gratification. He falls in with like-minded men whose carnal appetites lead them all into a subterranean life of debauchery. Meanwhile, he and Cora are as estranged as they have ever been.
Even as Cora and her new love intervene at their own peril to snatch people from the jaws of slavery, Carl and his friends fall into the much-vilified business of grave robbing. When they run afoul of the law, Cora must make a decision. Allow her brother to fall as a result of his own destructive behavior? Or help him escape his fate and turn back to his art, the one activity that will restore his soul and lead him to the same level of fulfillment she has been able to achieve in her own life? How she decides will determine whether the twins split asunder or go forward in restored, ever-deeper bonds of kinship.
The siblings pursue vastly divergent paths in Philadelphia. Having attained the freedom to choose her own future, Cora finds herself drawn to the plight of those bound in slavery. Her new city being the cradle of the abolitionist movement, she soon becomes embroiled in the activities of the Underground Railroad. Carl, on the other hand, is bored with medicine, a field that holds no interest for him, and he searches elsewhere for gratification. He falls in with like-minded men whose carnal appetites lead them all into a subterranean life of debauchery. Meanwhile, he and Cora are as estranged as they have ever been.
Even as Cora and her new love intervene at their own peril to snatch people from the jaws of slavery, Carl and his friends fall into the much-vilified business of grave robbing. When they run afoul of the law, Cora must make a decision. Allow her brother to fall as a result of his own destructive behavior? Or help him escape his fate and turn back to his art, the one activity that will restore his soul and lead him to the same level of fulfillment she has been able to achieve in her own life? How she decides will determine whether the twins split asunder or go forward in restored, ever-deeper bonds of kinship.
338 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 30, 2017
About the author
Ann Nolder Heinz
12 books21 followersAnn Nolder Heinz is the award-winning author of Last Stop Freedom, a powerful historical novel inspired by her visit to an Underground Railroad site in Jackson, Illinois. Captivated by the stories she heard there, she spent two years immersed in research, studying nineteenth-century culture, slavery, women’s roles, and the courage of those who risked everything for liberty.
A lifelong lover of books, Ann grew up in Waterloo, Iowa, where reading was a cherished family tradition. She holds a B.A. in sociology from the University of Washington and now lives in East Dundee, Illinois -- a region once home to several stations on the Underground Railroad.
Her writing combines meticulous historical research with emotional depth, exploring themes of endurance, faith, and the human will to be free.
When she isn’t writing, Ann enjoys exploring American history and sharing stories that shed light on the people and moments that continue to shape the nation’s identity.
Readers can learn more about Ann and her work at https://www.fictionbookmates.com
Explore her books at https://books2read.com/ap/nBqEp7/Ann-...
Or connect with her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/writingismyjoy/ and on X (Twitter) at https://x.com/writeranh.
A lifelong lover of books, Ann grew up in Waterloo, Iowa, where reading was a cherished family tradition. She holds a B.A. in sociology from the University of Washington and now lives in East Dundee, Illinois -- a region once home to several stations on the Underground Railroad.
Her writing combines meticulous historical research with emotional depth, exploring themes of endurance, faith, and the human will to be free.
When she isn’t writing, Ann enjoys exploring American history and sharing stories that shed light on the people and moments that continue to shape the nation’s identity.
Readers can learn more about Ann and her work at https://www.fictionbookmates.com
Explore her books at https://books2read.com/ap/nBqEp7/Ann-...
Or connect with her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/writingismyjoy/ and on X (Twitter) at https://x.com/writeranh.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 16, 2017
A Light Within by Ann Heinz, 340 pages, March 29th, 2017, Genre: Historical Literature and Fiction. Warning: May Contain Spoilers.
A Light Within is an impressive work of literary, historical fiction. Heinz portrays the etiquette, history, style, manner of speaking, laws, and social conflicts of America in 1859 with incredible accuracy. At no point did I feel as though I weren’t visiting that time.
Cora Fielding is a bright young woman, passionate about becoming a doctor and helping alleviate the suffering of others. Continually frustrated in her ambition, Cora demonstrates she will go to any lengths to achieve her goal, even if it means pretending to be a man. Her twin brother Carl discovers her ruse and tells their father. Rather than put her in her place, he sends the twins off to Pennsylvania to their respective gender appropriate college of medicine. In 1859, the nation is heading towards Civil War, but is not yet on the cusp of it. Cora begins working part time for an attorney named Peter Ware who is actively involved in the Underground Railroad. Sharing his abolitionist views, Cora joins him in trying to help slaves gain freedom and prevent Southerners from stealing free people off the Northern streets to cart down south into slavery. Her experiences in her new town build her ethical resolve, driving her to take action. Cora finds friendship, love, and grows closer to her twin while in Pennsylvania.
Heinz employs a third person narrative style. Her narrative voice bears a resemblance to authors of classic 19th century literature such as Anne Bronte. Settings are adequately described without an overabundance of detail. The romance is a subtle subplot, tenderly played out. Carl, initially irate with Cora, learns and grows over the course of the story. Dialogue and etiquette are accurate for the time-period. Pace slows a bit towards the middle but picks back up again and keeps you reading till the end. There are many historical and societal threads to weave together here and Heinz does so with precision.
My favorite supporting characters were Reverend Sebastian Cooke, though he appeared but briefly, and Emmeline. Reverend Cooke took a beating and lost an important item, but was not deterred from serving the cause of justice. Emmeline was willing to do the right thing, even if it meant causing discord within her family and losing her place with them. Both were characters to be admired.
Overall, I enjoyed reading A Light Within. I’d recommend this book to those who relish a historical read and enjoy literary fiction.
A Light Within is an impressive work of literary, historical fiction. Heinz portrays the etiquette, history, style, manner of speaking, laws, and social conflicts of America in 1859 with incredible accuracy. At no point did I feel as though I weren’t visiting that time.
Cora Fielding is a bright young woman, passionate about becoming a doctor and helping alleviate the suffering of others. Continually frustrated in her ambition, Cora demonstrates she will go to any lengths to achieve her goal, even if it means pretending to be a man. Her twin brother Carl discovers her ruse and tells their father. Rather than put her in her place, he sends the twins off to Pennsylvania to their respective gender appropriate college of medicine. In 1859, the nation is heading towards Civil War, but is not yet on the cusp of it. Cora begins working part time for an attorney named Peter Ware who is actively involved in the Underground Railroad. Sharing his abolitionist views, Cora joins him in trying to help slaves gain freedom and prevent Southerners from stealing free people off the Northern streets to cart down south into slavery. Her experiences in her new town build her ethical resolve, driving her to take action. Cora finds friendship, love, and grows closer to her twin while in Pennsylvania.
Heinz employs a third person narrative style. Her narrative voice bears a resemblance to authors of classic 19th century literature such as Anne Bronte. Settings are adequately described without an overabundance of detail. The romance is a subtle subplot, tenderly played out. Carl, initially irate with Cora, learns and grows over the course of the story. Dialogue and etiquette are accurate for the time-period. Pace slows a bit towards the middle but picks back up again and keeps you reading till the end. There are many historical and societal threads to weave together here and Heinz does so with precision.
My favorite supporting characters were Reverend Sebastian Cooke, though he appeared but briefly, and Emmeline. Reverend Cooke took a beating and lost an important item, but was not deterred from serving the cause of justice. Emmeline was willing to do the right thing, even if it meant causing discord within her family and losing her place with them. Both were characters to be admired.
Overall, I enjoyed reading A Light Within. I’d recommend this book to those who relish a historical read and enjoy literary fiction.
May 10, 2017
A period piece about breaking traditional gender roles is how I describe A Light Within. A young woman named Cora laments about her inability to attend medical school. Because she's a woman. Alright, pretty standard for the time. The events that follow are anything but standard.
Set during a time of abolitionists and women becoming self-aware, A Light Within takes on a heavy task. There was much going on in the pre-Civil War era that was important, and the author managed to encompass quite a bit.
Something that stood out besides the excellent writing, was the attention to detail. A heavy bit of research seems to have gone into everything from locations, to speech and dress. The novel never feels like it "breaks character" and has modernism creep in. Though it does mimic certain current events, or are we repeating history because we can't seem to learn from it?
While traditional in some ways, we see more and more of the opposite as the story unfolds. And the story's woven tighter than Gordian's Knot. Later on, it morphs to takes on a more To Kill A Mockingbird feel. The issues of morality, good and evil, and racism are now at the forefront.
Now, anyone who reads my reviews knows my thoughts on how romance gets portrayed. It usually follows the same formula over and over again. The woman's thought process of "I and independent and don't want a family" changes when she meets a man. What's different about Cora is the fact that she does want that. Eventually. She has things to do first, and she remains true to that. The love story that blossoms with her is well done. It's subtle, and progressive, and it doesn't try to take away from the story. In other words: it remains a tertiary theme.
Characterization represented and interesting dichotomy, especially within Cora's family. Remember how I said traditional gender roles get broken? Look at the character development. There are significant points that the reader can see it happen. The author isn't subtle about it at all. Nor are they apologetic.
There was a lot I liked about this novel. Writing language from a different time is a difficult task, but the author was up for the challenge. A Light Within is very immersive and so well-written. A great deal of thought and effort went into this novel and the result is stunning. A must-read.
Set during a time of abolitionists and women becoming self-aware, A Light Within takes on a heavy task. There was much going on in the pre-Civil War era that was important, and the author managed to encompass quite a bit.
Something that stood out besides the excellent writing, was the attention to detail. A heavy bit of research seems to have gone into everything from locations, to speech and dress. The novel never feels like it "breaks character" and has modernism creep in. Though it does mimic certain current events, or are we repeating history because we can't seem to learn from it?
While traditional in some ways, we see more and more of the opposite as the story unfolds. And the story's woven tighter than Gordian's Knot. Later on, it morphs to takes on a more To Kill A Mockingbird feel. The issues of morality, good and evil, and racism are now at the forefront.
Now, anyone who reads my reviews knows my thoughts on how romance gets portrayed. It usually follows the same formula over and over again. The woman's thought process of "I and independent and don't want a family" changes when she meets a man. What's different about Cora is the fact that she does want that. Eventually. She has things to do first, and she remains true to that. The love story that blossoms with her is well done. It's subtle, and progressive, and it doesn't try to take away from the story. In other words: it remains a tertiary theme.
Characterization represented and interesting dichotomy, especially within Cora's family. Remember how I said traditional gender roles get broken? Look at the character development. There are significant points that the reader can see it happen. The author isn't subtle about it at all. Nor are they apologetic.
There was a lot I liked about this novel. Writing language from a different time is a difficult task, but the author was up for the challenge. A Light Within is very immersive and so well-written. A great deal of thought and effort went into this novel and the result is stunning. A must-read.
July 7, 2026
A Light Within is a moving exploration of resilience, hope, and the quiet strength that emerges through life's greatest challenges. Ann Nolder Heinz creates deeply human characters whose struggles and triumphs feel authentic, inviting readers to reflect on forgiveness, healing, and the enduring power of compassion. The novel's emotional depth and thoughtful storytelling make it an excellent choice for readers who appreciate character-driven fiction that lingers long after the final page. Readers Gate was delighted to feature A Light Within in our community and found it inspired meaningful discussion among participants.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews