Sudden Glory

by Cid Ricketts Sumner

A girl growing up after the Civil War shouldn't want to do anything but finding a husband and raising children. However, Rhoda wants to learn about medicine and travel. She has no intention of becoming a school teacher or mother. Rhoda learns that some dreams can be sacrificed for family and love offers its own contentment.

326 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1951

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A girl growing up after the Civil War shouldn't want to do anything but finding a husband and raising children. However, Rhoda wants to learn about medicine and travel. She has no intention of becoming a school teacher or mother. Rhoda learns that some dreams can be sacrificed for family and love offers its own contentment.

[Toni Wyatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beginning in 1877, this novel covers what life was like for a young girl, Rhoda Lee Dalton, in Mississippi after the Civil War, and after the carpetbaggers have left. Her family once owned a 2,000 acre plantation, where she was born, but she has no memory of that. She only knows what she’s been told.

This coming of age/historical/family saga/romance brings the reader into the life of Rhoda, who is living with her widowed mother, her aunt, her maternal grandparents, and her sister, Sis Josie. Rhoda wishes she had her older sister’s looks, but what she does have is intelligence. She doesn’t want to ever fall in love, instead, she is focused on becoming a doctor like her father was. An extremely rare choice in the 1800s.

Although, the story doesn’t necessarily go in the direction the modern reader would like to see, Rhoda is an early role model for women having careers and being just as capable as any man.

I enjoyed reading about Rhoda. She is a relatable character, and we get to see her grow up and, as she would say, learn everything about life. The side characters are also well written. 4 stars.

[Rusty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a delightful older novel about a period in a time when women were not accepted widely in the medical field. The heroine is bright, courageous, and adventurous. She seeks her own way into the future in search of a satisfying life. The story depicts her experiences throughout this journey. A satisfying read indeed.