⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Physician’s Daughter is set just after the Civil War, in a country struggling to move forward while still tethered to the past. Eighteen-year-old Vita Tenney dreams of becoming a country doctor like her father, only to be told that marriage—not medicine—is her future.
Vita’s determination drives the novel, and Conway convincingly portrays how narrow a woman’s options were in 1865. Jacob Culhane, a war veteran weighed down by loss and trauma, becomes Vita’s unlikely ally. Their arrangement—part escape plan, part business partnership—feels rooted in the social and economic realities of the time.
The novel shines in its atmosphere and introspection. Conway captures the loneliness of ambition and the disorientation that can follow when dreams are finally within reach. Vita’s struggle between love and independence is thoughtfully rendered, even when her choices are hard to watch.
That said, the ending feels abrupt. Just as the emotional stakes peak, the story wraps up too quickly, leaving the resolution feeling rushed and a bit unsatisfying.
Still, this is a reflective, well-researched historical novel with a strong central character—worthy of four stars, even with a too-sudden farewell.
** Thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for a comp. Opinions are my own.