From the international bestselling author of The Gilded Hour comes Sara Donati’s enthralling epic about two trailblazing female doctors in nineteenth-century New York Obstetrician Dr. Sophie Savard returns home to the achingly familiar rhythms of Manhattan in the early spring of 1884 to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. With the help of Dr. Anna Savard, her dearest friend, … her dearest friend, cousin, and fellow physician she plans to continue her work aiding the disadvantaged women society would rather forget.
As Sophie sets out to construct a new life for herself, Anna’s husband, Detective-Sergeant Jack Mezzanotte calls on them both to consult on two new cases: the wife of a prominent banker has disappeared into thin air, and the corpse of a young woman is found with baffling wounds that suggest a killer is on the loose. In New York it seems that the advancement of women has brought out the worst in some men. Unable to ignore the plight of New York’s less fortunate, these intrepid cousins draw on all resources to protect their patients.
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A 672 page book can be intimidating and this one was. It arrived and I thought oh my gosh… that is a lot of pages and a lot of words. I started the book hoping that I would be pulled in from the very beginning and that the story would move quickly. I was pulled into the book from the beginning and the story did move quickly but as I got closer to the end I wished that it would slow down. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the story or the characters. I became invested in their lives and didn’t want to see their story end.
I found myself inspired by the strength of the ladies in the book. They lived in a time when women were to be seen and not heard. They were expected to get married, have children, and support their husbands. The women in this book stepped out of this mold and became educated, became doctors and midwives, and became important people to the towns they lived in. I loved them, I supported them, and I was excited to see what else they would do.
Where the Light Enters is a book full of twists and turns that kept me guessing at what would happen next. I was invested in the story, the characters, and the outcome of the story. I would certainly recommend picking up your own copy of the book and fall into an amazing story.
Where the Light Enters by Sara Donati is an epic historical mystery and worth reading every captivating chapter. Her book includes daily life, medical practice and police procedure in the late 19th century. The reader is transported to the era of the 1880‘s with to die for historical details. She describes and examines the effects prejudice on many because of their religion, sex, race or anything out of what is considered normal. This is a complex historical mystery of unbelievable scope and unpredictable conclusions. Donati’s writings are of the caliber that so few authors achieve. I asked myself why I bothered with some of the books I have read. My answer is I‘m waiting for the next author or book of distinction and this is one.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from First to Read. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book.
Loved this book! Absolutely phenomenal writing. A story you can dive into and get lost in every time.
Sequel to The Gilded Hour, which I read four months ago and I wanted to get to the next book before I forgot everything. The first book was over 700 pages and this one was over 600. The author does like long books! But you get very immersed in the characters. Two female physicians, cousins, in 1880’s New York fight for women’s reproductive rights in light of the many men who treat them as expendable brood mares. One of the cousins is mixed race, so she faces additional obstacles besides her gender. In this second of the series, several women have been murdered through intentionally botched surgeries, designed to cause the most pain possible. After a wealthy society woman and a young male doctor vanish, the whole gang suspects a connection and join forces in solving the case (the cousins, their aunts, Anna’s police sergeant husband and his partner, a medical student rooming with Anna, and servants of the various households).
Thank you Goodreads for the free book for an honest review.
This book continues the story from book 1 of Waverly Place. The story is good but I feel that there is a lot of repeating of the story as well as the news articles being over done. The consistent retelling, rethinking and printing of the story line hinders the progress of the story and causes for distraction.
The story continues Rosa and Lia’s story and their brother Tonio. Sophie’s and Anna’s continued story with where their lives are going with the school for young ladies interested in Medical school and Anna becoming pregnant. The detectives search for the person behind the killing of women searching for regulating of the mensies.
Overall I enjoy the story but the retelling, rethinking and printing of the plot is very distracting.
Another great book by a great author. Have enjoyed all this author’s book.
As a female healthcare provider, who happens to love historical fiction, mysteries and early forensics, I was completely captivated by this book. I loved the characters, the medical explanations, the legal explanations and the way they all intersected. There are some challenging topics that are handled well and give attention to things that have long been buried. I highly recommend this book to others who enjoy well developed, engaging, long stories that captivate your full attention.
Excellent author. Easy yet oh so informative writing. I loved this book!
I have been a fan of this author since I read the Into the Wilderness series. I think I read that wonderful historical series in record time for me. I could not wait to finish the book and move forward with the next book but yet at the same time I did not want to reach the end of the series. This book did not disappoint and I am anxious to buy the next book. As in all of the books, she portrays all of her female characters as strong, intelligent and women that do not fit the norm for women of their time. Anna and Sophie were amazing characters and it was wonderful to discover Lily in this novel! I recommend this author to all my friends who enjoy historical fiction.
Not as good as the others. Difficult to follow and I have read the previous books.
Since I absolutely loved The Gilded Hour and all its characters, I was eager to get my hands on this sequel, Where The Light Enters. But while I enjoyed it, it didn’t quite measure up to the original. Awarded four stars on Goodreads. (To be fair, I listened to The Gilded Hour as an audiobook –which was exceptionally well done –and with this sequel I read the book.) If you decide to read this one, definitely read The Gilded Hour first.
Cousins and doctors, Anna and Sophie Savard, are once again the central characters. About a year has passed between books. Anna is happily settled in with her police detective/husband, Jack. And Sophie, newly widowed, is just returning from an extended stay in Europe. Anti-vice crusader Anthony Comstock is still obnoxiously fighting to impose his vision of decency on the city. And there’s still plenty of prejudice against women who practice medicine. And the orphaned children Rosa, Lia, and Tonino make a reappearance.
The mystery begins with Jack and his partner Oscar working on several disappearance cases — primarily young women. Some are pool immigrants; others are among New York’s elite. I don’t want to give much away but both Anna and Sophie get involved. As does a young student physician, Elise, who is being mentored by the two Savards.
There are growing complexities to the case. Beyond missing persons, it touches on midwives, including Anna and Sophie’s own cousin. There’s kidnapping, drug addiction, sexual abuse, mental illness, and a notorious court case. All of this makes for a compelling read, all 650 pages of it.
I still loved the characters. And the book is a skillfully-constructed mystery. It was interesting how the author mixes newspaper clippings and other documents and reports into her narrative. They lend such a sense of authenticity. And clearly demonstrate that fake news is certainly NOT a new phenomenon.
I think maybe I was disappointed because I didn’t have the same feeling as with the earlier novel — as if I’d time-traveled to New York City in the 1880s. This time, it was less about discovering the time period and more about the dark world that women turn to at that time, when they are unable to get the healthcare they need legally.
Nevertheless, this remains one of my favorite authors.
All women should read this series. Both books show how much we have gained and how much we have to lose! I also enjoyed the memories of characters from the Endless Forest series. Sara Donation is one of my favorite historic writers.
4.5/5
Enjoyed this sequel to The Gilded Hour which picks up about 4 months later. There’s tragedy, grief, new beginnings and some convoluted and disturbing murders to be solved. Even though it’s a bit too long (IMO), like its predecessor, it’s the love, acceptance and openness of this family and their friends that really shine here (and great writing and researching too). And I’m happy to hear there’s more to come.
Out 9/10
A big thanks to #penguinrandomhouse #BerkleyPub for the ARC copy that I won from them. The opinions are strictly my own.
Where the Light Enters is a complex family saga set in 1880’s New York and centers around two female doctors. Dr. Anna Savard, an outspoken, bold surgeon married to an Italian New York police investigator, and Dr. Sophie Savard Verhoeven, a mixed race obstetrician and pediatrician as well as also widow of a prominent New York attorney, join forces in this multifaceted story. The women share family ties as well as working relationships, which bind them close in their daily struggle as female doctors during this period in history.
The women have unique personalities and represent strong female role models taking on the issues of sexism and racism in their daily roles. The cast of secondary characters are lively and interesting, contributing generously to the story. Keeping the characters straight initially in this large, complex tale took a bit of work. In addition to a large cast of characters, the multi-layered storylines weave in and out of the intricate plot. In addition to dealing with their daily lives, the women try to help resolve a complicated murder mystery plaguing the women in their area. Read this intriguing tale to find out who was making the women of New York disappear.
I love the historical detail interspersed throughout this story. If you enjoy large, complex historical fiction novels, this book is perfect. I very much enjoyed reading the novel and it went surprisingly fast in spite of its size, a mere 600+ pages.
This ARC copy was received from Berkley Books and Netgalley.com. The above thoughts and opinions are wholly my own.
#WhereTheLightEnters #NetGalley
This book opens in 1884 with a series of communiques between family members and Dr. Sophie Savard and her husband Cap, which set the scene for the rest of the book. After her husband dies in a sanatorium in Switzerland, Sophie decides to return to her family-by-marriage in NYC. She wants to continue assisting poor women and along the way she must build a life for herself without Cap. She and her cousin Dr. Anna Savard are asked by Anna’s police detective husband to consult on two cases involving women, one a missing wife of a prominent banker and the other a murder victim with strange wounds.
This book is extraordinary from the complex and compelling main characters to the well-researched locations to a story line straight out of the pages of history. And let’s not forget the writing – this book is so well written other books will pale by comparison.
If you love historical mysteries, this book must be at the top of your to-be-read list.
My thanks to Penguin Books and Edelweiss for an eARC.
very interesting book. I liked all the plot twist. I wasn’t expecting to like this book so much. The story didn’t go back and bore me with details from the past book but kept me informed enough that I didn’t get lost. The is some great characters. In all that is going on you get sucked into their lives and want to help. I won this book in a giveaway by Goodreads and am happy to do a review for it