FICTION

The Gilded Hour

by Sara Donati
Berkley. Sept. 2015. 752p. ISBN 9780425271810. $27.95; ebk. ISBN 9780698140677. F
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Popular historical novelist Donati (Into the Wilderness; Dawn on a Distant Shore) turns to 1883 New York City to tell the story of female surgeons Anna and Sophie Savard, descendants of her previous books' characters. The two women repeatedly battle ignorance while pursuing their medical work. They face particular difficulties in light of Postal Inspector Anthony Comstock's passionate crusade against all forms of birth control. Matters are further complicated by a possible killer targeting desperate pregnant women, a search for two missing orphans, and Anna's blossoming romance with dashing detective Jack Mezzanotte.
VERDICT The many fans of Donati's "Wilderness" saga will likely want to follow the Bonner family's ongoing story here. While Donati's protagonists are so relentlessly progressive in their views that they feel anachronistic at times, the author has clearly done her research, and the story lines involving Comstock and women's limited options in the era are particularly compelling. Romance fans should be pleased by the prominence of the romantic theme, though that prominence sometimes contributes to recurring pacing issues. Despite the novel's length, much is left unresolved by the end, making a sequel seem likely.
Reviewed by Mara Bandy, Champaign P.L., IL , Aug 21, 2015
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