The Woman at the Front
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4.5 • 52 Ratings
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
A daring young woman risks everything to pursue a career as a doctor on the front lines in France during World War I, and learns the true meaning of hope, love, and resilience in the darkest of times.
When Eleanor Atherton graduates from medical school near the top of her class in 1917, she dreams of going overseas to help the wounded, but her ambition is thwarted at every turn. Eleanor's parents insist she must give up medicine, marry a respectable man, and assume her proper place. While women might serve as ambulance drivers or nurses at the front, they cannot be physicians—that work is too dangerous and frightening.
Nevertheless, Eleanor is determined to make more of a contribution than sitting at home knitting for the troops. When an unexpected twist of fate sends Eleanor to the battlefields of France as the private doctor of a British peer, she seizes the opportunity for what it is—the chance to finally prove herself.
But there's a war on, and a casualty clearing station close to the front lines is an unforgiving place. Facing skeptical commanders who question her skills, scores of wounded men needing care, underhanded efforts by her family to bring her back home, and a blossoming romance, Eleanor must decide if she's brave enough to break the rules, face her darkest fears, and take the chance to win the career—and the love—she's always wanted.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Cornwall (Once Upon a Highland Summer) departs from the subgenre of historical romance with the stirring story of a female physician working on the battlefields of WWI France. After graduating from medical school at the University of Edinburgh in 1917, Eleanor Atherton is determined to practice medicine despite her family's wish for her to find a husband. When the Countess of Kirkswell asks Eleanor to travel to France to bring her youngest son, Louis Chastaine, an injured soldier and the heir to the Earl of Kirkswell, home to Yorkshire, she accepts while recalling her girlhood crush on Louis. After Eleanor arrives at the casualty clearing station where Louis is recuperating, his superficial flirtatious manner quickly dispels her crush as she witnesses his aristocratic sense of privilege. Eleanor leaves his side to assist a patient in distress and care for wounded soldiers. Eleanor's unflappable nature and bravery draw the attention of Sgt. Fraser MacLeod, a handsome stretcher-bearer. Though their romance is thwarted by the dangers inherent near the front line, Eleanor continues risking her life to give medical care to the injured and earns the respect of the stern supervising nurse. Cornwall's realistic depiction of the battlefield horrors is enhanced by her magnetic, multidimensional characters. This emotionally charged novel delivers the goods.
