The Gilded Hour

I'll say first and foremost that I loved this book. I found the characters intoxicating and fascinating. Their voices are incredibly present, their motives flow from scene to scene; I always understood why they did things, and how those actions grew naturally out of who they were. It was great. <br /><br />The plot follows the evolution of a family of upper-class(ish) women in 19th Century New York as they encounter, and are changed by, the lives teeming in the city around them. It's difficult to go into much detail without giving away the story but, essentially, two female doctors -- cousins -- in the early years of women's medical practice in the United States, find themselves embroiled in controversies and conspiracies arising from hypocrisies that are both uniquely Victorian, and sadly applicable to the age we live in now. Along the way they meet housewives, nurses, charming police detectives, printers (also charming), ambulance drivers, ambulance chasers, politicians, orphans, criminals, clergy and inquisitors. The ensemble cast is enormous, yet Rosina sketches each character as a complete person, with his or her own motives, and conveys them so thoroughly to the reader that, when a number of important events occur "off-screen", as it were, there is little need for explanation or exposition. The clarity with which events are implied, and the ease with which they are inferred, is one of the great joys of Rosina's writing. <br /><br />New York is here too, in all its decadence, hope, and savagery. And I suppose I'll say a few words about that as well, because depictions of late 19th Century New York tend to go either <i>Age of Innocence</i>, or <i>Gangs of New York</i>, but not both -- until now. The lives of the upper crust, famous and notorious, are shown in all their splendor, cheek by jowl with the lives of the middle class, the working poor, and the poor criminal classes, with an honesty that is enthusiastic, appreciative, and pleasantly unromantic. Neither are they separated by chapters or point-of-view characters, as some authors would choose to do. Instead, they're all mixed up together, as they likely were in real life, and the result is that the entire city, and all its people, are present for the reader moment to moment, scene to scene. <br /><br />The Gilded Hour is a remarkably good book. Its characters have stayed with me in the weeks and months since I first encountered them, and I'm desperate to know how their stories progress. The worst thing about the book, really, is that I'll have to wait to read the second one. <br />

<br />This story could have been stunning but in my opinion sadly, The Gilded Hour tries to tackle too many subjects. The book reads as though the author is trying impress the reader with all that she knows about 19th century New York City history. This novel would have been much more effective to have concentrated upon a couple of story lines and develop them solidly rather than flit around and laundry list everything that was going on in Society at the time. Most of the story lines I've read about numerous times in other novels over the years; the New York slums, the orphan trains, the corruption of police, the anti contraception wave and so on. If Donati had expanded upon a few characters more thoroughly and stayed with her central theme she would have produced a better novel. I feel that Donati's editors short changed her. This book could have been a 5 star novel.<br />

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://www.melissa413readsalot.blogspot.com">www.melissa413readsalot.blogspot.com</a><br><br>I won this book in a GOODREADS GIVEAWAY. <br><br>I am so glad I won this book, otherwise I might not have ever seen it. This is the first book I have read from this author and I thought it was wonderful. It took me some time to read it, not because it was boring in the least, but because I read a lot of books at one time and this is a large book you want to take time with. <br><br>As you can read from the blurb the time is 1883 in New York City and you have the cousins Anna Savard( who is a physician/surgeon) and Sophie Savard (who is an obstetrician and a woman of color)<br><br>As you can imagine these woman have some trials with people that in those days, have issues with women being doctors and a colored woman at that. I think the author made such rich characters out of these two women. Actually, there are many characters in the book that are rich in the story telling. <br><br>I forgot to mention the cousins live with their Aunt Quinlan and she is quite a character, I like her a lot. <br><br>Sophie has to deal with delivering babies and women wanting to be on birth control, which in those days, is a big no no. You could go to jail and lose your license! And then the horrible abortions women are getting from unsavory people and everyone dies in that case :(<br><br>Anne works at a charity hospital and does a lot of work with the poor. She tries to get vaccinations to all of the orphans at St. Patrick's Orphan Asylum, and back in that day as well, they are afraid of vaccines but are giving them out as much as possible. There are so many orphans and poor people in the book it's heartbreaking. <br><br>There are so many characters in the book and I love how the author puts all of the primary people and some extras in the front of the book in case you get confused. I love that. <br><br>There are love interests, great friends, sad situations, and history in this book. I love the vivid descriptions the author gives of everything in the book. This might be tedious to some, but I thought it was wonderful. I don't know, just sometimes those things in certain books grab you and take you into the place and I enjoyed it. At times I felt like I was in an episode of Downtown Abbey and not New York :) <br><br>I am definitely looking into this author's previous and future works! <br><br><a href="http://s1379.photobucket.com/user/melmartD11/media/book%20banner_zpsh916lrql.jpg.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1437402575i/15581842._SX540_.jpg" alt=" photo book banner_zpsh916lrql.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br>

There are several things about this sprawling historical novel set in 1883 that I really liked: the New York setting, the main character Anna, who is a surgeon and feminist, the other offbeat people in her life, the informative historical detail, especially about the perilous situation of women held hostage by those determined to restrict their rights. Although twice as long as it needed to be, I enjoyed the leisurely read. That is until the end.<br /><br />At the heart of this book is a mystery about crimes committed against women. Yet the author chooses to leave it unfinished, the investigation still in process, clearly setting the stage for her next 800 page opus. That is unacceptable. This book was way too long to play that kind of game. So it is demoted to 3 stars. Although I admit her ploy may have worked because I'll probably read the sequel.

If you like historical fiction and need a great long saga ( complete with list of primary characters) to read by the fireplace this is a great choice. Set in New York City in the 1880's, this is the story of two women Anna and Sophie ( referred to here as being Mulatto) Savard, who are cousins and though unexpected for the time physicians. It's a time before Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. The Brooklyn bridge is being built, and the city is full of dazzling splendor and abject poverty. The practice of medicine is just learning about aseptic procedure, a technique which will change the course of history. <br />Unfortunately, it's a time when women rich or poor have few rights , especially when it comes to choosing how many children they will bear. Contraception is illegal and because of this many women end up with disastrous results after resorting to desperate measures, and orphanages are bursting with children who cannot be provided for. Besides being full of colorful history this book includes an appealing cast of characters, along with a lot of action including trying to find missing family , romance, solving several mysteries, and even the search for a morally minded murderer. 5 stars , for this book which I highly recommend by the author of the bestselling Wilderness series ( which I must now read !)

3.5 stars<br /><br />I found this historical novel, featuring female doctors in the 19th century, both enjoyable and frustrating; it will best suit readers who value immersion in characters’ lives over plot-driven narratives, and who don’t mind reading a long (732-page) novel only to have resolutions of major plot threads and mysteries deferred to the sequel. For those readers, the rewards include an extensively researched depiction of New York City in 1883, and a warmhearted story of a large and unusual family. I’d call it comfort reading if it weren’t for the serial killer.<br /><br />This is my first book by Sara Donati, who previously authored a popular historical romance series; this book, though featuring the descendants of characters from that series, appears to be her transition from historical romance to straight historical fiction. And she certainly picked an interesting subject. Little did I know, by the late 19th century the U.S. had several medical schools specifically for women, including one in New York, which operated from 1863 to 1918, until a coed medical school was available to women. (You can read more about the college <a href="http://www.homeoint.org/cazalet/histo/newyork.htm" rel="nofollow noopener">here</a>.) And the small number of female physicians practicing at the time included black as well as white women (the first African-American female doctor, Rebecca Lee Crumpler, graduated from the New England Female Medical College in 1864).<br /><br />The Gilded Hour gives us two doctors, Anna and Sophie Savard, cousins who were orphaned in childhood and raised by their elderly aunt. Anna is a surgeon, and white; Sophie is an obstetrician and pediatrician, and is of mixed race. Both have love troubles, which take up a significant chunk of the book (Anna’s in particular; we see less of Sophie, especially in the second half). They also have run-ins with one Anthony Comstock, a historical crusader for Victorian morality who arrested doctors for sharing information about contraception. Another plotline deals with two young orphan girls for whom the family becomes responsible, and the search for their missing brothers. And then there is a mystery involving a serial killer who brutally murders women through deliberately botched abortions, described in gruesome detail.<br /><br />Donati is in no rush, and the book wanders through these and other subplots, as well as spending time on the characters’ domestic lives. She has a tendency to resolve threats to the protagonists before they get truly serious, and to include scenes that don’t strictly advance the plot, as well as a great deal of description and detail about New York at the time. I don’t always have the patience for this type of novel, but found myself invested in the characters and immersed in the setting to the point that this worked for me. The author has clearly done her research on the time period, and I am particularly impressed with the unapologetic focus on women’s health.<br /><br />But I see no excuse for leaving readers hanging as to the identity of the murderer; in a book this long, there is certainly space to resolve that issue. Much time is spent on Anna’s romance with police detective Jack Mezzanotte, but despite his getting more page time than anyone besides Anna, Jack is never developed beyond the role of generic male love interest. Their many scenes together show us at length why Jack is attracted to Anna – which is not difficult to understand; she has a strong personality and is an attractive young woman – rather than why Anna would be attracted to Jack. Thus, I neither became engaged in this romance, nor found their whirlwind courtship convincing. And there are a couple of detailed S&amp;M-type scenes that contained more information than I wanted to know. Meanwhile, the characters sometimes seemed a little too modern: discussing relatives’ sex lives, for instance, or making out in public.<br /><br />All that said, Donati can tell a good story, convincing readers of one view of events only to change our minds with new information. Anna and Sophie are tough and believable as professionals, and are sympathetic characters who are easy to root for. The depiction of New York at the time – from hospitals to police stations to orphanages unable to keep up with the vast numbers of homeless children – is fascinating, and the book inspired me to do a bit of my own research. Ultimately, I enjoyed it enough to want to read the sequel, which hopefully will not be long in coming.

Oh, for CHRISSAKES, what did I just pay $12.99 for on Amazon? Based on the reviews, I was expecting a well-researched historical novel...instead, I got two ponderous romances accompanied by a one-note plot about women physicians in New York. They're women. Doctors. Women doctors. Did the author mention they were women doctors who went to medical school? Women. Abortions. Oh shit, a love story! Two love stories! Gasp! [Predictable sex scene that ends in shuddering simultaneous orgasms]. He touched her wrist. She shuddered again at LEAST once. A courtroom. An invalid who loves a half-black woman. Who is a WOMAN DOCTOR! Abortion. Courtroom. Romance novel sex scene, more orgasms. Some annoying orphans. <br /><br />Kill me. <br /><br />Two stars because maybe it got better. <br /><br />

I wanted a book about two female doctors in the late 19th century. While there is that plot line there are also too many forays into sexual liaisons and other plot lines that bog down the book.<br /><br />As soon as I read about a penis head smacking into a belly, I couldn't read anymore. I'm no prude but the author is no romance writer either.<br /><br />Oh well.

<b>4.25★</b> Thoughts on The Gilded Hour<br /><br />I love historical fiction. At over 700 pages with meticulous detail to multiple characters and story lines including the city of New York in 1883, a reader who isn’t such a fan might find this one hard to get through. It builds slowly. That said I <i>really liked</i> it. I include a link that gives a better overview to anyone who might be interested in learning more of its background, especially if you are familiar with the author’s Wilderness Series.<br /><br /><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://thegildedhour.com/?doing_wp_cron=1445033199.8860089778900146484375">http://thegildedhour.com/?doing_wp_cr...</a><br /><br />The Brooklyn bridge is nearing completion, the Statue of Liberty expected to arrive soon. Abortion and contraceptives are illegal and thousands of children, some of whom will end up on the orphan trains headed west are homeless and destitute on the streets. Many of the agencies charged with their care are not much better than street life. People sicken daily and succumb to all sorts of disease and danger. In describing what the book is about the author states on her blog that at its core it's about “violence toward and control of women.” I agree. Especially to the immigrant poor. If you have any family history of bloodlines coming to America via New York during the time period it paints a vivid portrait of what awaited them. It’s also a great story about 4 orphaned children who come to the attention of our main characters Anna and Jack. Their personal relationship brings back many of the elements I loved about Elizabeth (Boots) and Nathaniel in Donati's book <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/72854.Into_the_Wilderness__Wilderness___1_" title="Into the Wilderness (Wilderness, #1) by Sara Donati" rel="noopener">Into the Wilderness</a>. Enlightening, educational, and entertaining as it covers a divisive and controversial topic still an issue in current affairs as well as at a recent family dinner table. This is not a superficial or topical presentation. Not all the story elements are neatly wrapped up at the end and this may bother some readers. It is the first in a series and I have no idea if she will continue where it leaves off but I do look forward to the next installment.<br />

As a fan of Sara Donati's Wilderness novels, I've been looking forward to her newest book for a long time now. I was lucky enough to win an ARC of the book and was delighted to be reunited with the descendants of the Bonner family, now living in NYC in the 1880's.<br /><br />One of my favorite aspects of The Gilded Hour was the level of detail in the author's historical research. I don't think I knew much about this period of time in New York history. The two main protagonists, Anna and Sophie Savard, were fascinating characters. I could see the threads that linked them back to their ancestors from the previous series. All of the characters were richly drawn and brought additional depth to the overall story. I found myself wanting to know more about this era of history, some 20 years after the Civil War and before automobiles and telephones. <br /> <br />If you loved The Wilderness series and carefully researched historical fiction, you will love this newest book. I look forward to the next installment of this series.