Where the Light Enters

July 1, 2019
Luring women with the false promise of a safe, albeit illegal, abortion, a serial killer is on the loose in 1880s New York City. In this sequel to The Gilded Hour (2015), Donati returns to a time when female doctors were viewed with surprise if not outright hostility. Cousins Anna and Sophie Savard have earned their professional medical training, both turning to practice primarily on women. Grieving the recent death of her attorney husband, Cap, from tuberculosis, Sophie plans to use her inheritance to establish scholarships and a welcoming home for women pursuing medical studies. Happily married to Jack Mezzanotte, a detective investigating the killings with his partner, Oscar Maroney, Anna is a highly accomplished surgeon, but they have just lost custody of the children they were fostering, children the church wants raised by Catholics. The sprawling Savard family blends multiple ethnicities, including Italian, Mohawk, and African American, and Donati crafts strong female characters who draw upon the wisdom of their ancestors to transcend the slings and arrows of petty racism and sexism. She juxtaposes these women, thriving on the energies of the zeitgeist advancing women's rights, with the villains, who sink into the muck of dubious morality crusades, such as the anti-contraception and anti-abortion campaigns of Anthony Comstock and the xenophobic orphanage system run by the Roman Catholic Church. Through Sophie's and Anna's work, Donati sketches in the historical backdrop of reproductive challenges in late-19th-century America: Women dying in childbirth, women dying to avoid childbirth, women and babies mangled by medical quacks, and children drugged to the point of death just to keep peace in the nursery. The wounds inflicted by the serial killer caused prolonged, severely painful deaths, suggesting not inept but malicious intent. And as the Drs. Savard assist Jack and Oscar in their investigation, another woman goes missing. Detectives, doctors, and dastardly scoundrels abound in this fascinating historical novel.

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August 1, 2019

It's 1884. In a society ruled by men, Anna and Sophie Savard are anomalies. Having grown up with strong female role models, they are both now respected doctors. They are also cousins and best friends. Anna, a newlywed, has recently lost custody of three orphans, taken away on religious grounds. Sophie, still dressed in mourning, is adjusting to life as the multiracial widow of a prominent white man. The pair is asked to consult on a police case. Several women have died--the result of intentionally botched abortions. Now others are disappearing. The detectives suspect the cases are related and ask the doctors to weigh in. Donati's (The Gilded Hour) compelling prose explores ethnic and religious differences of the time. Readers will find themselves lost in late 19th-century New York City, from the orphanages to the practice of medicine and the court system. VERDICT Storytelling so rich in detail it borders on minutiae may be a distraction for some readers. Despite a central theme based on a police investigation, this story should not be confused for a mystery. Give this to readers who care more about the journey than the destination. [See Prepub Alert, 3/4/19.]--Vicki Briner, Broomfield, CO

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 2, 2019
Donati (The Gilded Hour) captivates in this story of two female physicians in 1884 New York. This narrative encompasses half a year in the lives of wealthy cousins, Anna Savard Mezzanotte, a surgeon, and Sophie Savard Verhoeven, an obstetrician, who are forced to battle misogynistic attitudes about women becoming doctors. Sophie must also endure prejudice against her race; she’s black, white, and Native American. On top of the challenges they face, both women are also involved in searching for an apparent medical practitioner who murders women requesting abortions. Anna’s husband, Jack, is a police detective investigating the serial crimes, and both women contribute with their professional observations of the victims. Although appearances suggest that the perpetrator might be a religious male doctor who is righteously punishing women, the truth may be more complicated. The number of interwoven relationships among all characters is occasionally distracting, but this is offset by exceptional characterizations. Elegant prose, entrancing era descriptions, and occasional bits of wit add to the impact. This is a riveting medical mystery.

Starred review from July 1, 2019
Donati's saga of a New York family in the 1880s, with its exquisitely realized characters, is apt to inspire repeated readings. Taking up the story begun in The Gilded Hour (2015), Donati extends the experiences of the Savard cousins, Anna and Sophie, both physicians, one white and one multiracial, and the diverse individuals who become their family, ratcheting up the suspense. Anna's Italian American detective husband investigates the case of a postpartum deceased woman who was left at the door of a hospital and appears to have been drugged and held captive for a lengthy time. Is her death linked to a serial killer thought dead? Time is of the essence when a beloved society matron goes missing; is she another victim? Mourning her beloved Cap, widowed Sophie takes up the responsibilities of administering his estate and founds a medical school for women of color, while also dealing with issues faced by orphaned children. As she brings the sights, sounds, smells, and social mores of 1884 New York into sharp focus, Donati creates a timely tale of the past that illuminates the ongoing struggle for women's reproductive rights and sheds light on the passionate, centuries-long fight over abortion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)