So first didn’t read the subtitle (a novel), thought this was going to be a nonfiction history book, it wasn’t (it’s historical fiction), that’s on me.

But uh. Chapter 2 is infodumping on family history so heavy that I was 100% convinced Mary Sutter was a real person right up until I finished the book and googled her (she isn’t). The whole book is in extremely awkward conflict between infodumping on her OCs’ backstories a la a history book and actually telling any sort of narrative, and I have no idea why the editor didn’t take an axe to the whole thing.

Also: Only a tiny fraction of it is actually on the purported topic–nursing during the American Civil War. Jesus fuck.