Willa MacCarthy fights an internal battle between her family’s expectation that she becomes a nun and her interest in becoming a doctor. The setting is 1936 in San Francisco during the building of the Golden Gate Bridge. Willa meets a woman doctor, Katherine Winston and starts working for her in secret from her family. She finds herself helping Dr. Winston at the clinic that handles accidents during the building of the bridge. She meets Sam Butler, an iron worker on the bridge and he assists her with attempts to help the homeless population as well as those injured while building the bridge. Willa starts to realize her true calling for medicine and feelings for Sam as her double life becomes more difficult by the day. The story is based on the life of real woman doctor during this time period – it is well researched and compelling. Those interested in reading stories of strong women that shaped this country will love the book.

I don't know what to say. This book was beautiful and awe-inspiring. With the main theme of reaching for your dreams and the expectations of others, this book will resonate with many.
The characters! They were amazing and developed extremely well. Their emotions come across on the page and so do their hopes and dreams.
I normally don't mention plot as much, but this one was very interesting. Across a Broken Shore is set during the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge. Another major part of the story is the introduction of women physicians. They and their struggles were portrayed very well.
Trigger warning: this is a book about medicine and some parts get a bit bloody. Nothing is graphic, but situations are described.
(I would also recommend you to go read Amy Trueblood's debut novel, Nothing but Sky.)
Rating; 5 Stars
Content: 2 Stars
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book about a young woman defying her family's expectations and pursuing a career in medicine instead of going to the convent to become a nun. Willa is a feisty heroine and the Depression-era setting is an interesting one, even if the desperation of that time doesn't always cut through. The building of the Golden Gate Bridge and the dangers the men faced on it are well researched and described, as is the prejudice women doctors experienced.

At times I felt Willa's thoughts were repetitive and I got a little tired of hearing her bang on about how disappointed her family would be if she didn't go to the convent, and how she owed it to them because it was her fault her sister died before she had a chance to live. But that's actually realistic, because who doesn't go over painful things in one's head over and over again?

As owners of a pub, Willa's family - large as it was - didn't not appear to be suffering as much from the depression as others, like the people living in the Hooverville camp near the beach. I felt the book could have delved more deeply into the hardships of the Depression; there was never any real sense of desperation from any of the characters, even those living in the camp whose circumstances were desperate. Perhaps Willa could see it, empathize with it, but not really understand it.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and would recommend it to anyone who likes historical settings and female characters bucking the expectations of the time.

Thanks NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this in advance.

Thank you to the publisher and author for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I am not familiar with this author and couldn't remember even what it was about when I started reading it. My attention was caught by the cover and the synopsis was interesting enough to request this title, but I forgot about it until given a copy. I am glad I had the chance to read it. I was immediately drawn into the story from the very first page. I found the story of Willa, a young 18 year old girl in San Francisco raised from a young age to be a nun, to be so interesting. Early on in the story, we learn that Willa is questioning a life as a nun just as her parents are finalizing her entry into the convent. Willa has a strong interest in medicine and while helping aid her brother during an injury to his hand, she meets Katherine, a female doctor who invites Willa to return and work as her assistant. I loved the historical references woven in this novel around women in medicine, life in early San Francisco, and the building of the Golden Gate Bridge. Willa and her family were all interesting and likable characters that I enjoyed reading about. There is a lot of internal dialogue over her desire to follow her passion with medicine or joining the convent to please her parents and lessen the guilt she feels over her past. It sometimes felt a little redundant, but overall an enjoyable and likable story that I would recommend to others.

This was a good read, however it wasn't the best.

The description made me want to read it, but I knew I wasn't getting a very -at edge of the seat- plot. The writing was allright, and the characters left me wanting a little bit more. I enjoyed it overall.

3.5/5 **

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

After reading the synopsis, I was really excited to receive a copy of Across a Broken Shore! A mix of history, religion, and a woman trying to find her place in the world was such a draw for me. I haven't read a lot of historical fiction recently, so I enjoyed the chance to jump into the 1930s and what San Francisco would have been like at the time.

Love the History
I'm a huge fan of history, and the building of the Golden Gate Bridge was such a massive moment in San Francisco's history that I was really excited to read a fictional story of what it might have been like. I loved getting to watch Willa learn about medicine and then use it to help those working on the bridge. It was wonderful to read about this part of history through the eyes of such a strong young woman.

Good Protagonist
Willa was a wonderful protagonist to follow in this story. It was great to watch her figure out how to balance her family's needs with her own and her relationship with the different members of her family. As the only daughter, she has a lot of roles to fill, and it's difficult for her to figure out how to voice her wants. I also loved that she was interested in medicine; women fighting against the social norms is always so wonderful to read about, especially when that fight is not a physical one. Finding a strong female who challenges the social norms through her studies was wonderful.

I Question the Romance
Ok, this is what really confused me about the book. If Willa's family is so incredibly Catholic that they are basically forcing her to become a nun, there is absolutely zero chance they would be ok with her relationship with a Protestant man. While I appreciate that this relationship in general is part of her struggle, I really don't think it needed the extra step of Sam being a Protestant. Even if she doesn't become a nun, I doubt her family would ever accept Sam. I think it would have been enough for him to be in Willa's life; him being a Protestant felt like overkill.

I enjoyed this novel and thought it was a good story. I've recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction or about a character finding their voice. Across a Broken Shore doesn't come out until November, but I know I'll be rereading it before then to get another little taste of history!

this book was okay I didnt really finish it historical fiction is hard for me to get into I did read 50%

Historical fiction set in San Francisco. A headstrong young girl must decide on whether to follow her heart or obey her family. Perfectly evokes the era in which it is set. A gorgeous read.

Willa is a young lady destined to enter the convent when she becomes of age. This is tradition. Her parents have always prepared her for this. However, Willa is not so sure she is meant to follow this path. She likes to fix people. Indeed, she sneaks medical books into the house and reads them until her eyes bleed. When Willa meets Dr. Winston, one of the only female physicians of San Francisco, she realizes she might be able to accomplish her dreams. Under Dr. Winston's tutelage, Willa learns there might be another life for her than going to the convent. But engaging in a medical career would break Willa's parents' hearts... The young lady faces her biggest dillema ever, and needs to choose between her heart and reason. 

The plot of this book is really interesting ! Reading about Willa's dillema, in a world where litterally everyone else wants to make choices for her was completely captivating. Her heart is torn between pleasing her family, who wants her off to the convent, and her passion for medicine.

The first half of the book is really slow paced, and we get to know Willa, and the various aspects of her life. This is much needed, and I enjoyed reading the little things that make her happy, and simply, her life, her relationship with her brothers, the doctor... It was really nice. It showed how Willa is a brave character. If you keep in mind that this is set in the 1930's, it's even more impressive. Getting the same respect as a man for a job was even harder for women then than now, and it sometimes wear down on Willa. Yet she keeps going, no matter how hard she doubts. All this set during the construction of the Golden Gate bridge made me pretty happy !

Dr. Winston is an absolute mother figure, and even though she was not my favorite character of the book (that place is for Paddy, Willa's best brother haha), she comes a close second with her words of wisdom. She is here for Willa, when her mother isn't strong enough to care about her, and I love her for it.

My only issue with the book is the amount of kindness EVERYONE seems to have. Willa is facing a dillema but the whole town seems to stick their nose in her business by telling her what a great doctor (or apprentice) she is... So much positivity got annoying in the long term, and made me a little sick of it. I mean, no one grovels at doctors' feet, every time they go there, no matter how good they are.

The ending also left me a little unsatisfied (except for the HUGE plot twist that had me shed a tear). It was too easy, and I expected more after having followed Willa through her moral journey. 

Other than that, I had a good time reading this, and if you like historical fiction, this is a great pick for you ! San Francisco during the 1930's is lovely to read about !

Thank you NetGalley and North Star Editions for providing me with an e-arc !

An enjoyable story with a strong female character in a time when women rarely had a voice or a choice in life beyond wife and mother. I loved the detail given to the settings and people.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wilhelmina has a burning desire within her to become a doctor. She reads and studies Greys Anatomy fervently, absorbing all she learns. She knows that it is just a dream. For many generations the woman of the MacCarthy family have become nuns at the Catholic convent. She knows that to choose anything else would devastate her parents. Of course there is that solemn promise she made when she was twelve. The day she accidentally pushed her mom. Her mom was eight months pregnant with her sister. The shove sent her mother down the stairs where she suffered a miscarriage.
Her love for medicine is just a dream. She will enter a convent.
When her brother Paddy severs two fingers and her and her brother Nick take him to the local doctor, she is thrilled to meet Dr. Winston. Dr. Katherine Winston. She may not recognize it yet, but Willa's life is about to change.
Placed in the year 1936, the story takes place during the building of the Golden Gate Bridge. It is a historical time. It is also a time that very few women were doctors. Less than 5% were in university.
Great story, with some awesome history. Strong characters.
Excellent!

This is such a wonderful story! Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. I love, love, love historical fiction and this book has it all. I love the fact that this book provides us with two strong and memorable women in Willa and Dr. Winston. Willa's character is developed beautifully! When a book gives me the feels as much as this one did, it instantly becomes a favorite in my book.

I adored this book set in San Francisco in the 1930’s and centers around the building of the Golden Gate Bridg.
Totally enjoy the characters.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. "Across a Broken Shore" releases to the general public November 5th, 2019. 

SUMMARY

The last thing eighteen-year-old Wilhelmina “Willa” MacCarthy wants is to be a nun. It’s 1936, and as the only daughter amongst four sons, her Irish–Catholic family is counting on her to take her vows—but Willa’s found another calling. Each day she sneaks away to help Doctor Katherine Winston in her medical clinic in San Francisco’s Richmond District.

Keeping secrets from her family only becomes more complicated when Willa agrees to help the doctor at a field hospital near the new bridge being built over the Golden Gate. Willa thinks she can handle her new chaotic life, but as she draws closer to a dashing young ironworker and risks grow at the bridge, she discovers that hiding from what she truly wants may be her biggest lie of all.
REVIEW

This was another example of the classic "I requested this from NetGalley, not expecting anything, only to end up loving it" scenario. Across a Broken Shore was at times dark, depressing, and bleak, but it was undercut with hope and progress and familial bonds that no amount of suffering broke. 

The book's selling point for me, at first glance, was Willa's interest in medicine. As a teenage girl interested in science, I love reading about girls my age who are also passionate about STEM fields, regardless of what they are. That works especially well for me in settings where the character has to face down and defeat prejudice to practice her profession of choice. There aren't many stories more empowering for me, a girl who loves science and deeply values education, than those of young women who overcome societal barriers to their education/ability to practice a profession. Thus, Willa's journey towards becoming a doctor in a world where female doctors were extremely rare was very inspiring for me. And the medical parts of the book were realistic and well-handled;  they were realistically gory at times, but never gratuitous. Any aspect of the book related to medicine got no complaints from me. 

Nor did the characterization. Willa was a deeply-realized character, even if she had a rather irritating tendency towards indecision and her brain repeated itself a lot. And the supporting cast was equally strong - Willa's brother Paddy was an equally fleshed-out character, the MacCarthy siblings' relationships were explored in depth and quite touching, and SAM. I read some reviews saying the romance was cheesy - perhaps, but I do NOT care. I'm a sucker for cheesy romance, and Sam was a smol bean. It was adorable  and that's final. :)

But perhaps my favorite part of this entire novel was its exploration of religion in Willa's life. Though she doesn't want to be a nun (and I can't blame her - I wouldn't either), Catholicism is a HUGE part of her life. As a religious person, I get what it's like to simultaneously rely on your faith and feel incredibly pressured by it/the expectations of fellow practitioners; I related to that part a lot, even though I've never exactly promised to be a nun. Thus, I was a bit apprehensive that this book's treatment of Willa's faith was going to be sort of toss-aside-y. I was pretty sure it was going to present Willa with a "something's got to give" scenario where she either had to become a nun or completely abandon her faith to become a doctor, but it didn't. Rather, Willa simply realizes that God is calling her to something other than the path her parents think she is on. I loved that, and was very pleasantly surprised that her continual adherence to her faith wasn't ridiculed as "blindly obeying her parents" or something (as a Christian teenager who has chosen to remain in the faith I was raised in after my parents stopped making me do so, I get "you need to think for yourself" a LOT, and expected Willa's experience to be the same). That was really well-done. 

The main problem with this book was that Willa's internal conflict was hashed out so many times, and in such similar words, that it just felt tired. There were commas missing, and the dialogue was quite awkward. Those were about the only defects of this fantastic book.  

RATING 

Plot: 4.5/5 - compelling, and a storyline (both the girl-in-STEM aspect and the religious one) that is very close to my heart. No complaints there. The only issue I took with the plot, and the reason for the 4.5 and not a 5, was that, like, 65% of the conflict could have been avoided with proper communication, and some parts of it were unnecessarily repetitive. 

Characters: 5/5 - I fell in love with nearly all of them. IDK, I just really love these crazy Irish kids. 

Pacing: 4/5 - like I said, tends to repeat itself. A LOT. But not awful. 

Content/Messages: 5/5 - great messages about overcoming obstacles and pursuing your true passions rather than letting others tell you what path to follow. The content is never vulgar or gratuitous, but as the story revolves around physicians who mostly serve the impoverished, it gets dark at times. The harshness of the circumstances might make it too much for younger readers, but given its contemplative nature, those too young to handle the content probably wouldn't like it much anyway. I'd peg this one for the older end of YA (16+) not because it's wildly inappropriate but because I can't see many 13/14-year-olds enjoying this. 

Handling of Subject Matter: 4.5/5 - medicine, sexism in STEM fields, and Catholicism were all handled very appropriately, but for a Great Depression-era novel, there wasn't much of the setting evident in the story. The economic realities of the Depression could have been addressed more; there are no more than four impoverished characters in a novel set during a time when there was a ~30% employment rate. That was a little implausible in my mind. 

Writing Style: 3/5. This was the weakest aspect of the book. There were a lot of commas missing (this is an ARC, I know, so that'll get fixed, but still) and the dialogue was really unrealistic at points. Not egregiously bad, though. 

Overall: 4.33/5

I LOVED THIS BOOK!

Willa's story is set in 1930's San Francisco during the building of the golden gate bridge. The cast of characters was absolutely wonderful. Willa, being the only girl in her family (besides Mam) with a bunch of over protective brothers, has made promises to her family. Unfortunately, promises made when you are 12 years old in the midst of grief are hard to hold as our hands and hearts grow. On this journey, we follow Willa as she toils with her promise, her passion, and her family.

I adored the historical details woven seamlessly into the novel and I highly respect any novel that can teach me something without me realizing it. Watching the bridge being built by the boys in this book, made me feel as though as I saw it. I loved getting to see all the injuries and personalities from the guys on the bridge. And Sam (excuse me while I swoon) was the perfect romantic interest. He grounded the book with his common sense and maturity, which was a nice balance to Willa and her emotional journey

The story moved with a steady pace and around 60% of the way through, I thought I knew exactly what was going to happen and how. I WAS WRONG and I loved being wrong. Trueblood turned the story on its head and I was there for it. I flew through the last pages and felt utterly satisfied with the end.

The characters Willa, Dr. Winston, Sam, and Paddy were my favorites. I loved their interactions and the dynamic between everyone was full of tension, though I did occasionally want to beam a few of them on the head. Usually Willa. I liked that most of the conflict in the story arose from the characters instead of events. It made for a great read with room for all the historical details.

I would absolutely recommend picking up this book if you like YA historicals with interesting background and fun stubborn female characters.

Across a Broken Shore is a wonderful historical fiction novel set in San Francisco in 1936. The building of the Golden Gate Bridge is a key event in this book. The main character Wilhelmina “Willa” MacCarthy loves all things medicine, however due to family obligations she is destined to become a nun. Over the course of the book, we watch Willa struggle with her choice to be a nun and her strong desire to learn about medicine. The book does feel repetitive at time due to this struggle.
I enjoyed reading this book. It is very evident the amount of research the author did on the time period. I feel that this book will appeal more to adults than teen readers. I do think it is worth purchasing for our high school collection. However, it will need to be promoted and book talked strongly for the typical teen reader to want to choose this book.

What was it like to be a young woman who wanted to study medicine during the 1930s?

In her novel, Across a Broken Shore, Amy Trueblood, examines the constraints put on young woman by both her family and society. Set against the building of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, Trueblood delves into both working conditions for the common labourer and the chauvinistic attitudes of the medical community. Determined to become a medical doctor, not a Catholic nun, Willa proves herself to be one of the strong females who fought to allow women to have the rights we often take for granted today.

This reviewer does not think the title fits the book.

I received a free copy of this ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC of Across a Broken Shore. A heart warming feel good story about a girl finding her right path in the world. Willa, a young adult from a strict Catholic family with four older brothers, has a deep interest in helping people. Her parents want her to join the convent and become a nun, however her true passion is to be a doctor. She meets Dr Winston and starts to mentor under her, all the while lying to her parents who think she is doing volunteer work. Willa also meets Simon who helps her through her journey and onto the right path.
i enjoyed reading this book, it was an easy read, easy to keep track of the characters, they were well introduced and easy to remember,

One of the prime characters is described as wanting to be a bridge across a broken shore. In this way the title of Amy Trueblood’s work of historical fiction becomes a metaphor for the entire novel. As the Golden Gate Bridge is erected, those in its shadow play out their lives trying to maneuver the devastating effects of the Depression. Willa, bound by a guilt-ridden promise to become a nun, fears this is not what she wants. Katherine faces daily prejudice for being a woman in the medical field. Sam, an itinerant worker, has never been able to stop in one place and find happiness. The McCarthy family is unsure how to conquer their grief. The Hooverville occupants want to survive. At times solutions seem unreachable. I engaged with these characters from the start. I shall watch for this author in the future.

San Francisco1936, the middle of the Great Depression. Families were struggling to make ends meet and this was no different for the MacCarthy family, with 4 boys and 1 daughter, they were working hard to keep their pub alive and food on the table. For 18 year old Willa MacCarthy the only girl amongst 4 brothers, she had been told by her parents that she was to become a nun. Yet this was not the ambition she had set her mind to... she wanted to become a doctor, a secret she had to keep from her family. One fateful date opportunity knocked on her, when her brother suffered from a severe accident and Willa took him to see the neighborhood doctor. It was Katherine Winston, the young female physician who came to their aid. Yet, more than that she fueled Willa's ambition to go into the medical field, becoming her mentor. Conventions at that time period were quite strict, it wasn't easy for women to become independent, to go into the medical field was almost impossible. With her over-protective brothers as well as her parents, it was difficult for Willa to ever think she would become her dream of being a doctor. And while this conflict was taking place in her life, the Golden Gate Bridge was being built in San Francisco. There were many risks to be taken for those working on the bridge, but to be sure times were tough, the Depression had a strong hold on the population and just having a job, albeit the dangers involved, was better than nothing.

This was a strong story, with the lead character having the strength to go after her dream in spite of her family's wishes. The guilt implied was emotional, especially in a family where a child would have difficulty challenging the rules set by their elders. I dare say that was the way of it in 1936. Well written, even though for me getting through some of the medical chapters was not so easy.

My thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.