Across a Broken Shore

by Amy Trueblood

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781635830422
Publisher:	North Star Editions
Publication date:	11/05/2019
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	620,242
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.70(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Amy Trueblood grew up in California only ten minutes from Disneyland which sparked an early interest in storytelling. As the youngest of five, she spent most of her time trying to find a quiet place to curl up with her favorite books. After graduating from the University of Arizona with a degree in journalism, she worked in entertainment in Los Angeles before returning to work in Arizona. Fueled by good coffee and an awesome Spotify playlist, you can often find Amy working on the next post for her blog, Chasing the Crazies.

Editorial Reviews

"Trueblood expertly portrays life in Depression-era San Francisco through the eyes of a young woman." —School Library Journal

"The history of the bridge, women in medicine, and family life will have great appeal." —Booklist

“The author weaves a beautiful story of a nation struggling to care for its citizens, wanderers looking for a place to call home, young women finding new ways to gain independence, and the importance of love and family in seeing one through life's struggles. Highly recommended.”—School Library Connection

From the Publisher

10/25/2019

Gr 9 Up-Prim and proper 18-year-old Wilhelmina ("Willa") MacCarthy knows what she wants to do with her life, the trouble is trying to convince her parents. In this historical novel, Willa finds herself at a crossroads regarding the next chapter of her adult life. During the fall of 1936 in San Francisco, Willa yearns to be a doctor. In the confined space of her bedroom, she pores over a concealed Gray's Anatomy textbook while her parents and brothers work in the family bar. To make matters worse, Willa counts the days in her diary until she will be forced to give up her life and follow her family's tradition of becoming a nun. As luck would have it, Willa meets the new doctor in town: Dr. Katherine Winston, who becomes a sisterly role model for Willa. Dr. Winston pushes Willa to look past all obstacles and to dream for more. Trueblood expertly portrays life in Depression-era San Francisco through the eyes of a young woman. She provides vivid details of the protagonist's actions and the settings, including the building of the Golden Gate Bridge. VERDICT Although the climactic event is brought on too early, leaving readers to patiently wait for another enticing moment, this book could potentially find a home on library shelves. -Beronica Puhr, Oak Park Public Library, IL

School Library Journal

2019-08-13
Under the shadow of San Francisco's growing Golden Gate Bridge, a girl yearns to become a physician.

It's 1936. Eighteen-year-old Wilhelmina MacCarthy is expected to spend the months between high school graduation and her entry into a Catholic convent learning to sew and volunteering at a soup kitchen. But when her older brother Paddy is injured, Willa discovers that their old doctor has retired and a woman, Dr. Winston, is practicing in his place. Willa's been reading medical books in secret, and before long, she's sneaking out to help Dr. Winston at her office, a field hospital near the bridge construction site, and a Hooverville camp. She develops feelings for Sam, a young ironworker, while endlessly pondering whether she dare follow her dreams. In her author's note, Trueblood (Nothing but Sky, 2018, etc.) writes of being inspired by both the Golden Gate Bridge itself and by an actual female physician who practiced nearby. Unfortunately, her novel fails to inspire. Stereotypical views of Irish immigrants, Catholicism, and medicine combined with cringeworthy dialogue don't help, but the biggest weakness in the story is Willa's milquetoast characterization. While everyone around her smooths obstacles out of her way, she dithers for hundreds of pages while performing basic first aid to applause. The romance feels forced and the ending, melodramatic. All characters are white.

The interesting setting doesn't provide nearly enough reason to keep reading. (author's note, sources) (Historical fiction. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews