The woman at the front...of sexism and mansplaining

I'm not normally a reader of historical romances, but The woman at the front piqued my interest. It tells the story of a female doctor's experiences as a civilian treating the wounded on the front lines during WW1.

The woman at the Front | Published September 2021 | Read August 2023

Eleanor Atherton graduates in the top percentage of her class in 1917 but her desire to practise medicine and serve in the war is squashed at every turn. The prevailing attitude is that women can serve as nurses and ambulance drivers at the Front, but they cannot be physicians. This work is the preserve of men as it's deemed too dangerous and daunting for women's delicate sensibilities. And then there's the inappropriateness of women treating men. Gah!!!

Eleanor ends up on the Front by pure chance, when a wealthy benefactor sends her to the battlefields as the private doctor of an English peer and childhood friend. Eleanor faces a string of barriers as she tries to assist the wounded at a casualty clearing station when it's obvious that her skills are needed. She breaks the rules all over the place, and faces strong resistance from those in charge. The sisterhood lets her down as she steps out of the confines of expectations.

Thankfully for me, romance is secondary in the novel to the telling of the sexism of the time. That said, it was still present in the story and sometimes distracts from the exploration of the horrors of war (and the part that I found the most interesting). The story made my feminist hackles rise on the regular, but I enjoyed the insight into what it must have been like for the women who paved the way for change. I am not sure how much truth there is to the societal constraints on female doctors explored in the novel, as there is a complete lack of common sense when it came to using Eleanor to treat patients when the medical team was desperate for help. Her family, too, could think of nothing but her getting married off and being a "proper lady". The attitudes towards Eleanor and her lack of fitness to be a physician are extreme, but that might just be my 21st century perspective talking.

I enjoyed the novel and its insight into Eleanor's struggles and the bravery of the soldiers, medical teams, and stretcher bearers at the Front. I prefer my historical reading to be gritty and realistic and I feel like The woman at the front be just as good without the romance parts.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐