I love historical fiction but it’s fair to say a lot of it can be quite harrowing. Not so with The Bonesetter Woman, which managed to stay quite light while giving us amazing insights into the London of the mid 18th century. The protagonist, Endurance Proudfoot, is a tour de force who I loved reading. This book is full of warmth and comfort and is a breath of fresh air amongst the many (understandably) heavier historical fiction out there. Recommend!

This book is set in Georgian London. It is full of strong female characters. The plot is very interesting and I learned a lot. Excellent writing. Great pacing. An enthralling read

I love being given the opportunity to update our school library which is a unique space for both senior students and staff to access high quality literature. This is definitely a must-buy. It kept me absolutely gripped from cover to cover and is exactly the kind of read that just flies off the shelves. It has exactly the right combination of credible characters and a compelling plot thatI just could not put down. This is a great read that I couldn't stop thinking about and it made for a hugely satisfying read. I'm definitely going to order a copy and think it will immediately become a popular addition to our fiction shelves. 10/10 would absolutely recommend.

That Bonesetter Woman is a very entertaining book about two sisters, Endurance and Lucinda Proudfoot. The book was outside of my comfort zone genre, but I didn't regret picking it up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

I absolutely adored this story; it temporarily cured me of my book hopping habit as I was so engrossed I didn’t want to read anything else! Durie was a really great character. Although based on a real person, the author gave her a much improved outcome than in real life. Totally absorbing, evocative of the period,#couldntbebetter.

The Bonesetter Woman by Frances Quinn. I’m stupidly squamish which is what you need to keep in mind here. Durie’s dad is a bonesetter, which is exactly what you think it is. Durie and her sister end up in London, not a place for bonesetters or women and this story is about Durie trying to find her way when people would rather she didn’t. It’s a lovely story, you know what happens in the end but you feel so much for Durie and the woman in her life and all the shit they all have to go through. It’s just a lovely story really and one I would recommend as an easy read. My take away from this is men are bad with money.

Frances Quinn breathes life into Georgian London within the pages of That Bonesetter Woman. It gives voice to the trials and prejudices of what it was like to be a woman who didn’t fit into society expectations and one who is determined to forge her own path.

Durie is a fabulous character. She’s quirky, doesn’t give a fig about fashion (oh that hat – perfect!) and finds small talk difficult. I quickly became invested in her! For all her determination and strength in overcoming obstacles to do what she truly feels is her ‘calling,’ she is vulnerable and naïve about some things in life. I felt very protective of her.

Her sister Lucinda certainly has it sussed. She’s learned how to manipulate and use her best features to get what she wants – although it can be precarious at the top.

With the help of her aunt Ellen and her business acumen, Durie’s skills as a bonesetter soon become recognised … but along with that recognition are of course those who would bring her down. Scenes in the coffee house had me wanting to do someone an injury! And then there were scenes in the theatre and in the horse and carriage that had me punching the air.

The story isn’t all about walking a different path though. Childhood perceptions, thinking you’re doing the right thing to protect someone you love, romance and sisterly bonds all have a part to play too. One truth had me in tears. In fact, I felt many different emotions throughout the story.

An easy 5 star read for me.

This is an entertaining novel that combines suspense, drama and romance with a fascinating insight into the medical practice of bonesetting in 18th century England. It is a fascinating read that shows how a person’s determination, strength and courage can make all the difference. Frances Quinn has an eye for detail and does not shy away from difficult topics and even brings humour and romance into the story. Highly recommended for historical fiction fans.

I absolutely adored this book. I was drawn to it by the fact it was loosely based on real women, partly because of its historical context and mostly because Durie sounded like a total badass!

In 'That Bonesetter Women' we are following two sisters, Endurance and Lucinda Proudfoot. Endurance, Durie for short, wants to follow in her fathers footsteps and become a bonesetter in a world and society where women are decorative and generally considered useless.

Throughout the story I really rooted for Durie. I'm not sure if the author meant to but I saw a lot of my neurodivergant struggles in her character. It's so rare for me to understand and empathise with a character in this way and I appreciated it.

The book itself is what I imagine a regency romance would read like if it was done in the style of a penny dreadful, without the murder. I loved, hated and forgave so many of the characters while reading this book.

I'd recommend it to fans of E.S Thomson and anyone who liked The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and enjoys historical fiction. Also anyone who loved Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine.

Well written, addictive and unpredictable. This is a book I have really enjoyed and devoured. i definitely want to read more from this author. Full Review to follow.

A fabulously written historical fiction piece that weaves a story that is completely captivating. A story that will stay with the reader

Loved it! Funny and touching at the same time, with a really authentic feeling - the author has done her homework and the historical details are very accurate.
Deeply enjoyable reading, light but not too light, for fans of "The Swift and the Harrier".

an absolutely lovely read! Durie was such a loveable and eccentric protagonist. The other characters were equally well-written, as was the book as a whole. one of my favourite reads of the year!

The Smallest Man really inspired me with a desire to read historical fiction again after a long gap and to read more of Frances Quinn.
This is the delightful story of Endurance Proudfoot (Durie), large set, unprepossessing, clumsy..the daughter of the local bonesetter. Bonesetters, in some societal circles regarded as little more than a hack, were greatly valued in others. Durie watches her father at work and has ambitions to follow him in this career, endeavouring to provide practical assistance wherever possible and carrying out her own research. It is clear that she has a natural talent. However, she is a woman and thwarted in her ambition by parents who do not see this as an appropriate career for a girl. They plan to train up her brother instead. Durie’s sister, Lucinda, is a coquettish young woman who has fallen astray to false promises made by a gentleman of wealth. She has to be disappeared to London to avoid observation of her pregnancy. Her baby will also be disappeared ..to the local foundry hospital. Durie is sent to London to keep her sister company, both of them employed by their Aunt.
This is another delightful story populated by wonderfully rounded characters and with a really strong sense of time and place. This has a very different feel from Smallest Man - it felt much more character driven with the character of Dorie being right at the heart. She’s courageous, warm hearted, hard working, compassionate..and her story is one that you hope will have a good ending. It also feels very much a social history with wonderful detail about food, dress, employment and …bonesetters. I had never heard of bonesetters! I was rushing straight off to find out more. That is the sign of the best historical fiction..when you are inspired to find out more.
The writing is if anything lighter than the Smallest Man, and sucks you in straight away. At times I really could not put this down because I had to know what happened to Durie.
I loved this so much I have bought my own copy and would definitely recommend it.
Hope that there is more on its way from this author!

With many thanks to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for a digital copy of this lovely book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was utterly delightful. I'm a big lover of Historical Fiction and so it is rare that I dislike a book like this, but it is also rare for me to adore it. It takes something extra special. And this book has it!!

This is one of those novels that takes you along for the ride. I found the characters, the sense of time as well as place, utterly immersive. I lived alongside them, and breathed the same air.

Not only is our main character an absolute marvel (and I LOVE that she's based on a real life female bonesetter) but the writing is beautiful too. Quinn's descriptions are never over the top, they never go even half a step too far, but they are detailed and complex and engaging. They not only paint a picture, but they create a masterpiece. What a staggering novel, I can't recommend it more.

I was offered this book as an ARC by NetGalley and found it to be very engaging. Durie is a well rounded and interesting main protagonist and the relationships that she has with those around her are believable. I found myself wishing that Quinn had not included the sections written from the point of view of Malachy as I felt they weren't necessary to drive the plot forward - she could have trusted us readers a little more to infer those details. I was very intrigued to discover this novel is loosely based on real people too which is always a plus. As someone who regularly has to relocate their own joints, I can reassure the author that it is indeed possible to do it without medication and she is correct in that doing so quickly is far easier and less painful as well as relaxing muscles (or getting the patient to relax by distraction) to help!

That Bonesetter Woman is one of those excellent historical novels that makes you feel like you are right there with the characters, embroiled in their day-to-day lives.

Durie is an interesting character, an empowered, self-made woman, intelligent and resourceful, making her own way in a man's world, on her own terms.

That pretty much sums up why this book is worth reading. To discover that it is not a wishful-thinking anachronism but rather based on a real character, a female bonesetter in the 18th century, makes it all the more fascinating.

It's engrossing, well written, and portrays a vivid picture of life in the heart of London in the 18th century. I just loved it!

Highly recommended by anyone who likes socio-realistic historical novels set in Britain. It raises many issues that are still relevant today... perhaps increasingly relevant, as so many young people, particularly those from impoverished backgrounds, face challenges today not so different to Durie's. I'd love to see this on the curriculum for a class of teenagers...

I have reviewed That Bonesetter Woman by Frances Quinn for LoveReadingUK. I have chosen the book as a Liz Pick of the Month for the pbk publication in 2023. Please see link to site for full review.

I'm not sure I can put into words how much I loved this book, it’s stunning, just so brilliant, I love Frances Quinn’s writing so much. I was hooked straight away and I couldn’t put this down, her descriptions are so beautiful, so realistic I could be there, the issues in this are so sensitively handled and so thought provoking, it’s heartbreaking at times, but I loved the fact you have the sisters, the sisters are hilarious and humour like this breaks up the heartbreak. Such a wonderful and unusual storyline, Dorie stands out as a real heroine , you have to read this

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

All Endurance Proudfoot wants is to follow in her father's footsteps and become a bonesetter but when her sister becomes pregnant she is shipped off to London. Durie fails to excel in her aunt's pastry shop but she succeeds as a society bonesetter, even as she incurs the wrath of the Doctors. Durie innocent and clumsy but talented at her work but when love appears will she recognise it or be taken in?
This is a very gentle piece of 18th Century fiction. The research is strong, particularly about the Foundling Hospital and the hierarchy of medical treatment. However it is essentially a soft novel focused about a woman in a man's world and true romance, in that respect it is really enjoyable