This fell into the unputdownable category for me! The story is that of a young woman, Durie, in the 1760’s who did not conform to societal norms but who wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps as a ‘bonesetter’, easing or mending joints.

The tale, whilst historical, follows parallels to today’s society as much as Georgian, with gossip and newsheets taking the place of social media.

Frances Quinn drew me in from the first few pages with the lively characters and well-paced storyline, so that I started and finished the book the same day. I will definitely now look out other books by her, hoping for more of the same!

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and the author for the free advance copy of the book, which I am giving my own honest opinion of.

That Bonesetter Woman by Frances Quinn was an automatic pick up for me, I absolutely loved her previous book " The Smallest Man" and hoped to find the same wonderful characterisation and attention to historical detail here. I am happy to say I was not disappointed, this story which is loosely based on a real historical person is probably the best piece of historical fiction I have read to date this year.
Endurance " Durie " Proudfoot is sent to London with her sister despite her desire to stay at home with her father and learn the family trade of bonesetting, but this is a skill that is passed from father to son and so despite her "unladylike " strength and natural aptitude she is sent away while her brother is prepared to take over the legacy. Plain of both face and speech and with a clumsiness that belies her delicate touch when it comes to healing , Durie struggles to find her place in the city, unlike her charming and beautiful sister who has set her sights on the London stage and before long is on her way to becoming one of the first Georgian celebrities. Durie has learned many of her Father's skills however and with patience, practice and determination she slowly but surely begins to develop a celebrity of her own because of her skills. Soon the lady Bonesetter is in high demand in high society, something that the Medical establishment is keen to discourage, stooping to creating complaints from false patients to discourage Durie and her patients. Clever with bones she may be, but clever with people she is not and so her forthright speech and poor decisions soon see her success hanging by a thread.
There is so much more to this story but to say too much would probably spoil the reader's enjoyment so I will instead focus on what I liked most about the book - the characters , Durie is such a lovable character, it is impossible not to empathise with her struggles as she tries to make her father see her worth and abilities or as she stands up to the wealthy and educated doctors who describer her work as quackery. It is heart breaking to see how she doubts herself when it comes to her relationships, making poor choices that will have devastating consequences. Her Aunt is also a wonderful character, seemingly cold and unyielding at first but eventually helping Durie to achieve her dreams. There are two diametrically opposing male characters who become love interests for Durie, and my one small gripe is that one is so clearly "good" while the other is almost a pantomime villain , a lack of subtlety that I did not expect from this author.
One thing I did expect from her was to be immersed in another time and place and in that I certainly was not disappointed. Georgian London is vividly brought to life on the page and Quinn incorporates institutions like the Menagerie in the Tower of London and the Foundling Hospital as well as the early Theatre district.
This is a memorable work of historical fiction from an author that is rapidly becoming one of my favourites, not just in the genre but in general.
I reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own,.

I’m in a rich vein of form at the moment with choosing brilliant books and happy to report it continued with Fran Quinn's That Bonesetter Woman.

The Smallest Man was always going to be a hard act to follow but if anything I enjoyed this book more.

Endurance (Durie) Proudfoot yearns to be a bonesetter like her father. Her training has barely started when she has to move to London with her sister who is pregnant and stay with an aunt they hardly know.

Durie is a wonderful character - straightforward, forthright and determined. The polar opposite of her sister, the pretty, sly and shallow Lucinda.

Durie needs all her determination to succeed firstly to argue against her father so she can learn bonesetting in the first place and again in London when setting herself up and fighting against the predictable sexism & snobbery she faces.

Found myself very engaged with the characters - at one point I was warning Durie out loud as she became entangled with Malachy O’Neill and I would quite happily have given Lucinda a good slap on more than one occasion! Aunt Ellen is a good character too - a successful business woman who has made her own way without a husband and quite happily too. Love to see this in novels, historical novels in particular.

18th century London was really well described from the Frost Fair to the Corn Exchange to the Tower menagerie. So were the attitudes of the time and Quinn is a wonderful observer of human nature.

I really enjoyed this story and the writing is fantastic. Most of all I absolutely loved how Durie was her own person and didn’t bow to popular opinion of what a woman should be or how she should dress or present herself - we should all be more Durie!

Huge thanks to Net Galley & Simon & Schuster for the chance to read an early copy

I had read Frances Quinn’s first book called “The Smallest Man”. I loved it and thought she couldn’t improve on it. But….. “That Bonesetter Woman”, her new story, did just that. I couldn’t put it down. It begins in 1758 and tells the story of Endurance (Durie) Proudfoot, Durie’s father was a bonesetter, a man’s work in the 18th century. A job which was passed from father to son. Durie really felt this was the one area she would be able to perform properly, rather than all the niceties of polite society. She kept trying to persuade her father to accept her as an assistant rather than her younger brother. However when her sister Lucinda became pregnant out of wedlock, they were both sent to an Aunt in London, until the baby was born. It would then be given up to the Foundling hospital. The rest of the story tells of the ups and downs of Durie’s life and work in London and that of her sister. To say any more would spoil the story. It has touches of humour, romance, deception, as well as an insight into life in that period.
I can only say how much I enjoyed this book and I am already looking forward to Frances Quinn’s next book. The characters seem very real and I was able to identify with all of them. Congratulations, Frances, on a great story! I am grateful to NetGalley and the publishers, Simon and Schuster, for an Arc of this book. I am so glad I read this story and would recommend it to everyone who enjoys historical fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley for my e-ARC copy and to the publisher and author for the chance to read this stunning book.

Wow, all the stars for this amazing and gorgeous book!

That Bonesetter Woman tells the story of Endurance Proudfoot (Durie). Durie wants to be a Bonesetter like her father, but in a world where it’s viewed as job for a man only, Durie must make her own way and prove herself. I was transported to Georgian London and drawn into Durie’s story and those around her, all the characters are well developed but from the first page I really admired and rooted for Durie. This is not just a story of a Bonesetter but the relationships and love we form that sometimes support, test and break us. It’s a beautiful and fascinating story.

What a delightful book! Thoroughly immersed in the life of Durie within the first few pages. This is an easy to read historical fiction and a great holiday read. As is often the case with this genre, you learn something new and delving into the lives of the bonesetters was fascinating.
Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to review this e- advance copy.

I loved this! I’ll admit that when I first saw that this was a novel about a female bonesetter in the 18th century, I was sceptical. Was this really something a woman would be able to do at that time or was this going to be another book, like one or two others I’ve read recently, based around a completely anachronistic idea that could never have happened in reality? Then I discovered that there really was a female bonesetter working in London in the 1700s: her name was Sally Mapp and her story has provided Frances Quinn with the inspiration for her latest novel.

That Bonesetter Woman begins with Endurance Proudfoot – known as Durie – arriving in London in 1757 with her sister, Lucinda. The unmarried Lucinda has found herself pregnant and, with Durie accompanying her, has been hastily packed off to stay with an aunt so that she can give birth away from prying eyes at home. Durie is not at all happy to be sent away; she had been on the verge of persuading her father, a bonesetter, to allow her to work with him as his assistant. Now it looks as though the position will go to her younger brother instead. This is devastating for Durie – with her large hands and feet, social awkwardness and tendency to always say and do the wrong thing, bonesetting is the one thing she’s discovered she’s good at.

Watching with a mixture of admiration and resentment as Lucinda overcomes her own personal crisis and launches a new career for herself on the London stage, Durie decides it’s time to take matters into her own hands. She’s determined to find a way to do the work she loves and nothing is going to stop her.

This is a fascinating novel, particularly as it’s loosely based on the lives of real people (like Durie, Sally Mapp was believed to have a sister, Lavinia Fenton, who became a famous London actress). I enjoyed reading about Durie’s work as a bonesetter – similar to a modern-day chiropractor or osteopath, I think – but what particularly interested me was seeing the obstacles she had to overcome to be allowed to carry out her work at all, the mistrust from patients on discovering that they were going to be treated by a woman, and the hostility she faces from the existing, exclusively male, medical community. Poor Durie experiences one setback after another, but her passion for bonesetting and helping those in pain really shines through.

Although Durie is not considered a great beauty like her sister, she does have love interests throughout the novel but her lack of self-confidence leads to her making mistakes and poor decisions. Nothing ever seems to go her way, but while things often look bleak for Durie I never stopped hoping that she would find happiness and success in the end.

As I come to the end of this review I realise there are a lot of things I haven’t mentioned – the vivid portrayal of 18th century London, the menagerie in the Tower of London, the subplot involving the Foundling Hospital – but there’s so much going on in this novel, I can’t include all of it! It’s a great book and I will have to find time to read Frances Quinn’s previous novel, The Smallest Man.

Endurance “Durie” Proudfoot is going to be a bonesetter regardless of what her father or society thinks and good for her! This book follows her on that difficult journey from the quiet rural land of Lewes to the hubbub of London.
The characters throughout the story are all well developed but my favourite has to be Durie. I loved her personality; a strong, formidable woman who knows what she wants and although she may be a little naïve and clumsy she is determined and, most importantly, kind. I really enjoyed following her journey from admiring her fathers work to her fight to succeed in a male dominated career in Georgian England. Her interactions with people were entertaining and fascinating, from romantic partners to the dastardly doctors attempting to discredit her work; she constantly tries to say the right thing but usually ends up being her marvellous self.
The book made me laugh and made me want to cry .. and I didn’t want to put it down! I felt transported to that time and could clearly picture the streets and people Durie encountered along the way. I found myself so invested in Durie and wanting her to succeed and prove any doubters wrong.
What a brilliant book! I love a bit of historical fiction and could instantly tell how well researched this story was. This book is a really great read and I can’t recommend it enough!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK for giving me the chance to be transported into Durie's world. I will also be posting my review on Goodreads, Twitter and Amazon when published.

This is a timely tale celebrating courage, determination and friendship. Remarkable concept and impeccable execution from start to the end. Every single page gives a full-throttle effect.

I loved Durie. Her honesty and earnestness and self-awareness and ability to shrug off other people's opinions and not care if she had monkey bones for hat decorations.
I loved that I knew what was coming but somehow kept hoping she'd see what I could. But it didn't matter, Because Durie-Endurance has the kind of spirit that not only matters but triumphs and I loved that she found this out despite her self doubt.
I loved the way Frances Quinn gave readers enough of the historical for us to dip our toes into another era and splash about, but not so much to saturate us. She has a thorough but light hand so it was easy to become engrossed.
I loved that Durie is like many of us. We can all feel inept and clumsy and out of place, till we find what our soul yearns for and follow its heart.
Any reader with a heart will love this book.

A great read! I loved the backdrop of Georgian London while as we followed the journey of Lucinda and Endurance Proudfoot.

Durie’s story had me laughing and crying with her feisty personality coming up against such testing circumstances. Deciding to take up the family business as a Bonesetter, Durie knows she will come under heavy fire in a male dominated profession. Her trials in love (familial and romantic) were sometimes painful to read.
As another reviewer mentioned, I kept wondering: “how much more does this poor woman have to deal with!?” but her strength (mental and physical) absolutely shone through as she battled on. Some of her witty jibes and her blunt manner had me laughing out loud!

Some brillIant messages of perseverance, love and the beauty of things falling apart, cumulating in the perfect ending - I couldn’t stop smiling!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my unbiased review!

I loved this author’s first book The Smallest Man which dominated my twitter feed for weeks and was therefore delighted to get approved to read this book early .It is published in October 2022
I immediately identified with the title character who had so many similarities with myself I felt known
This story is ripe for riding the Bridgerton Effect with lots of us enjoying the tv series and wanting something else to feed this historical drama fix.This novel does what Bridgerton ( the tv series I have not read the books) does so well that is it really makes you think what it would be like to live in the period but with modern sensitivities.The Bonesetter woman is in all accounts thoroughly modern and self sufficient in a time when women were not expected to have lives outside their families.In my notes whilst reading I’ve written “ makes history feel like now “
The author manages the tricky process of basing the story on a real historical character very well ,she managed not to make the story simply a retelling of history ,at no stage did I feel lectured to or bogged down in narrative .
This is mainly because the characters are so well defined and so utterly believable ,as I say I was very quickly invested in knowing what happens next
The prose is easily read and flows at a comfortable pace it was an entirely enjoyable experience reading the book which was also a comfortable length .
The setting mainly on period London is also easily imagined as the architecture still exists all but no longer surrounded on market gardens and fields
I loved the fact that the lead was described as a large woman and clumsy ,so much easier to identify with than had she been your typical beautiful romantic lead
I also enjoyed the medical details particularly the disagreements between medical practitioners and complimentary therapists .I assume the Bonesetter would be most closely aligned todays osteopath or chiropractor and know that even today the 2 groups don’t always see eye to eye
In summary a thoroughly enjoyable historical novel I would thoroughly recommend

This was such a good read that was well written with a riveting and well researched storyline and well developed characters. I couldn't put this book down and I have already recommended it to everyone who likes this genre. A fantastic read.

After the success of ‘The Smallest Man’ which was in my top two books of last year, I was delighted to receive the ARC of this book.

Fran Quinn’s research has paid off and I really felt I was living alongside Endurance Proudfoot. As Durie finds her niche in bonesetting due to her strength and powerful hands, she is liked with delight at finally being recognised for her talents.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review

A novel which tells the story of two sisters, Durie and Lucinda, they are the lead characters, although others take up a large part of the story, especially George, and the aunt who takes the girls in when they have nowhere else to go. All well drawn characters, especially Durie. Without giving too much of the plot away, Durie wishes to be a bonesetter, like her father, but at privilege is reserved for sons, in general. The two girls are sent to London, Durie being most unwilling at first. But I shall not reveal more of the novel except to say that I found it enjoyable and moving. I highly recommend the novel.

3.5 stars

I was somewhat charmed by Durie, and her single mindedness in being who she wanted to be.
She stood up where so many others couldn't, not just a woman in a man's world, but one mocked for nearly everything in her life.
Her warmth for some of the other characters really shone through in the book.
An endearing character, with a intriguing story, that I might be thinking about for some time.

I love a good historical novel, and this did not disappoint. It was well written and clearly well researched with regards to the details on bones! I was rooting for Durie from the beginning and really liked how the author didn’t fall into the trap of wicked stepmothers. I also think that The Bonesetter Woman would make a brilliant tv show/film. I hope to read more of the author’s work in future.

That Bonesetter Woman
by Frances Quinn is a great historical fiction novel that really kept me entertained.

I really enjoyed this book! It was so unique and inspiring (yes historical fiction can be inspiring!). There are some great messages threaded throughout the novel. Acceptance, forgiveness, being true to yourself, and finding one’s path in life.

All of this is wrapped up into a great narrative that tells the story, struggles, and the outcome (I don’t want to give it away) of a young woman named Endurance (Durie) living in England during the mid 1700s trying to fight her way to taking up the family trade of Bonesetting, despite being a female, and tackling life, love, family, and trying to find her own dreams.

It was a great book that had a nice pace, storyline, and ending.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Simon & Schuster UK for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 7/28/22.