Alfred Moberly, an aesthete artist, married Elizabeth Sanderson, a religious zealot who abhors any kind of pleasure or beauty. There was no indication of her opinion of the opulent rooms he designed for clients. Elizabeth's abuse of her daughter Ally, started at birth. Surprisingly, Ally, and a second daughter, May, survived. This was not a mere Puritanical upbringing but sheer cruelty. It was difficult to decide if Alfred was too busy with his art and meeting with wealthy clients to intervene or if he just closed his eyes to what was happening.

Ally grew up determined to train as a doctor, in part inspired by her mother's work at a home for poor women but also in an attempt to attain Elizabeth's approval. Moss gives a lot of attention to the startling state of the all-male medical establishment at the time including the barbaric Contagious Diseases Act introduced in 1864 as an attempt to protect men from sexually transmitted disease by arresting any woman out alone, no matter how innocent, and enforcing an invasive examination.

In the first half of the book there was little continuity in the story that jumped from one abusive event to another. I was tempted to abandon it and only continued because I have enjoyed other books by Moss. The second half improved but by then Ally is having panic attacks that are diagnosed as hysteria and treated with painful "blistering" with candles as well as physical work such as scrubbing floors. The latter part dealt with Ally's training as a doctor, describing the prejudice she experienced.

Although Moss's writing can be beautiful and her research is impeccable, I cannot say I enjoyed this depressing book. ( )

This is not a genre I usually read, but proved that it pays of to branch out sometimes.
The book takes place in the Victorian era in England, and is both a family drama and describes the struggle of the first female medical doctors. The author describes the problems of the time without demonizing the men or branding the traditional women as silly. Most of all, I liked the character development of the protagonist, Ally, how her view of the world, and the people around her, and most of all of herself changed over time. ( )

Alethea “Ally” Moberley grows up in an austere Victorian household, the daughter of Alfred, a well-known artist and Elizabeth, whose stern temperament and methods frequently cross the line into abuse. Elizabeth has strong feminist values, working tirelessly in aid of disadvantaged women, and while she has high expectations for Ally and her sister May, she is completely unable to show love or affection. Ally is silently obedient, while May is more likely to test the boundaries set before her.

Ally does well in school, and is encouraged to study medicine and become one of the first women doctors practicing in England. This is a monumental task, since it is not clear whether she will actually be conferred a degree at the end of her studies, let alone care for patients. She is literally forging a new path, and this singular focus coupled with her upbringing makes her socially backward. Still, you can't help admiring her dedication and persistence in overcoming both societal barriers and the effects of her mother’s tyrannical rule.

This novel is a more traditional narrative, compared to the spare, suspenseful prose I have come to expect from Sarah Moss’ work. But the characters are well developed and the story, well told. And finally, the Moberley family features in the “historic” chapters of Moss’ previous novel, Night Waking; I loved reading the back story on events that unfold in that book. ( )

A beautifully written and fascinating novel about a middle class Victorian family in Manchester. We firstly meet Alethea's parents, Elizabeth, a strict woman who dedicates her life to helping impoverished women in Manchester and Alfred Moberley, an artist and interior designer in a pre-Raphaelite style. Elizabeth has strong views on household management and brining up children and the house is austere and their two daughters, Alethea and May are shown little affection by her. It is her father who sings to them, treats them and is affectionate and his artist friend Aubrey. The two girls are often called on to model for paintings and each chapter begins with a description of a painting, its date and provenance. Elizabeth expects the girls to do chores as well as study so that they can work as independent women. Sarah Moss shows two responses to this strict upbringing; while Alethea gets up early to set fires and clean and studies late into the night to become a doctor, May is more easy going. The chapter when the two girls, left to run the house on their own, have to contend with the laundry as well as attending school is brilliant and gets across the hard work involved at that time. The Contagious Diseases Act of 1864 is something that Elizabeth campaigns against. This put women at constant risk as it allowed police to detain and inspect any woman walking alone, on suspicion of prostitution, supposedly to reduce sexually transmitted infections. It became difficult for women to leave home without a male escort and innocent women had to prove they were not sex workers. The difficulties of becoming a doctor for a woman feature in the novel but it is a more interesting story than all this historical background might suggest. Alethea eventually goes to London to stay with her aunt and experiences more loving family homes. She begins to gain some confidence that had been difficult while oppressed by her mother. This story makes this ultimately a story about family life at that time but it is also a story about women and their health, freedom and lack of equality. A great read. ( )

Sisters Ally and May grow up in Victorian Manchester, the daughters of a father who is a successful artist and interior designer, and a mother whose staunch feminism is channeled through a rigid austerity and stern religious commitment. The writing in this novel is beautiful. The third-person narration shifts POV, allowing us to inhabit the minds of each character in turn, although we spend most of our time in Ally's experience, and providing a rare and honest insight into the ambitions, fears, jealousies, and longings of somewhat ordinary and good people. Ally adopts her mother's ambition for her to become a doctor at a time when women are simply not allowed into the profession. Her single-minded goal is to challenge the degrading and terrifying treatment women must endure at the hands of male doctors with Victorian views of "the weaker sex." The tension between this feminist ambition and her own compliance with the strict gender roles of the times serves as the primary story driver and provides rich material for a nuanced and satisfying psychological novel. ( )