I recently finished Tess Gerritsen's The Bone Garden (actually I saw my youngest daughter reading it, and pinched it off her. We subsequently fought over it heh, but I won). I think it's my fave of hers so far (including The Mephisto Club which I finished reading a couple of days ago).
But OMG. This doesn't give any of the plot away but OMG!!! The hygiene. Gross. Even a week later I still can't get over how completely terrifying it must have been for women giving birth just 150 years ago. For sure I knew all about child bed fever - it's a favourite way of bumping off women in historical novels (so long as she doesn't happen to be the heroine) but honestly, I'd never stopped to wonder just WHAT the hell child bed fever was.
Well I know now, and so does my daughter, in graphic gut wrenching detail. Can we just say thank god we don't live in those times?? I think it's going to take ages before I get particular scenes out of my head.
But I also loved the romance between the two main characters, it was kind of hauntingly beautiful and I for one didn't mind in the least that Jane Rizzoli didn't make an appearance and Maura Isles only had a fleeting cameo. In fact I'd love more of the same, please!!
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I heard Tess Gerritson speak at a conference. She was really inspiring. My hubby loves her books but I haven't read any as yet - they're in my to-read pile.
I'm sure that not just child birth was yucky in those times. I'm screwing up my face just thinking about it.
Yikes, I'm feeling queasy at the thought!
Yes, it's unbelievable to imagine that until relatively recently something as basic as washing your hands between examining patients was considered so revolutionary!!
We take for granted hygeine..... thank goodness we didn't live then!
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