The Solitary Sparrow - Lorraine Norwood

AUTHOR: Lorraine Norwood

NARRATOR: Tracy Russell

SERIES: The Margaret Chronicles, #1

GENRE: Historical Fiction

PUBLICATION DATE: March 28, 2024

RATING: 3.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: A historical fiction about a young girl who surmounts various odds to follow her dream. First of a planned trilogy. The conversations and character behaviour aren’t always accurate to the era, but if you can suspend disbelief and enjoy an episodic plot structure, the novel works as an enjoyable read, albeit with some grim moments.

Plot Preview:

Early 14th century. St. Michael’s Mead, England. Meg was born with a facial deformity, leading her to being shunned by even her own family and sent to live with the pigs at the age of six. But when she turns ten, Mother Alice, the village healer, takes Meg under her tutelage as a midwife’s apprentice. This changes Meg’s life, and she dreams of learning more and becoming more. A path to her dreams opens when she meets a surgeon, William of Oxford, and his son Gerard. As William reluctantly agrees to train Meg along with Gerard, we see their journey across various medical emergencies, political upheavals, familial tussles and learning opportunities.

The story comes to us in Meg’s third-person point of view, though the prologue is in her first-person voice.

Bookish Yays:

✔ Meg is an interesting character who takes time to make peace with her distorted face but doesn’t stop dreaming big. At the same time, Meg's tone towards others is, at times, a bit racist and judgemental. Her character development as a strong but flawed heroine makes her a suitable titular character.

✔ The medical details are quite gruesome and yet fascinating. It is not easy to read the "medical procedures" of that era, but my interest level was sustained throughout.

✔ Some of the secondary characters such as Mother Alice (wish there had been more of her!) and Gerard are interesting. There are also a few minor characters who make a mark even in their limited appearance.

✔ The word ‘chronicles’ in the title should have prepared me for the episodic nature of this novel. It took me some time to adjust to the storytelling style, but soon, it began to work for me. It was interesting to see where life took Meg, and what new challenges it threw her way. Going with the flow helps a lot in this book.

✔ The political upheavals, the beliefs and superstitions of the day, and the herbal remedies are incorporated well into the story.

Bookish Mixed Bags:

⚠ I've hardly read anything set in the 14th century, but based on the novels I've read that were set in later (17th/18th) centuries, the characters’ actions and conversations seem atypical of the era. Of course, as historical fiction, the book is allowed a bit of leeway. But somehow, the fiction part seems to dominate over the historical part. William and Gerard’s behaviour towards Meg doesn’t feel indicative of the men of that period. It is tough to imagine a wealthy man of that century being so sympathetic towards a poor uneducated girl, to the point of championing her medical training and fighting with the other elite for her rights. Meg’s behaviour and speech is also too “woke” for her time. I’m putting this under Mixed Bags as historical fiction authors are allowed some creative license when it comes to character development for stories not based on actual people, and many readers will enjoy the characters. But personally, I would have liked a greater semblance of realism to the characters’ behaviour. I also have my doubts about the abundance of portable books (not manuscripts or scrolls) mentioned in an era when leather books were hardly affordable except by the extremely wealthy. But as I am not too sure of the exact nature of the “books” in the story, I cannot dock off points for this.

⚠ While I loved the grittiness of the story, a few scenes were a bit too crude for my reading preferences.

⚠ The first three-fourths of the story kept my rating firm at 3.75. But the final quarter was a teeny bit disappointing as a couple of the characters seemed to change colours abruptly. The ending is still good, though.

Bookish Nays:

❌ While I did allow for the characters to be more ‘modern’ than possible, it is tougher to do so for the language. Obviously, I don't mean that the book should have been written in Middle English - we wouldn't have understood most of it! But it should also not have had terms from the 20th century or beyond. Words such as ‘tumour’ and ‘skirt chaser’ entered the lexicon much later than the mid-1300s. Even the sentence structure - 'I need the surgeon, and I need him now!' – is too modern at times. This might not bother other readers, but I kept getting distracted by the misdated phraseology.

❌ The blurb contains a summation of the entire story! Why?

Bookish If Onlys:

➕ While we learn late in the book that the title stands for Meg, both the title and the cover are not exactly representative of the content. I would never have guessed this to be a medical historical fiction from that cover art. I think the book might lose out on potential readers because of this. I wish the title and the cover were more indicative of the content. In the current form, it is not eye-catching enough, which is a major hurdle in today’s competitive book market.

🎧 The Audiobook Experience:

The audiobook, clocking at 12 hours, is narrated by Tracy Russell. Her performance is a bit over-dramatic for my taste, but the story itself is chock-full of drama, so the narration suits the story. I like that she actually sings the songs.

Basically, there's historical fiction that feels like realistic fiction, and there's historical fiction that feels unreal even when it is rooted in realism. This is in the latter category. It has an excellent representation of the medical procedures of the era, the political upheavals, and the disparity between the wealthy and the poor. But the manner in which Meg is free to travel with two men unrelated to her, the way she converses with men of any class or age without much hesitation, and the way William and Gerald treat her almost as equals all seem odd for the era. So if you can leave the need for historical authenticity aside, you will enjoy this indie novel much better. It’s a commendable debut, except for the anachronisms.

This is the first book of a planned trilogy. There is no cliffhanger ending. The book completes one phase of Meg’s life, and indicates what she might do next. I’m definitely interested in seeing what lies ahead for young Meg.

Recommended to historical fiction readers who would enjoy an unusual protagonist fighting gender stereotypes in a 14th century setting.

3.5 stars, rounding up wherever applicable as I did like most of the book.

My thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and author Lorraine Norwood for a complimentary audio copy of “The Solitary Sparrow”, and for allowing me to be a part of this blog tour. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Content Warnings: Abortion, miscarriage, death, misogyny, racial discrimination, gruesome medical procedures.

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Blurb:

She struggles against her enemies. But still, they stand in her way. In 14th century England, Meg of St. Michael’s Mead endures a life of abuse and isolation due to her birth deformity. However, her fortunes change when the village wise woman saves her and teaches her the art of healing. After witnessing a shocking birth, Meg discovers her true to become England’s first licensed female physician and provide compassionate care to women.

To achieve her goal, Meg seeks the tutelage of William of Oxford, a gruff surgeon who agrees to mentor her. But there's a catch. She must keep a secret—William and his son Gerard are performing illegal human dissections—and she must assist them. As Gerard and Meg work together, their feelings for each other deepen.

Amidst a civil war, Meg makes an enemy of the Queen, who accuses her of treason. Forced to flee to Montpellier, France, Meg tries to enter medical school, only to be met with resistance. She is told to marry, stay at home, and please her husband. Meg refuses to conform. When a deadly epidemic breaks out in Montpellier, Meg has one last chance to prove herself, but at the risk of losing Gerard.

A story of one woman’s courage and persistence, this captivating tale follows Meg's arduous journey of overcoming prejudice and adversity as she battles societal expectations amidst the specter of a lethal epidemic.

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Author Lorraine Norwood:

Lorraine Norwood was a professional journalist for over 20 years, working in print and television journalism. Her lifelong interest in archaeology led her to change careers at midlife and earn a master’s degree in medieval archaeology from the University of York in York, England. When she returned to the U.S., she worked in archaeology and historic preservation for a number of years but is now happily writing full-time. She has participated in excavations in the UK including many in York, her favorite city.

The Solitary Sparrow is her first novel, the first in a series titled The Margaret Chronicles. She is working on the sequel, A Pelican in the Wilderness. The series is set in 14th century England and France.

Lorraine is a member of the Women's Fiction Writers Association and the Historical Novel Society. She is a certified book coach and a developmental editor and loves mentoring new writers.

She lives with an old Lab who follows her everywhere and a grumpy old cat who doesn’t care what the human does as long as he has food in his bowl. Lorraine lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

Connect with her on:

Website: https://www.lorrainenorwood.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lorraine.norwood.48

Twitter: https://x.com/lorrainenorwood

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorrainenorwoodwrites/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/52925062-lorraine-norwood

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