All She Left Behind

Starred review from August 28, 2017
Kirkpatrick (This Road We Traveled) continues dramatizing real-life events with this successful story of Jennie Lichtenthaler Pickett Parish, who became one of the first doctors in Portland, Ore., in the late 19th century. Jennie’s life of pain, probable dyslexia, determined perseverance, and strong faith is brought to life in this well-researched tale. The narrative covers her early marriage and divorce before she develops a love for (and eventual career in) herbal medicine. A second section details her remarriage and delves further into her lifelong interest in addictions and women’s health. She married Charles Pickett, whose addition to alcohol (later inherited by their son) prompted him to divorce Jennie. Jennie eventually found happiness with the much older Josiah Parish and their two daughters. Jennie’s decision to pursue medical school and her dedication to helping others will inspire readers to consider their own dreams. Kirkpatrick is wonderful with historical detail and recreating the life of this inspiring woman and other female doctors of that period. Agent: Joyce Hart, Hartline Literary Agency.

September 1, 2017

Self-taught herbalist Jennie Pickett dreams of one day becoming a doctor, but the Oregon territory of the 1870s holds no place for women physicians. Suddenly divorced by her alcoholic, abusive husband, Jennie is left with a debt she can't afford to pay and a young son to care for. Yet Jennie gets a second chance at life and love--if she's not afraid or too proud to take this chance--when she is hired to nurse the elderly Mrs. Parrish. Kirkpatrick (This Road We Traveled) bases her story on the real-life Jennie Pickett, one of the first woman doctors on the Oregon frontier. Painting a detailed portrait of life in the early American West, she shines a harsh light on the cruelty and abuse, as well as the drug addiction and alcoholism that raged in the camps and small towns. VERDICT Strong characters, exceptional settings, and a tender romance make this a story most readers will appreciate. Suggest to fans of Pam Hillman and Tracie Peterson's "Sapphire Brides" series.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2017
Kirkpatrick (This Road We Traveled, 2016) returns with dramatic literary force in this late-nineteenth-century novel based on the true story of Jennie Pickett. Jennie is a homeopathic healer in her Willamette Valley, Oregon, community, but neither herbal remedies nor love for her child offers any cures for the toxicity of her husband's addictions, abuse, and neglect. As her desperate family situation disintegrates, Jennie sets out to chase her dream of becoming a physician. Leaving past hurts behind is easier said than done, and Jennie must chart a path through the pain that threatens any chance of future joy. Kirkpatrick is an unwavering pillar in historical fiction, showcasing the power of her meticulously researched and richly rendered details. Heart-wrenching and heavy with the emotional trauma and confusion of the children of addicts, this is a story of fallibility and determination, of failing but still showing up. Kirkpatrick offers an ode to the hardworking women and mothers who face head-on the pressures of family, social status, and career while fighting for their dreams.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)