The Woman at the Front

Cornwall (Once Upon a Highland Summer) departs from the subgenre of historical romance with the stirring story of a female physician working on the battlefields of WWI France. After graduating from medical school at the University of Edinburgh in 1917, Eleanor Atherton is determined to practice medicine despite her family’s wish for her to find a husband. When the Countess of Kirkswell asks Eleanor to travel to France to bring her youngest son, Louis Chastaine, an injured soldier and the heir to the Earl of Kirkswell, home to Yorkshire, she accepts while recalling her girlhood crush on Louis. After Eleanor arrives at the casualty clearing station where Louis is recuperating, his superficial flirtatious manner quickly dispels her crush as she witnesses his aristocratic sense of privilege. Eleanor leaves his side to assist a patient in distress and care for wounded soldiers. Eleanor’s unflappable nature and bravery draw the attention of Sgt. Fraser MacLeod, a handsome stretcher-bearer. Though their romance is thwarted by the dangers inherent near the front line, Eleanor continues risking her life to give medical care to the injured and earns the respect of the stern supervising nurse. Cornwall’s realistic depiction of the battlefield horrors is enhanced by her magnetic, multidimensional characters. This emotionally charged novel delivers the goods. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Oct.)