I met the author of Saving Jane Doe, Carolyn Purcell, who also lives in Kentucky, through a mutual friend in Lexington. I was happy to read her book although the first part of it was a little clinical for me to read–I wanted to be a teacher since second grade and to become a writer since my early 20s so I never wanted to read medical books. But once I got thru the first few chapters, I enjoyed the rest of the story and its many twists and turns, and learned a lot!
The doctor in this fictional story is Dr. Cara Land, a young obstetrical resident at University of Kentucky hospital who is trying to help save a botched abortion victim who doesn’t know who she is. Over the course of many years, these two ladies help each other and become friends, sharing their families, almost like sisters.
My favorite character in the book is Dr. Land’s Uncle Henry who is kind and empathetic and touches many lives throughout the story. Dr. Land is also a very caring person who works so many hours she doesn’t have time to have a life of her own until later in the book.
This books takes us from 1971 when abortion was still illegal and through several decades until the late nineties–a time of much change in America. This book is a good look at life in the late 20th century and its many upheavals. It is also a story of helping each other and overcoming hardships with the help of some friends.
