Category: tory’s reviews

“The Invincible Miss Cust” by Penny Haw – Review

By: Tory Tanguay

Must-read historical fiction for fans of Marie Benedict and Tracey Enerson Wood, based on the real-life of Britain and Ireland’s first woman veterinary surgeon.

–Goodreads

I have worked in veterinary medicine for almost 20 years, seven years of which I’ve been a veterinarian. With March being Women’s History Month, I found myself wondering about the women who have gone before me in the field. Who were they? What struggles did they have? What oppositions did they face in a field that used to be completely dominated by men? (Veterinary medicine is by far and away a female-dominated field right now.) Then, I came across this book, The Invincible Miss Cust by Penny Haw. I had never heard of Miss Aleen Isabel Cust before but once I read the synopsis, I knew I had to read it.

This historical fiction novel tells the tale of Miss Cust, the first Irish and British female veterinary surgeon, born in Ireland to an aristocratic English family in 1868. I felt a kinship with Aleen because like her, I knew from a young age that I was destined to work with animals. It was my calling in life as it was hers. Her family, however, is strongly opposed to the idea for back then women were only (supposedly) good for getting married, keeping house, and having babies. Her family is absolutely horrified by the idea of her not wanting to marry and wanting to go into the field of veterinary medicine as the only acceptable occupations for women were wife and maybe a nurse or teacher. Even then, a lady of her breeding should not demote herself to something as menial as working. But “haters gonna hate” and Aleen pays them no mind and pursues her dream of becoming a veterinary surgeon.

This is truly a book that took me on an emotional roller coaster. At the risk of sounding cheesy, I laughed, I cried, I got angry, and I celebrated in Aleen’s joy, while reminiscing about my own journey through veterinary medicine (all full of the same emotions). The first half of the book seems to stick decently to research performed by the author, but the second half seems to turn into more of a story of romance with much creative liberties taken. This second part seemed to drift away from the feelings and tone originally established by the author and was a little unexpected. The romance doesn’t really seem to go anywhere and honestly seems to be slightly thrown in as it seems to be a complete deviation from Aleen’s established personality and mindset. Not to say that people don’t fall in love on life’s journey, they absolutely can. It just doesn’t work for me.

I gave this book four out of five stars. I do especially recommend it for those interested in the history of women in veterinary medicine. It most definitely sent me down a rabbit hole of doing my own research on women in the history of vet med as well.

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“Anxious People” by Fredrik Backman – Review

By: Tory Tanguay

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of “A Man Called Ove” and “writer of astonishing depth” (The Washington Times) comes a poignant comedy about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined.

–Goodreads

I was drawn to this title because I am, in fact, an anxious person. What better book for me to read? This would either be a book I would enjoy or a book that would set me off on an anxiety attack. Luckily, the first was true.

Looking at real estate properties doesn’t usually end up in a life-or-death situation but that is what happens at the beginning of this novel. Backman weaves an intricate tale regarding an eclectic cast of characters that are all involved in a hostage situation. An unintentional hostage situation with the worst hostages ever. Each hostage comes with a history of emotional baggage, past hurts, and secrets that are revealed as the story progresses. In the end, each one finds that they’re not the only person who needs rescuing.

We have two couples, Roger and Anna-Lena and Ro and Julia. The former two are a retired couple looking for their next flip while the latter are looking to purchase a home for their expanding family. Zara, a well-to-do banker just came to this open house to see how the other half lives. Estelle, an elderly woman, may or may not be checking out this apartment for her daughter. Then of course, there’s the bank robber, whose day (and life) is just not going as planned. Throw in a father-son cop duo investigating the whole thing and you have the makings of a plot with twists and turns that will make you laugh, cry, and think.

The one thing that I loved about this novel is that everyone and everything is connected in some way. The reader is left with the idea that choices that we make in this world in some way affect someone or something else in this world, sometimes without us even realizing it. And indeed, we all could use a little rescuing. The saying “no man is an island” kept popping up in my head over and over because whether we want to be or not, we’re all connected with the rest of humanity.

Beware, however, fellow reader, that although this book may be laugh-out-loud funny at times, it is also a heavy book with heavy themes. Content warnings include suicide and suicidal thoughts/ ideation plus lots of deep emotions. If you’re uncomfortable with these types of themes, then this book may not be for you.

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