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That Bonesetter Woman cover art

That Bonesetter Woman

By: Frances Quinn
Narrated by: Sophie Roberts
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Summary

It’s usual, they say, for a young person coming to London for the first time to arrive with a head full of dreams. Well, Endurance Proudfoot did not. When she stepped off the coach from Sussex, on a warm and sticky afternoon in the summer of 1757, it never occurred to her that the city would be the place where she’d make her fortune; she was just very annoyed to be arriving there at all.

Meet Endurance Proudfoot: clumsy as a carthorse, strong as an ox, with a tactless tongue and a face she’s sure only a mother could love. Durie wants one thing in life: to become a bonesetter like her father. It’s physically demanding work, requiring nerves of steel, and he’s adamant it’s not a job for a woman.

Strong-willed and stubborn, Durie’s certain that in bonesetting, her big, usually clumsy hands have found their natural calling. So when she’s bundled off to London with her beautiful sister, she won’t let it stop her realising her dream. As her sister finds fame on the stage, Durie becomes England’s most celebrated bonesetter – but what goes up must come down, and her success may become her undoing.

Inspired by the true stories of two of Georgian England’s most famous celebrities, That Bonesetter Woman is an uplifting tale about finding the courage to go your own way, when everyone says you can’t – and about realising that what makes you different can also make you strong.

©2022 Frances Quinn (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, UK

Critic reviews

"What a heroine Endurance Proudfoot is! I loved her from the start. An unconventional woman who takes us on a fascinating—if bumpy—ride through a man’s world. I laughed, cried and most of all cheered! Can’t stop thinking about it...an absolute cruncher of a tale." (Janice Hallett)

"Durie Proudfoot is a brilliant heroine: stubborn, flawed and so entertaining to spend time with. I loved every step of her journey, and Frances Quinn is fast becoming one of my favourite historical novelists." (Louise Hare)

"Filled with hope and humour, That Bonesetter Woman is a novel that truly champions the underdog. I devoured it with as much gusto as the inimitable heroine sets people’s bones." (Polly Crosby)

What listeners say about That Bonesetter Woman

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Three Women, One Lifetime - Beautiful

From when these two little girls lived comfortably and happy with their father, step-mum and baby brother, to when they meet their smart, independent Aunt in London their lives change beyond their dreams. With heartbreak, joy and fun on the journey; Endurance, Lucinda and Helen, each with their strong, individual personalities weave a wonderful tale in this story by Frances Quinn.

The narrator does the story a great justice and slathers 18th century dignity, haughtiness and male dominance like butter on hot toast.

The timbre of book allows you to escape to the time period, locations and characters with ease. What an absolute joy to spend with Durie, where you find yourself thinking ‘oh yes go girl’ and ‘oh Durie no!’. She is stalwart, infuriating and loving to a fault.

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6 people found this helpful

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A wonderful book!

I loved this book from start to finish. Durie was such a resilient, remarkable character and I was rooting for her throughout. I couldn’t stop listening and would highly recommend this book!

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

enjoyable

an engaging winding tale. very easy listening. very well read! definitely recommend , the characters are in your head

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Enchanting and uplifting

I loved The Smallest Man so was looking forward to listening to That Bonesetter Woman. I was not disappointed! Durie is a character to root for from the outset and everyone she meets lights up the page. Wonderfully researched, the story is totally embedded in its period yet hugely relatable to today. Told with wit, warmth and generosity, I whole-heartedly recommend.

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2 people found this helpful

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  • JH
  • 26-09-23

Engaging characters

Loved this book. The characters were endearing and the story line was interesting. A good perspective on women’s lives at that point in history.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant!

Loved this book so much, I couldn’t stop listening. Just brilliant, highly recommend. Even better to learn it was inspired by real people.

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1 person found this helpful

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Couldn’t wait to get back to the story!

Everytime I had to pause or break from this book I couldn’t wait to get back to it! I can’t remember the last time I stayed awake until the early hours because of a book!
The characters are loosely based on real people, the main character Durie and her sister - who ‘may have been’ been sisters in real life. Either way, the storyline and the characters are wonderful. Not something I would normally choose but I really highly recommend.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Not for me I’m afraid…..could have been so much interesting!

I’m afraid I must be one of the only people that couldn’t really get on with the book (audio). Lucinda was a fright - a selfish, priggish individual compared to her talented but physically unattractive sister ‘Durie’. The reader, I’m afraid was only really convincing as the two sisters - the character with the Irish accent was excruciating…..and to my mind there was no depth of character voices with the other players…at times I couldn’t tell who was who. I fast forwarded it in a number of places as just not enough pace and/or plot….sorry but just not for me.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Not bad

I quite enjoyed this without ever loving it. It’s nicely done but there’s no real sense of tone change, peril or drama. Things happen and then are ok because the heroine is very forgiving. The narrator has quite a girlish voice which annoyed me to begin with but I got used to it and generally she did a good job.

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Excellent!

Brilliant narrator and a really great story. Loved every minute and didn't want it to end.

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