The Bonesetter of London with Frances Quinn

Submitted: 15th July 2022

The Bonesetter of London with Frances Quinn

Meet Endurance Proudfoot, the bonesetter’s daughter: clumsy as a carthorse, with a tactless tongue but with a gift for bonesetting. Bonesetting is the ability to manipulate people’s shoulders and knees to get their joints working again and in the right place. It’s the ability to take away people’s aches and pains avoiding medication and doctor’s pills.

Not everyone agrees with the abilities of a bonesetter. Certaintly not if it’s a woman….

BookTrail Travel to the locations in That Bonesetter Woman

Boarding Pass Information : That Bonesetter Woman

Destination : London

Author guide:Frances Quinn

Genre: historical

Food and drink to accompany: Nothing as it’s a bit gory in places

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Never have I loved a character more than Endurance Proudfoot. Her name for a start makes her stand out. Her desire to become a bonesetter in a man’s world marks her out. What really made her come alive on the page for me however was her wit and humour, her dry sarcasm and almost childlike honesty. There’s a scene in a cupboard where her commentary of what she can see make me snort orange juice out of my nose. Totally worth it!

The plot is a very interesting one. I had never really heard of bonesetting and certainly not the way they did it back in Georgian London. I squirm when I see it on 24 Hours in A&E so there were scenes where I did feel a bit faint but it’s so good, the writing and characters kept me going. Durie, bless her, saved me on many an occaision.

This remarkable tale is inspired by two very real bonesetters of their time and if the real Endurance had been half as witty as the fictional one then I hope someone invents a time machine as I want to meet her. She stops at nothing to become a bonesetter and help her father. When that fails, she sets up on her own and gives the grumpy London doctors as good as she gets. How I cheered when she got one up on them or fired a comment their way. It’s not all plain sailing of course and the poor girl goes ghrough hell but I loved the way she never let anything stop her. When she couldn’t view human bones, she went to the Tower of London and watched lions and monkeys.

BookTrail Travel to the locations in That Bonesetter Woman

There’s a heartbreaking thread about the Foundling Hospital and that was sad. Once again, it’s Endurance who comes through. These two story threads blended well with each other and the ending was a big pile of bones wrapped up with a mash of ribbons (well this is Endurance we are taling about)

Excellent writing and pacing, wonderful characters that really did come alive off the page and a fascinating look at Georgian London and the medical practices of the day.