The Curious Life of Elizabeth Blackwell by Pamela Holmes - Book Review

The Curious Life of Elizabeth Blackwell by Pamela Holmes

Publication Date: 25th Nov 2022

Genre: Historical Fiction

2.5 Stars 

One Liner: Starts well but goes downhill in the second half 

Elizabeth goes against her family’s wishes to marry Alexander Blackwell. She knew life with him would be different but hoped it would be exciting. While the excitement was certainly present, Elizabeth learns that dreams are different from reality, and what made Alexander unique may not be his best traits. 

Life in London was good and bad, and Elizabeth took things in stride without compromising her individuality. But when things take a turn for worse, and Alexander is in debtor’s prison, she has to be braver than ever to get him out of prison and deal with what life throws at her. Can Elizabeth handle the pressure and lead the life she dreamt of? 

The story comes from Elizabeth’s third-person POV, with a few scenes from other characters’ third-person POVs. 

What I Like:

The first 40-50% has steady pacing and yet presents a clear picture of the characters and their lives. 

There isn’t much ‘show’, but ‘telling’ works for the storyline. There are enough descriptions to visualize the setting and the story. 

The details about Elizabeth’s artwork and the creation of Curious Herbal were great to read. I loved reading about the process of engraving and the skills required to create something so intricate. 

What Didn’t Work for Me: 

Using real-life stories to write fiction comes with responsibility. The writer has to balance the authenticity of real people while using creative liberties to dramatize their lives and events. However, staying true to their characters is crucial. While Alexander’s arc seems to align with the real person, I’m not impressed by certain changes to Elizabeth’s character. 

A few changes have been made, some of which are not a big deal. But a couple of changes did affect the plot. One of those doesn’t stay true to Elizabeth’s original character and grit. I read a few versions of her life’s story, and none mentions anything close to what has happened in the book. What’s more, I don’t even see the need for it. This isn’t something we should be doing to real people. She isn’t alive to present her side, right? 

Apart from the said creative liberties (I understand all about it. I’m a writer myself), the second half is slower and even drags in some places. While I appreciate the details about the conditions at the debtor’s prison, I would have liked it better with quicker pacing. 

The side characters are not fully explored. There are hints with bits and pieces of information but those seem to help the main characters more. Only Christian’s character has a good arc. Therese and George seem to drift in and out. Tobias… well, let’s not talk about it. 

To summarize, The Curious Life of Elizabeth Blackwell starts on a solid note but dips and dips further towards the end, especially after reading her true story. 

Thank you, Bloodhound Books, for the eARC.