The story was slow to start for me but gained traction two-thirds of the way in. I loved the western Canada setting and Clara was a main character who was easy to get behind. We witness her hesitancy about her life choices and her feelings of being overwhelmed while trying to get her medical practice off the ground and dealing with a husband who is not what she expected.
The story lost some of its luster for me when romance becomes the main focus and many of the serious issues of the time felt glossed over with not enough tension or gravitas. A light hand was used while exploring issues, for example the ease at which a young Chinese woman was accepted into the small community during an era when racist attitudes against Chinese people were strong and rampant.
Overall, this was an interesting, if a bit overly dramatic, debut. Its serendipitous connections and bad guys you'll love to hate helped to propel the plot, but I wish there was more depth to the story and its characters. That said, I loved the author's more current book - The Fort - which gripped me from start to finish.
Disclaimer: Thanks to the author for sending me a complimentary copy of this book, given in exchange for my honest review.
My Rating: 3 stars
Author: Christy K Lee
Genre: Historical Fiction, Canadian
Type and Source: Trade paperback from author
Publisher: Rising Action Publishing Collective
First Published: Oct 24, 2023
Read: Nov 19-24, 2025
Book Description from GoodReads: The year is 1885, and what Clara Thomas desires most is a life beyond the ordinary. As one of Canada’s first female physicians, she yearns to start her own medical practice. Unfortunately, her parents view her goals as an idle preoccupation, encouraging her instead to settle down with a man of their choosing and give up her dreams.
Fleeing this conventional life, Clara marries a handsome stranger in haste and journeys to British Columbia to start a life she wants to live. Unfortunately, she shortly discovers that her husband has a crippling addiction and a tendency towards laziness and anger. She could escape to Ontario, but this would also mean giving up her clinic and the relationships she’s made in her new home.
In an age where a woman’s worth, rights, and choices are determined by her husband’s whims, will Clara be forced to bow to convention, or will she throw caution to the wind and follow her heart? A heart-rending historical fiction about finding your way, The Roads We Take brings to life the struggles of women in late nineteenth-century Canada.
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