Doctor Margaret's Sea Chest
Author
Waheed Rabbani
Publisher
YouWriteOn
1 Review Copies Left
Doctor Margaret’s Sea Chest, is Book I of a trilogy of historical fiction set during India’s struggle for freedom—Azadi—from the British Raj. The Books weave a tale of international intrigue, conflict, and poignant love between interesting characters of that era.
In 1965 an over 100-year-old sea chest, believed to be that of an American doctor, Margaret, is discovered in the storage room of a hospital in Delhi. Another American doctor, Sharif, who originally hails from Delhi and is on contract at the hospital, is entrusted with the task of locating the mysterious woman’s relatives and returning her trunk. Sharif tracks down Margaret’s descendants in Grimsby, Ontario, Canada. Her diaries, and other artefacts—such as the Kingdom of Jhansi’s crown—are found in the coffer.
Margaret, born in New Jersey to a Scottish Presbyterian clerical family, overcomes tremendous obstacles and achieves her heart’s desire, in 1850, to become one of the first North American women doctors. She marries her Canadian cousin, Robert, and travels with him to serve in the Crimean war of 1854. In Crimea, they have to not only face hardships of battles, but also endure other conflicts.
From events leading to and after the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade, Margaret meets a Russian officer, Count Nicholai. The surprise ending of Book I, leaves Margaret in a quandary, whether to seek vengeance or to continue on with her journey to India. In the end, she believes she has made the right decision.
Reviews
The first part of the Azadi Trilogy begins in India in 1965. An old sea chest has been discovered in the hospital where Dr Wallidad Sharif is spending a year away from his American practice, working in Delhi. The chest has lain unnoticed and unclaimed since 1856, and has only recently come to light. Dr Sharif is asked to take the trunk to America when he returns home with a view to finding the owner's family and delivering the contents to them. He becomes enthralled with the owner of the chest, a Dr Margaret Wallace, and discovers that there may be a connection between her and his own ancestors. His wife, who is a lawyer, joins him in the quest, and together they piece together the story of the lady doctor, and how her sea chest came to be abandoned at St Stanleys Hospital in Delhi. The diary of Dr Sharif's grandfather also comes to light at this time, and he is able to cross-reference many aspects of Dr Margaret's history.
The action is mostly split into two time frames - the 1850s, when Dr Margaret was a fledgling doctor and used her skills to tend to wounded soldiers in the Crimea before moving on to India, and the 1960s, when her story unfolds through the pages of her journals, which are found in the sea chest. Also found in the trunk is a lost treasure, which is being sought by both the CIA and KGB!
There is a fascinating insight into the struggle that women in the mid 19th century had to endure to practice medicine. It was thought undignified for women to see the naked body of a man, and only the persistence of people like Florence Nightingale proved that women were more than capable of being nurses and doctors.
The book ends as the families gather to read the third of the journals, which looks set to contain more startling revelations, and the scene is set for part two of the Trilogy.
A well researched and beautifully written story.
Reviewed on 09/30/2011 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Suzy Watts
“Dr. Margaret’s Sea Chest” tells the story of Margaret through the discovery of her chest. I loved that the story was set in one time and told in another, it added that extra something that made this book a keeper. I also loved that Margaret was a woman who refused to let traditions of the era dictate what she was to do. She had drive, ambition, and determination. As the story progresses each item in her chest bring with it a new chapter in the life of Margaret. This was one of my favorite books that I have read this year. I loved the way that it unraveled. It held my attention all the way through. In fact I was surprised to find myself reading it through the night simply because I did not want to put it down. To me it was like a little armchair travel book, the perfect book for those looking for a bit of adventure.
Reviewed on 10/13/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Angela Simmons
This is an interesting historical read. We follow Margaret through many twists and turns in her goals to not just be the same as every other female in the 1800s.
Reviewed on 09/01/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Mystee Blackwood
