The Story Behind the Book
Inside “Saving Jane Doe”
Saving Jane Doe
Released in May 2016, “Saving Jane Doe” is available at these fine retailers or ask your favorite bookstore. Currently available in e-book formats.
Suffering complications of an illegal abortion, a young mother of three nearly loses her life and does lose her family. Saving Jane Doe is the story of her quest to restore her relationship with her children told by the young doctor who meets her while a medical student and becomes her lifelong friend. When Jane/Jessie was homeless, penniless, alone, and jobless, Dr. Cara Land finds her a job working as housekeeper to a wise and wealthy, elderly widower, Cara’s Uncle Henry.
Because of her circumstances following the abortion, Jessie finds herself with unique opportunities to be of assistance to each of her children when they face their own difficult choices, but honesty and forgiveness are needed before she can help. Because of her shame, it takes years for Jessie to be honest with her children about why she suddenly left and did not return home. Two of the three children feel abandoned and unloved and have difficulty forgiving her. Only, Grace, the youngest daughter and least flawed character, never withdraws in anger but in her innocence still suffers.
You will want a doctor and friend like Cara Land. You will wish you had the wise counsel of Uncle Henry. You will see that while our choices have consequences, God is able to redeem our mistakes, to make us wonder what might have happened had we not made them. Of course, had we not made these mistakes, we would have made others. Finally, you will see that there is power in love and forgiveness.
Reviews
Amazon has 69 reviews with an average of 4.2 stars. A composite of all sixty-nine reviews follows:
“Customers find this novel to be an excellent first book with well-developed characters. Moreover, the content receives positive feedback, with one customer noting its relevance to social issues, while another appreciates the messages related to forgiveness. Additionally, the book is easy to read, with one customer specifically mentioning that the language was not difficult to follow.”
“I appreciated the messages related to forgiveness, especially regarding family estrangement. So often, we don’t know the whole story, as this book illustrates.” – Roy Ladd
“Fantastic Read. I loved it. I just discovered that my former Ob/Gyn had written a book. I couldn’t wait to read it. I already knew Dr. Purcell was a wonderful doctor, now I know she is a wonderful writer. I couldn’t put it down. I hope to read more from her in the future.” – Amazon Customer
“Was glad to read something that was a little less predictable than the only black or white views that seem to be reflected in the press these days, although there are some who may see this as one way or the other, too. Was very easy reading and the characters pulled you in. It’s hard to share views on a subject where people have such strong feelings, one way or the other, so I appreciate people who will do that and show compassion at the same time.” – Amazon Customer
“As a retired physician and having met the author, I was intrigued enough by some of our discussions to download the book on my Kindle. I was surprised at how engaging the story line and characters were and how difficult it was to put down. The result was reading into the late-night hours a few times. I have mixed feelings on abortion and have tons of empathy for the women, partners, and doctors making those decisions. The book lays bare the emotions and complexity of the characters’ relationships. The themes are of underlying positivity, abundant forgiveness, and thankfully, healing for the people involved. I would love to know if some of this story is autobiographical, but it doesn’t matter, since the OB physician character and author are both compassionate, caring, and incredibly supportive. I want my wife and daughter…and even my son to read this book.” – John Webster
“I really enjoyed this book. The characters were very believable and likable. The characters were tied together well making this a quick and easy read. The moral and emotional issues were well developed without being “preachy”. I think Dr. Purcell has an excellent first book, and I will look forward to another.” – J. Leigh
“I enjoyed this book! Good character development with likeable characters and a plausible story. I appreciated for example, the complexity of Jane Doe’s husband. He was portrayed as rigid and misguided, but not evil. I like that no character was flawless and some courageously faced their own prejudices. The author presented an interesting and informative take on what it was like to practice medicine both before abortions were legal and after. She effectively demonstrated the balancing act required to help her patients without violating her own moral conscience. Her voice was clearly one that showed she was actively ‘in the trenches’ during that point of our Nation’s history. While it appears the author may travel in Christian circles and the medical community, she was not afraid to share her own convictions at the risk of offending both reader bases.
Being familiar with Kentucky in my youth, I loved the sprinkling of cultural details in Lexington. Certain descriptions transported me instantly back to the horse farms in that area and even Joe Bologna’s pizza kitchen.
My only criticism was with some of the more technical medical details in the book. For readers without a medical background some of the terminology might take the reader out of the “moment” to wonder what the author is saying and was the detail necessary to know to enjoy the flow of the story. Overall, a good read. I give this book a thumbs up.” – Devon Gilbert
“Excellent book with interesting characters. Subject matter is pertinent to social issues.” – K Waters
“A touching story about decisions four women made, lives they impacted, and their journeys to forgiveness. The characters are well developed, and their stories are well told. I could hardly put the book down because I wanted to find out what happened next.” – Amazon Customer
“I loved it! It makes such a statement about love and forgiveness that permeates over generations. You have a plan and theme and it works beautifully! Thank you for sharing. It was very special for me! I do wish you well as you go forth with this work. It certainly has a place in our world!” – Pat Tatman, an English teacher
“I have just finished reading Saving Jane Doe. I could not put it down. I cannot tell you how it touched every fiber of my heart. Life is hard and I have experienced some of that as do we all before we leave here. However, I have had to deal with some issues that you wrote about in your book and this has helped me see the other side of those issues which I needed to see. The choices we make are not always cut and dried, so to speak. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart for this book and your experiences of dealing with life and death issues. There is always another side to every story and God knows both sides. Praise the Lord for His wonderful and ever present Grace to each of us. I am so thankful I am His and He is mine!
I have cried and rejoiced all the way through this book. By the way, you need to think about writing another book. I loved this one.” – Susan Slusher
“I finished “Saving Jane Doe” last night and really enjoyed it. It was hard to put it down! One of my measures of an excellent book is wondering what happens to the characters next and thinking about them for several days after finishing the book! Well, you accomplished that! I LOVED Uncle Henry!
I also loved all the local touches and the bits of history. When Mother and Daddy lived in Maysville, the Pollocks came down from Massachusetts for a visit and got a trip-tic from AAA. The ticket warned them of the need to stay alert on the trip from Maysville to Lexington because it was such a straight road and tended to be a boring drive. We all got a great laugh out of that since the designer of the ticket had obviously never been on that road. Your buffalo/bourbon line is a hoot! One of my MSU colleagues and a friend owned a gift shop in Washington (The Iron Gate), and I have eaten at the old inn several times. Bradford Tavern? Great job!!” – Mary Ann Pollock
“This is a great book club book. It will prompt lots of discussion on the hot-button topic of abortion. It’s the first work of fiction I have read that presents a compassionate look at the debate about abortion. Compassion seems to be the starting point for Purcell’s look at the multi-faceted way to view this. As an OB/GYN she has seen the ramifications of the choices women make when confronted with an unplanned pregnancy. Very human and very touching.” – Ceil Dorger
Carolyn Purcell MD 