Longlisted for the 2009 Scotiabank Giller Prize

Shortlisted for the 2010 OLA Evergreen Award

Inspired by the life of Doctor Maude Elizabeth Seymour Abbott, The Heart Specialist is the story of a woman pursuing her dream at the dawn of the twentieth century. Stripped of a regular childhood when her father is accused of a horrific crime and abandons the family, Agnes was never considered ladylike. She is drawn to the wrong things, such as anatomy and dissection, which lead to her calling as a doctor. Yet despite a rapid rise to stardom in the medical community, she finds herself up against the same glass ceiling faced by women in her field.

Set against the backdrop of conflict and upheaval permeating the early 1900s, The Heart Specialist is the story of one woman's triumph in the face of adversity.