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Amanda Skenandore
Amanda Skenandore is an award-winning author of historical fiction and a registered nurse. Her novels, which have been translated into multiple languages, include Between Earth and Sky—winner of the American Library Association's Reading List Award for Best Historical Fiction—The Undertaker's Assistant, The Second Life of Mirielle West, The Nurse's Secret, and The Medicine Woman of Galveston. Her work has been recognized by organizations including Reader's Digest and Silicon Valley Reads.
On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed The Medicine Woman of Galveston.
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Books Reviewed
Ask LuvemBooks about Amanda Skenandore
Amanda Skenandore is an award-winning historical fiction author and registered nurse whose medical background shapes her fiction — her novels repeatedly center on women working in medicine, from a frontier-era physician in The Medicine Woman of Galveston to the historical nurses and healers of her earlier books. We have reviewed 1 of her novels so far: The Medicine Woman of Galveston, which follows an impoverished former doctor swept toward the 1900 Galveston hurricane and holds a 4.3/5 reader rating from over 14,000 Amazon ratings. That combination of meticulous period research and hard-won medical detail is the hallmark of her work.
- Where should I start?
- The Medicine Woman of Galveston is our recommended starting point — it's the Amanda Skenandore novel we've reviewed, and it's a self-contained story, so no prior reading is required. It follows Tucia, an impoverished former doctor who joins a traveling medicine show bound for Galveston just as the catastrophic September 1900 hurricane approaches. With a 4.3/5 reader rating from over 14,000 Amazon ratings, it's a well-tested entry into her work.
- What's their writing style?
- Amanda Skenandore writes research-driven historical fiction grounded in real events and real medical history. In The Medicine Woman of Galveston, that trademark historical research is paired with intimate character work — themes of women in medicine, found family, and recovery from trauma run through the story. Their background as a registered nurse gives the medical detail an authenticity that distinguishes their work from more general period fiction.
- Books we've reviewed
- We have reviewed 1 Amanda Skenandore book so far. The Medicine Woman of Galveston (Kensington, 2024) follows a former doctor in a traveling medicine show caught in the path of the 1900 Galveston hurricane — it holds a 4.3/5 reader rating from 14,445 Amazon ratings.
- What genre do they write?
- Amanda Skenandore writes historical fiction, typically set against real events and often centered on medicine and the women who practiced it. The Medicine Woman of Galveston, the book we've reviewed, is a historical novel set during the run-up to the 1900 Galveston hurricane. Their award-winning Between Earth and Sky was also recognized specifically as historical fiction.
- Who writes like Amanda Skenandore?
- Readers who enjoy The Medicine Woman of Galveston — historical fiction rooted in real disasters and centered on women in medicine — might look for other novels about pioneering female doctors and nurses, or disaster-driven historical dramas set in turn-of-the-century America. Within Skenandore's own catalog, The Nurse's Secret and The Second Life of Mirielle West explore adjacent medical-historical territory, though we haven't reviewed those yet.
- What should I read after The Medicine Woman of Galveston?
- If you finished The Medicine Woman of Galveston and want more Amanda Skenandore, their bio points to several options: Between Earth and Sky, their ALA award winner, or The Nurse's Secret if the medical-historical angle is what drew you in. None of these are sequels — each is its own story, so pick by the premise that interests you most.
Who is Amanda Skenandore?
Where should I start?
What's their writing style?
Books we've reviewed
What genre do they write?
Who writes like Amanda Skenandore?
What should I read after The Medicine Woman of Galveston?
Who is Amanda Skenandore?
Amanda Skenandore is an award-winning author of historical fiction and a registered nurse. Her novel Between Earth and Sky won the American Library Association's Reading List Award for Best Historical Fiction, and her other books include The Undertaker's Assistant, The Second Life of Mirielle West, and The Nurse's Secret. Her work has been translated into multiple languages and recognized by organizations including Reader's Digest and Silicon Valley Reads.
Follow up
What awards has Amanda Skenandore won?
How does her nursing career influence her books?
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