Skip Rock Shallows by Jan Watson

Set in the early 1900s in Skip Rock Kentucky, the reader enters the world of coal miners.  Lilly is a female doctor, strike one.  Lilly is an outsider, strike two.  Lilly is educated, strike three?  After she accepts this internship her carefully planned life begins to unravel.  Lilly finds a strong desire to be accepted by these stubborn, superstitious people.  Lilly wrestles with her feelings and questions everything about her life.  Great development of the characters and the motives of the heart.  If you like historical fiction, Skip Rock Shallows is worth reading.