What We Thought: Doc by Mary Doria Russell

Why didn’t Doc go home to Georgia and his family? How did unmarried women support themselves in the Old West?

Members had sympathy for John Henry "Doc" Holliday, despite his criminal, and some would say immoral, behavior. It was suggested that his having a terminal illness, tuberculosis, influenced his reckless acts, but all agreed he was a true gentleman at heart.

The wild and lawless society of the Old West didn't have much use for dentistry, Doc's chosen profession, so he had to turn to gambling on card games for income. The atmosphere in saloons where he “worked” put him in contact with nefarious characters and loose women. All in all, members of the group felt sorry for Doc, as he was portrayed by the author, and felt that his reputation as a gun fighter, card shark, and womanizer was based more on rumor than fact. Unmarried women of the Old West faced a hard life unless they had money and family to depend on. There was no welfare at that time so women and children were on their own.

Education was limited and employment and business opportunities were scarce and generally available for men only. Many women turned to prostitution as a common occupation; however, once in the “sporting” life it was difficult to leave it even if they wanted to change the direction of their life. Doc’s empathy and regard for “working girls" impressed readers, who felt that his appreciation and defense of them was unusual for men of his time.Maria Katarina "Kate" Harony was a determined woman who was able to live that life in the way she wished. It was decided that she and Doc had a dedicated relationship that worked for them. 
Book club members enjoyed reading Doc because the characters were believable and the events were so well written that the scenes were vividly remembered, e.g. Doc playing the piano at the Christmas party with Kate and the Jesuit priest from Kansas, Alexander Von Angensperg,dancing.
This passage was acknowledged by all as a good example of the humor that threads through this work of historical fiction: “For the rest of his long, eventful life, Alexander Von Angensperg might have topped just about any war story told in a Jesuit residence. He could have listened, and nodded, and acknowledged each man's most colorful adventure, and then achieved an awed, respectful silence with just six words: 'I heard confessions in Dodge City.'”