The Midwife’s Choice by Delia Parr

Posted by abakersp in Historical / 0 Comments

I don’t remember the last time I read a book that was set in the 1800’s, so I was a little nervous when I started reading this book. I didn’t even get to page five and my worries disappeared. The author had me the very first scene of the book. Midwife Martha Cade was called to go to the Clifford’s house to help first time mother Nancy with childbirth. Little did she know that when she saw Nancy up close for the first time, there were marks on her body that were not there on accident. It took my be surprise reading that for a setting in the 1830’s, which made me appreciate that the author would include a sensitive topic such as this one.

The more I read, the more I loved learning about Martha. She was such a strong woman who had been through a lot in her life. Her husband had died, her son had moved away to study law with his grandfather, and her daughter had run away and she had no clue how to find her. I couldn’t imagine going through the trials Martha had gone through, and yet still have so much compassion for others, and still rely on her faith to get by.

When her daughter Victoria came back to town I was anxious to see how their relationship would take shape. Back in those days, children often went into the trade of their parents, however Victoria had no interest in midwifery. She had dreams of writing and publishing, which Martha could not understand at first. I enjoyed seeing this mother-daughter relationship blossom throughout the story.

I have not read any of Delia’s books in the past, however I can honestly say that I will be in the future. And I should note that this is the second book in the series, however I read it with ease and did not feel that I had missed anything by not reading the first book. I can guarantee you that I will be reading it now!

I give this book a four star rating. The author quickly grabbed my attention and kept it throughout the entire story.  I feel she did a good job of incorporating the other characters into the storyline, and stayed true to the time period. I highly recommend this book, even if it outside your normal reading style. I think you will find that you will thoroughly enjoy it!
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review which I have stated above.