The Midwife of Hope River
By
Patricia Harman
5 stars
I usually don’t like books that jump from the present to the
past and back again, however, Patricia Harman does it so well in The Midwife of
Hope River that I must change my mind.
Incorporating births from her own experience as a midwife and seamlessly
blending in a framework of history from upper class Chicago at the turn of the
century, through union organizing in the coal fields and factories of the
northeast and the Great Depression in Appalachia just before WWII, Harmon tells
a moving and riveting tale of birth and death.
Her well-developed characters and realistic situations carry the reader
into harrowing tales of medical practice in an isolated community with sporadic
running water or electricity and less money. Yet hope and faith permeate the lives of
black, white and ethnic personalities who meet life’s challenges with grace.
You will cheer as Patience Murphy grows from a naïve girl to confident midwife.
This book would work well for book groups made of women
only, mothers and daughters, medical professionals and even men - who might
learn a few things about the women who birthed them, love them and bear their
children.
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