Christmas with the Wartime Midwives
Many unmarried mothers in England during World War Two had to make very tough decisions regarding their baby’s future; for most their only option was to give the little one up for adoption to a couple. Mary Vale home, attached to the convent of the Sisters of the Holy Mother, has its own midwifery team led by Matron and Dr Reid. Recently qualified midwife Libby enters this tight-knit community of supportive medics who have the needs of their patients at the forefront of their thoughts. An enthusiastic, forward-thinking young woman, Libby is keen to extend their services to the wider community. After much cajoling, she is given a caseload of three pregnant women for whose care she will be responsible. Two of the mums-to-be have textbook ante-natal experiences, but Beth faces some enormous hardships leading to concerns over the survival of both her and her unborn child. The stories unfold of some of the other Mary Vale residents, including Margaret, a qualified teacher, pregnant by a married man. Margaret seeks to encourage the children at the nearby primary school into music, sharing her enthusiasm and knowledge of music with eager and talented youngsters. One family is under notice of eviction, and Margaret seeks to help Mary, with her seriously ill husband and their children.
This is an engaging tale of wartime endurance, including some of the prejudices prevalent at the time. Styles has created a cosy environment incorporating some of the predictable characters of this era, and though the reader may well guess the outcome of these individuals, the story unfolds, aided by some descriptive, scene-setting passages. There is an inaccuracy in the blurb on the back cover where the character Beth is mixed up with Mary.
