The Midwife’s Tale
This story is set during the 1830s in a small Pennsylvania town where Martha Cade is the local midwife. Widowed for a decade, but still attractive, she is respected by the community and is passionate about her vocation. Then life becomes complicated when her teenage daughter runs off with a traveling theatrical group and a new doctor arrives in town with the latest medical knowledge on how to deliver babies. Add to this an unusual minister and his wife who purchase an old farm outside of town and use it to house a group of boy orphans they have rescued from city streets. But something is amiss, and it will take Will, one of the orphans, to enlighten Martha before a tragedy engulfs the town.
Readers who enjoy Jan Karon’s Mitford series should also like this novel, with its flawed but engaging characters, a plot that twists and surprises, and a healthy dash of romance to carry the story along. It’s billed as a historical romance, yet I think it transcends that to showcase the strong bonds that women have as they support one another throughout life.
