REVIEW: THE SECRETS OF MIDWIVES, BY SALLY HEPWORTH

 

 

Floss, Grace, and Neva are three women joined by a family tradition: midwifery.

They each have brought their own unique experiences to their profession and to their family lives. Floss arrived in the US from England with baby Grace in tow, reporting her widowhood to those she met.

Grace grew up feeling the absence of a father like a hole in her heart. But she has found her true love in Robert, and together they built a family with their daughter Neva. But is the absence of a father affecting her ability to connect with Neva?

When Neva is forced to announce her pregnancy, after hiding it for several months, she is also keeping a secret: the name of the child’s father.

The Secrets of Midwives is alternately narrated by Floss, Grace, and Neva, and the story unfolds to reveal the layers of these characters and their lives, including the determination of each of them to maintain their dedication to midwifery, even in the face of the scorn of some medical professionals.

What happens to the three of them when Floss has a heart attack and is forced to reveal a secret from her past? How will Grace deal with an investigation into her performance after a doctor makes a complaint? And what will Neva discover about love and about her determination to go it alone after connecting with a handsome doctor and friend named Patrick?

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this story, but then again, the characters were fully fleshed out and their thoughts and feelings were brought into the story. There was nothing particularly new or different from other books on midwifery that I’ve enjoyed, but I liked this one enough to give it four stars.