The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harman

Patience’s relationships with her friend, Bitsy, Mrs. Who of us have not been those same shoes? The author deals with loss in a way that is honest and hits you right where you live. My heart broke that Patience didn’t have the courage to follow the Lord anymore, but time and time again, she tried to pray, sang hymns and cried out to God. I don’t agree with her stance of same sex relationships, but do agree with her loving her two friends who were in that relationship. She was ahead of her time in race relations and the fight for battered women. and the memories of loves and loss so deep that she dared not disclose. When Patience fled to West Virginia, she carried with her secrets, pain. When we are young, we aren’t always wise. There is a beauty and unique truthfulness to Patricia Harman’s writing, which some may find off putting. Working for little or no pay, Patience delivers babies, black and white, and is happy to be rewarded with a chicken or side of bacon after a birth.

Little by little she is accepted by the rural residents of Hope River who rely on her to tend to their births and even some of their health needs, as the cost of medical care is beyond their reach. The midwife, Patience Murphy with a closet full of secrets is an outsider, keeping to herself, not allowing anyone into her private life. Where coal miners, farmers and both blacks and whites try to eke out a living. West Virginia is not a fun and fanciful place in 1929 in the middle of the depression, where an already hard scrabble existence is the norm.

This novel will live in my heart for years to come.Coal Mines, The Depression, and Lots of Babies I learned, I laughed, I cried, but most of all I was deeply impressed by the artistry of the midwife and her central role in women's lives prior to the advent of commercialized, institutionalized medicine. Source: Theresa Brown, author of Critical Care: A New Nurse Faces Death, Life and Everything in Between, and New York Times Opinion Columnist Patricia Harman has created such a striking and original heroine that pregnant women everywhere will be wanting Patience Murphy to deliver their babies. The Midwife of Hope River is a rich and deeply moving book that will pleasantly linger in your thoughts long after you've finished reading it. Source: Johanna Moran, author of The Wives of Henry Oades This is one I'll read again, more slowly next time. From start to satisfying conclusion, it is a beautifully imagined novel, a marvel of a debut, rich with fully realized characters and events.

The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harman