Probably should give it 5 stars as I really enjoyed it (I'm picky with my 5 stars!) Very interesting to read all the midwife information from years ago, had a hard time putting the book down. Oh, what the heck, I'm changing it to 5 stars! ( )

3.5 Stars ( )

set in West Virginia during the Great Depression, midwife Patience comes up against poverrty, despair, racial tensions all while grappling with her checkered past. ( )

The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harmon totally absorbed me while I was reading it. The story of Patience Murphy, a midwife in rural West Virginia in the early 1930s was both heart-warming and rewarding as we join her and her assistant, Bitsy, as they help mothers deliver their babies in this time of trouble and strife. Black Tuesday brought about the downfall of many of the mine owners and one by one the mines in the area close leaving unemployed miners and their families scrambling to survive. With the mines going, soon the stores and other businesses are leaving as well. Both the local doctor and the health nurse leave for greener pastures and the black community loses it’s midwife, leaving Patience and Bitsy as pretty much the only health workers around.

Although there are numerous births described, this was more than a medical story. Patience had quite a history, and it is revealed gradually throughout the book in flashbacks. Also there are a few discontented people looking to vent their frustrations on a single white woman living with a black woman and who helps the black community. There is also the intriguing local vet who obviously has his eye on Patience.

The author herself is a certified midwife and has worked in rural areas so she certainly know of what she writes. The story touches on many issues that affected the 1930s from prohibition, unions, Ku Klux Klan and the lack of medical care that was available to people. I know that the author has gone on to write more books about the Hope River area, but this book certainly stands well on it own. I felt that other than Patience, the characters could have been a little more defined but this is a book that celebrates life, friendship and the rewards of a simple, hard working life and I found it both absorbing and uplifting. The Midwife of Hope River was simply an excellent story. ( )

I liked it. I listened to it via hoopla... I think I would have enjoyed it more if the darn thing didn't keep losing my place. Good story. Nice historical background (but not enough). ( )