The Secrets of Midwives

Summary (from the publisher): A novel about three generations of midwives (a woman, her mother, and her grandmother) and the secrets they keep that push them apart and ultimately bind them together

The Secrets of Midwives tells the story of three generations of women devoted to delivering new life into the world—and the secrets they keep that threaten to change their own lives forever. Neva Bradley, a third-generation midwife, is determined to keep the details surrounding her own pregnancy—including the identity of the baby’s father— hidden from her family and co-workers for as long as possible. Her mother, Grace, finds it impossible to let this secret rest. For Floss, Neva’s grandmother and a retired midwife, Neva’s situation thrusts her back 60 years in time to a secret that eerily mirrors her granddaughter’s—a secret which, if revealed, will have life-changing consequences for them all. Will these women reveal their secrets and deal with the inevitable consequences? Or are some secrets best kept hidden?

 

Review: I won an advance readers' edition of this book as a giveaway on Goodreads.

 

This novel is told in alternating perspectives of Neva, Grace, and Floss, three generations of midwives. Neva is young and unmarried, working in a birthing center as a midwife when she becomes pregnant but refuses to reveal who the father is to her family. Her mother Grace is a midwife that delivers babies in her clients' home. Grace's mother Floss is a retired midwife with secrets of her own that she has never revealed to her daughter or granddaughter.

 

This was a quick, easy read with a sweet storyline. I think Hepworth does a good job of outlining generational differences for the three women. There's a lot of tension between Neva and Grace regarding the practice of midwifery. While Grace believes women should be able to give birth at home without doctors stepping in and trying to take control, her daughter Neva feels that doctors present a safer option. Neva says, "I felt a stab of resentment toward my mother and her bitter diatribe about doctors and hospitals. While I was a huge fan for a natural birth where it was possible, I was a huger fan of doing what was safest for mothers and babies" (63). The author clearly has a lot of knowledge about labor and delivery. Additionally, I enjoyed Floss' flashbacks to show her early introduction to midwifery in England during the 1950s.

 

However, at times I felt that the plot was implausible and thus difficult to believe. The dilemma about the father of Neva's baby felt a bit contrived and I wondered how possible the circumstances surrounding Floss' secret were. Additionally, some of the characters felt flat to me. Aside from Neva, Grace, and Floss, none of the other characters have much depth. Furthermore, I felt like the author was trying to hard to give her characters and story a modern twist. For example, the decision to give Floss a lesbian partner was a nice touch but felt stilted. I never got a sense of real connection between the women, and Lil's only real role was to run to fetch medical supplies during the emergency delivery.

 

I liked the focus on midwifery and inter-generational relationships in this novel, which many would characterize as women's literature. Although I was disappointed with some of characterization and plot issues, it was a light, fairly entertaining read.

 

Stars: 3