The Midwife's Revolt (Midwife #1) by Jodi Daynard

 

Summary (from the publisher): On a dark night in 1775, Lizzie Boylston is awakened by the sound of cannons. From a hill south of Boston, she watches as fires burn in Charlestown, in a battle that she soon discovers has claimed her husband’s life.

Alone in a new town, Lizzie grieves privately but takes comfort in her deepening friendship with Abigail Adams. Soon, word spreads of Lizzie’s extraordinary midwifery and healing skills, and she begins to channel her grief into caring for those who need her. But when two traveling patriots are poisoned, Lizzie finds herself with far more complicated matters on her hands—she suspects a political plot intended to harm Abigail and her family. Determined to uncover the truth, Lizzie becomes entangled in a conspiracy that could not only destroy her livelihood—and her chance at finding love again—but also lead to the downfall of a new nation.

Review: Lizzie Boylston has been married less than a year when her young husband is killed in battle in 1775. After his death, Lizzie is left alone in a small town on a small farm, after refusing to go live with her distasteful in-laws and with no living relatives of her own to turn to. Determined to be independent, she turns to her midwifery and healing skills to care for the community and make a way in the world. Eventually, she begins to build a community with friend Abigail Adams that is her close neighbor and Martha, a young girl who comes to live with her and learn the midwifery trade. But when she is called to two separate deathbeds and begins to suspect poison, Lizzie unwittingly pulled into a web of spies and political intrigue that threaten her friend Martha, her own household, and the fact of the fledgling new nation itself. 

I really loved the historical setting of this of this book. Daynard clearly did a lot of research to make this as historically accurate as possible, even though Lizzie and most of the characters (aside from Abigail Adams of course!) are entirely fictional. I really loved Lizzie's character and was instantly reeled in by her plight and how she finds herself alone on a small and isolated farm. I loved that she was a midwife and enjoyed all the scenes where she is helping young mothers deliver, even while mourning the loss of her own potential motherhood with her husband's death. I really loved that this is an independent household of women, who must make do during wartime and a cold, long winter with little cold, provisions, or assistance. The friendship that grows between Eliza, Martha, and Lizzie - a very unlikely trio of women at first blush - was such a tender and lovely aspect of this novel. 

I will say, I heavily suspected the guilty party behind the mysterious deaths so the great twist at the end wasn't as great a shock to me. I did not enjoy the extent to which the political intrigue played a role in this book and found it far-fetched that Lizzie was galivanting around in disguise. It did not feel believable, and I was not at all shocked to find out in the author's note that it was not based on fact. 

I will add that the historical setting and themes of this book (midwifery, strong female leads, murder and suspense) reminded me of The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon, a book I greatly loved. 

Stars: 4