Book Review: The Secrets of Midwives by Sally Hepworth + Giveaway

Title: The Secret of Midwives
Author: Sally Hepworth
Published: August 27th 2015 by Pan Books
Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: 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?

First of all I would like to thank the publishers for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Review: The Secret of Midwives is a very warm and engaging story. Actually, I should say three stories as every woman has her own story. Let’s start with Floss, now a retired midwife, she lives with her partner Lil and harbours a secret that could change hers and her family’s life. Thanks to flashbacks to her time as a young inexperienced midwife in England we really get to know this brave and selfless woman. And I might even say that she was my favourite character in the story. I really enjoyed reading her chapters (especially the ones in the past).

Then, we’ve got her daughter Grace, a midwife who is a bit wary of hospitals and gynecologists and who delivers babies at home. I didn’t really warm to Grace as a character, she liked meddling a bit too much and her relationship with her daughter was not what you would call easy and loving. But I did find her parts really interesting. I had never given giving birth and midwifery too much thought but the topic was clearly well researched and I learned a few things I had no idea about. Grace offered her clients a completely different option to hospital and drug induced labour and you could tell how much she cared about them.

And finally there’s Neva, Floss’s granddaughter and Grace’s daughter. Pregnant and with no intention of telling anyone about the father, she came up as a bit cold at the beginning but as we got to know her, learned about her secrets and insecurities, I started liking her and her story a lot. With some unexpected twists, hers was the most romantic one of the three, an aspect which I enjoyed immensely.

All in all I found The Secrets of Midwives an exquisite read that ticked all the boxes. It made me laugh and grin but also touched me a lot. With a very interesting topic and well developed characters, I am sure it will leave no one indifferent.

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GIVEAWAY

As I received both a proof copy and a finished copy of the book, I am giving away the finished copy and this beautiful pencil case to one lucky reader that I am sure will enjoy this read as much as me. The giveaway is open INT and the winner will be contacted via email. Then they'll have two days to claim the prize.