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kateclancy's review
challenging
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I put it down a few times to finish other books because the early pacing was slow - I think the fact that I read it on audio helped propel me forward. Once I was in though I was IN. I found the author's note really helpful to contextualize her decisions around how she engaged with issues of race, colonialism, and the medical turn of birth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Child death, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Murder, Animal cruelty, Rape, Vomit, Violence, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Racism, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Medical trauma, and Grief
heartfelthullabaloo's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
It took me a while for the story to capture my attention. The last 20% of it was nail biting and made the book worth the read. I thought that Ephraim was a fantastic portrayal of an ideal husband. The book painted a good picture of life for a midwife in the late 1700’s. Kudos to the author for putting together a compelling story from those dry diary entries. The authors note says this:
“It bears repeating that this is a novel, a work of fiction, my version of what could have happened in this woman’s life. It is not a biography, nor do I claim to be an historian. I’m simply a storyteller, and I have felt, for fifteen years, that Martha’s story is worth telling. I want you to know her name. I want you tell your friends. I hope that you too are astonished by her life. I want the world to remember that small acts, done in love, matter every bit as much as the ones that make the newspaper and the history books.”
I think that she’s accomplished her goal from all the buzz I’ve heard about this book. One final quote that hit me: “Then I cry for every other woman who lives, suffers, and dies by the mercurial whims of men.”
“It bears repeating that this is a novel, a work of fiction, my version of what could have happened in this woman’s life. It is not a biography, nor do I claim to be an historian. I’m simply a storyteller, and I have felt, for fifteen years, that Martha’s story is worth telling. I want you to know her name. I want you tell your friends. I hope that you too are astonished by her life. I want the world to remember that small acts, done in love, matter every bit as much as the ones that make the newspaper and the history books.”
I think that she’s accomplished her goal from all the buzz I’ve heard about this book. One final quote that hit me: “Then I cry for every other woman who lives, suffers, and dies by the mercurial whims of men.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Death, Rape, Violence, Sexual assault, Murder, Misogyny, Medical content, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Child death
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Abortion and Animal cruelty
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