194 reviews for:

Jordmoren fraHope River

Patricia Harman

3.86 AVERAGE

emdebell's review against another edition

2.0

I should have enjoyed this book - I love stories of midwifery, of the 1920-30s, of small mountain towns, of women and history etc. Unfortunately the writing quality was so poor I almost didn't finish reading it. Not only was it saturated with cliches, but some of the phrases she used weren't anywhere near accurate for the time it was set in (once Patience says "that pisses me off" ...really? in the 30s?) and the conflict/growth was contrived. History was added in a way that spoke more of the author's research than being true to the characters, with the phrase "not many people knew that" used on more than one occasion. The author's choice to write in present tense posed some problems as well. However, if you are mainly interested in reading vivid birth scenes and don't care about writing quality, you may enjoy the book, although even those are rushed and out of place. Overall it was quite shallow and poorly done, failing to evoke any connection with the characters, the setting, the era, or the story.

dotvz's review against another edition

5.0

A very well-written, poignant, lovely book full of interesting history.

aifdo's review against another edition

4.0

I couldn't put this book down ! It suited my mood perfectly. I enjoyed dipping into the complex world of patience murphy and all who she came across .

kmcdadepdx's review against another edition

4.0

I am a birth story junkie, so a novel about midwifery, written by a real midwife, is pretty much perfect for me. It's also about Depression-era West Virginia, and about race relations, and about unions. Most of the time the midwife's voice felt authentic to the era, but occasionally not (although, I'm reminded that there were a wide range of people at the time, as there are now, and not everyone would have fit what we think of as typical).

I think I might have liked more romance in it, as well. There's a romance, but it isn't really explored much, and I felt like the book ended abruptly just when it was getting to the romance.

amkenney's review against another edition

4.0

I received this book in a Goodreads Giveaway and am very glad I did! This was a well written historical fiction novel about Patience Murphy, a midwife in Appalachia. She wasn't always a midwife in rural America though, and I like how her past is told throughout the story, in small snippets that allow us to understand her. It was a good book in a time period and place I don't often read about.

blackcatmagic's review against another edition

1.0

I couldn't finish it. I kept having to remind myself that this was supposed to be a historical fiction. Totally unreal.

hw0623's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

jdybs's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed this book, which combined my interest in Appalachia, race relations, the Great Depression, and childbirth. I liked the characters and descriptions, but the relationships - especially the romance between the midwife and neighbor - just didn't ring true. Not a great book, but still one that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

greylandreviews's review against another edition

4.0

4.25 stars
I don't why I was so interested in reading about a midwife in the 1930's but, I really enjoyed. Kinda mad now that I didn't order the second book on Ebay but my library has it.
Trigger Warnings: death (parents and children), blood, childbirth, stillborn, abusive relationship, mention of war, animal death (past), suicidal ideation, suicide, racism, white supremacy and the KKK

red1176's review against another edition

5.0

I loved this book, the characters, and the flow of the personal narrative. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.