A review by knitter22
A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

3.0

A Midwife's Tale provided more of the factual information that I felt was missing after I read The Frozen River, a work of historical fiction. I'm glad that Martha Ballard's diary survived and through her detailed accounts historians recognized that women's work does matter, but reading large sections of her diary came across as scholarly and a little dry. I'm also glad I read both the fiction and nonfiction books, and can better see how there is a place for both books about Martha Ballard and her life.