TLC Book Tour: Once A Midwife

I absolutely fell in love with the book The Midwife of Hope River and Patience Murphy the main character in that novel.  I am always happy to visit with her again.

Although it took me a few pages to reacquaint myself with Patience, I was happy to be transported to the early 1940s and life in Hope River.  

World War II is underway and Patience and her husband have many discussions about their viewpoints and feelings about whether the United States should be involved.  She is still a practicing midwife, and as area women go into labor, she is often called to assist. 

Patience's friend, Bitsy, has returned to Hope River with a child she has taken in and is raising on her own, and Patience is especially grateful for the help and companionship she provides.

At the forefront of this novel is the developments of World War II, and Patience's husband, Daniel's, refusal to enlist.  Daniel served in World War I, and it is his experiences there that have led him to have these strong beliefs against US involvement this time.  These beliefs, however, cause their family to be vulnerable to attacks from other people who don't understand or respect Daniel's position. They also leave Patience to the reality that Daniel will probably be arrested and imprisoned for a time, leaving her to handle everything alone.

There is so much to love in this novel. Although this is part of the midwife series by Harman, and there are stories that truly capture that subject, this novel is more than just a story about a midwife. We are treated to a character that presents herself as real and flawed, and someone who I feel accurately depicts women in this time in our country.  She is a mother. She is a midwife. She is a friend. She struggles and loves and works hard and despairs over things from time to time.  

Harman's novels always tie up rather well, but they also always leave me hoping that she will keep coming back to Patience again in the future.  I'm crossing my fingers that this isn't the last we've seen of Patience or her family.


Thanks to TLC Book Tours for providing a copy of this book for my review. All opinions expressed are, as always, my own.

For more information about this book, visit the HarperCollins website.