The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harman

I also love the details of each delivery. I found that I was very interested in what the people paid (or did not/could not pay) for the midwifery services OR what they traded in lieu of payment. Patience is called into each different type of neighborhood to deliver babies and we are able to see that the poor economy of that time had its way with every social group, although some far more than others. After all, every socioeconomic group has babies. Since Patience is the local midwife, she is able to give us an up-close and personal view of this area during this time. I love that this story is set in Union County, West Virginia during the Depression. This is one of my all-time favorite books and series, and Patience Murphy is one of my all-time favorite characters. If a person can’t appreciate that we live in a much different America now, something is lacking in their cold heart. Hester, the veterinarian were described in heart wrenching detail, making the story rich and vibrant. Patience’s relationships with her friend, Bitsy, Mrs. Who of us have not been those same shoes? The author deals with loss in a way that is honest and hits you right where you live.

My heart broke that Patience didn’t have the courage to follow the Lord anymore, but time and time again, she tried to pray, sang hymns and cried out to God. I don’t agree with her stance of same sex relationships, but do agree with her loving her two friends who were in that relationship. She was ahead of her time in race relations and the fight for battered women. and the memories of loves and loss so deep that she dared not disclose. When Patience fled to West Virginia, she carried with her secrets, pain. When we are young, we aren’t always wise. There is a beauty and unique truthfulness to Patricia Harman’s writing, which some may find off putting. Working for little or no pay, Patience delivers babies, black and white, and is happy to be rewarded with a chicken or side of bacon after a birth. Little by little she is accepted by the rural residents of Hope River who rely on her to tend to their births and even some of their health needs, as the cost of medical care is beyond their reach.

The midwife, Patience Murphy with a closet full of secrets is an outsider, keeping to herself, not allowing anyone into her private life. Where coal miners, farmers and both blacks and whites try to eke out a living. West Virginia is not a fun and fanciful place in 1929 in the middle of the depression, where an already hard scrabble existence is the norm. Coal Mines, The Depression, and Lots of Babies

The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harman