The Reluctant Midwife - (Hope River) by Patricia Harman (Paperback)

About the Book

The USA Today bestselling author of The Midwife of Hope River returns with a heartfelt sequel, a novel teeming with life and full of humor and warmth, one that celebrates the human spirit.

The Great Depression has hit West Virginia hard. Men are out of work; women struggle to feed hungry children. Luckily, Nurse Becky Myers has returned to care for them. While she can handle most situations, Becky is still uneasy helping women deliver their babies. For these mothers-to-be, she relies on an experienced midwife, her dear friend Patience Murphy.

Though she is happy to be back in Hope River, time and experience have tempered Becky s cheerfulness-as tragedy has destroyed the vibrant spirit of her former employer Dr Isaac Blum, who has accompanied her. Patience too has changed. Married and expecting a baby herself, she is relying on Becky to keep the mothers of Hope River safe.

But becoming a midwife and ushering precious new life into the world is not Becky s only challenge. Her skills and courage will be tested when a calamitous forest fire blazes through a Civilian Conservation Corps camp. And she must find a way to bring Isaac back to life and rediscover the hope they both need to go on.

Full of humor and compassion, The Reluctant Midwife is a moving tribute to the power of optimism and love to overcome the most trying circumstances and times, and is sure to please fans of the poignant Call the Midwife series."

Book Synopsis

The USA Today bestselling author of The Midwife of Hope River returns with a heartfelt sequel, a novel teeming with life and full of humor and warmth, one that celebrates the human spirit.

The Great Depression has hit West Virginia hard. Men are out of work; women struggle to feed hungry children. Luckily, Nurse Becky Myers has returned to care for them. While she can handle most situations, Becky is still uneasy helping women deliver their babies. For these mothers-to-be, she relies on an experienced midwife, her dear friend Patience Murphy.

Though she is happy to be back in Hope River, time and experience have tempered Becky's cheerfulness-as tragedy has destroyed the vibrant spirit of her former employer Dr Isaac Blum, who has accompanied her. Patience too has changed. Married and expecting a baby herself, she is relying on Becky to keep the mothers of Hope River safe.

But becoming a midwife and ushering precious new life into the world is not Becky's only challenge. Her skills and courage will be tested when a calamitous forest fire blazes through a Civilian Conservation Corps camp. And she must find a way to bring Isaac back to life and rediscover the hope they both need to go on.

Full of humor and compassion, The Reluctant Midwife is a moving tribute to the power of optimism and love to overcome the most trying circumstances and times, and is sure to please fans of the poignant Call the Midwife series.

From the Back Cover

The author of the nationally bestselling novel The Midwife of Hope River returns with a moving story about the power of the human spirit and the miracle of new life

Nurse Becky Myers is a reluctant midwife. She's far more comfortable with tending the sick than helping women deliver their babies. For these mothers-to-be, she relies on an experienced midwife, her dear friend Patience Murphy. But the Great Depression has hit West Virginia hard. Men are out of work; women struggle to feed hungry children. And sometimes Becky is called upon to bring new life into the world.

Though she is happy to be back in Hope River, time and experience have tempered Becky's cheerfulness-- as tragedy has destroyed the vibrant spirit of her former employer, Dr. Isaac Blum, who has accompanied her. Patience too has changed. Married and expecting a baby herself, she is relying on Becky to keep the mothers of Hope River safe.

Becoming a midwife and ushering new life into the world is not Becky's only challenge. Her skills and courage will be tested when a calamitous forest fire blazes through a Civilian Conservation Corps camp. And she must find a way to bring Isaac's spirit back to life and rediscover the hope they both need to go on.

Review Quotes

"A very enjoyable sequel to Patsy Harman's first novel, The Midwife of Hope River, this new book reconnects us with beloved characters from that story while introducing an appealing new midwife, Becky Myers. Becky, like all of us in health care, struggles with the life-and-death aspect of the job. Seeing the joy of the work chip away at her reluctance is the great and true pleasure of this book." - Teresa Brown RN, author and New York Times columnist, "Bedside"
"A very enjoyable sequel to Patsy Harman's first novel, this new book reconnects us with beloved characters while introducing an appealing new midwife, Becky Myers. [...] Seeing the joy of the work chip away at her reluctance is the great and true pleasure of this book." - Teresa Brown RN, author and New York Times columnist, "Bedside"
"This title is sure to appeal to fans of American historical fiction or anyone else looking for a story with plenty of emotion, spunk, and community spirit." - Library Journal
"...will definitely renew your faith in love, loyalty, forgiveness, understanding and just plain HOPE." - Fran Lewis
"...a deeply moving book that will pleasantly linger in your thoughts long after you've finished reading it. Harman has created such a striking and original heroine that pregnant women everywhere will be wanting Patience Murphy to deliver their babies, while the rest of us would consider ourselves lucky to call her friend." - Theresa Brown, author of Critical Care: A New Nurse Faces Death, Life and Everything in Between, and New York Times Opinion Columnist
"An entrancing saga of birth and rebirth, of people you come to love as they confront loss and guilt, poverty and fear, silence and doubt." - Pamela Schoenewaldt, author of Swimming in the Moon
"This poignant, powerful novel does not shy away from the gruesome facts of life and death. Fans of the BBC's Call the Midwife and Carol Cassella's medically minded novels will enjoy Harman's inspirational and introspective story." - Booklist
"Midwives are warriors in this beautifully sweeping tale." - Kirkus
"Memoirist Harman (Arms Open Wide; The Blue Cotton Gown), herself a certified nurse-midwife, takes readers back to hardscrabble times and adds plenty of medical drama and a dash of romance, to offer an uncommonly good piece of American historical fiction." - Library Journal
"I learned, I laughed, I cried, but most of all I was deeply impressed by the artistry of the midwife and her central role in women's lives prior to the advent of commercialized, institutionalized medicine. This novel will live in my heart for years to come." - Amy Hill Hearth, author of Miss Dreamsville and the Collier County Women's Literary Society: A Novel
"As always when writing of birth, the bleakest of times can be transformed by the power and beauty of birth...the moments of joy between new parents and their baby, between the mothers and the midwife, and between the midwife and her young assistant, light up the pages. Amen baby!" - Penny Armstrong, CNM, author of A Midwife's Story and A Wise Birth
"A luminous novel of new beginnings, loss, love...and yes hope! Patricia Harman's all-too-human stories of birth mingle with the harsh realities of rural life in the 1930s...A thoroughly satisfying read by a talented storyteller." - Gay Courter, author of the New York Times bestsellers The Midwife and The Midwife's Advice
"This historical fiction is one that will remain with the reader long after the final page is turned." - Times Record News (Wichita Falls, Texas)