Welcome to Litsy!

I loved the atmosphere most, with characters' rural way of life. I loved to read about their lives close to nature. This felt so alive and realistic, had some almost hilarious scenes with some peculiar personalities.

Book 3 during #20in4

“No matter who they are or what they‘ve done, when you hear someone‘s story you see him or her differently.“

“At any minute your life can change. Remember this. Between one breath and another, the song can stop and everything can be different.“

As a Call the Midwife fan, I expected to be head over heels for this book, but I can't say I truly loved it. Patience is a fascinating character, but the narration left something to be desired, and I didn't feel like Patience grew as much as I wanted her to. Worth a shot if you've got the time, but don't rush to get to it if you're busy!

📚The Midwife of Hope River
🖋Melanie Benjamin
🎞Marnie (1964)
📺Mad Men!!!!! 🤓
🎤Mariah Carey
🎼Mirrors by Justin Timberlake 😍

#ManicMonday
#LetterM

Since I‘m already playing challenge catch-up, I thought I‘d kill 2 prompts with 1 post of The Midwife of Hope #River, a book with plenty of #babies being birthed. I‘m a sucker for a book about a midwife and enjoyed this 2015 read set in Depression-era Appalachia.
#ayupAugust

This was my first book from this author. I'm glad I listened to it as an audiobook. I felt the wonder of birth and fear of prejudice so much more strongly as a result of hearing the story. I'll be watching for more audiobooks available by this author.

my favorite quote from this book ~ truth

I usually only listen to audiobooks while driving to/from work. I decided to enjoy my chore a bit more this morning by listening to my book.

Decided to ditch Lizzie and get to know Patience instead. Based on the reviews of Lizzie and the 8 chapters I've listened to from Patience, I made the right choice for me.

A slice of life in West Virginia in 1929-30. The book begins on Black Tuesday and shows what people on all social levels experienced as the economy suffered (everyone has babies!)—but I was most interested in the poor and minority groups. They often traded goods for birthing services in lieu of payment. When payment for work decreased, the midwife‘s life was much harder.

The L&D nurse in me loves that birthing hasn‘t changed much over the years!

I‘m so excited to be rereading this!! This series is one of my absolute favorites. Historical fiction, Appalachian setting, Depression-era, plus it features midwifery. (I‘m a labor and delivery nurse when I work outside of my house.)

My husband is driving; we are heading to the beach for the weekend even though it is fairly chilly 🌊

The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Hartman: 4/5 stars. An engrossing and fascinating picture of a resilient midwife in the Appalachians during the Great Depression. Enjoyable structure to the writing, deep relationships portrayed, and nuanced storytelling. Recommended!

There are dynamics in this house I don't understand.

It's kind of funny that I'm reading this fictional tale at the same time it reading Dorothy Day, by Kate Hennessy. Talking about the same time period from different perspectives. I've so much to learn about the Great Depression, race relations at the time, etc.

Seeing them suffer was almost worse than seeing men die. At least the soldier, whether they volunteered or were drafted, knew why they were sacrificing. The horses had no idea, and it was sheer terror for them. They gave up their lives for a cause but never knew what the cause was. In the end, I forgot the cause too. Maybe war is always that way.

I liked this a lot. The very short journal entries after the births may have been my favorite parts. I did feel the end was a little too neat, but that may be a lead into the next book.

Laundry going, reading between loads.

38°F feels like 32°F . Perfect time to start reading part 2, winter.

" Birth and death, so intertwined. Love, birth,death, my trilogy."
#truthinwords #infantlossmomtruths

A 2.5 hour car ride and a book. 😁

I'm a sucker for a good historical fiction novel. Great read about midwifery in small town West Virginia during the Great Depression.

Novel about a midwife, written by a midwife. Interesting story that reads like a biography.

"No matter who they are or what they‘ve done, when you hear someone‘s story you see him or her differently."

I really enjoyed this book! A great historical fiction and will be especially enjoyable for my fellow births people!

Starting this tonight.