Patricia Harman

The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harman takes us into the 1930s world of Patience Murphy, recently certified midwife, as she attends to a growing number of mothers around her West Virginia home. Patience's adventures as a country midwife give us a cross-section of the population: black, white, rich, poor, young, old, and even Amish. Seeing the many ways women cope with the impending birth is fascinating. Some scream and fight against it, others dance with their husbands, nearly carefree show more until the last moment. Patience assists with all kinds of births, hurrying off to places unknown at any hour of the day or night, often receiving nothing but gratitude in return for her services during the hard times of the Depression. Patience's frequent calls to attend at births keep up the pace of a book to brisk clip, but in between Harman is hard at work drawing out a complex character in Patience herself.

Patience has a much richer history than at first meets the eye, and Harman slowly leads readers into the dark corners of the past that has had her on the run. Patience is no stranger to heartbreak or to tragedy, but her experience has opened her up to viewing all kinds of people as no different than her, which makes her stick out like a sore thumb among the racist whites of West Virginia who don't take kindly to her setting up house with a black girl, her new birthing assistant, Bitsy. As Patience faces threats and troubles from all sides, she finds herself an unexpected ally in Daniel Hester, the local veterinarian, who threatens to poke holes in the shield she has erected to fend off those who might be too curious about her mysterious past.

Aside from some minor quibbles about the redundancy that occurs in the rhythm of the book (birth, memories, birth, more memories, birth...), I very much enjoyed The Midwife of Hope River. Patricia Harman has knit together a community of mostly lovable yet very different characters from the well-off wife of a local coal baron to the older, wiser midwife to the black community who takes Patience under her wing. At the center is Patience who is a strong and well-developed character in her own right but also a lens through which to view the times. Patience's life has brought her into the paths of lesbians, flappers, workers unionizing to struggle for their rights, coal miners trying to scrape out a meager living, coal barons losing everything to the market crash, and various and sundry "ordinary" people who dot the West Virginia countryside making a living however they can. Through Patience's lens, both the 1920s the Depression era are brought to life.

Patience is a captivating character who I easily fell in love with. She is strong, capable, and stands up for her principles, doing what her heart tells her even when it's dangerous and possibly deadly. The Midwife of Hope River is a quick read and absorbing piece of historical fiction. Here's hoping that Patricia Harman has a few more historical midwives up her sleeve! show less

Coal mining West Virginia during the 1930’s is the setting for Patricia Harman’s engaging debut novel THE MIDWIFE OF HOPE RIVER. Patience Murphy is making a new life caring for pregnant women in Appalachia, as she reconciles her past with her new surroundings.

With the heart of Sandra Dallas, the intensity of Gay Courter and a nod to Barbara Wood the author integrates historical notes (the Great Depression, Appalachian coal mining, unions for miners and lack thereof, Emma Goldman the show more anarchist, Mother Jones, the Ku Klux Klan) into a seamless story about womanhood and the inherent risks of childbirth. She writes of a world where poverty, malnutrition and unequal access to quality healthcare can mean the difference between life and death. And while Patience’s story is the story of her female clients and their children’s births it is also her story.

Harman weaves Patience’s personal tale with gentleness and sudden details that leave the reader wondering how she can escape her own sadness to help her patients. Can the town vet be counted on as an ally for Patience? Can Patience reconcile her own past and move forward to be the midwife Hope River needs? Can she face the challenges for both her poorest and wealthiest of her clients? Can she train an apprentice?

An excellent book about the fragility of life, the miracle of birth, the community of neighbors, the Great Depression, love and healing and a woman’s journey to find her place in the world. Beautifully written and a joy to read. show less

Patricia Harman is a Certified Nurse Midwife married to an OB GYN. They've established a practice in which, unfortunately because of the cost of malpractice insurance, they no longer deliver babies. Her husband, Tom, loves surgery. He's a laid back kind of guy, doesn't see the point in worrying about things, and just wants to spend his days in OR. Patricia is just the opposite, she worries about everything, she's kind of the tough guy in the practice and they face all kinds of problems: bad show more accountants, unexpected debt to the IRS, problems with meeting their payroll, litigious - or just the fear of - litigious patients. In between the accounts of her fears Patricia talks about their hippy days on the commune, the raising of their 3 boys, with all the accompanying problems, and the lives of her patients - one of whom is a FTM transexual., one is abused, there's some devastating results from a deliberately lost condom, an eating disorder, substance abuse, pedophilia, unintended pregnancy. Many scared and happy women. Many ways the pain of childbirth are continued in the pain of motherhood. She describes the care of and crises in the life of her transexual patient the same way she discusses her other patients - talks about her problems, how she relates, how she helps in both a medical and emotional way. I think she shows too much reliance on pharmacology both estrogen and antidepressants, but everything in her practice reads true. Everything in her relationship with her husband reads true too. They're two accomplished, intelligent people with different approaches to life. It's not an easy marriage or an easy practice. She does a great job showing many sides of life and many sides of those sides. show less

I loved every page of this book. I was drawn in from the first page to the descriptive imagery of Depression Era Appalachia. This was a very hard novel to put down. Patience is strong, yet vulnerable. She is brave, yet fearful of her past catching up with her. Her lack of prejudice and openness make her different from her neighbors in West Virginia. Many of them view her with mistrust, yet they need her in a community where the only doctor refuses to help black people or poor people.
It show more wasn't just the midwife aspect that made this book appealing. The everyday life of two women- Patience and Bitsy (a young black woman)- making their way in rural Appalachia makes this book a page turner. There is so much more to this book than just the midwife aspect. The book deals with prejudice, spousal abuse, exploitation of Coal Miners, heartbreak, and redemption.
I love Harman's simple writing style. I look forward to reading more of her work.
This one is definitely a keeper.

Read this book if....
*you love novels set in Appalachia
*you love southern fiction
*you love novels about midwifery
*you love novels set in the Depression Era
*you love novels about race relations and racial issues in the early 20th century show less