Jodi Daynard

Jodi Daynard has a gift with setting and dialogue. She transported me right back to New England in the 1770s. I experienced life through Eliza's eyes. I especially loved that Eliza was progressive for her time, without fitting into our modern expectations of what a progressive woman should be. Liza understood, on an emotional level, that slavery was wrong, yet at the same time felt indignant when servants overstepped their boundaries. And she certainly made no effort to live her life without show more the aid of servants. It's a kind of dichotomy we now see as clearly absurd, but it made an odd sort of sense in Eliza's time period.

This story is told largely from the perspective of upper class England sympathizers, just as the Revolution was building. We see how the growing Rebellion complicates their lives and threatens their safety. Liza finds herself straddling the divide, and the author excels at showing us the emotional turmoil as the threat of war turns the characters' world upside down.

My one complaint comes with pacing, which is quite slow throughout most of the book. At times, I found myself wanting something more to happen, or for things to speed up. This is more to do with my own preference than any critique of the author's style. The content is indeed compelling, but I would have liked a little more movement.

I did not realize that this is the second book in 'The Midwife Series' until after I'd read this one. I had absolutely no issues in understanding the characters or their relationships. This works perfectly well as a stand-alone read.

*I was provided with an ebook copy by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.* show less

I was drawn to this book heavily due to a recent discovery of an ancestor who was a locally well-known midwife and doctor of the Revolution in back-country North Carolina. My expectations were met for the most part by this wonderfully written historical fiction work.

A vivid portrayal of the American Revolution from a unique POV, the author’s research shines through in its extent and wealth of details. The novel portrays the Revolution from the point of view of a local midwife and wannabe show more spy, giving us an insight into how the regular Joe dealt with this momentous historical event. The role of women in this timeframe, the hardships of civilians just trying to survive, and the roles that well placed spies played all shine through in this novel. This area of the novel will be a treat to any lover of historical fiction.

Believable and well-developed, Lizzie and her family/friends made me feel like I knew them. The author took the time to make the people that inhabit her world have personalities and quirks all their own. I enjoyed the main character Lizzie for the most part; she’s a strong and practical individual who takes life as it comes and tries her best in a harsh world.

However, there were times where she came off as almost stupid and bone-headed in her actions. The main debacle that comes to mind when getting this impression is her inept tries at spying. Her disguises are see-through, her choice of locale for information gathering seemed to come out of the blue, and she’s recognized more than she is not by her targets. She even gets drunk while spying! I mean, really?!? Let’s lose our senses while gathering information on the enemy and trying to disguise our incompetent efforts, sure!

Still, I enjoyed the other portions of the book that showed a seldom seen POV for the Revolution, that of a regular citizen just trying to survive it and make their own small contribution. The author took her time to get the details right, making this a treat for any lover of historical fiction. The characters were strong and vivid; yet, the main character did tend to slide into stupid territory with her spying. Overall, though, still a treat of a book.

Note: Book received for free from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

Having read The Midwife's Revolt not too long ago, I was delighted to find that this novel focused on Eliza Boylston and John Watkins, who I thought were the more interesting characters in the previous novel. Considering that Eliza, a relatively wealthy woman, embarks on relationship with John, a mixed race man enslaved by her uncle, I do wish the author had explored more of their internal thoughts and emotions. While the attraction and affection between the two is clear, I wanted more from show more a couple who would have been unlikely during this era. show less

I read the first book in the series last year. Thinking this might be in the same vein, midwifing and all it's tragedies and travails, I read this one. I was surprised that this book had nothing to do with Midwives! This was a story of the Revolutionary War, primarily in Massachusetts. It included personages such as John and Abigail Adams and other important dignitaries . The story was good, for the most part, so I was not really disappointed, even though no midwifery! I did find that a show more romance between a slave and an upper crust society female being accepted in large circles probably wasn't plausible at the time. show less