The Midwife's Tale (At Home in Trinity)

I felt there were some similarities to the PBS show Lark Rising and Jane Kirkpatrick's books. If you know either, you know you'll be in love with Martha and this town setting quickly. Full of wisdom and insight in the life of a woman. Self examining, lessons learned, wisdom to pass along that will help others to become stronger. Lessons of Christian faith as well. 1830 Western Pennsylvania. Christian Historical. The author says, "I hope The Midwife’s Tale will place midwifery and herbal treatments in historical perspective." A deeply satisfying story that will endear you to the characters, rooting for them along the way and feeling every bump in their road.

Martha is a midwife, trained by her Grandmother whose Mother had been a show more midwife and hers before her through the generations. She took the responsibility of delivering babies and taking care of children very seriously, continuing a diary that served as a record of births for the area. But a couple of things threw her a curve ball. Her daughter ran away while she was out on a call, and a new doctor came to town while she was away looking for her. She tried to find her daughter without success and returned home to find the new doctor trying to deliver a baby. This is a time when doctors had a way of treating pregnancy as an illness, with policies of bloodletting and purging, contrary to what midwives did using natural ways.

She learns that even though life changes, you can still do your best to be kind and help others, persevering even when others are unkind. A bird in a cage and a young orphan boy come into her life, and she finds new meaning and worth in taking care of them as well as the other people in the small town of Trinity, which for all it's faults will make you love it and want to come back.

"In the end, we must trust God to know what is best before we do, and to know that one day He will shower us with joy equal to the pain we have endured.”

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
#TheMidwifesTale #NetGalley #DeliaParr #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout show less

Martha Cade, or the Widow Cade as she is known in her village is a delightful, spunky woman. She is very talented as a midwife, and is able to support herself and her daughter with what she able to earn, with the help of her brother and his wife at their tavern and hostel.
When the she returns after a long time away and a fifty mile journey that was extended when she had news of her daughter having taken off and no one knows where she is. She is now filled with worry, and not knowing where to look or who to ask. She just prays that God will lead her home.
While she was away a new doctor has taken up residence, with the passing of the towns older doctor. This man has recently graduated from medical school and has lots of new ideas, and show more among them is the notion that does not include midwifery.
The book kept me page turning and thoroughly enjoying the story; I found it very entertaining, filled with a lot of surprises. I loved the introduction of “Boy”, and “bird”, and how they both impact the lives of those around them.
I was left with some unanswered questions at the end of the book and I filled them in the way I would like the story to end, but your will be amazed at what happens here. Enjoy!

I received this book through Net Galley and Bethany House Publishers, and was not required to give a positive review. show less

Hmm, I am sorely conflicted as to what to rate this book.

I found it rather hard to read, and I did not find Parr's writing style very enjoyable, to say the least. Very heavy on the description, I often felt like I was slogging through, and skimmed a lot. Also, there were a few things that struck me as historically inaccurate and the overall feel of the book felt pretty modern. I had to keep reminding myself that it was the 1830s.

Story wise, I found this book pretty enjoyable, although I don't think it will be a re-read for me. The battle between midwife and doctor I found very interesting, and historically accurate. (Ya'll are suddenly finding out I am a snob for historical accuracy.) I also found the medical details fascinating.

The show more romance was very sweet and almost non-existent, although for once, I almost wished it was a little more prominent. I loved the character of Thomas. His sarcasm at times had me grinning. Martha was a very sweet MC, and I loved her loyalty, compassion, and trueheartedness.

Overall, I was not really a fan of this book. I gave it 3 stars as there were some things I enjoyed, but otherwise, I would have given it 2 stars. Some people may enjoy it, but not really my thing. show less

THE MIDWIFE’S TALE: At Home in Trinity #1 by Delia Parr
If you love family stories with interesting characters and a moral, you will love THE MIDWIFE’S TALE. Martha, the midwife of the title, is searching for her runaway daughter and dealing with the new doctor in town who doesn’t think much of midwives. A charismatic “minister” has brought seven orphaned New York City boys to town to reform them. An old friend of Martha’s is no longer a friend. An old love interest is now widowed and interested - perhaps. And there are the babes to be born, friends to tend to and the town of Trinity -- itself a character in the tale.
The plots move along quickly, the characters are believable, the idiosyncrasies of the era are used show more effectively and the somewhat archaic words are clear from context. My one quibble with the author is the use of action words that occasionally do not fit the actual action, for instance on page 226, Martha “ventures” down a hall in a house she knows quite well. There were others that caused me to stop and reread passages and lose the momentum of the story: a minor thing but one that caused me to notice the writing rather than the story.
A good story that will please readers who desire a Christian story with no overt sex, no violence and clean language.
4 of 5 stars show less

This book is set in 1830. Martha Cade is a midwife who is experiencing a life crisis. While she was attending a birth miles away from home, her daughter Victoria ran away with a travelling band of actors.

She comes home discouraged and finds a new Doctor in town who is trained on new methods of medicine. He thinks that the town does not need a midwife, leaving Martha to prove her worth and methods in healing and birthing.

I enjoyed Martha's story. She fights a mental, spiritual, and emotional battle as she struggles to find her place again in her small community. Change is hard for her to live with. She is a very strong character with a strong sense of self and courage.

There is a some mystery in the book. Someone has been burglarizing the show more town and the blame has been placed on a boys academy of orphans. Martha is determined to find the culprits and clear the name of the innocent.

This book has some twists and turns and made for a great read. Delia Parr does a wonderful job at laying down the setting and characters. I liked the community and the many different personalities. Many of the people are struggling with their own issues. Martha as a healer knows of their problems and tries to help them when she is able.

The romance in the book is very light, almost not present. The book says that it is the first in a series of Trinity. I hope that as new books are written that I will find out what happens with Martha and her love interest. There are other characters that I would love to get to know better. show less

Christian Romance

Martha Cade is a midwife in 1830 Pennsylvania. She is excellent at her job. However her world is about to spin out of control and the events will test her faith in herself, community, and her deep faith in God. After a delivery she receives word that her 17 year old daughter Victoria has run away with a theater troupe. Martha immediately goes in search of her daughter leaving her home and obligations behind. Martha will return home without her daughter to face the town she left 3 months earlier. She will find things have changed during her fruitless journey. Martha feels shame and deep anger over Victoria running off, guilt that she was not at home when Victoria left, anger that she had to always choose between her show more calling and her family, and fear that she will lose her profession. Her dream of Victoria taking over for her has been broken into pieces. The old doctor died and a new doctor arrived while she was gone. She fears the community will not welcome her back after the shame of Victoria running off and the new doctor will take her business. Mrs. Parr portrayed the methods of medicine in child-birth in all its ineffective results from the medical establishment. Bleeding was a standard practice at that time and barbaric.

Martha’s faith is sorely tested. As with most of us, Martha is wallowing in self pity when things get tough. She waxes and wanes in her belief that God is in control, but always returns to God. As we all do in real life, she can be selfish, angry, and self-pitting. Christians are not perfect by any means. Ms. Parr does a wonderful job of portraying Christians as we are in all our faults and failures. But yet Martha continues believing in the good of God and his love through all her trials.

Ms. Parr has created many facets to this story. As well as Martha’s grief over her daughter, fear of losing her job, and fear of the communities reaction; we have a Boy Academy of street boys from New York open in the community, and their involvement with the citizens starts with a bang. Martha finds herself drawn to Willie, one the waifs, even through he has a knack for getting into mischief. This added a wonderful dimension to the story. There is a mystery involved in this story of thefts. When the guilty party is revealed, I was surprised. Ms. Parr did a good job of peaking your interest and keeping it high until the party was revealed. This added another dimension to the story. We find Martha has a romantic interest in Mr. Thomas Dillon that she has long refused to admit to herself.

Underlying this story is the theme of God love, forgiveness, and grace. Ms. Parr plants these lessons without being preachy or pushy. This is a wonderful read and highly enjoyable.

I highly recommend this book.

I received this book from the publisher and from Netgalley in return for an honest review. show less

Widow Martha Cade is an accomplished woman. In the tradition of her family, she serves her community of Trinity as a midwife. The Midwife's Tale, by Delia Parr, opens in 1830 as Martha is delivering a baby. Afterwards, at the celebration she learns that her daughter, Victoria, has run away with a theater troupe which, in the year 1830, is scandalous. After a three month search for Victoria ends in failure, broken hearted Martha returns to Trinity with the hope that her daughter will return. Unfortunately, Martha faces even more challenges upon return home. A new doctor has set up a practice and may be a threat to Martha professionally. Old romantic feelings for a man from her past resurface. A minister and a group of orphans move to show more Trinity and at the same time crime increases. Are they the perpetrators or just scape goats? With every turn, Martha's faith is tested. Is she expected to cope on her own?
The author has crafted an engaging tale which takes place in a rich setting. The novel is filled with well-depicted characters, interesting back stories, mystery and heartfelt emotions. I look forward to reading more books in this series.

I received this book for free from Bethany House and I give this review of my own free will. show less