Hearts and Bones

Hannah Trevor is a midwife and herbalist in her late thirties in 1780s New England. When she finds young wife lying murdered, she doesn’t know whom to trust and whom to suspect—especially as the victim has left behind a note accusing, among others, Daniel Josslyn, the married man who was Hannah’s lover and fathered her illegitimate child. But the reader knows from the beginning that Nan Emory somehow orchestrated her own death—for her own dark reasons—with the willing assistance of her unknown lover.

There’s a dark tone to this post-Revolutionary War mystery. Hannah herself was deeply scarred by the loss of her three older children, and Daniel and his compatriots remain haunted by their experiences in the war. Still, show more characters are shown as capable of growing in understanding of surprising strength. Hannah’s whiny young cousin, for instance, may grow into a man after all, and Daniel’s wife, her health forever destroyed by a horrifyingly botched childbirth, shows enormous dignity and surprising strength of character when she confronts Hannah and asks for her help. I wouldn’t want to read a book this grim every week, but it was satisfying and affecting. show less

PLOT OR PREMISE:
Hannah Trevor is a midwife in 1786 colonial America. She has 3 dead children, a dead husband, and a live daughter whose unacknowledged / unclaimed father is a neighbour. Hannah is present when the authorities discover the raped and mutilated body of another village resident, who has left behind a letter accusing some of the village elite of the crime, including Hannah's former lover.
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WHAT I LIKED:
The plotting is well-done, if somewhat slow to get to the discovery of the body. So well-done in fact that this would be easily readable without the murder mystery (i.e. if it was just a historical novel about life in colonial America). And perhaps that is the highest compliment to be paid to this book -- that it works well on show more different levels: historical novel (the life of the midwife, the role of women), a mystery novel (who raped and killed the woman?), and, to some extent, a love story (the relationship between Hannah and Daniel, her child's father).
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WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
I figured out the murder mystery far too early, and I spotted other murders long before they actually happened. Fortunately, the great writing carried me to the end anyways.
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BOTTOM-LINE:
A great historical mystery
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DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow her on social media. show less

A beautifully written book that is partially undone by an overwrought ending.

This novel is not so much a mystery as a suspense novel. It grabs you when you first open the pages and pulls you in. Set in post revolutionary war Maine you quickly are forced into the world from a midwife’s point of view. Hanna is what you would think of as a feminist. She doesn’t conform to societies ideals for a woman. And really that is alright.

I have no read pure suspense book in sometime, and was really looking forward to this one. While it did fall somewhat short of my thought of what is a five star book it was still a good read. Some of the prose does go over board, and some of the scenes do drag. But over all it is a very enjoyable book. The characters are well thought out, and interesting. You do really want to know more show more about Hannah, and some of the other ladies of the book.

Most of the historical content is correct, except for one issue. Several references are made to the ladies being patchwork quilters. As a woman who knows her history (especially this era) and a woman who knows her sewing history as well it irked me. It is widely agreed upon that patchwork quilting as it’s called now was not done at this era. Quilting yes, but not the specifics of Patchwork. So that did bother me a little bit. But not enough to make me put down the book.

If you’re looking for a good historical that is just a short time after the revolution this is a good read. It doesn’t really have any romance on it. And you will follow a very interesting cast of women through the story. show less

Beautifully, evocatively written, but darker and starker than I prefer. It left me feeling depressed, and heavy, yet empty.

Very good. Set after the Revolutionary War. Woman, midwife, strong willed with a barricaded heart. People living with pain and madness from the war.
[read 2003-15 yr ago]

Read back in the late 1990's. It was bloody as I recall, but didn't leave a lasting impression.