 | |
| Author | Sally Hepworth [1] |
|---|---|
| Publisher | St. Martin's Press |
Publication date | February 10, 2015 |
| Pages | 320 |
| ISBN | 978-1-250-05189-9 |
| Website | The Secrets of Midwives |
The Secrets of Midwives is a fiction novel written by Sally Hepworth. Set in New England, the novel is about three generations of midwives and secrets within the family. [2] The novel was published by St. Martin's Press in 2015.
The Secrets of Midwives is the second novel released by Hepworth, and the first novel of hers published in the United States. She wrote the book while pregnant with her second child. [3] The book was released in 2015 and is a novel about three generations of midwives. [3] Her research for the book came from her own questioning of midwives during check-ups and reading fiction and nonfiction books on the subject. [3]
The story centers around the character Neva Bradley, a third-generation midwife. She is pregnant and wants to keep the identity of the baby's father, including the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy, hidden from her family. Her mother Grace prods Neva for the story, causing Neva to become more private about the details. Neva's grandmother Floss is a retired midwife with a similar secret about her pregnancy from 60 years earlier. The book follows all three through the pregnancy of Neva until the secrets are revealed. The story is set in Rhode Island in both Providence and Conanicut Island. [4] All three characters are midwives (Floss is retired) with each character narrating different chapters of the book. [4]
KJ Dell'Antonia from The New York Times called it a "fast and fun read," with other reviews of the book coming by way of Publishers Weekly , The Sydney Morning Herald, and Kirkus Reviews . [5] [6] [7] Numerous authors reviewed the book, including Christina Baker Kline who stated that it was a "compelling exploration of life, loss, and love." [8] Emily Giffin called it "a page-turning novel about the complex, lovely, and even heartbreaking relationships between mothers and daughters." [8]
Midwifery is the health science and health profession that deals with pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period, in addition to the sexual and reproductive health of women throughout their lives. In many countries, midwifery is a medical profession. A professional in midwifery is known as a midwife.
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Louise (Bourgeois) Boursier (1563–1636) was royal midwife at the court of King Henry IV of France and the first female author in that country to publish a medical text.[1] Largely self-taught, she delivered babies for and offered obstetrical and gynecological services to Parisian women of all social classes before coming to serve Queen Marie de Medicis in 1601.[2] Bourgeois successfully delivered Louis XIII, King of France (1601) and his five royal siblings: Elizabeth, Queen of Spain (1602); Christine Marie, Duchess of Savoy (1607); Nicolas Henri, Duke of Orléans (1607); Gaston, Duke of Orléans (1608); and Henrietta Maria, Queen of England, Queen of Scots, and Queen of Ireland (1609). In 1609, Bourgeois published the first of three successive volumes on obstetrics: Observations diverses sur la sterilité, perte de fruict, foecondite, accouchements et maladies des femmes et enfants nouveaux naiz / Amplement traictees et heureusement praticquees par L. Bourgeois dite Boursier. Subsequent volumes were published in 1617 and 1626, also in Paris.[3]
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A midwife is a health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialization known as midwifery.
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