Author: Sam Thomas
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publish Date: January 8, 2013
Source: HF Virtual Book Tours
Why You're Reading This Book:
- You're a historical fiction fan
- You're a mystery fan
- You like strong female leads
From Goodreads.com: "It is 1644, and Parliament’s armies have risen against the King and laid siege to the city of York. Even as the city suffers at the rebels’ hands, midwife Bridget Hodgson becomes embroiled in a different sort of rebellion. One of Bridget’s friends, Esther Cooper, has been convicted of murdering her husband and sentenced to be burnt alive. Convinced that her friend is innocent, Bridget sets out to find the real killer.
Bridget joins forces with Martha Hawkins, a servant who’s far more skilled with a knife than any respectable woman ought to be. To save Esther from the stake, they must dodge rebel artillery, confront a murderous figure from Martha’s past, and capture a brutal killer who will stop at nothing to cover his tracks. The investigation takes Bridget and Martha from the homes of the city’s most powerful families to the alleyways of its poorest neighborhoods. As they delve into the life of Esther’s murdered husband, they discover that his ostentatious Puritanism hid a deeply sinister secret life, and that far too often tyranny and treason go hand in hand."
My Two Cents:
"The Midwife's Tale" is a historical fiction/ mystery tale about Bridget, a midwife, who gets involved in solving a mystery while the English Civil War rages on. I usually don't read a lot of mystery books but between the intriguing premise and the great writing, this is one book that I dove right into.
First off, I've read very few books about the English Civil War so this was new territory to me. I really think that Thomas did a great job of capturing the shear chaos of living in a place like the city of York as well as the way day to day life was like in the city. Even with a war going on, people like Bridget still had to find a way to go about their day to day jobs.
I loved Bridget's character. She's definitely strong. Whereas a lot of women during that time period would be sort of lost without having a husband who was alive, Bridget thrives as a midwife. I found the descriptions of all of the different people that she treated to be really fascinating. She moves between all walks of life as she goes about her work.
I also liked the mystery in the book. Bridget's friend, Esther, is trying to convince Bridget that Esther is innocent and didn't kill her husband but the evidence is stacked against her. Bridget is compelled to get to the bottom of it. There were so many different twists and turns, which really helped me to keep reading just so I could follow some more clues. The mystery was great even for those, who like myself, don't usually care for mysteries.
Bottom line: This book will appeal to both historical fiction and mystery lovers alike.
Don't Forget to Follow the Rest of the Tour:
Monday, January 7
Review & Giveaway at A Chick Who Reads
Review & Giveaway at Flashlight Commentary
Tuesday, January 8
Review at The Novel Life
Review & Giveaway at Peeking Between the Pages
Wednesday, January 9
Review & Giveaway at Ageless Pages Reviews
Review & Author Interview at A Bookish Libraria
Thursday, January 10
Review at Raging Bibliomania
Friday, January 11
Review at The Musings of a Book Junkie
Monday, January 14
Review at A Bookish Affair
Tuesday, January 15
Review at Book Journey
Review & Giveaway at Unabridged Chick
Wednesday, January 16
Review & Giveaway at Book of Secrets
Thursday, January 17
Review & Giveaway at The Book Buff
Friday, January 18
Review at Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews
Monday, January 21
Review & Giveaway at Broken Teepee
Tuesday, January 22
Review at The Bookworm
Wednesday, January 23
Review & Giveaway at Words and Peace
Thursday, January 24
Review at Book Dilettante
Review at Confessions of an Avid Reader
Friday, January 25
Review at Jenny Loves to Read
Review at Impressions in Ink
Monday, January 28
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time
Review & Giveaway at Stiletto Storytime
Tuesday, January 29
Feature & Giveaway at Passages to the Past
Wednesday, January 30
Review & Giveaway at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
Thursday, January 31
Review at The Musings of ALMYBNENR
Friday, February 1
Review at Reading the Past
I've never read anything set during the English Civil War, so it sounds interesting to me!
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely a fascinating time period!
DeleteGlad to see you enjoyed this one. I liked reading it earlier this year. I was hoping that this would turn into a series as I really liked Bridget's character. We shall have to wait and see.
ReplyDeleteKimberlee
www.girllostinabook.com
Excellent point! This would make for a really cool series!
Delete