THE MIDWIFE: REVIEW

As well as the parallel stories, Cresswell, a retired doctor, gives a fascinating glimpse of the social and medical issues of the times, including the abolition of slavery, racial tensions, prudery and the plight of women who were denied education, giving the novel more weight than it might otherwise have had. (Review by Margaret von Klemperer, courtesy of The Witness)

The construction of Tricia Cornwell’s debut novel The Midwife is clever and gives the story, set in the middle of the 19th Century, considerable impetus. It is told in alternating chapters, each dealing with one of the two protagonists.

The first is a woman, discovered naked on the Northumberland moors, with no knowledge of how she got there, nor of who she is, or was. All she seems to have in her mind is some medical knowledge, particularly midwifery skills. She understands French, but doesn’t appear to be a Frenchwoman.

Parallel to her story, set a couple of years later, is that of Dr Borthwick, a reclusive London accoucheur, a new medical speciality of a male doctor who deals with pregnant women. He works both in smart society and in the burgeoning slums of the early Victorian era. But there are secrets in his past that could ruin him – and there are those who, from motives of professional jealousy, would love to see that happen.

The woman creates a persona for herself as Mrs Sharp, a midwife, and, under the protection of the local doctor, becomes a respected and liked member of the small town where she has ended up. But her past is still a mystery to her and she longs to recover her memory, not just the occasional flashbacks that she gets. And she too will find the life she has created coming under threat, to the extent that eventually she will have to abandon it.

As well as the parallel stories, Cresswell, a retired doctor, gives a fascinating glimpse of the social and medical issues of the times, including the abolition of slavery, racial tensions, prudery and the plight of women who were denied education, giving the novel more weight than it might otherwise have had.

However, as the author slowly brings the two strands together, the tale loses some impetus. I certainly don’t want to give spoilers, and the denouement is genuinely surprising, but the ending feels rushed and contrived. Some things are not explained, and while all loose ends don’t need to be tied up in fiction, I was left feeling slightly short-changed after what had been a lively and interesting read. - Margaret von Klemperer

Tricia Cresswell’s The Midwife is published by Mantle ISBN 9781529066869