The Book of the Unnamed Midwife

The Road to Nowhere, Book 1

By: Meg Elison

Narrated by: Angela Dawe

Philip K. Dick Award Winner for Distinguished Science Fiction

When she fell asleep, the world was doomed. When she awoke, it was dead.

In the wake of a fever that decimated the earth's population - killing women and children and making childbirth deadly for the mother and infant - the midwife must pick her way through the bones of the world she once knew to find her place in this dangerous new one. Gone are the pillars of civilization. All that remains is power - and the strong who possess it.

A few women like her survived, though they are scarce. Even fewer are safe from the clans of men, who, driven by fear, seek to control those remaining. To preserve her freedom, she dons men's clothing, goes by false names, and avoids as many people as possible. But as the world continues to grapple with its terrible circumstances, she'll discover a role greater than chasing a pale imitation of independence.

After all, if humanity is to be reborn, someone must be its guide.

©2016 Meg Elison. (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

good apocalypse book

There were a few spots where the book made you think, but this isn't a deep contemplation story. It is a good, easy listen.
My favorite thing about this book is there are no loose ends. When the main character runs into a new person, you will eventually be told what happened in a condensed 3 sentence explanation. How rare is that? That isn't something I would want in most books, but I really enjoyed hearing the stories of everyone to the end of their lives.

As good as "Handmaid's Tale"

Haven't read a post-apocalyptic novel this good since "A Handmaid's Tale." The story does not dwell on all the minute details of how exactly one would manage to find enough food, fuel, etc to continue living once 99% of the human race died, but rather focuses on one woman's quest to remain true to her own ideals, to her sense of self, and remain free.

The protagonist travels a great swath of the American West without seeming to have a destination in mind, other than to find a place where she will not be forced to submit to abusive authority--masculine or feminine. She uses her unique talents as a midwife to heal and protect other women she encounters on her journey. She meets other people who have wildly different priorities and belief systems than hers; their points of view providing alternative visions of how the post-apocalyptic world might evolve socially and culturally.

Large chunks of the novel are told from the midwife's point-of-view, as excerpts from her journal.
But at times the author moves into god mode, telling the reader what is happening in the wider world. In one particularly affecting passage, the fates of Americans who were abroad when the plague hit is hinted at. From Peace Corps kids in Africa to military units posted in Afghanistan to tourists in the Caribbean, the vision of people who survived only to realize they would never be able to get home again is described in spare, haunting prose.

Not an easy read, but satisfying as only the best, most honest fiction can be, when it challenges the reader to think about what makes us human, what matters most in life, and what it means to never give up hope.

Terrific!

4.5/5 stars!

Just like in the novel REBECCA, we never learn the main character's name in this book. Hence the title!

I discovered Meg Elison through a few short stories she's written for horror anthologies and magazines and I decided that I wanted to try one of her novels. This one was recently on sale and to add the audio to the Kindle version didn't break the bank, and here we are.

THE BOOK of the UNNAMED MIDWIFE was a bleak post-apocalyptic tale wherein a disease wipes out nearly every woman on the planet. The scarcity of women soon becomes a problem for those that did survive the disease. Will they also be able to survive the wandering groups of men, many of whom haven't seen a woman in over a year? You'll have to read this to find out.

I loved the main character in this novel. Yeah, she swore a lot, was bisexual and independent. (These are a few aspects other reviews have pointed out as being negative; I actually enjoyed them.) I liked how her previous work as a nurse and midwife helped her to try to save other women she came across in her travels. I also respected her intelligence-dressing as a man to disguise her gender and doing whatever else needed to be done.

I enjoyed the way the story was presented with one exception. This tale was introduced as being the main character's diary, and a woman is having some young boys transcribe it decades later. As such, this is mostly a first person narrative; except that in a few spots the tale slipped into a third person narrative and that did not quite make sense to me, as there was no way our heroine could know these things. (Though I was happy to learn the facts related during those portions, to be sure.) That is the only gripe I had with the book.

Post apocalyptic fiction doesn't capture my attention as much as it once did, but this book rose above the normal PA tale. I was engrossed and invested and I wanted our unnamed hero to win, though "winning" was hard to classify-other than just surviving.

I should also mention that the narrator was most excellent and managed to believably deliver a number of different characters and accents. Kudos to Angela Dawe!

To wrap up here, I highly recommend this book and/or the audiobook if that's your thing, most especially to fans of post apocalyptic fiction and strong female characters!

*I bought this book & the audiobook with my hard earned money and this is my honest opinion.*

Shallow characters

I love apocalyptic fiction and the premise of this book is interesting but I found the characters one dimensional and stereotypical. Also, I've been Mormon all of my life and very little about the depiction of LDS religion and culture was accurate. I know the author was extrapolating to build the story but I'd love to find one piece of fiction depicting Mormons that is accurate and/or at least semi-favorable.

Great, Great Story

This truly deserves 5 stars. Engaging story, masterful writing and superb narration. Read this during the COVID peak, which made the plot even more interesting.

Apocolyptic

Apocalyptic in nature with odd turns and mild eroticism.
Quick and easy read. Good ending.

66 books listened to this year and I loved this one

I go on Audible binges and this week has been one. I’ve listened to several books in the last 5 days and I really enjoyed this one. The main character was relatable, and even though the apocalypse genre is sometimes overdone, this managed to be a more original and female oriented story. The narrator did an excellent job as I got pretty lost in the story. Stayed up way too late listening. I’ll probably listen to this again sometime.

Good Book

The book started out strong and was hard to put down. However, half way through and it just started to get a little irritating ie main character constantly gives the dumbest similes. Constantly!!! And it started to annoy me almost more than I liked the book. Hope that makes since. Besides that, definitely a good, fast paced almost end of the world book.

unexpected!

This novel is incredible. You go into it thinking it will be one thing, but the evolution of the tale (as well as humankind) takes the reader on an incredible journey. Elison manages to voice many characters intricately, accurately, and with forward motion of the plot. Coupled with a knowledgeable and outstanding narration, this one is a keeper!

Very good story!

Very good story! I feel like the author nailed human character and the journaling from the perspective of a person who has been alone for so long was incredible. I believe it nailed the exact thought process and sentence structure of someone who has not seen or spoken to another human being in months. It was a very good read.