The Midwife's Confession

By: Diane Chamberlain

Narrated by: Angela Dawe, Cassandra Campbell, Abby Craden, Xe Sands, Cris Dukehart

Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's Summary

Dear Anna, What I have to tell you is difficult to write, but I know it will be far more difficult for you to hear, and I'm so sorry.

The unfinished letter is the only clue Tara and Emerson have to the reason behind their close friend Noelle's suicide. Everything they knew about Noelle - her calling as a midwife, her passion for causes, her love for her friends and family - described a woman who embraced life. Yet there was so much they didn't know.

With the discovery of the letter and its heartbreaking secret, Noelle's friends begin to uncover the truth about this complex woman who touched each of their lives - and the life of a desperate stranger - with love and betrayal, compassion and deceit.

©2011 Diane Chamberlain (P)2013 Tantor

Another great book by Diane Chamberlain!

I enjoyed it a lot, but not as much as the first one I read (The Secret Life of Cee Cee Wilkes) because the plot in this novel was a little over the top! After a while, I felt like I was just waiting for another twist.

I felt like there were many similarities to the first book too, so while I do intend to read more of her books, I feel like if I read another one right away they will start to feel a little formulaic.

Still, a great read – loved the suspense it really had me riveted.

Distracting narrators good story

The narration is distracting, especially Noelles character. Her cadence is unnerving. The young girls voices and Noelles voice are particularly

✫✫ 3.75 Stars ✫✫

I love this authors writing style. Most of her books go back and forth between the past and present which really pulls me into the story every time. This book had so many secrets and twists that I couldn't stop listening, I had to know what really happened. I also lover that it was written with all 3 women's point of views so you really didn't just get once side of the story or to only know how it effected only once character.

The narration was just ok for me. While this book has an amazing cast of narrators who are all great at their jobs, I didn't really feel like they were all a good fit. Some voices just belong to a certain type of character and these didn't all work for me.

Wish I could unread it.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No. I felt betrayed at the end of book. I gave the characters more credit than they deserved. The "good' guys were simple minded and naive. The "bad" guys were selfish and deceitful. Just about everyone was dumb.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrator for the Noelle chapters made me want to crawl out of my skin. I believe I know who it is, but I'm not going to say in case I'm wrong. But I'll avoid that name in the future.

Did The Midwife's Confession inspire you to do anything?

Although I loved The Good Father and Necessary Lies, I'm taking a break from Diane Chamberlain books for awhile.

Here you'll find friendships formed over years...

and the assumptions built into relationships that allow you to think you know the people in your life.This book tells a mysterious tale that is spun out gently while the reader is drawn into the lives of the characters. Their stories are complex and intertwined. They became real people, and I cared about what happened next.
There are many characters and plots throughout the book and it also moves around in time. Despite that, it reads easily and I did not get lost. This book rises above "Summer beach" reading (although I would totally listen to it there). I hope others enjoy the listen as much as I did.

Engrossing!

Though I have read a few of Chamberlain’s other books, this is the first audiobook of hers that I have listened to and I love it! It’s a completely absorbing story and one that makes me sneak in listening to it at every opportunity - not just in the car like I usually do. It’s an engrossing plot with characters that it is impossible not to sympathize with. It reels you in from the very first chapter. With a variety of narrators (five in all), the performers do a wonderful job of using their voices to bring these characters to life. The plot - full of secrets, twists and turns - contains some expected paths and some surprises, too.

This family drama reminds me a bit of a Lifetime movie in some ways as the sheer amount of drama continues to amplify throughout the entire book. And with Chamberlain’s penchant for cliffhangers, the book is hard to turn away from. The story ranges through time and each character feels distinct, but still so relatable - even through some terrible choices. In some ways, Chamberlain’s books remind me of Jodi Picoult’s - though without the set formula. Chamberlain is very talented and I look forward to reading - and listening - to more of her work!

This is GOOOOOD!

If you could sum up The Midwife's Confession in three words, what would they be?

Suspenseful in a great way and exciting! I tried guessing what would come next and was wrong EVERYTIME! lol and finally when things started to unravel I was not only at the edge of my seat with my mouth open and gasping loudly, I was at work listening to this great book and doing all that!

What did you like best about this story?

The twists you would couldnt even phantom..

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

Anna- My heart went out to her.

Who was the most memorable character of The Midwife's Confession and why?

Noelle. How could one human being live with so many secrets?? Good lord, her bags were heavy.

Any additional comments?

Love love loved the book

Missed her books!!!

We were thrilled to find Diane Chamberlain in Audible. I had searched many times and couldn't find her.

What a thriller! Loved It!

Interesting story. One narrator was terrible!

I have read one other of Chamberlain's novels, and it was up to my expectations. This story has twists and plausible but still hard to imagine plot elements. The characters were good and their perspectives were unique and interesting.

The narrator for the part of Noel was so grating to my ears. I hated her portions of the audio book, and really wanted to skip over them. Her voice and speech patterns were just hard to listen to. Other narrators were fine, and different from each other, so it was easy to hear the different characters distinctively.

Very intense, very intertaining

I enjoyed this story, but wanted (and needed) more from the ending, Characters were well developed and well-connected into the story.