The Midwife's Revolt

Publisher's Summary

On a dark night in 1775, Lizzie Boylston is awakened by the sound of cannons. From a hill south of Boston, she watches as fires burn in Charlestown, in a battle that she soon discovers has claimed her husband's life.

Alone in a new town, Lizzie grieves privately but takes comfort in her deepening friendship with Abigail Adams. Soon, word spreads of Lizzie's extraordinary midwifery and healing skills, and she begins to channel her grief into caring for those who need her. But when two traveling patriots are poisoned, Lizzie finds herself with far more complicated matters on her hands - she suspects a political plot intended to harm Abigail and her family. Determined to uncover the truth, Lizzie becomes entangled in a conspiracy that could not only destroy her livelihood - and her chance at finding love again - but also lead to the downfall of a new nation.

©2015 Jodi Daynard (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Bravo

I DO NOT LISTEN TO HISTORICAL NOVELS. Well now that we got that out the way. I listen to my books while I clean horse stalls, and do my chores at the barn, and also while I am driving. On rare occasions I come across a book that is sooo well written and narrated that I will stop what I am doing and just listen to the beauty of the construction of words to build a story, and the final touch of excellent narration. Of my audible library of just under 700 books this story moves into the top 10. This story is told in the narrative view of a widowed midwife in the late 1700, it includes the Adams, Quincy's, and of course GW. BTW Julia Whelan is fabulous...Get it NOW

105 of 108 people found this review helpful

Great book, great narration

Would you listen to The Midwife's Revolt again? Why?

Yes, because the writing is poetic and the narrator is excellent. I have listened to it again!

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the suspense of it and the reality of how hard things were for them as well as the friendships that were formed based on trust

Which scene was your favorite?

The friendship between Abigail and Lizzie were the most entertaining for me (their dialogue)

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I could, it is not boring at all.

Any additional comments?

This is just a really great historical fiction that plays on a woman's heart and shows the early sacrifices made by so many for freedom as well as the differences in how people were treated (especially women). I loved how the author used "my maker" in it for God and how she was able to give God a special place of honor in this book.

39 of 40 people found this review helpful

Seemed true to the thoughts of the revolutionary war

The story held my attention well, although a little slow at times, it reflects what I would imagine the pace of life at those times. The inner strength of the main characters and the close human bonds that they developed were inspiring and an indication of how the harsh living conditions were tolerated.

45 of 47 people found this review helpful

Average entertainment

This was an interesting and engaging story. As much as I I enjoyed the story though, I thought the plot was rather silly. The historical components are interesting. However, I never really connected with any of the characters. I believe this is due to a lack of character development as opposed to the historical setting of the book, I therefore found it difficult to relate to, or care about, anything happening in the story. That being said, it was still an entertaining listen, mainly thanks to the narration.

35 of 37 people found this review helpful

I AM TEMPTED TO BEGIN IT AGAIN....RIGHT NOW!

I will admit that the very beginning of this did not engage me. But the synopsis had interested me so I stayed with it and it was not long at all before I became in love with the. Narrator's voice her delivery.. the story, the author's style, the characters, the vocabulary, the descriptive way the author painted pictures for me. I imagine I would have enjoyed it in written form as well but if I'm going to reread this it will be the audio version once more . Bravo !

44 of 47 people found this review helpful

The women of the American revolution

As with most historical novels The Midwife's Revolt is fiction wrote around factual situations. The novel covers the years 1775 - 1779 (the afterward briefly includes a discussion ending in 1801). The setting is the Boston area mainly in Braintree and Cambridge and for a brief period in Charlestown. Abigail Adams plays a major part in the story, but the protagonist Lizzy Boylston, the midwife, is entirely fictional. Unlike most books on the American revolution this novel is from the perspective of the brave and strong women. It is an excellent listen although it is different from my normal fare. Julia Whelan does a wonderful job of narration.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Awesome book with interesting information

I loved hearing about the medicinal herbs that were used for childbirth. entertaining and enjoyable.

29 of 32 people found this review helpful

Great historical story for a preteen or YA

When I was in 6th grade I would have devoured this book. It has all the things I loved at that age, history, strong heroine, rated PG, historical characters, medical information. For an adult reader it was a way to pass the time but definitely not up to par. The reader was excellent and kept me listening but it should be YA or maybe it is YA and I just didn't see the category? That said, would definitely recommend to a young reader/listener

36 of 40 people found this review helpful

Unlikely spies during the Revolutionary War

A little known story of the women behind the combatants in America's birth. Loved the setting for this novel, transported me back to the beginnings of our country. Lizzie the narrator told the story in the language of the time. Worth a listen!

34 of 38 people found this review helpful

Exceptional weave with outstanding performance

Ms. Daynard has woven such compelling realness into an historical byte that makes the time zone of the setting of this story burst onto the stage of the mind with such vigor, it may be impossible to realize that these characters are not actual people I knew personally. And, Ms. Whelan has done the writing an extraordinary service with impeccable delivery. I really did not want this book to have a back cover!!!

17 of 19 people found this review helpful

Enjoyable

I enjoyed this book - the descriptions of the time are great and the performance is fab. You do really get to know the characters and the author's note at the end separating fact from fiction was great. A couple of times I felt there were some literary techniques used for the sake of them, and a few times the author seemed to give the game away by revealing something incidentally and then going back to explain it, which I found could then make things feel a bit predictable even when they weren't. But overall it was good and I'd recommend it :)

1 of 1 people found this review helpful