The Secrets of Midwives by Sally Hepworth

The Secrets of Midwives by Sally Hepworth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 320

Publisher - Pan

Source - possibly a gift?

Blurb from Goodreads

A novel about three generations of midwives (a woman, her mother, and her grandmother) and the secrets they keep that push them apart and ultimately bind them together

THE SECRETS OF MIDWIVES tells the story of three generations of women devoted to delivering new life into the world—and the secrets they keep that threaten to change their own lives forever. Neva Bradley, a third-generation midwife, is determined to keep the details surrounding her own pregnancy—including the identity of the baby’s father— hidden from her family and co-workers for as long as possible. Her mother, Grace, finds it impossible to let this secret rest. For Floss, Neva’s grandmother and a retired midwife, Neva’s situation thrusts her back 60 years in time to a secret that eerily mirrors her granddaughter’s—a secret which, if revealed, will have life-changing consequences for them all. Will these women reveal their secrets and deal with the inevitable consequences? Or are some secrets best kept hidden?


My Review

Meet Neva, Grace (Neva's mum) and Floss (Grace's mum) three generations and all of them are midwives. They could not be more different, in personality, in their approach to their job, in their lives and how they interact with each other. Neva is private, contained, calls Grace Grace instead of mum, closer to her dad. Grace is very much loud, about and in among everything and Floss, Floss is 80 and goes with the flow. Family is everything, we all have secrets and some secrets threaten everything we have, know and love.

When Neva announces her pregnancy but states there is no father Grace will stop at nothing to know who is the dad and make sure Neva's baby has a father. Floss finds her granddaughter facing some of the issues she did and bringing back some memories she would much rather leave in the past.

In among all of that we have some glimpses of the actual job of midwives and at least one scene was really heart wrenching, I held my breath whilst reading it. The author creates a fabulous story with family dynamics, friendship, love, secrets, relationships, work ethics and actions and consequences. The women in the story are so different but have similarities and have a strong family unit despite being at arms length. I sank into the story pretty much from the first chapter and couldn't wait to see where it was going. 4/5 for me this time, this is my first time reading this author but it won't be my last!

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The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth

The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 352

Publisher - Hodder & Stoughton

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

A gripping domestic page-turner full of shocking reveals, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Amanda Prowse and Kerry Fisher.

The small suburb of Pleasant Court lives up to its name. It's the kind of place where everyone knows their neighbours, and children play in the street.

Isabelle Heatherington doesn't fit into this picture of family paradise. Husbandless and childless, she soon catches the attention of three Pleasant Court mothers.

But Ange, Fran and Essie have their own secrets to hide. Like the reason behind Ange's compulsion to control every aspect of her life. Or why Fran won't let her sweet, gentle husband near her new baby. Or why, three years ago, Essie took her daughter to the park - and returned home without her.

As their obsession with their new neighbour grows, the secrets of these three women begin to spread - and they'll soon find out that when you look at something too closely, you see things you never wanted to see.



My Review

Welcome to your nosey wee neighbourhood, when someone new moves in everyone wants to know who she is. A family and pricey neighbourhood so when Isabelle moves in, no sign of children or a husband, curiosity is piqued. Ange, Fran and Essie are friends and eager to know more about Isabelle, her secrets and why she is there. The ladies have their own secrets/issues, Essie has post partum depression and things weren't so great when she had this before. Ange is preoccupied with her husband's fidelity and Fran has a secret that could blow her marriage apart and change her world as she knows it.

The book splits each chapter into character specific focus, each chapter is titled with the characters name so we know where the focus is for each one. Sometimes this can be an irritating style but if done well it works great, this was the case with Hepworth. You know all isn't well but you aren't sure why, with who or what drawing the reader in pretty much from the first chapter. This is my first dance with Hepworth, she creates characters and an environment where you are swept up in their dramas and reaching for the next page before you are halfway down the current one. Families, friendship, love, relationships, infidelity, intrigue are just some of the labels I can attach to this book. Whilst this was my first read by this author, it won't be my last! If you enjoy a book that immerses you in it's characters this is one for you, if I hadn't had stuff to do I would have read this in one sitting.

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