THE SECRETS OF MIDWIVES (Sally Hepworth)

This is an earlier novel by the author of The Things We Keep and The Mother's Promise.  I will admit that a couple of my friends and I seem to have formed a Sally Hepworth cult.  We can't get enough of her excellent novels!

This one was published in 2015 and alternates between 3 generations of midwives - a grandmother, mother, and granddaughter, all of whom are harboring personal secrets.  Floss, 83, is retired and in a relationship with another woman.  She fled from England years ago with her newborn daughter, Grace, then finished her midwifery training and settled into life as a single mother in Rhode Island, presenting only vague details of her late husband to her family.  Grace, Floss's daughter, is going through a difficult time, personally and professionally.  He husband, Robert, an accountant, is on the verge of being downsized and spends most of his time worrying about finances, while Grace's dedication to home births and hatred of doctors may create problems with her career.  Neva, Grace's single daughter, works in a hospital birthing center as a certified nurse-midwife and has been hiding important news from everyone: she is 30 weeks pregnant.  When her condition is discovered she refuses to name the father.

While there is a bit of melodrama here, it is a wonderful book.  The details about midwifery are fascinating, the characters are actually believable and appealing, and the ending will leave you with warm feeling about human nature and acceptance.  I would not rate it quite as highly as The Things We Keep, but I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who enjoys women's fiction.  I loved it!