The Midwife’s Revolt {Book Review}

Welcome to the next stop on the review tour for The Midwife’s Revolt by Jodi Daynard.

“A charming, unexpected, and decidedly different view of the Revolutionary War.”
—Publishers Weekly

Book Description: The Midwife’s Revolt takes the reader on a journey to the founding days of America. It follows one woman’s path, Lizzie Boylston, from her grieving days of widowhood after Bunker Hill, to her deepening friendship with Abigail Adams and midwifery, and finally to her dangerous work as a spy for the Cause. A novel rich in historical detail, The Midwife’s Revolt opens a window onto the real lives of colonial women.

Jodi Daynard’s historical fiction The Midwife’s Revolt has eared a 4.8 out of 5 stars on Amazon and praise from libraries, historical associations and is even featured at The Museum of the American Revolution.

“This humorous, exciting and touching story retells the familiar saga of the Revolutionary War in a stunning new way that feels fresh and alive.”
—Kirkus Reviews

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Review: I honestly really enjoyed this book! I love historical fictions, and this is the first book that I have read about life during the Revolutionary War. I appreciated that it was written with the war as a background, focusing on the lives of the women and the key roles they played while the men were gone to war. The characters, particularly the main character Lizzie, are certainly sympathetic characters. Lizzie is strong, intelligent, resourceful, and caring. I could identify with her emotions of loss with never having a child with her husband before he was killed.

The first half of the book details Lizzie’s role as a midwife, friend, and confidant to Abigail Adams, John Adams’ wife. It is an interesting recount of the types of struggles faced during this time frame. Then the second half gets really interesting and exciting as she takes on the additional role of spy for the “cause.” A true tale of the impact women did have in a time when they were considered second class.

The novel is written in first person narrative and the entire book stays true to the language of the period, which taught me a new dialect!

The Midwife’s Revolt has a bit of everything – adventure, excitement, intrigue, mystery, comedy, tragedy, forbidden love. I really enjoyed the story and would highly recommend this book!

About the Author: Jodi Daynard is a writer of fiction, essays, and criticism. Her work has appeared in numerous periodicals, including The New York Times Book Review, The Village Voice, The Paris Review, Agni, New England Review and in several anthologies. She is the author of The Place Within: Portraits of the American Landscape by 20 Contemporary Writers (W. W. Norton). Ms. Daynard’s essays have been nominated for several prizes and mentioned in Best American Essays. She has taught writing at Harvard University, M.I.T., and in the MFA program at Emerson College, and served for seven years as Fiction Editor at Boston Review. She is a member of the National Book Critics Circle, The National Women’s Book Association, and the Author’s Guild. The Midwife’s Revolt is her first novel.

Prizes! And now for the best part, the prizes! Because who doesn’t love awesome book themed gifts? Jodi is offering A Kindle Fire to one reader as well as a Artemis Cameo Necklace, an American Flag Folk Art and a $25 Amazon Gift Card. All you have to do is leave a comment and enter the rafflecopter! Of course, there are plenty of other ways to enter to win just by helping spread the word about The Midwife’s Revolt.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Tour: Follow along and read more reviews of The Midwife’s Revolt. You can see the full list of participating reviews HERE.