The Midwife's Daughter

'Anyone in Silkhampton of the poorer class, aged twenty-eight or under, stood a fair chance of having been seen into the world by Violet Dimond. She was Mrs Dimond, urgently sent for in the middle of the night, ready to practice the arcane behind closed doors, in possession of the grisliest secrets of the hidden adult world. . .'

It's the turn of the twentieth century and Violet Dimond, the Holy Terror, is the village's best handywoman. She's the last of a dying breed, as for some the good old ways are no longer good enough: medicine is moving forward, with all the modern formalities and administration that will change her profession forever.

But Violet does not know that change is coming - or that her decision to adopt a young black orphan, Gracie, will have far reaching and unforeseen consequences for herself and her twin sister, Bea. In what sort of world will Grace grow up, with war and change galloping towards them all? And what was it like to be black and a young girl in a Cornish village then?

A moving tale of prejudice, struggle, love, tragedy, bravery and the changing lives of women in the twentieth century, The Midwife's Daughter grips the reader all the way to its quietly heartbreaking conclusion.

The Midwife's Daughter is warm and wise, heart- breakingly sad and yet somehow uplifting too.I've been a big fan of Patricia Ferguson for many years - and I think this is her finest novel yet.

Jacqueline Wilson

About Patricia Ferguson

Details
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • ISBN: 9780241962763
  • Length: 400 pages
  • Price: £2.99
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