The Midwife's Dilemma

Starred review from March 15, 2016
Not only is midwife Martha Cade feeling her age; she is also mourning the death of her beloved horse, Grace, who faithfully took her to her patients in all kinds of weather, day or night. Now that Martha has to go on foot to help with births, she is often worn out even before she begins her duties. Her runaway daughter, Victoria, who has finally come home, has strongly indicated that she has no interest in carrying on the family tradition of midwifery. Worse yet, Victoria wants to wed Martha's rival, Dr. McMillan. And until Martha finds a replacement midwife for the folks in Trinity, Pennsylvania, she can't marry Mayor Thomas Dillon, the man she loves. Parr's splendidly wrought details of life in the 1830s, as well as her vivid descriptions of the life of a midwife, stir the reader's imagination and compassion. With this stellar novel, Parr neatly concludes her excellent At Home in Trinity trilogy (The Midwife's Tale, 2015; The Midwife's Choice, 2015). Libraries will want all three titles.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)