Jolina Petersheim's The Midwife ~ Reviewed

THE MIDWIFE
Jolina Petersheim
Binding Softcover
Release Date May 1, 2014
Publisher Tyndale House Publishers
ISBN 1414379358
Pages 383


Description

Since the day Rhoda Mummau was baptized into the Old Order Mennonite Church and became the head midwife of Hopen Haus, she's been torn between the needs of the unwed mothers under her care and her desire to conceal the secrets of her past. Contact with the outside world could provide medical advantages, but remaining secluded in the community gives her the anonymity she craves.Graduate student Beth Winslow is on a path she never would have chosen. Heartbroken after surrendering a baby to adoption, she devotes herself to her studies until she becomes pregnant again, this time as a surrogate. But when early tests indicate possible abnormalities, Beth is unprepared for the parents' decision to end the pregnancy--and for the fierce love she feels for this unborn child. Desperate, she flees the city and seeks refuge at Hopen House.Past and present collide when a young woman named Amelia arrives to the sweeping countryside bearing secrets of her own. As Amelia's due date draws near, Rhoda must face her past and those she thought she had left behind in order for the healing power of love and forgiveness to set them all free.

Review: 

The Midwife is the story of Rhoda Mummau.  She was baptized into the Mennonite Church and became the head midwife of Hopen House, dedicated to helping young women who are pregnant and don’t know where to go.  She finds herself torn between keeping Hopen House as it is and using it to hide from her past, and getting help from the “outside world” to make improvements to help the young women that come. We also learn about Beth Winslow, a graduate student who is still grieving after giving up a baby for adoption.  In her grief, she agrees to help her professor by becoming a surrogate for him and his wife.  In the process, she finds herself falling in love with this baby, while the parent’s decide to terminate the pregnancy due to the change of the baby being abnormal.  Beth panics and runs away to Hopen Haus, hoping to find the refuge she’s looking for.  As we read, we find Rhoda and Beth’s lives coming together in a series of unusual circumstances. 

                

This was a WONDERFUL book!  I loved how it kept taking twists and turns, and you didn’t always know what was going to happen.  I had a really hard time putting it down!  I highly recommend this book.  It was WONDERFUL!

Reviewed by: Sarah Meyers