{"id":4843,"date":"2025-11-17T11:13:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T11:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=4843"},"modified":"2025-11-17T11:13:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T11:13:00","slug":"book-review-long-lost-midwife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=4843","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: Long Lost Midwife"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-4b2eccd6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-text-color has-large-font-size\"><strong><em>Long Lost Midwife<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-regular-font-size\">by Skye Smith<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Genre:<\/strong> Mystery, Thriller &amp; Suspense \/ Historical<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>ISBN: <\/strong>9781966799214<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Print Length:<\/strong> 394 pages<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"align-button-center ub-buttons orientation-button-row ub-flex-wrap wp-block-ub-button\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3WTg0a1\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main   ub-button-flex\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-icon-holder\">\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/span><span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Amazon<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/5423\/9781966799214\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main   ub-button-flex\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-icon-holder\">\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/span><span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Bookshop<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>Reviewed by Addison Ciuchta<\/em><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"ub_advanced_heading wp-block-ub-advanced-heading\"><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong>A slow-burn historical thriller about family secrets lurking in the past<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Pamela is newly married and terrified of having a child at the beginning of <em>Long Lost Midwife<\/em>. It\u2019s a state of mind she can\u2019t explain and something her husband Frank cannot understand.<\/p>\n<p>After some strife and bargaining between them, Pamela gets pregnant with the couple\u2019s first child, stirring up memories of Minnie, a black woman who looked after her as a child and who disappeared from her life with no explanation. After her family forbids her tracking down Miss Minnie, Pamela goes behind their back to track her down, unleashing family drama and dire consequences for the both of them.<\/p>\n<p>Due to the novel\u2019s setting in 1932, it explores some interesting familial and racial dynamics, particularly because Pamela doesn\u2019t necessarily act as a \u201cnormal\u201d housewife of the time period should. She is reluctant to sleep with her husband, rebels against the instruction of her husband, her father, and authority figures like her doctor or pastor in order to find Miss Minnie. She drives without a license, goes into neighborhoods where she is warned not to go, and sticks to her gut feelings even in the face of conflict. She is also prone to mood swings, acts irrationally, and doesn\u2019t present in the most proper way. She is a lovable and sympathetic character even when her actions are difficult to stand behind. She feels like a real person in a historical period when many women weren\u2019t seen or allowed to be seen as such.<\/p>\n<p><span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>It is difficult to understand Pamela\u2019s dedication to finding Miss Minnie at the beginning of this story. Why is this search worth infuriating her husband and her family over? we ask. Pamela seems baffled by her own reaction to becoming pregnant, so it\u2019s understandable that the reader would feel the same way, but being kept in the quiet withholds a real emotional connection to Minnie.<\/p>\n<p>It takes some time for the thriller elements to come into fruition. The crime that sets off the mystery element doesn\u2019t occur until about halfway through the book. The rest is given to fleshing out Pamela and Frank\u2019s relationship history, family dynamics, and introducing the Miss Minnie storyline.<\/p>\n<p>The tension might be roasting slowly in the first half, but once it hits, it hits hard and fast. The latter half of the novel is brimming with tension. The mystery is time-period appropriate, and so is the detective work used to solve it. The detectives are quite fascinating characters, even with a more minor role.<\/p>\n<p><em>Long Lost Midwife<\/em> is an authentic historical thriller with a dynamic lead and a setting that adds real complexity, especially in terms of race and gender. For those who like a historical setting and a character-driven crime novel, this is a great choice.<\/p>\n<div class=\"align-button-center ub-buttons orientation-button-row ub-flex-wrap wp-block-ub-button\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3WTg0a1\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main   ub-button-flex\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-icon-holder\">\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/span><span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Amazon<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/5423\/9781966799214\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main   ub-button-flex\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-icon-holder\">\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/span><span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Bookshop<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Thank you for reading Addison Ciuchta\u2019s book review of<em> Long Lost Midwife <\/em>by Skye Smith! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.<\/p>\n<div class=\"align-button-center ub-buttons orientation-button-row ub-flex-wrap wp-block-ub-button\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/independentbookreview.com\/category\/book-review\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main   ub-button-flex\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-icon-holder\">\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/span><span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Book Reviews<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/independentbookreview.com\/category\/blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main   ub-button-flex\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-icon-holder\">\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/span><span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">IBR Blog<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/independentbookreview.com\/writers-only\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main   ub-button-flex\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-icon-holder\">\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/span><span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Resources for Writers<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/independentbookreview.com\/2025\/11\/17\/book-review-long-lost-midwife\/\">Book Review: Long Lost Midwife<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/independentbookreview.com\/\">Independent Book Review<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Long Lost Midwife by Skye Smith Genre: Mystery, Thriller &amp; Suspense \/ Historical ISBN: 9781966799214 Print Length: 394 pages Amazon Bookshop Reviewed by Addison Ciuchta A slow-burn historical thriller about family secrets lurking in the past Pamela is newly married and terrified of having a child at the beginning of Long Lost Midwife. It\u2019s a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":4844,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bookreviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4843"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4843"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4843\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}