The Last Midwife

By: Sandra Dallas

Narrated by: Pilar Witherspoon

Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Colorado, 1880. Gracy Brookens has delivered hundreds, maybe thousands of babies in her lifetime. The only midwife in a small mining town tucked in the Tenmile Range, Gracy is a gifted and important resource for the women of her hardscrabble community. For years she has advised expectant mothers through their pregnancies, guided them through the tortures of labor, and then helped them heal.

To Gracy, every baby who survived its birth in the Colorado mountains was a miracle, though of course not all of them did, nor did the mothers. Those losses were an ache in her soul, so it was the ones who lived that she always kept in her mind as she set out to coach yet another woman in her delivery. Hers was a position earned through wisdom and trust, and most women in Swandyke wouldn't even think of lying in without Gracy by their sides. But everything changes when a baby is found dead - and the evidence points to Gracy as the killer.

The midwife knows she didn't commit the crime. Swandyke's most influential citizen may be claiming that Gracy strangled his baby boy shortly after birth with a piece of the linen thread she used to tie off the umbilical cord - but of course she'd never do something so ghastly. Ever. But her innocence isn't quite that simple, either.

Gracy knows things, and that's dangerous. Invited into her neighbors' homes during their most intimate times, she couldn't help what she saw or what she heard. A woman sometimes said things in the birthing bed, when life and death seemed suspended within the same moment. Gracy had always tucked those revelations away, even the confessions that had cast shadows on her heart. When a woman paid for Eve's sin through the pain of childbirth, any confession made during the suffering was meant for God's ears, not hers.

With her friends taking sides and a trial looming, Gracy must decide whether it's worth risking everything to prove her innocence. And she knows that her years of discretion may simply demand too high a price now.

©2015 Sandra Dallas (P)2015 Recorded Books

Engaging and well written

This book was chosen by my book group and it did not disappoint. I could hardly stop listening. The narrator did a beautiful job of capturing and holding my attention, and the story is very well written. I’ll be looking for more titles from this author.

Time period piece

Another captivating story about strong women and ways of the past. Great performance by Pilar Witherspoon.

A good read.

This book certainly drew me in. I kept wanting to hear more & know what was going on in Gracie’s world. I loved the narrator. I felt like she captured the essence of the main character so well. Great cadence. I love books by this author. I love the home spun feeling of her stories.

Slow but decent

I love a good book about a midwife. I had high hopes for this one. It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t gripping either. It was very repetitive and predictable. Some places were filled with rich details that ended up being irrelevant. It was just okay, in my opinion.

Secrets and midwifery and intrigue galore

The main character Gracie proves to be a relatable woman and so strong in her craft. I love the way the story unfolds. So clever.

great story !!!

it kept me listening and entertained. the end end of the book was not as predictable as most

So good!

I love Sandra Dallas stories and Pilar Witherspoon is awesome! I have become a fan of them!!!

Interesting to the last paragraph.

Enjoyed the story and the characters. Each chapter added to the revelations of the character of each story role.

Great Story

I loved every minute of this book!! Good all the way around. I will look for more of this author's work.1

Great Book - Well written and Performed

I loved the storyline. I didn’t like how long it took to “get to the point” throughout the book. Both my husband and I listened to this book together. I was amused at how much he loved the last two chapters and ending. The person who read the book was excellent and we highly recommend books by Sandra Dallas.