The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain

When Noelle commits suicide her best friends, Tara and Emerson, are stunned.  Noelle, was a happy woman who led a fulfilling life as a midwife, was involved in charity work and was loved by everyone - or so they thought.

When they set about the unenviable task of dealing with Noelle’s effects they come across an unfinished letter that she had written and clearly never intended  anyone to see.   This is the only clue that Tara and Emerson have as to why their friend, who they thought they knew so well, may have committed suicide.  As they delve deeper into the mystery of Noelle’s life they discover secrets that will have enormous consequences for their own lives.

Written with emotion and with a cast of likeable characters Diane Chamberlain demonstrates her great story telling skills.  I liked the way that the narration is divided between the main characters including the retrospective narration of Noelle. I enjoyed being able to see first hand through Noelle how past events actually came into being whilst simultaneously discovering those events through the perspective of the other characters.

My only criticism of this book is that the plot was a little predictable at times.  With each new revelation the next one became obvious to me so there were few surprises along the way.  I also felt the final chapter seemed a little rushed  and could have been developed further.

However, I did find the themes extremely thought provoking.  The book explores the nature of friendship, the bonds between mothers and daughters, the need to belong and the destructive power of secrets.

This is my first read by Diane Chamberlain and I liked her easy to read, well paced style.  Fans of Jodi Picoult will really like this book.


ISBN:  978 0778304661

Publisher:  MIRA

Price (based on today’s price at Amazon):  £5.59
This is a book from my own shelves.

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