The Midwife's Confession [Paperback]

Diane Chamberlain (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 26, 2011

Dear Anna,

What I have to tell you is difficult to write, but I know it will be far more difficult for you to hear, and I'm so sorry…

The unfinished letter is the only clue Tara and Emerson have to the reason behind their close friend Noelle's suicide. Everything they knew about Noelle—her calling as a midwife, her passion for causes, her love for her friends and family—described a woman who embraced life.

Yet there was so much they didn't know.

With the discovery of the letter and its heartbreaking secret, Noelle's friends begin to uncover the truth about this complex woman who touched each of their lives—and the life of a desperate stranger—with love and betrayal, compassion and deceit.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"So full of unexpected twists you'll find yourself wanting to finish it in one sitting. Fans of Jodi Picoult's style will love how Diane Chamberlain writes." (Candis) "Diane Chamberlain is the Southern Jodi Picoult." (New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe). --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Diane is the award-winning author of 14 novels. Her background in psychology and work in hospitals has given her a keen interest in understanding the way people tick, as well as the background necessary to create real, living, breathing characters. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Mira; Original edition (April 26, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778329860
• ISBN-13: 978-0778329862
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (163 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,688 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey where, at the age of twelve, I wrote several dreadful novellas, read and admired only by my family. When college rolled around, I forgot about writing and received my bachelor's and master's degrees in Social Work from San Diego State University. I was a hospital social worker in San Diego, and later in Washington DC. I also had a private psychotherapy practice working mainly with teenagers. All the while, I was writing on the side. I viewed my writing as a hobby, but it quickly became a passion. I finally decided to take a class in 'writing the novel.' I was very shy about showing my work to the instructor, but when I finally did, he loved it! He encouraged me to aim for publication and I decided to go for it. A few years later, my first novel, PRIVATE RELATIONS, was published.

Since then, I've written about a book a year- twenty-one at last count. I now live in North Carolina, the beautiful state where many of my books are set and where I'm ten minutes from my grandbabies. I share my life with my soulmate, John, who's a photographer as well as my muse, and with my two shelties, Keeper and Jet.

Are you wondering what my books are about? One of my readers in Japan had this to say about my work: "You make me believe life is beautiful even if it is full of pain and rage." Her words touch me deeply. They hang on the wall above my computer and help me remember exactly what it is I'm trying to achieve in my stories. I hope you'll enjoy them.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#78 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Literary Fiction

#78 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Literary Fiction

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Secrets, lies and betrayal...how well do you know your best friends? April 26, 2011

By Denise Crawford TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

On a beautiful day in September, Noelle commits suicide. Her two closest friends, Tara and Emerson, are completely shocked that the woman they had known -- caring, committed midwife, champion of babies-in-need, strong independent Noelle has done this. Why? Turns out that Noelle had a lot of secrets -- a history of lies, betrayals and a hidden past that neither of them knew.

The story is a mystery and also a study in friendship and family relationships. The ability to write believable characters is a definite strength of author Diane Chamberlain. The women in her books are mothers, daughters, wives, etc. who are able to form strong bonds that are tested but that don't break even in the face of tragedy or heartache. Ultimately, this is a book about the extent that someone could go to in an attempt to make a wrong a right; or how loving someone too much can cause a person to do things that ordinarily wouldn't be considered. And at what cost?

Told from the viewpoints of the key characters in the novel, the story also shifts back and forth in time as Noelle's friends and their children Jenny and Grace try to make sense of the suicide and to find answers to the questions it brought to light. It seems that none of them really knew Noelle at all!

The book raises questions that made me wonder how well anyone can really know another person. Often we take what they say at face value without probing more deeply, and there can be periods of time when we are enough out of touch with someone that we miss a key turning point or ignore some essential signs.

I read this book cover to cover over an afternoon. It was fast paced and absorbing; the only jarring note was the ending.... Although some of it was wholly predictable, I was a bit dismayed at the behavior of one of the characters and I won't give any further spoilers to ruin it for anyone.

Fans of mystery and relationship stories, and all those who love Diane Chamberlain's previous work won't want to miss this one! Read more ›

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is definitely your next must read April 29, 2011

By Deborah Haupt

Format:Paperback

In the blink of an eye a friend they thought they knew takes her own life and so Tara and Emerson embark on a journey to find out why. What they don't realize is that in their mission for information about Noelle and her suicide only leads them to more questions. They find that happiness was just a mask she wore to hide a darkest of secrets that will change every life it's touched when they learn "The Midwife's Confession".

Diane Chamberlain has given us a storyline that could be taken from the front pages of any news paper or from the headlines from any CNN or CNBC report, with one exception, she gives it that human touch and in doing so will take her readers on an excruciating trip down endless dark hallways of a troubled woman's mind. She tells it in the first person from the voices of several of her main protagonists and she does this with dialogue that's easy to read and will take her audience into the hearts and minds of her characters, characters who will become friends as you entwine yourselves into their lives. Her readers will be in awe of the intimacy she gives us into her characters especially Tara and Emerson along with their daughters Jenny and Grace and as we her readers get closer to solving the puzzle of this mystery she throws us a curve ball with Anna and Haley. Her co-stars of this drama are equally important to the telling of the story and couldn't be done without them. At the heart of this tale we find a love story, the love between friends, the love of children and the love of a spouse, but she fills the pages with twists and turns to get us there and at the end we will let go a breath we didn't know we'd been holding....

If you love a great mystery, a story of family drama, a drama in general and just really the telling of an incredible story by an amazing artist, mixed with angst filled scenes and nail biting edge of your seat drama, let this be your choice. You won't be sorry you did. Put this on the top of your next "Must Read" list. Read more ›

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars DISCOVERING THE TRUTH BEHIND THE SECRETS, LIES, & BETRAYALS June 12, 2011

By Laurel-Rain Snow "Rain" TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Three women, whose lives began to intersect in college, are now best friends. Tara and Emerson are mothers of teenage daughters and Noelle is a well-regarded midwife.

But when Noelle commits suicide one day, with no apparent warning, her friends are blindsided.

The two women then begin a journey to discover answers, to find out what they might have missed along the way. And in the process, they unearth a plethora of secrets Noelle had hidden for years, with lies and betrayals covering them. And then the question remains: who was she, and did they know her at all?

It's a mystery, a family drama, and a story about the delicate fabric of friendship. It is also an exploration of the mother-daughter dynamic that feels very real. What ultimately links the three women in inexplicable ways? What long-ago moments set the tone for what happened? And how do the lives of these three women connect to a woman who heads a Missing Child bureau?

Told from the shifting perspectives of the primary characters and swaying between the past and the present, The Midwife's Confession is one of those stories that will have you reading all through the day or night. And when you think that the pieces of the puzzle have finally been uncovered, you will be stunned when the next one comes along that will realign everything you thought you knew.

I loved these characters, even the ones with huge flaws. Understanding the why of the actions in this book was a study in human behavior and motivations. Diane Chamberlain's descriptions, dialogue, and settings were real and believable. A definite five star read.