Orphaned as a girl, Maggie Duncan is taken in by a local midwife and learns the trade.   Even after she’s fully grown, she is still viewed as an outsider and given the ominous nickname of “Black Maggie” not only because of her dark tresses, but also because the villagers view her as bad luck.  Knowing she will never fit in and eager to start a new life in America like her dying adoptive mother suggested, Maggie agrees to leave Scotland to begin life as an indentured servant in America.

Avoiding a disastrous sale to a vicious Viscount, Maggie’s contract is sold to a man in need of a midwife for his pregnant wife.  Maggie fits well into the family’s life, but her heart starts pining for Tom Roberts, a friend of the family.  She falls in love with Tom, but he declines to purchase her contract from her friend, breaking her heart.   By the time he realizes that he can’t live without her, it may be too late because circumstances have led her to be sold to another man.

Midwife of the Blue Ridge wasn’t at all what I expected.  Based solely on the title, I expected this novel to detail births set in Colonial times.   However, despite this novel not being what I expected, I found it immensely enjoyable.  The novel is divided into three parts, which mark three major events in Maggie Duncan’s new life in America.  Though agreeing to indentured servitude, Maggie’s strong will doesn’t always make her an obedient slave to her master.   Her strong character carries the book.  Though many heartbreaks and disasters befall her, she is a fighter and a survivor.  Maggie Duncan may have been born in the Scottish Highlands, but she is no wilting flower in this strange New World of Colonial America.  She survives because she must, a shining example of the pioneer spirit.

Another thing that surprised me about Midwife of the Blue Ridge was the somewhat crude language.  Maggie isn’t afraid to curse and it was somewhat refreshing.  As one who reads a great deal of Regency romances set during the time period in Midwife of the Blue Ridge, I am accustomed to proper ladies fighting off the advances of a rakish Peer of the Realm, while maintaining proper decorum and witty repartee at all times.   The glimpse into the romance and life of common, poor immigrants was a nice change of pace and the course language added to the charm of the novel.

Midwife of the Blue Ridge is the author’s first novel.   For a first novel, I found this story an extremely compelling page turner, strong throughout with no weak storylines.  By novel’s end, a sense of justice overwhelmed me, and though I could easily envision a sequel, I was quite satisfied with the ending.

May 8, 2009