Diane Chamberlain

I don’t know how to tell you what I did. Would you read a letter never meant to be opened? Would you want to know secrets never meant to be told? Or should a woman's mistakes stay buried?

The Midwife's Confession

Chamberlain (The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes) unravels a heartbreaking mystery about a midwife whose suicide opens the door to her dark past. Noelle Downie was an unconventional beauty whose calling as a midwife defined her among her friends, Tara and Emerson. Because Noelle's career was one of embracing life, her suicide left her friends largely puzzled. More shocking, though, is an unfinished letter discovered among Noelle's belongings that reveals a secret so horrifying that Tara and Emerson embark on a mission to find the woman the letter is addressed to. As they struggle to reconcile new revelations with the Noelle they thought they knew, Chamberlain's hold on the multiperspective narrative weakens, and the hopping back and forth between characters creates a narrative jumble. Chamberlain does pull it together in time for the wrapup, finally giving readers willing to stick through some choppiness a bittersweet story about regret and hope.

The midwife's confession

Julie Twist

This book is about lifelong friends Tara and Emerson, and their close friend Noelle whom they met at college. Noelle is the midwife in the book's title, and after her unexpected death, Noelle's papers and records start to reveal things that Tara and Emerson don't understand. As they start to read through everything, more and more questions are raised. Brilliant story with twists and turns, and I couldn't put it down. This is the second of Diane Chamberlain's books I've read, and it didn't disappoint.

"'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..."--P. [2] of cover.

Peggy Walker

I enjoyed the book. The author did a good job with the mystery aspects of the story. Although I suspected part of the secret the book slowly unveils, I did not get it exactly right, which means Ms. Chamberlain did a good job. I did have difficulty believing that someone could have hidden so much of her life from her two supposedly closest friends. They really didn't know her at all. I will check out more from this author.

Jessica Ford

I loved this book. Chamberlain did such a nice job of having each character narrate a chapter. I loved the perspective of each woman. There were some really good twists in the book. I figured out the ending fairly early on, but it was quite a surprise how the ending actually happened. I highly recommend this one.

Erika

Fran Lewis

Alex King

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. Told with sensitivity and insight, The Midwife’s Confession will have you turning pages late into the night. From the bestselling author of The Lies We Told and The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes comes a story of deception that asks: How much is too much to forgive?

The Midwife's Confession

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