A Book Review

By Amy Porter

I rarely review the books that are sent to www.Vitesis.com.  Usually Jill or Hannah read and write the review.  Christine Blevins’ new historical fiction, The Midwife of Blue Ridge caught my attention:  It has a strong female protagonist who is a midwife,  an herbalist, and a wise woman.  Definitively, my kind of woman!

So I will ask you.  When was the last time you read a novel written about a woman who is a member of our alternative health community and the author actually got the information correct?  Midwife of the Blue Ridge, is one of those books.

Blevins’ heroine is Maggie.  She was born in Scotland during the early 1700s, spent her early life surrounded by fighting; orphaned during a raid on her village; then raised by the local midwife; indentured so that she could immigrate to America; bought by a family who lived at the edge of the wilderness; and then spent the next years living on the edge of danger.  Sound exciting.  It was.  It was one of those stories that caught my attention and held it.

I was impressed by how Blevins created a world that accepted a woman as a healer and as a wise woman.  Maggie’s strength is what attracted people to her.  And it never detracted from her femininity.

As a bonus, Blevins wove in her knowledge of herbs and alternative medicine.  Her readers will come away with an acceptance of both midwifery and herbs.  They will at least have a basic knowledge of common herbs – slippery elm, cherry roots and yarrow to name a few. 

Midwife of the Blue Ridge is available for purchase through Amazon.com and other booksellers. For more information check out BlogStop Booktours or her website, http://christineblevins.com/.