With touch of romance flowing through its pages, The Ship’s Midwife offers readers an insightful glimpse at life on board migrant ships travelling to Australia around 1850. Though the story is a work of fiction, it is based on a true story and it is very clear that author Peta Miller has done her homework. I could easily imagine the cramped conditions on board the Lady Susan, not only in the utterly horrific steerage section of the ship but also in the cabins and above deck. The horror of typhus spreading through the passengers was depicted in enough detail that I felt as though I was watching events unfold. I liked that the difficulties faced by Sarah, Bridie, Will and Tom among others were balanced by budding friendships and romance. This is a truly gripping story, which I struggled to put down. It has been an excellent read.

A one of a kind debut that I relished, my favourite kind of historical fiction book as it's both entertaining and because it's based on true events I learnt a little something of our history. Sarah and Bridie are aboard a ship heading for Australia, a mother on board goes into labour and they assist much to the doctor's dismay. Another passenger becomes ill and it isn't long before the illness is raging through the ship. Sarah has her eye on the doctor's son but he's more interested in Bridie. With disease killing passengers will Sarah and Bridie make it off the ship with there lives and love intact. A poignant and touching story that will break your heart. I came to genuinely care about the characters and couldn't stop reading until I found out how there stories would end. A book of survival, love, redemption and history. Beautifully told with knowledge and understanding.

Thank you to Author Peta Miller, Harlequin Australia and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC. All opinions shared in this review are my own.

This was a poignant read on the struggle of those who took a leap of faith and travelled by boat to Australia to colonise the country. Based in 1850, the main characters travelled approximately 100 days at sea in order to start their new lives. When disaster strikes in the form of a typhus outbreak, the real challenge begins. Not having the medical knowledge we do now, and conditions worsening the longer the ship is at sea, the main characters do all they can to keep themselves and their fellow passengers safe.

I have a personal interest in this aspect of history as many of my children's ancestors arrived in Australia by boat and faced similar circumstances. I've completed extensive research on the time period and it was gratifying to read this book and be able to so clearly see the level of research the Author undertook to ensure the story was as accurate as possible.

I'd highly recommend this book for any lovers of Australian and naval history, historical fiction and women's literature!

In 1850, Sarah Hallow and Bridie Marley board a ship bound for Australia and they share a tiny cabin. The Lady Susan will take over a hundred days to reach Brisbane and Captain Edward Brigham is in charge of the vessel. Sarah dreams of following in her deceased mother’s footsteps and practice midwifery in Australia, Sarah and Bridie safely deliver a baby aboard the ship and are elated. Bridie is Irish, she has the habit of saying the first thing that enters her head and she made me laugh.

The ship is overcrowded, especially in steerage, here over two hundred people are tightly packed in. With limited water, poor sanitation and ventilation and it doesn’t take long for the passengers to start feeling ill and the ships doctor is worried. At the time they didn’t know typhus was spread by lice, they carried the bacteria and it was deadly.

Sarah, Bridie and Dr. Waterford do what they can for the sick, it’s not long before the first person succumbs to the disease and is buried at sea. Everyone aboard the feels vulnerable, stuck in the middle of the ocean, and they start to run out of fresh supplies, drinking water and storms batter the ship.

Peta Miller’s novel is inspired by true events, a ship did leave England in 1850 bound for Brisbane, two weeks later typhus struck, and once the vessel made it to Queensland they had to spend weeks in quarantine on Stradbroke Island. It’s very interesting looking at the voyage from the main characters points of view, Sarah and Bridie are only teenagers, can you imagine embarking on a trip to a new country at their age, and they didn’t know each other prior to leaving!

The Ship's Midwife is a stirring and emotional story about adventure, survival, friendship, camaraderie and banding together, loss, love and admiration. The wonder of seeing Australia for the first time, with it's strange vegetation, animals, birds, beaches and hot climate. A great debut novel by Peta Miller and the start of her career as a published author, thanks to Harlequin Australia for my digital copy, and four stars from me.

WOW what a fantastic debut, I loved this one from start to finish, heart-breaking and poignant as we sail from England to Brisbane in 1850 on the Lady Susan with immigrants about to start a new life in Australia but things don’t always go to plan when typhus breaks out on the ship.

Sarah Hallow is the daughter of a midwife and now that she has lost her mum she is heading for Australia with not a lot of plans boarding the ship she meets Bridie Marley who is leaving Ireland to start a new life and also has a family connection to midwifery, they are sharing a cabin and they become fast friends and when they come to the aid of a pregnant woman in the steerage class a long labour but the baby a daughter is born healthy and well, but in the bed a few away is a woman who is extremely sick and the doctor on board starts to worry when more people are falling ill with the fever.

As more passengers fall ill Sarah, Bridie and Will Waterford the ship’s doctor’s son work hard on the long journey to Brisbane in the makeshift hospital as they make plans to open a midwifery business when they get to Brisbane, there are deaths along the way and the conditions are terrible food and water are in short supply and the ship is not allowed into any port. Who will make it to Brisbane?

They finally make it to the quarantine station on Stradbroke Island which is nowhere near ready for them but these people have made it this far and they do not give up. The strength and friendship that is shown by Sarah, Bridie Will and the captain and crew as well as the passengers was wonderful, you would not wish this upon anyone.

This story is based on a true story and it shows the toughness of the people who arrived on these shores so many years ago. I did cry many tears reading this one It is emotional but the ending is the best I loved it and I would highly recommend this story and huge congratulations to Peta Miller on such an awesome debut I look forward to many more stories.

My thanks to Harlequin AU and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

It was 1850 when Sarah Hallow and Bridie Marley boarded the Lady Susan bound for Australia, the new port of Brisbane. The two women were unknown to each other before boarding, but sharing the same cabin meant they soon became firm friends. Both had family who had been midwives, and could do enough to bring a new babe into the world. The doctor on board - Dr Waterford - was a gruff man, not willing to have Sarah and Bridie help out. His son Will bore the harshness of his father's voice, both men still grieving the loss of Will's mother.

When Agnes, who was almost full-term in her pregnancy, went into labour, the doctor was grudging in accepting Sarah and Bridie's help. The long labour saw baby Georgina join the world - albeit cramped and fetid below in steerage. Agne's husband John McPherson and small son Billie, were both happy to see the new baby. But it wasn't long before disease was rippling through the passengers, with the doctor fearful of typhus. As the death rate grew, the Lady Susan drew closer to their destination. But would they make it without losing more people? Their supplies had dwindled and they were desperate for the supply ship which would meet them near Brisbane...

The Ship's Midwife is the debut historical novel by Aussie author Peta Miller, and was inspired by the true story of another ship, The Emigrant, which left England in April, 1850, bound for the new settlement of Brisbane, and where typhus ravaged the poor souls on board, leaving forty-four dead. Sarah and Bridie's determination to make it safely to Australian shores, allowing them to follow their dream of midwifery together, showed true grit. The hardship that dogged the new settlers back in the 1850s; the disease which ravaged the ships; the lack of cleanliness, of good food, of clean water - all combined to make it difficult for people to survive. For those who pulled through and made their way forward in their new lives, well done! Recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good historical fiction and Love the fact this one isn't overly long and fairly easy to read. A ship to Australia, an outbreak of typhus and two very young women heading to new lands. This is a story inspired by true events and is quite interesting.

It is an adventure, it is emotional, it is stirring, heartwarming and even a little heartbreaking but it is a good read. I debut novel for this author and it is a good one. There is a bit of everything in this story. I love the description of seeing Australia for the first time through the eyes of these two young ladies.

The characters are good and people you can relate to, the story is interesting and it is a very easy to read story/book. A story of survival in new lands, of starting a new life and of love and friendship.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

It is easy to see The Ship’s Midwife is the product of much hard work and extensive research. The novel was inspired by a true story: a piece of Australian history that takes us back to 1850 when 276 passengers departed England on The Emigrant heading for Brisbane. After a month on the high seas, typhus erupted and eighteen deaths occurred. More died on arrival while waiting in the harbour to disembark and on the quarantine station of Stradbroke Island—a location that was hastily set up only two weeks before. With little preparation, the island was not ready for what followed. This lack of proper facilities posed a real challenge for the passengers and crew. Ms Miller wove all this info into her plot, in designing her characters and in creating realistic settings. The story moves smoothly from the ship, to the quarantine island and finally Brisbane.

We get a clear picture of the horrors passengers faced on the journey. Crowded conditions, poor ventilation and lack of supplies proved a recipe for ill health. Death was imminent and sea burials a necessity. This left many hearts broken not only from the loss but also with the quick and crude disposal of their deceased loved ones.

The Ship’s Midwife contains a varied cast of characters that begin together on the ship. Personalities often clash but during the outbreak of typhus, they learn to work together to save lives. The captain proves to be an excellent leader throughout the ordeal and acts as a mediator at times when required. The loss he sees and the dedication of many, fuels him on to see the end of the suffering. And sadly, when they do arrive in Australia, things are not as he had hoped, forcing him to make decisions that go against authority. But he has been on this ship of death and seen the devastation of disease and responds in a warm humane way when higher powers and systems fail. I admired him for this.

The story is centred on Sarah Hallow, a poor orphaned teenage English girl, whose only hope of a better life is to head to Australia. With her mother’s words of encouragement in her heart, and with what she learned from her as a midwife, Sarah overcomes many challenges. Also, help comes from Bridie Marley, a fiery Irish girl with midwife skills who offers her friendship on the ship. Influenced by this spirited girl, Sarah learns to draw upon her own strengths. They become close pals and, while tending to a pregnant woman on board, a dream is born between them. They aspire to have their own midwife practice in Brisbane. During the nightmares that follow, they support each other but sadly something happens that changes the course of their plans.

I must say, Sarah is an inspiring character, once she gets her feet under her. Armed with a compassionate loyal heart, she becomes an excellent carer of the sick. And when a young boy, Billy, loses both his parents and is left alone, she makes a promise to care for him. Billy clings to Sarah, now his only hope. But he also loves Will, the doctor’s son. Together these two help this boy by offering their kindness and love.

The doctor is an odd character but his personal loss has shaped him into a disgruntled man. His son, Will, has a very different personality: meek, physically awkward and fearful. But he has a kind heart. Initially, he has a crush on Bridie but she has her sights set on another man who shares her affections. Sarah is drawn to Will, yet their relationship is more of a friendship. Over time, though, after various experiences, Will blooms into a handsome, confident man. And one ready for love.

I can see how the initial title was ‘Sing Us Home’ as it is appropriate in many ways. The song lyrics and singing in the novel remind us of the value of music in how it can alleviate fears and stresses. And these poor souls experienced so much trauma that this was a way to deal with the trials. I loved how this theme is fittingly included at the end.

I fully appreciate the effort that has gone into the writing of The Ship’s Midwife. Peta Miller has done well with the volume of historical material covered. Winning the Charlotte Waring Barton Award for her unpublished manuscript, "Sing Us Home", delivered a triumphant prize. Her moving novel became a reality.

I truly recommend this poignant heartbreaking story that shines with friendship, dedication, loyalty, love and determination. The main theme of survival is the heartbeat of this story. And Peta has brought to life and light an important piece of Australian history that should definitely be remembered. 4 strong stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to HQ and Netgalley for my review copy.