Well you had me at Midwives haha, I love a good midwives book. I am a little done with war historical fiction books, but it was fun to see the mix of love, medicine and war come together in one story. Definitely one to check out if you're looking for a good historical fiction! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

I love a saga novel and this one didn’t disappoint. A fantastic page turning novel. The characters are so well written and likeable. I really enjoyed this story and look forward to more Chrissie Walsh novels.

New baby, dashing pilots, war. All the items that make a book hard to put down. Chrissie Walsh is great at placing you in a great time period.. You feel like you are in the hospital with the midwives.

Chrissie Walsh's "The Midwives' War" invites readers to step into the poignant and turbulent world of World War II, where love and hope flourish amidst the chaos of conflict. Set against the backdrop of Doncaster during the war, this novel takes us on a compelling journey through the lives of Grace Murphy and her two friends, Clodagh and Patsy, who are working as midwives at the Doncaster Royal Infirmary.

The story paints a vivid picture of the challenges faced by these brave women as they navigate the perils of delivering babies and tending to wounded airmen in a war-torn world. The narrative beautifully captures the essence of the era, from the relentless bombing raids to the heartaches of rationing, all of which are vividly brought to life by the Walsh's evocative storytelling.

At the heart of the story is Grace Murphy, a character whose resilience and determination shine through even in the darkest of times. As she looks into the eyes of the newborns she delivers, Grace finds hope and dreams of a future beyond the war, a testament to the indomitable spirit of the human soul.

One of the most captivating aspects of "The Midwives' War" is the romance that unfolds against the backdrop of wartime Doncaster. When Grace meets the dashing Spitfire pilot, Richard Carmichael, sparks fly, and their love story becomes a beacon of hope in the midst of uncertainty. Chrissie Walsh skilfully weaves their love, passion, and sacrifices into the narrative, leaving readers emotionally invested in their journey.

The author's attention to historical detail is commendable, transporting readers back in time to experience the sights, sounds, and emotions of WWII. The descriptions of the RAF Finningly dance and the glamorous Spitfire pilots in their leather flying jackets and silk scarves are particularly enchanting.

As Grace and Richard face the perilous challenges of wartime, their love is put to the test, and readers will find themselves eagerly turning pages to discover their fate. Chrissie Walsh crafts a story that is both heart warming and heart-wrenching, capturing the essence of love against the odds.

"The Midwives' War" is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of love in the face of adversity. With its well-drawn characters, meticulously researched historical backdrop, and a story that tugs at the heartstrings, this novel is a must-read for fans of wartime romance and historical fiction. Chrissie Walsh once again proves her prowess as a storyteller who brings the past to life, making her readers feel as if they are living the story and not just reading it. Highly recommended!

The Midwives' War is a fast paced story with a slow revealed plot. There is a dual timeline between 1969-1970 and 1942-1948.

Walsh has researched the society, customs and lifestyles of people 2 years into WW2. There is mention of historical events, like the bomb raids, shortages, rationing blackout, and concentration camps. The sensitive topic of cancer is discussed in an informative way, which allows the reader to see the effect terminal cancer has on the family and patient. The writing style is easy to follow with a mixture of description and dialogue.

The character development of The Midwives' War gives the reader a brief background about the characters allowing them to empathise with them on more than one occasion. The characters are relatable and realistic with their own personalities...

In 1942, Grace left her family home in County Clare to go to London to help in the hospital, as part of the war effort, but after receiving little respect there decided to go to Doncaster Royal Infirmary where she works mainly as a Midwife. Grace attends a dance at RAF Finningley camp in her Off-duty hours where she meets Spitfire pilot, Richard Carmichael...the pair of them hit it off... In 1969 Grace has been married for a total of 20 years. She is content with her husband, Lorchan and her son Michael....

In 1942, Richard was a RAF pilot. He comes from a wealthy background... When he meets Grace he breaks his self-imposed rule that he would never enter a serious relationship whilst he was a flyer and grows to love Grace deeply... In 1969 the reader saw how much his illness had affected him... Richard begins to share the story of his great love with his daughter, Sara.

In 1969 the reader is introduced to Sara daughter of Richard Carmichael. She recently returned from her work as a photographer, where she has been taking fashion shoots in Spain. Sara does a lot of promotional work, and visits her terminally ill father at every given opportunity...

Overall I feel that The Midwives' War gives a tragic heart-breaking story that evokes a lot of emotions. I enjoyed the fact that it was based not far from where I live and found it increasingly interesting. It took me a little while to find a flow as the tale started in 1969... so the reader had an inkling that all didn't go as planned for the main characters, but the story made a lot of sense at the end...

I would suggest reading The Midwives' War to people who enjoy reading historical fiction and sagas based around WW2, as it is a character driven emotional story about grief, friendship and timeless love as the characters share their experiences with the reader....

Wow - this book was amazing. I've only recently discovered Chrissie Walsh but, already, I can't wait for her next book. This story will stay with me for a long time. Very moving in places, it really makes you think about what life throws at you and how circumstances can change in a heartbeat, making your life completely different than you may have hoped/planned for it to be.
This was an excellent book.

It was a sweet story, the heroine was strong. But I felt like it had been told before.
Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

The Midwives War by Chrissie Walsh


Three young Irish midwives Grace , Clodagh and Patsy are doing their bit for the war and living together in Doncaster.
Grace meets a fighter pilot when they attend a dance at the local base , but as well as getting on with the job in hand as best as they can in these difficult circumstances , she now worries about him every time he is sent on a mission.
Clodagh and Patsy also have things going on and they all try to keep their spirits up by supporting each other.
A great war time story which is heart warming and heart breaking as we follow them along their war.

The story is set during the second world war and starts with the story of Irish Grace Murphy, working as a young midwife at Doncaster royal infirmary with her two friends. During a time if death, Grace loves to bring babies into the world and help their mothers. Grace always looks for hope and always thinks about life after the war finishes. When the midwives get the opportunity to go to an RAF dance, they are all happy to go and enjoy themselves. The dancefloor is full of happy people having a good night, which takes their mind of all the hardship they are going through. The the glamorous Spitfire pilots enter the room and everybody looks up. Even Grace does. When Richard Carmichael comes to her, the moment she meets him she knows her evening just changed. And her life. They try to spend every possible moment together, the patches of white clouds what holds them together... even with a war which makes things hard.

I chose to join a blog tour to try out The midwives' war, but had low expectations. I normally do not choose this kind of stories and so I was expecting a story of romance, drama, lots of crying and things seeming to be okay, then not and so on. Without much of a content. I was very wrong. Chrissie Walsh managed to write a beautiful story about two good people going through hardship nobody asked for or can change. Two people who love life and each other, while they also now their duty to their country. The story plays between the second World War and present time, which is a really nice part of this story. I enjoyed the characters, bothe Grace and Richard but also the side characters. The story has a good and interesting content and made me enjoy this story very much.

This novel was so inspiring, the narrative is really heartwarming and emotional. I fell in love with Chrissie Walsh and her beautiful writing style while reading Hard Times On Weaver Street and I was happy to lose myself in her latest story. This was a roller-coaster of a read and is at times really heartbreaking, while depicting the grief and loss of the time period. I love the power of friendship that is woven through this novel helping them triumph against adversity. I am already crossing my fingers this will be a series.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

a must for call the midwives fans ...you will love this book

3 midwives over from ireland doing their duty in the war all three of them are very different characters but they each bring something to this storyline

well worth a read though

Grace, Clodagh and Patsy share a house in Doncaster where they work as midwives at the local hospital. In their precious time off they enjoy socialising and it is at a dance at RAF Finningly where Grace meets the handsome, and charismatic, spitfire pilot, Richard Carmichael. The life of a fighter pilot is fraught with danger and soon, like all sweethearts during WW2, Grace is caught between worrying about Richard's safety and keeping her spirits up during their absences.

Grace is such a lovely young woman that you can't help but want her life to run smoothly but of course fate has a nasty way of interfering and both Grace and Richard find that they have some difficult decisions to make along the way. Equally both Clodagh and Patsy also have to make the best of what wartime life brings and I enjoyed following them over the course of the story, particularly Clodagh who has her own challenges to face.

Beautifully written from start to finish, and rich in historical detail, The Midwives’ War is a warm and compassionate story about making the best of what life throws at you and of the value of friends who step in when the going gets tough. The author writes with a compassionate look at the intricacies of war-time romances whilst at the same time describing just what life was like during the middle years of the war, when love and life couldn't be taken for granted. This lovely story certainly tugs away at the heartstrings and I was so emotionally invested in the story that I didn't notice time passing.

Grace's story is one of hardship. But it is also one of strength and endurance. She was determined to survive. And survive she did.

Grace was kind and good to everyone she met. But if needed, she stood up for herself.

I haven't read a book like this in a long time. I cried when she cried. I was concerned everytime Grace found herself in a terrible predicament. I cheered when she survived.

What a story!! It made me quite emotional. It made me think of my maternal grandmother's family. My great grandfather served in WWI. He never returned. He died in Egypt. My great grandmother became a widow at a young age and had 4 or 5 children. My grandmother was only 2 years old. Life would never be the same.

Believe me, I will look up any other books by Chrissie Walsh.

A truly inspirational story of the hardships faced during the war. Three Midwives life's are told and for me I really loved the characters and how they are portrayed even the not so nice ones. It was touching and heartbreaking to read about the hardships faced and the lives lost and how it affects the loved ones who are left griefing. I enjoyed the midwife side of things and was a little disappointed that it didn't have a bigger part in the story as I love reading about anything to do with nursing. I enjoyed the characters that Grace came to live with especially her elderly patients. There is a little mystery in the book that I won't go into because it would be a spoiler but I will say that I cried happy tears in the end.

The Midwives War by Chrissie Walsh is a powerful, heartfelt historical novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.
The action is set during World War II and also in 1969.
We see the devastating effects of war on lives. Some are cruelly cut short. Others cannot cope with loss. All lives are altered. Some have scars that cannot be seen – bitterness and the hardening of a heart after so much loss, leads a character to live a very different life than the one planned. War robs all of their innocence.
All the characters were realistic and likable. The leading lady was admirable. She kept her good heart pure, no matter what life threw at her. She knew that for healing, sometimes tough love was required. She also practiced sacrificial love.
Values during war altered. The motto carpe diem – seize the day – was often employed as tomorrow was not guaranteed.
The women in the novel were strong characters. Their ability to press through and to keep going was to be praised. No matter what hand life dealt, the leading lady kept on moving forwards, although a little of her heart remained stuck in the past.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Midwives War. It was both entertaining and heartwarming.
I received a free copy from Rachel’s Random Resources. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

The story begins in Ireland in 1969, where we meet Grace Brady. She lives with her husband Lorchan and her son Michael. Now Michael is twenty-five, he reminds Grace of his father, who she had loved and lost before finding Lorchan.
Still in 1969, we move to Yorkshire to meet Sara Carmichael. She is visiting her father Richard in Manor Court nursing home. Sara is twenty-three and working for a photographic agency. Richard used to be in the Royal Air Force and reminisces about the love of his life.
Moving back in time to 1942, Grace Murphy is in Doncaster, working as a midwife in Doncaster Royal Infirmary with her friends Clodagh Flynn and Patsy O’Grady. The three girls are all in their early twenties, Irish and live together in a little terrace house with Joey the budgie.
At a dance one evening, Grace meets handsome RAF pilot Richard Carmichael and they begin a relationship. But both of them know every time he takes his Spitfire into the air, he may not survive…
I do enjoy books set in England during World War II. It always lends itself to an interesting setting where there is constant peril and you know people are at genuine risk of being killed. This book was even better, because you had the girls working as midwives, so you got to follow their jobs and meet some cute babies along the way.
I loved all the girls, they were different from one another with distinct personalities, but I adored how they were a team and looked after each other too.
There is so much to recommend about this book. The story is interesting and pulls you in straight away. The characters are beautifully described and the book is really well-written. I have previously read Welcome to Weaver Street by Chrissie Walsh, but I think The Midwives’ War was even better and I will definitely be reading more of this author’s work in the future.

Wonderful historical fiction!

This book was a treasure to read. Midwifery only plays a small role in the book, but the female main character, Grace, was a trained midwife and that was her occupation during most of the war years. She remained a nurse, though, and much of her life revolved around her patients.

Grace and Richard had a beautiful romance, despite the war and his mother doing their best to keep them apart. The ravages of war on the mind took its toll, and Richard never knew about his son, Michael. I don't write spoilers, so I can't tell you much about what happened, but I highly recommend that if you enjoy historical wartime fiction with clean romance, this should be on your to-read pile immediately!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

1942, Grace Murphy is a midwifery nurse who works at the Royal Infirmary in Doncaster. Along with her 2 nursing friends, Patsy and Clodagh they share a house together . When they aren’t working they like to go to dances at a nearby RAF camp and it is here one evening that Grace meets pilot, Richard Carmichael. As the bombs of war fall and Richard faces death every time he flies the spitfire , can they manage to stay together ?

This is yet another book by Chrissie Walsh that I absolutely loved and it had me completely captivated from the very first chapter. The characters were extremely well written and as I read the book I felt that I personally knew them and could actually visualise them as I was reading. Each chapter of this book was wonderful to read and as I was nearing the end of the book I actually felt sad it was nearly over. An emotional and also uplifting read and I adored it .

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this dual timeline book.

Grace is a midwife and from Ireland. She has come to England where there’s a demand for midwives.

She meets Richard who is a pilot in the RAF, and feels attracted to him, but with war ongoing, can their love survive?

All the characters have their own story to tell. This is an emotional and heartbreaking story, which was very well written, it gave an understanding of war from different viewpoints.

I highly recommend this book.

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

"To love and be loved is a very precious thing, even when the person you shared that love with is no longer part of your life...You carry it with you through life and it gives you the strength to keep on looking for the patch of blue sky."

1942: As bombs are falling, in a little corner of Yorkshire babies are being born under the care of three midwives - Grace Murphy, Clodagh Flynn and Patsy O'Grady. Three Irish nurses who came to England where nurses were desperately needed in light of the war. It's at Doncaster Royal Infirmary where these three nurses trained in midwifery join the maternity team and in their own way make their mark.

It's a Friday evening when Grace and Clodagh finish their shift and return to the house they share with Patsy, and after a meal, they don their gladrags and head to the local RAF airbase where a dance is underway. There, Grace meets handsome pilot Richard Carmichael and the pair fall hopelessly in love. But life as a fighter pilot is a short one and tomorrow may never come. Richard vowed never to involve himself seriously with a girl under these circumstances but upon meeting Grace all that fell by the wayside. They were soulmates destined to be together despite their different backgrounds. He from Yorkshire aristocracy (so his mother would have everyone believe) while she is a Catholic girl from County Clare. But none of that matters to them for they know they were meant to be together.

But when tragedy strikes, Richard finds comfort in Grace's arms and in her bed but upon returning to base is dealt another blow that sees him fall further into the depths of despair and thus he makes a rash decision from which there is no coming back from. Whilst Grace finds herself in trouble but by then it is too late as she receives a heartbroken letter and no way of reaching Richard. She too finds herself in the depths of despair, pregnant and alone. No job, no home and nowhere safe for her and her baby. She cannot return to Ireland and be branded a wanton woman and bringing shame on her family.

Alone with no prospects and nowhere to go, Grace must find her own way in the world and make a home for herself and her child.

1969: In a care home nestled in Yorkshire, Richard Carmichael ruminates over his life and the box in which he keeps his most precious mementos. A silk scarf from his time as a pilot, a photo of him and the lads who never got to come home, a photo of a pretty nurse who still holds his heart and the brooch he had specially made for her. His daughter Sara sees him and the memories it evokes and wonders of the story that lays there untold. She thought her mother was the great love of his life but as her father begins his story, she discovers the truth of his greatest love and the regret he has carried since.

Oh my. I was not prepared for the emotions this story evoked. I devoured it in one sitting and was in tears by its final pages. It is such a moving, heartbreaking tale that envelops you completely. I didn't think I would enjoy this book as much as I did but oh I did. I will never look up at and see that patch of blue sky again without being moved.

A truly delightful tale. Keep on looking for that patch of blue sky.

I would like to thank #ChrissieWalsh, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TheMidwivesWar in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.