Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Welcome to Thimblebury, the charming stone village nestled in the rolling hills of the Lake District, where midwife Zoe is hoping for a bright new beginning…
When midwife Zoe Padbury moves into Kestrel Cottage, high on a misty hill above the village of Thimblebury, everyone rallies round to make sure she doesn’t feel lonely. And as she begins her job at the doctor’s surgery, dealing with expectant mums and helping to bring newborns into the world, warmth begins to flood back into her battered and broken heart.
But the evenings are long and as Zoe sits on her cornflower-blue sofa, looking at the golden peaks crowned by clouds, she can’t help but wish she had someone to share her new life with. Her ex-husband treated her badly, but it’s still hard to resist his warm and loving messages begging for a second chance.
Distraction arrives when she meets Alex out walking his shaggy grey dog, and discovers that he will be moving in next door. As she chats to Alex, Zoe finds it hard to ignore his thick dark hair and eyes the colour of chocolate, and her heart clenches at the worried frown that creases his brow.
She soon learns why Alex is anxious when she pays his pregnant daughter a home visit and learns of the tragedy that has brought them to Thimblebury. Zoe is no stranger to sadness, and as she and Alex lean on each other, a tentative spark begins to flicker.
But when Alex gets the wrong idea and thinks Zoe has betrayed his trust, followed by Zoe’s ex appearing on her doorstep, swearing he’s a changed man, will that spark be snuffed out? Coming to the Lake District was meant to be a fresh start for Zoe. But what if the pull of her old life is too overwhelming to resist?
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of The Village Midwife to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
The Village Midwife by Tilly Tennant takes readers back to the beautiful setting of Thimblebury but this time around a new main character is introduced, Zoe, the new resident village midwife. I adored the village nurse series but I did think the series/setting needed a fresh perspective as I thought things with Ottilie as the main character had run their course although she does feature again but more on the periphery in a supportive role to Zoe. Of course, Ottilie, she has her own big storyline which still needs to come to a conclusion but I love the way that we are kept up to date with this through Zoe’s perspective. So a change was welcome and Zoe gives us that whilst we still get to keep up to date with the goings on in the village and with characters that we have previously come to know and love.
Zoe loves her job as a midwife, no day is the same as any other and she loves the reward of helping to bring new life into the world. She herself hopes to do this soon as she is pregnant which is very much a learning curve for her even though she knows so much already despite her training. She is happy and herself and husband Ritchie are looking forward to this new stage in their lives. But by chapter two this has all changed. Zoe has lost the baby and her marriage to Ritchie is no more. I felt desperately sorry for her as the book opened with so much promise and positivity and then it was all taken away from her. She needs to regroup and recalibrate and her friend Ottilie tells her of a job as midwife in the practice that she works in in Thimblebury.
Ottilie has already travelled the road that Zoe is about embark on, moving from the city to a countryside village and starting afresh and she will be there to offer Zoe any support she needs. This is the new reality for Zoe and she carries her pain with her and she will face dilemmas, complicating factors and unknown variables but observing her overcome these obstacles made for an engaging read. Zoe initially questions whether she made the right decision in moving to Thimblebury but the community is so welcoming and there are so many friends and new acquaintances to be made not to mention all the expecting mothers to meet that she throws herself into her new life.
I loved Zoe, she didn’t let past experiences bring her down and once she got over her initial anxiety she really wanted to do her best for everyone in her care. I loved reading abut the various mothers she meets and how she was so kind, caring and supportive of them. The plot moves along at a lovely, gentle, relaxed pace and to be honest that was just perfect. It didn’t need any major dramatics or plot twists. Zoe and the various characters and their problems but also the good and fun times speak for themselves. Yes, there were elements that were fairly predictable, and I knew what way things would more than likely pan out but that didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the book in any way at all.
On her first day after moving into Kestrel Cottage which she is renting from Corinne and Victor at Alpaca Farm, Zoe unexpectedly meets Alex and his dog Grizzle. They do say first impressions count and okay Alex isn’t exactly very forthcoming but there is something about him that leaves Zoe with a lasting impression. She soon discovers that his daughter Billie will be a patient of hers. Billie is a very tough nut to crack and once you learn of her experiences you can understand why but I admired Zoe in that she never gave up and always wanted the best possible outcome for Billie even if her advice often went unheeded.
I thought Alex was a but of an enigma. We learnt a little about him but then I thought he blew very hot and cold and was a closed rather than open book even if just partially.I mean this in terms of what he reveals regarding Billy and how he helps her and deals with what she is experiencing rather than his friendship with Zoe.He is someone who isn’t very forthcoming. Don’t get me wrong he wasn’t rude or anything but I thought he could have been more appreciative of what Zoe was trying to do for his little family unit earlier on in the book instead of at the point which it eventually started to come. But towards the end he showed a softer side and that in fact he was a good man with good intentions even if he couldn’t always express or demonstrate these in the best of ways.
One thing that did irk me in the book and this was more so for the character rather than any fault with the writing and that was Ritchie, Zoe’s ex. He was like the proverbial bad penny that just wouldn’t go away. The new puppy or the toddler always hanging out of you and wanting attention. He never got the hint from Zoe that she was building a new life for herself in Thimblebury and wanted to do so on her own terms and without him by her side hassling her. He wanted them back together and I felt it was more to keep him comfy and have his old familiar life back rather than any real and genuine want to get back with Zoe. Ritchie turned up in the village at the most inopportune of moments especially as Zoe would be making some headway with certain things. I wanted Zoe to just stand up and be firm which she could also have done with some aspects of her professional life. He became like a very unwanted pest and I was dying for her to put him in his place. Fixing other peoples problems gave Zoe a means to forget that she had her own to fix also but Ritchie was one that needed dealing with and she couldn’t avoid it no matter how much she wanted to.
The Village Midwife was a heart warming and enjoyable story of Zoe’s journey to starting over and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. It was fabulous to be back in the setting of Thimblebury and Zoe’s journey to finding happiness, excitement, peace and joy in her life made for a lovely read. There’s plenty more scope for future books so I look forward to reading more in the future. A Christmas visit to Thimblebury would be most welcome.
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