Member Reviews
Any time I start reading a World War 2 book, I know it is going to be emotional. The Midwife's Child is exactly that! The plot is emotional, hard to read at times, but beautiful. I loved the characters and felt connected to them. The ending was absolutely perfect. This was my first time reading a book by the author Amanda Lees, but it definitely will not be my last!
The Midwife’s child
By: Amanda Lees
This is the 3rd book in the Resistance Series, but can be read as a standalone. I loved all of these books. The first one was The Silence Before Dawn, followed by Paris at First Light and now this one The Midwife’s Child.
Auschwitz in 1945-Maggie is Auschwitz as a doctor, following Dr. Mengele’s orders, which is very hard as he is a Nazi. She is a resistance fighter who was in prison for her actions. One day she delivers a baby and the mother is dying. Her last wish as she pleads with Maggie’s is to “Save my baby. Find her father. And reunite them.” Dr. Mengele wants the little girl because she has blue eyes and he does experiments. Maggie must do everything in her power to get little Leah out of the camp.
Then the march begins, and Maggie along with others manage to escape in the hands of soldiers from the Red Army. Captain Jamie Maclean rescues them and will do everything in his power to help Maggie get Leah to her father. He realizes he is in awe of Maggie and feelings develop.
While on the search for Antoine, the father of little Leah she finds out Mengele has escaped and she knows he has something that was left behind that can prove what he and other Nazis did to the people of the camp.
This novel has intrigue, depth and had me up super late as I was thoroughly engrossed to find out if Leah would be reunited with her father in time. I highly recommend this novel as well as the others in the series.
Brilliant book, i could not put this book down, i love this genre and the subject matter sad yet interesting.
Does love really conquer all?
You’ll have to read Amanda Lee’s third installment of the World War Two Resistance series to find out.
‘Love story’ and ‘Auschwitz’ are not often three words one expects to be put together in a sentence. Let author Amanda Lees show you how love blossomed in the most unlikely of places.
Inspired by the real romance between John Mackay and Edith ‘Eci’ Steiner, Lees writes to spotlight hope, sacrifice and determination, three words that we do often associate with wartime historical fiction.
I think this is the best one yet; the author has blended historical fact and fiction, bundling everything I love about this cross and placed it within the pages of this fantastic read. You’ll notice themes of courage, duty, and love played out against a backdrop of considerable cruelty and hardship. Your heart will be softened knowing that in Maggie’s hands, Eva’s promise is sure to be carried out … at any cost.
Maggie, a prisoner, has been selected to work as a doctor in Auschwitz and has the misfortune of (1) working with Dr. Joseph Mengele and (2) being with her friend Eva when she gives birth in such the most extreme adversity imaginable. Both of these experiences have a profound impact on Maggie’s future. Author Amanda Lees plays off the polar emotions of love and hatred. We see Maggie deal with the most fearsome Nazi of all and then care for a sweet, innocent little girl who needs protection and nourishment. I loved seeing Maggie grasp a chance at happiness, knowing that if anyone could do it, she definitely could.
It was great reuniting with Lees's characters from books 1 and 2 and seeing Maggie’s character develop. I loved Lee’s ability to pull the past and present together with her use of timelines and flashbacks. This meant that I needed to be continually aware of chapter title clues, but was rewarded with a story rich in hope, compassion and overcoming against all odds.
I was gifted this copy by Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
This is another difficult WWII read.
As the Red Army closed in on Auschwitz’s prison camp, the Nazis grew nervous and prepared to run.
The notorious Dr Josef Mendel is the devil of this story. Some details are wishful rather than accurate.
Many medical personnel no doubt did their quiet best to save as many lives as possible.
The Midwife’s Child by Amanda Lees is the sort of book that you find impossible to put down and stays with you long after you turn the last page. The main character, Maggie, is a powerhouse character. She is strength, she is determination, she is bravery, she is selflessness, she is phenomenal.
Maggie is sent as a political prisoner to Auschwitz from France and is ordered to work in the camp hospital due to her being a doctor. To Maggie’s horror, she finds herself working with the devil himself, Joseph Mengele. Maggie’s dear friend Eva gives birth in Auschwitz and while Eva fights for her life, Maggie vows to keep the baby safe at all costs. While on a death March, Maggie is rescued by a Scottish squadron leader Jamie, in the woods, her knight in shining armor. Maggie is determined to fulfill Eva’s dying wish: reunite the baby with her father in France, no matter what, even if that means possibly losing Jamie, the man she quickly fell in love with.
So many examples of love, bravery, honor, commitment, duty, and friendship are displayed in this novel. It’s a very well-written novel and Amanda Lees does an extraordinary job at bringing her characters alive and having you fall in love with them all. This is a must read. I wish I could give this book more than five stars.
The Midwife’s Child by Amanda Lees is a historical fiction novel based on the events leading up to the end of the second world war. It’s told from the viewpoint of a former SOE turned POW who has survived her time in a concentration camp. It is the third book in the WW2 Resistance series and ties up a lot of loose ends. The story begins with Maggie, a resistance fighter and doctor who is living in a concentration camp treating patients. She works under one of the most hated men in history and vows to survive in order to recount all the pain and senseless death she has been made to witness. Having read the previous books in the series, I had already developed a liking for the main characters and was familiar with their relationships. I was already intrigued by Maggie and was very much looking forward to how the story was going to play out. In the beginning, I found the story a little tougher to follow than the first two books in the series because of its structure. The story contained a mixture of present time as well as flashbacks which I found to be a bit confusing. I found that as long as I paid attention to the dates at the beginning of each chapter, I was more able to focus on the series of events that lead to Maggie’s new identity. Overall, the story clearly wrapped up many of the loose ends from the second novel and I really enjoyed it.
A historical novel about sacrifices, determination and love that conquers all. There's something about the way the author writes that makes the words flow easily, and the pages turn themselves! Recommend to all!
A wonderful tale of love and sacrifice in one of the worst places on earth. And then trying to put your life back together!