This was a very interesting sci-fi thriller. I enjoyed the overall plot of the book and the main character was written with a bold, strong personality. She awakens to a world very different from what she knew, a post-apocalyptic world where women die from childbirth, a deadly virus attacking women and infants, making the very few survivors a valuable commodity. It's a dark foreboding atmosphere and contains some dark and disturbing content such as rape and violence, but what else would you expect in a post-apocalyptic society? It was an interesting read and I found it kept my attention throughout.

I am totally traumatized but still giving this book five stars. Why? Because it was that good. It was that deeply rooted in human nature that I believed every word. What a powerful novel.

I had a netgalley of this book which I had previously lost due to a fault kindle and I had also bought this one from Amazon UK back in December 2017 so it had been sat waiting on my kindle for me to get around to reading it for a while. I think it was one of those books I had bought and then forgot about! I had just finished reading a couple of books that had pregnancy as a major subject within them and I fancied reading something similar and whilst aimlessly searching by kindle for reading inspiration I came across The Unnamed Midwife and decided it was about time I read that!

The genres I have seen listed for this book are Sci-Fi and Literary Fiction, which I do agree with, though upon finishing reading the book I would also add Dystopian, Post-apocalyptic and maybe even a little futuristic.

At the beginning of the book we seem to be set in some sort of “future time” the prologue introduces us to Mother Ina who is wearing a false wooden nine months gestation pregnant belly even though she is clearly too old to really be pregnant. This detail sort of confused me a little and to a point I still don’t really know why Mother Ina was wearing a wooden pregnancy belly. Mother Ina is instructing the boys who are the latest chosen scribes to copy The Book Of The Unnamed Midwife. Mother Ina explains that it is not just one book but a collection of nineteen journals. She explains that the boys have already been taught the book of Canon which holds the story of dying and that it is a hard thing to read, it may make them feel sick, or upset. They have also learnt the book of Honus, which contains information about the hives. Mother Ina continues instructing them, that they will finish up with The Book of the Dreamless Ones then their training will be complete. Mother Ina drills into them that these books are very special and important. They are also very fragile and sensitive to light. It is the utmost importance that the information in them is kept and is to be handed down over the generations to come.

Then the actual book itself begins, the world in a state of widespread illness and panic. The main character of the book is the “Unnamed Midwife” whose real name we never really learn This strong female chooses a different name for every different person or group of people she meets. At the beginning of the book she is referred to “she” but the first time she uses a name it is “Karen” so I will refer to her as Karen now as it is easier to explain the book having a name for the character. It is her diary entries that form an important part of this book. Karen is a nurse and can’t remember the last time she had been at home, or even rested. Karen had been so busy with the constant influx of patients. Karen notices that the fever and illness seems, to be affecting women more. More and more of them are dying. Women that are pregnant are giving having stillbirths and then also dying themselves. Karen has hardly seen her partner Jack either. Jack is working non stop in the hospital labs to try and identify the infection and come up with a vaccine to prevent others succumbing to it or even to find a cure of some sort. The last time she saw Jack he had revealed to her that he still had a long way to go though he did think that this infection was autoimmune illness.

It’s not long until she herself falls ill and literally just finds a place to lie down and die. When she does reawaken, she doesn’t know how much time has passed or why she now seems to be fever free. She searches the hospital looking for Jack and in doing so finds lots of dead bodies, again she notices the greater percentage consists of women. She ventures outside of the hospital and is shocked by what she discovers. There are no buses, no cars moving, streetlights and no people. She makes her way to her apartment hoping Jack could be there as she hadn’t found his body in the hospital when she had searched. She is so tired she literally falls onto her bed and sleeps. Suddenly she is aware of the mattress moving as another body lies next to her. In her sleepy state at first, she thinks it is Jack and then realises it is some other man who is intent on raping her. She fights for her life and survives.

The first people she meets is a gay couple who give their names as Joe and Chicken, she gives her name as Karen. Karen is invited to eat a meal with them and spend the night. Later when Chicken goes out in search of water, he comes across other people and has to flee and ends up injuring himself quite badly. Karen treats Chicken’s leg and probably saves his life. They stick together for a while, going into office buildings to look for water, they survive a gas explosion and are almost caught by a gang of men. It’s then that Chicken bluntly tells Karen she is no longer welcome to travel with them as she will be putting them in more danger.

“Karen” soon decides she needs to hide the fact that she is a woman, as she meets different groups or lone survivors, she is all the more wary of trusting anyone with the fact she is a woman. So, she always gives a male name and says she was a field medic in Afghanistan and just leaves the fact that she is female out of her story. It is not until much later in the book that she reveals she is a qualified midwife. Her skills are certainly needed as some settlers are actively becoming pregnant thinking, they will be okay now the plague/fever seems to have died out. It is also towards the latter part of the book that, the then named Dusty comes across a settlement of what she calls Mormons though they prefer to be referred to as LDS. They believe they are doing Gods work in Huntsville, and they are going to repopulate the world. There are 59 settlers in total, 52 men of varying ages, 3 women consisting of an old woman (too old to have more children), a middle-aged woman and a young newly married woman. There are also 4 children comprising of 2 girls and 2 boys all under the age of 10. Dusty agrees to spending some time with the group as they try to convince her to stay with them. Dusty feels there is something odd and not right about the group and decides she would rather be on her own, though she does agree they can call on her for medical emergencies if needed.

The main character is female, what is turning out to be in scarce supply, making it hazardous to be a woman, especially a woman of child bearing age. She is hurt when Joe and Chicken turn their backs on her and I think she would have probably happily stayed with them. The fact they more or less abandon her gives her a harsh reality check, she has no one to rely on but herself. She cuts off her long hair, kits herself out in a vest to bind her chest and wears men’s clothing to disguise that she is female. She learns not to trust anyone. As she meets different people, she gives them all a different name. I wonder if it is meant to be that she no longer remembers her name as she was so ill. Or is it as she no longer identifies with the person she once was, and the world she now lives in that she gives different names. Or perhaps she simply doesn’t trust anyone to tell them the one thing she can keep to herself and that’s her real name. I really liked the “unnamed midwife” as a character, she is a tough woman determined not only to make it on her own but to help any women she comes across on her journey. She provides them with birth control, and any medical help she can give them without revealing herself as a mother.

I loved the part of the book where “the unnamed midwife” ends up in a settlement literally called “Nowhere” and hears news of her partner Jack. It certainly makes both her and the reader go through a lot of “What if’s”. Things could have been so different if they had remained together, but then the realist part of her brain and the readers brain kicks in and thinks that the ending she has at the end of the book may never have happened. Had she been travelling with Jack maybe they both would be dead, or Jack dead and her a slave to the meant that would have killed him to get her.

I would say this book is an 18+ read with the content and subject matter of rape, and sexuality. I would say that the section concerning the LDS and how they were choosing to live in Huntsville may be uncomfortable reading for some too. I enjoyed the sections that were in diary form initially by the Unnamed Midwife using the various names she came up with, then the section that “Dusty” copied into her journal from the diary Honus had kept during his time on her mission from the LDS. Then there are the diary entries of the people who have come together to live in “Nowhere” too. There is, also the sections where the narrator is telling the story which kept my interest going when some of the diary entries were a bit too slowly paced or a little too drawn out. This is the first book in a series and though at times the book felt a little slow in pace, I still want to read more of this series. I am definitely glad that I finally got around to reading this book. It reminded me a tiny bit of Sophie Littlefield’s, Aftertime Series, Post-Apocalyptic for adult readers. I would say that it’s a decent start to a potentially great series.

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife is a post apocalyptic novel with a premise that is different from other books I've read. In the near future, a plague has devastated the world, with a fever killing 98% of men and 99% of women. Pregnant women die in childbirth while delivering stillborn babies. In a world such as this, women become scarce objects sought by men to rape, buy or sell. Needless to say, civilization as we know it has ground to a halt.

It is to this world the midwife of the title travels incognito, as a man, to outposts of civilization where women still conceive, and stillbirths are the norm. It is in her hands and those of a few other dedicated midwives that the future of the human race stands even a slim chance of recovery.

I found this book to be timely and entertaining. It made me really think about the future and humanity's likeliness to survive or not. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thanks to Netgally and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife was surprisingly an interesting read.
Many thanks to Netgalley and publisher

This is another of the titles I requested during the terrible period when I was diagnosed with end stage renal disease. I stopped being interested in reading anything for a very long time. Now that I am able to read again, I don't think I will ever get around to some of these titles. Please accept my apologies.

I thought this was a different take on the whole "end of the world" novel. It isn't an idealistic portrayal of human virtue, but instead focuses on the raw, gritty reality of life for a woman in times of upheaval. It might take things to an extreme in its scenario, but it doesn't shy away from revealing the uglier side of human nature.

Loved this! Dystopic fiction with a feminist bent, an unflinching view of the rape and violence that goes along with a post-apocalyptic world, and the saving grace - the hope of a matriarchal society that could just save mankind.

I read this book in one sitting. I was mesmerized by the story and could not put it down. If you like dystopian books, you will love this one.

I loved this book. It's a typical dystopic tale, but with a lens that I feels is more feminist and more aware of the reality of our current times. I love, love that the fact that she has to hide inside men's clothing isn't simply a convenient plot point, but is examined deeply. What does it require of her? Why does she do it? How does that transform her sense of self. I like that in this world LGBTQ people aren't erased, nor are people of color. It seems like a book that is interested in looking at the margins, and not just the people that stories usually happen to.

“What disease cannot do, people accomplish with astonishing ease.”

The book of the Unnamed Midwife is tragic dystopian post-apocalyptic survivalist novel. As a fan of the dystopian genre, I have to say that this book does things differently and it was really refreshing. As you read, you aren't given ALL the information but it truly works and all ties together so nicely. I was entirely entranced with this book and had to know what happened to all the characters that were introduced! I loved the perspective of the unnamed midwife, who decides to travel somewhere more safe (dressed as a man) and along the way, helps women with preventing birth and making sure that any pregnant woman stays alive.

Because the unnamed midwife pretends to be a man throughout the book, the reader gets to see a perspective on these new gender roles and how they've regressed in this new world. It isn't a pretty picture. But I loved the commentary on sexism and how it plays into our own world. I thought this was done so well. Much of this book is diverse and I loved that aspect, as well. You don't get many apocalyptic stories that are diverse and have all this commentary on social issues.

I loved the overall themes of this book on how important it is for girls and women to have options and feel safe. I thank Meg Elison for writing such an important and good read.

TW: Rape, genital mutilation, physical abuse, sex trafficking/trades, stillbirths, and probably more things in the same vein

This is a really well constructed story that kept my interest from beginning to end. It tells the story of the world in crisis. A plague has ravaged humanity, with a 100% mortality rate in newborns and most mothers dying. The idea of a world with few women is not a particularly new one. What I liked here, however, is the structure of the book. The narrative takes the form of diary entries from the midwife interspersed with 3rd person narrator sections giving us information about things that the midwife cannot know. I also liked the different scenarios that the midwife encounters along the way. Each one focuses on the new people she meets and some of these characters are really well drawn. There are some horrific depictions of abuse and attacks, but they are dealt with sensitively and never gratuitously. The pacing was generally very good and I am intrigued to see where the story will go in the sequel.

A dystopian book that gets you thinking about community and how society will rebuild in the midst of chaos, new and raw emotions and navigating the new world with limited resources.

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife is a post apocalyptic tale of the most badass female protagonist I've come across yet.

When she fell asleep, the world was doomed. When she awoke, it was dead.

In the wake of a fever that decimated the earth’s population—killing women and children and making childbirth deadly for the mother and infant—the midwife must pick her way through the bones of the world she once knew to find her place in this dangerous new one. Gone are the pillars of civilization. All that remains is power—and the strong who possess it.

Did I mention this is a tale of female empowerment and bad-assery? It is a post apocalyptic story with a twist. Ninety-eight percent of the world's population is obliterated, but the most effected are women and children. What makes this story so dark and frightening, is the threat that something similar could happen at any minute in our current society. Strange diseases and superbug threats are always looming on the fringes of life as we know it. Also, I found this tale rather frightening as a woman reader. The chaos that this society (what little that's left) falls into is not that different than our current one, where women don't have the same opportunities that are afforded to our male counterparts. The similarities between this story and reality are so eerily similar that it's not hard to fully immerse yourself in the struggle of this book at all.

I enjoyed the writing, the pace and the plot, as well as the development of the main character. It was definitely fascinating to follow her personal growth during her quest for survival and safety. Additionally, the author touched on several subjects that made this read a refreshing surprise. Gender, sexuality, and race were all targeted, making this a great diverse read.

A chilling, and compelling journey that touches on various crucial subjects. It's a story of adversity and survival in it's most raw and real form. I had no idea how much I was going to love this book.  I can not recommend it enough, and I'm definitely looking forward to continuing this journey.

A post-apocalyptic survivalist tale of a lone female traveling through a world where 98% of the population has been wiped out.
Powerful and thought provoking, this title has a great pacing and style. I would recommend it to friends and patrons.

I'm a fan of dystopian novels in general and this one was at the top of the list for me in 2017. Meg told an interesting story about an important topic and kept my attention throughout. I would recommend to all my friends.

This is a great book. Recommended for fans of Peter Heller's The Dog Stars, Cormac McCarthy's The Road, P.D. James' Children of Men, and Margaret Atwood in general. Really compelling post-apocalyptic, speculative feminist sci-fi.

However, please be aware that this is a HARD book. All the trigger warnings for murder, rape, child abuse, slavery, miscarriage, and stillbirth. A virulent sickness that causes 100% infant mortality (and 98-99% mortality of everyone else), the total collapse of society, and the male to female ratio dropping to something like 10:1 creates some awful, awful situations in Elison's summation and she is not afraid of telling you all about it. The ending is incredibly satisfying, however, and left me in tears.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book.*

Just as I finished reading this book, I listened to a radio program on the role of dystopic literature in today’s political landscape. The books referenced were generally those so well known they had been made into films (The Hunger Games, Divergence, The Handmaid’s Tale). The context was one of social commentary and political warning. Meg Elison’s Philip K. Dick Award-winning novel, although depicting a future as grim as the others, focuses instead of a human story. There’s no explanation for the plague that wipes out most of humankind, or why most men turn into rapists bent on enslaving women; that’s not the heart of the story. Via alternating journal entries and narrative sections, an unnamed woman – a nurse midwife working in a hospital -- chronicles her own personal journey through a landscape of dead people and dying cities, caught between the desolation of being utterly alone and the peril posed by the few other survivors. As she survives one crisis after another, she gains in wisdom and insight. No matter how lonely she is, she refuses to sacrifice her hard-won independence – both of body and of spirit. The writing is clear and lucid, its simplicity a perfect vehicle for the power of the emotional arc. In the end, the seeds of trust and kindness only partly glimpsed at the beginning of her harrowing tale come to fruition in a thoroughly satisfying way.

At first glance, "The Book of the Unnamed Midwife" by Meg Elison might seem like a typical pandemic doomsday type of book but do not be deceived. It is much more than that. After an unexpected pandemic decimates the world; particularly women, the Midwife must struggle to survive amid the collapse of civilization and the new reality of the scarcity of women. She is the only hope for the future of Mankind.
The struggles and triumphs of not only the Midwife but also other survivors is so complex and full of depth. Scenes that came up in the book seemed very probable and realistic. It seems like this is the beginning of a series (yay!) and I am really looking forward to continuing the journey of the Midwife.
I received a copy of this book from the publishers (via Netgalley) for free in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the first few chapters of this book but then I felt like it just started to drag on. Had to put it down.