WOW! What an ending. Sandra Dallas, who is a genius with characters, has written a fascinating tale of a good woman accused of killing an innocent babe. Secrets abound in the vicinity of Gracy, the last midwife. Gracy, her husband Daniel who wanders each year looking for a gold strike and son Jeff who has left his home under strange unexplained circumstances are the main characters in this tightly plotted mystery. The mining town of Tenmile, a desolate outpost in the mountains, and its inhabitants are the supporting cast.
Gracy, accused of murder, staunchly refuses to tell the secrets she is privy to during the labor and delivery of babies when women are at their most vulnerable. Yet there are untold secrets surrounding Gracy and Daniel and Jeff that are only hinted as the tale unfolds.
The hardships and joys of a hardscrabble life in the late 1880’s are clearly stated with no apology and no sense of the desperation that poverty can elicit. These are people who face life with clear eyes and a sense of faith in themselves, their community and their God. Dallas is a sympathetic writer who understands the people, the place and time and is well able to bring them to life.
5 of 5 stars

Excellent book. Very readable and informative. If you love Sandra Dallas, like I do, then you will love this book.

This was my third book by this author (Fallen Women and Prayers for Sale, which is still my favorite). Grace is an extraordinary woman. Raised and trained by a midwife, Grace helped bring her first baby into the world when she was only 10. Naming her character Grace was no accident because her heart was overflowing with compassion for others, especially mothers and their babies and she sacrificed most all of her own life helping others bring new life to the world around her.

The story begins with an aged Grace being called to the house of a prominent mining company owner to attend to a newborn. Grace arrives to find the baby choking and with her expert hand she suctions the baby’s small lungs and soothes not only the baby but the home’s occupants as well. Just a few days later she receives word that the baby she attended has died. But not only did the baby die, he was strangled and they are accusing Grace of the act.

From there the story leads you through Grace’s life, her experiences as a midwife, the strength she possessed and the strength she was able to pass along to weary birthing mothers. I am still astounded at what mothers of old had to endure to get their babies to maturity. The birthing was only the first of many obstacles to cross in a world with few doctors, even fewer medicines and the only true hope was prayer.

I enjoyed the story immensely and had never really thought about all the aspects of life to which a midwife was subjected. I loved the strength of her character and her passion for the gift she clearly received. At the same time I wept for whatever it was that was clearly a burden or severe sorrow that she tried so gracefully to cover up. It wasn’t until the end that her true story is revealed and I admired her all the more. I’ve often heard that GRACE means God Revealed at Christ’s Expense and that definition couldn’t have been more appropriate than the story of Grace found in this story. Some people are self-serving, others are self-sacrificing and for Grace, sacrificing her feelings, happiness or comfort was never an issue when it came to helping others.