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The Midwife's Daughter #2
Aren't We Sisters?
Following on from The Midwife's Daughter, Aren't We Sisters? is a gripping novel about buried secrets and unlikely friendship.
Norah Thornby can no longer afford to live in her grand family home in the centre of Silkhampton. Unless, perhaps, she can find a respectable lodger.
But Nurse Lettie Quick is not nearly as respectable as she seems. What's really going on at the clinic she has opened? And why has she chosen Silkhampton?
Meanwhile the beautiful Rae Grainger has found the perfect place to stay, in an isolated house miles away from the town. It's certainly rather creepy, especially at candlelit bedtime, but Rae knows that all she has to do is stay out of sight, until others - paid, professional others - are ready to take her little problem away. Then she can just forget the whole ghastly business... can't she?
No one guesses, of course, that there's a killer quietly at work in Silkhampton; that in one way or another all three women are in danger...
Norah Thornby can no longer afford to live in her grand family home in the centre of Silkhampton. Unless, perhaps, she can find a respectable lodger.
But Nurse Lettie Quick is not nearly as respectable as she seems. What's really going on at the clinic she has opened? And why has she chosen Silkhampton?
Meanwhile the beautiful Rae Grainger has found the perfect place to stay, in an isolated house miles away from the town. It's certainly rather creepy, especially at candlelit bedtime, but Rae knows that all she has to do is stay out of sight, until others - paid, professional others - are ready to take her little problem away. Then she can just forget the whole ghastly business... can't she?
No one guesses, of course, that there's a killer quietly at work in Silkhampton; that in one way or another all three women are in danger...
443 pages, Paperback
First published July 3, 2014
About the author
Patricia Ferguson
7 books14 followersPatricia Ferguson was brought up in Kent, read history at Leeds university, and completed a two-year graduate nursing course at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. This was at rather the end of an era; she was perhaps amongst the very last young women shown how to coax starched linen hats into the requisite five pleats, or told that pillow cases must always face away from the ward entrance; but she was also taught many vital and graceful nursing techniques.
Pat loved the obstetrics part of the course, and completed midwifery training too. She had always wanted to write and finished her first novel, Family Myths and Legends, whilst working as an obstetric nurse in Canada. This won the Somerset Maugham Award, the Betty Trask, and the David Higham prize in 1985.
Working as an agency nurse in London Pat completed her acclaimed short story collection about nursing, Indefinite Nights.
Several more short stories have been broadcast on Radio 4, and Pat has published four further novels, two of them listed for the Orange Prize. She taught Creative Writing at the University of Bristol, for many years and was a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Reading University. She is married with two grown-up sons, and lives in Bristol.
Pat loved the obstetrics part of the course, and completed midwifery training too. She had always wanted to write and finished her first novel, Family Myths and Legends, whilst working as an obstetric nurse in Canada. This won the Somerset Maugham Award, the Betty Trask, and the David Higham prize in 1985.
Working as an agency nurse in London Pat completed her acclaimed short story collection about nursing, Indefinite Nights.
Several more short stories have been broadcast on Radio 4, and Pat has published four further novels, two of them listed for the Orange Prize. She taught Creative Writing at the University of Bristol, for many years and was a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Reading University. She is married with two grown-up sons, and lives in Bristol.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 3, 2014
This is another novel that was long listed for the Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction this year. It is historical fiction, part mystery who-done-it, and part feminist saga. It takes place a few years after the end of World War II in England. It is the story of three women; Rae a film star hiding out as she waits to have her baby, Lottie who runs the birth control clinic, and Norah, Lottie's landlady, a spinster who slowly awakens to feminist ideals. This is a fast paced story, with lots of mystery about each other's backgrounds and about a murder that is unsolved. I love how the women's stories all come together and I love how, especially Norah, comes to change her views on life and how she and Lottie become friends. I am giving this very enjoyable book 4.5 stars.
September 17, 2014
An excellent follow-up to The MIdwife's Daughter this is a wonderful evocation of its era. Well researched, as well. The story covers many of the women's issues, connected to childbirth, contraception, abortion, hidden pregnancy, and just how women are treated by men as second class citizens, in the first half of the 20th century. At the same time, several mysteries, woven together, keep you reading to try and work out what really is going on with each of the complex characters. Recommended.
July 16, 2015
I knew nothing about this book, picking it randomly at an airport. What a good pick! Catchy, hunting, strong, appealing and written in a playful but sharp language. It was like a good mix of a Victorian Novell and contemporary crime literature, almost to the point when it gets too creepy to read it in the evening.
July 28, 2024
too many main characters for you to actually care about any of them. lit every time it would switch to barry or sm shit i would literally consider not finishing the book.
still, i like nettie and her journey- wish the whole book was ab her and didn’t try to do so much else. If you’re going to be a quirky historical piece of feminist literature, you only need one quirky
historical feminist.
still, i like nettie and her journey- wish the whole book was ab her and didn’t try to do so much else. If you’re going to be a quirky historical piece of feminist literature, you only need one quirky
historical feminist.
February 23, 2017
I couldn't get into this book - it did not hold me and did not match up to the blurb on the book
April 6, 2020
I loved this book, it took a while to get going and I nearly stopped reading it but I'm so glad I carried on. A really heart warming story of women, friends and sisterhood. Highly recommended.
August 31, 2014
I won this book in a giveaway on goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
First of all I have to say that I really enjoyed this book.
I'd describe the book "Aren't We Sisters" as mainly an adult, historical fiction book.
This book is written in mainly two perspectives (Norah and Lettie) but still there are a couple other characters who we get to know.
One is Rae, a movie-star, who has a "little problem" and that's why she moves out to Silkhampton into an isolated house. There she wants Lettie, a nursse, to take care of her "problem"...
The story is a great depiction of the society and it's taboos after WWI which are relevant to this day.
A huge issue the book deals with is the sovereignity of the women. Women who couldn't chose if they wanted children or not. Women who oftentimes died while in/after labour.
Abusive men who could do what they wanted.
Even though I had a hard time getting into the story and had to restart a few times I liked the description of the places and situations;
The characters are very credible and the whole story could have happened in real life.
My favorite part of the book was the vivid description of the characters emotions and thoughts. The emotions made the characters seem credible and honest.
I especially felt Rae's pain and concerns giving away her baby. Even though she intends to adopt her child in the future it's still a risk because she might never get her child back.
Overall I recommend this book for adults who like historical fiction though I think a lot of the motives and issues in this book are easier for women to relate to.
First of all I have to say that I really enjoyed this book.
I'd describe the book "Aren't We Sisters" as mainly an adult, historical fiction book.
This book is written in mainly two perspectives (Norah and Lettie) but still there are a couple other characters who we get to know.
One is Rae, a movie-star, who has a "little problem" and that's why she moves out to Silkhampton into an isolated house. There she wants Lettie, a nursse, to take care of her "problem"...
The story is a great depiction of the society and it's taboos after WWI which are relevant to this day.
A huge issue the book deals with is the sovereignity of the women. Women who couldn't chose if they wanted children or not. Women who oftentimes died while in/after labour.
Abusive men who could do what they wanted.
Even though I had a hard time getting into the story and had to restart a few times I liked the description of the places and situations;
The characters are very credible and the whole story could have happened in real life.
My favorite part of the book was the vivid description of the characters emotions and thoughts. The emotions made the characters seem credible and honest.
I especially felt Rae's pain and concerns giving away her baby. Even though she intends to adopt her child in the future it's still a risk because she might never get her child back.
Overall I recommend this book for adults who like historical fiction though I think a lot of the motives and issues in this book are easier for women to relate to.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2014
When I received it in the post (after receiving an advance-read copy), I really didn’t know what to expect from Aren’t We Sisters? In the end, I think I picked out the wrong book. This book wasn’t poorly written as such; it just wasn’t something I would normally read and I should not have done.
I found Aren’t We Sisters? was really quite confusing and most of the time I didn’t have a clue what was going on. I didn’t feel like what the blurb described was conveyed in the story. Until the climax, which was actually the best moment of the whole book, the story bumped along with no major events happening, which made the book boring in places. I think this may have been because I kept getting confused. Sometimes I felt like I was sitting in on a mothers’ meeting, with far too much gossipy conversation.
One of the main characters, Lettie Quick, runs a family planning clinic in the book and if you look at the front page, you will see that Patricia Ferguson trained as a midwife. Lettie’s POV was extremely realistic, therefore, for the time period. However, some of the scenes in the clinic were pretty lewd: think descriptions of a woman’s vagina (ew!) and cervical caps. Some other slightly sexual scenes appeared throughout the book which also made me squirm a bit.
I didn’t particularly like Aren’t We Sisters? and once I finished it, I said: “I’m glad that’s over.” This really wasn’t for me and I wouldn’t recommend it.
I found Aren’t We Sisters? was really quite confusing and most of the time I didn’t have a clue what was going on. I didn’t feel like what the blurb described was conveyed in the story. Until the climax, which was actually the best moment of the whole book, the story bumped along with no major events happening, which made the book boring in places. I think this may have been because I kept getting confused. Sometimes I felt like I was sitting in on a mothers’ meeting, with far too much gossipy conversation.
One of the main characters, Lettie Quick, runs a family planning clinic in the book and if you look at the front page, you will see that Patricia Ferguson trained as a midwife. Lettie’s POV was extremely realistic, therefore, for the time period. However, some of the scenes in the clinic were pretty lewd: think descriptions of a woman’s vagina (ew!) and cervical caps. Some other slightly sexual scenes appeared throughout the book which also made me squirm a bit.
I didn’t particularly like Aren’t We Sisters? and once I finished it, I said: “I’m glad that’s over.” This really wasn’t for me and I wouldn’t recommend it.
October 7, 2014
Lettie is a nurse who has turned her medical skills to introducing family planning clinics and birth control to women, following a meeting with Marie Stopes that inspired her to help women gain "sovereignty" over their own bodies. The factual content of Marie Stopes and birth control was well researched and it was fascinating to learn about the difficulties that used to exist in an area that the majority of modern women find so common place.
The book is written from the perspective of the three main female characters in the book and at the beginning this was sometimes a bit confusing. As the characters developed and the relationships between them became established, this style fitted the novel very well, allowing the reader to see different angles on the same plot line.
I found some of the subplots a little distracting, but many were put in to plant all the clues to the identity of the murderer if you take careful note. The finale to the book, bringing all the various strands together is neatly written, but some parts, though heartwarming, could be seen as being slightly unbelievable.
On the whole a good read, but in order to keep track of the characters it is important not to leave a long time between each time you pick the book up as they do tend to merge together somewhat.
The book is written from the perspective of the three main female characters in the book and at the beginning this was sometimes a bit confusing. As the characters developed and the relationships between them became established, this style fitted the novel very well, allowing the reader to see different angles on the same plot line.
I found some of the subplots a little distracting, but many were put in to plant all the clues to the identity of the murderer if you take careful note. The finale to the book, bringing all the various strands together is neatly written, but some parts, though heartwarming, could be seen as being slightly unbelievable.
On the whole a good read, but in order to keep track of the characters it is important not to leave a long time between each time you pick the book up as they do tend to merge together somewhat.
March 10, 2015
The basic story idea is solid, and sometimes the execution is strong. I was struck at one point by a description of an old photograph; I thought Ferguson laid out the truth behind the contented children in the picture very effectively. At another point a character reflects on trinkets that poor mothers leave for the babies they are giving up. Lettie's personality was interestingly slippery, and both she and Norah seemed like fine characters to spend 400-odd pages with. Lettie's work providing birth control in 1920s Britain sounded fascinating to me. I thought it might be a sort of watered down Sarah Waters read, and began to speculate on whether Norah and Lettie were lesbians. Alas, my hopes were dashed. More, far less intriguing viewpoint characters were introduced. Characterization and world-building took a back seat as plot developments piled on top of each other. I kept forgetting what year it was, and Ferguson's scene setting did very little to remind me.
I am awarding one bonus star for references to Dickens and Katherine Mansfield.
I am awarding one bonus star for references to Dickens and Katherine Mansfield.
July 16, 2014
SO HAVE YOU BEEN USING ANYTHING ALREADY, MRS TUCKER?
Nurse Lettie Quick has opened a family planning clinic in Silkhampton, where she sees women for contraception. As a woman I found it uncomfortable reading how Nurse Lettie Quick is going to fit the cervical cap.
Norah Thornby can no longer afford to live in her grand family home and Alice Pyncheon gives Norah some good news that Aunt Daphne is looking for lodgings.
Rae Grainger finds the perfect place to stay, in a creepy house miles away from town.
No one guesses, of course, that there is a killer quietly at work in Silkhampton that one way or another all three women are in danger.
Aren't We Sisters follows on from the hugely successful The Midwife's Daughter - 1933, and the world is still changing, even in a quite town in Cornwall.
Nurse Lettie Quick has opened a family planning clinic in Silkhampton, where she sees women for contraception. As a woman I found it uncomfortable reading how Nurse Lettie Quick is going to fit the cervical cap.
Norah Thornby can no longer afford to live in her grand family home and Alice Pyncheon gives Norah some good news that Aunt Daphne is looking for lodgings.
Rae Grainger finds the perfect place to stay, in a creepy house miles away from town.
No one guesses, of course, that there is a killer quietly at work in Silkhampton that one way or another all three women are in danger.
Aren't We Sisters follows on from the hugely successful The Midwife's Daughter - 1933, and the world is still changing, even in a quite town in Cornwall.
January 13, 2016
When I picked up this book I didn't realise it was a follow-up to a previous novel (The Midwife's Daughter). Now, having read and enjoyed it I wish I had read its predecessor first.
An excellent page turner, with a collection of interesting (and one creepy) characters. The four women who dominate this story, Norah, Lettie, Rae and Bea are as different as any four could be, but by the end of the story are totally dependent on one another for survival and for future freedom.
Lettie, a follower of the teachings of Marie Stopes comes to town with a secret agenda, Rae also has a secret to hide, as has Bea and Norah, Lettie's reluctant landlady must come to terms with a sticky situation and with herself.
Add to this a look into life in the early 1930s and it all comes together to make a thoroughly satisfactory read.
An excellent page turner, with a collection of interesting (and one creepy) characters. The four women who dominate this story, Norah, Lettie, Rae and Bea are as different as any four could be, but by the end of the story are totally dependent on one another for survival and for future freedom.
Lettie, a follower of the teachings of Marie Stopes comes to town with a secret agenda, Rae also has a secret to hide, as has Bea and Norah, Lettie's reluctant landlady must come to terms with a sticky situation and with herself.
Add to this a look into life in the early 1930s and it all comes together to make a thoroughly satisfactory read.
July 13, 2014
I would like to mention that yes, there is some very "frank" conversation in this book, but that is completely understandable considering the subject matter. There are other parts, however, that may be considered "objectionable" to some and for me took away from the book. Also, I had a somewhat difficult time with the actual reading of the story. It was hard for me to follow in parts, and sometimes seemed to jump quickly with thought from one sentence to the next. I liked the description of the story and the thought of a "mystery" behind it, and would like to thank Goodreads First Reads, the Author and Publisher with providing me with a free copy for my honest review.
December 21, 2014
received this book as part of Good Reads First Reads
This is about Nurse Lettie who sets up a family planning clinic
It is the story about what really goes on behind closed doors and as the story unfolds you find out why she could have chosen anywhere in the country but chose Silkhampton
It is also the story of Norah who has to take in a lodger to make ends meet so she can remain in her family home
The plot thickens as a there is a sinister twist in the plot with a killer on the loose and people's lives are in danger
A great book with twist that you never quite see until they happen
This is about Nurse Lettie who sets up a family planning clinic
It is the story about what really goes on behind closed doors and as the story unfolds you find out why she could have chosen anywhere in the country but chose Silkhampton
It is also the story of Norah who has to take in a lodger to make ends meet so she can remain in her family home
The plot thickens as a there is a sinister twist in the plot with a killer on the loose and people's lives are in danger
A great book with twist that you never quite see until they happen
Read
May 3, 2015Good book, not as clever as Perceptions, but looking at interesting themes of women and birth, and the impact of this on everyone, children, husbands, society in general etc, how absent from all literature, including great literature (as per the musings of one character), is the reality of birth and women's bodies, how many woman have died in it, and the reality of women's bodies, when they are not for men, but just are. The characters are believable, the relationships interesting, the plot well orchestrated, the settings are clearly drawn and stay in the mind.
June 28, 2018
One of the poorest books I have read in a long time. The book was badly written, very confusing and muddled. Lots of side 'stories' that didn't lead anywhere and it all ended in a farce. The language used was not always of the time period, hence the book lacked reality.
On the positive side it did tackle issues of the taboo of the time, contraception for women, and how women wanted sovereignty over their bodies. Then. ....ended by a woman's life being changed by receiving a dress to wear ! What ? Really ?
On the positive side it did tackle issues of the taboo of the time, contraception for women, and how women wanted sovereignty over their bodies. Then. ....ended by a woman's life being changed by receiving a dress to wear ! What ? Really ?
July 20, 2014
This book provides an insightful view of British 1920s-30s attitudes to birth control, women, class differences and relationships through the eyes of four very different women in a tale of mystery and suspense. I found it to be an interesting and unusual read, and it held my interest to the very end. I won a free copy of this book from Penguin through goodreads.
March 16, 2015
Great story telling. The 1920's were brought vividly to life for me through the stories of three very different women. The description of a rogue uncaring male doctor was unnervingly worrying in it's aptness to the lack of any feedback opportunities for poor practice even in 2015. I will definitely look out for more books from this author.
April 20, 2015
I really liked the story and read the book straight through without getting distracted by other titles (this is rare for me -- I usually have multiple titles on the go). Lettie was a very well drawn character, Norah veered slightly toward cliche, but the relationship between the two women still worked very well.
January 25, 2015
An enjoyed read that built up to an exciting climax. Patricia Ferguson's novel evoked the period between the wars very convincingly. It was disturbing to think what my grandmother's generation had to endure with birth control and child birth.
July 17, 2014
ADVANCE REVIEW COPY.
A personable romp through the changing sensibilities of the women of post-war Britain (with a murder thrown in for good measure).
A personable romp through the changing sensibilities of the women of post-war Britain (with a murder thrown in for good measure).
August 19, 2014
Did enjoy the book. I'd give 3.5 stars if possible. Atmospheric, evocative of an era. I found the writing style a bit difficult to settle down to overall.
March 6, 2015
Enjoyable with a number of threads which tie together nicely.
March 16, 2015
Took me a while to get through but the second half is much more engaging when everything starts to come together. Thought provoking, feminist, and surprisingly sweet at the end.
April 16, 2015
A bit hard to get in to and follow at times
January 1, 2017
Really enjoying this so far. Not helping me get any work done, but glad of the distraction.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews