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The Empty Cradle
To the outside world, Charlotte is the privileged daughter of the local vicar. Behind closed doors, however, she is the prisoner of her controlling father. Charlotte longs for freedom, but her captivating innocence leads her into trouble. Sent to Ireland to hide a shameful pregnancy, she discovers that once again her father has deceived her. She is forced into a convent's harsh regime, where she must eventually give up the one thing that makes her life worthwhile. When Charlotte returns to England, she chooses to forget the past. Becoming a London midwife, she longs only to help other women. But her deep compassion, and desire to prevent anyone else suffering the same horror she did, leads her into a more dangerous place.
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First published November 8, 2012
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About the author
Rosie Goodwin
106 books373 followersBefore becoming a writer, I was a Placement Support Worker and foster carer, and worked in the social services department after completing a teacher training course. Many children have joined my family over the years. I still live in Nuneaton, where many of my books are set, with my husband, Trevor, and our beloved dogs.
I was thrilled to discover that I'd become one of the top 250 most-borrowed library authors in the UK, and would like to thank all of you who have taken out my books over the last few years! I love meeting my readers and am always pleased to hear from you. I hope you will all continue to get in touch and please do sign up for my newsletter!
I was thrilled to discover that I'd become one of the top 250 most-borrowed library authors in the UK, and would like to thank all of you who have taken out my books over the last few years! I love meeting my readers and am always pleased to hear from you. I hope you will all continue to get in touch and please do sign up for my newsletter!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
September 27, 2017
Really enjoyed reading this book. Rosie goodwin never fails to disappoint. Highly recommended.
December 6, 2020
I was willing to persevere with this book despite the fact I hated the writing style from the onset but honestly, I wish I hadn’t, I had so many issues. And for such a quick paced book I found myself bored repeatedly and having to force myself to push through. This isn’t an author I’ll be reaching for again any time soon.
The writing was so basic and lacklustre, there was no opportunity for readers to interpret anything for themselves. Things were repetitive and the speech/actions of the characters was bizarre at points. The entire plot was so predictable, cliché and full of overdone tropes I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. That was something ‘shocking’ literally every chapter that turned out to be not so shocking at all. It was so tiresome. the protagonist was also extremely boring I couldn't stand her.
The content of the book was also handled terribly in my opinion. There is so much sensitive and traumatic content that the characters never fully process or get help for, it just happens and the characters brush it off and move on. I feel like every possible negative thing that could happen in one lifetime happened to this woman every single month without closure. It was ridiculous and stereotypical and played into every prejudice about certain groups as possible. Only positive is that it was over quickly.
The writing was so basic and lacklustre, there was no opportunity for readers to interpret anything for themselves. Things were repetitive and the speech/actions of the characters was bizarre at points. The entire plot was so predictable, cliché and full of overdone tropes I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. That was something ‘shocking’ literally every chapter that turned out to be not so shocking at all. It was so tiresome. the protagonist was also extremely boring I couldn't stand her.
The content of the book was also handled terribly in my opinion. There is so much sensitive and traumatic content that the characters never fully process or get help for, it just happens and the characters brush it off and move on. I feel like every possible negative thing that could happen in one lifetime happened to this woman every single month without closure. It was ridiculous and stereotypical and played into every prejudice about certain groups as possible. Only positive is that it was over quickly.
February 8, 2015
This was a really lovely read telling the story of Charlotte. It covers her strict upbringing, being taken to a nunnery, Magdalene Sisters style, homosexuality and touches into "Vera Drake". Beautifully told it held my attention all the way through, leaving me weeping at the end.
December 25, 2017
Storytelling at it's best. Really enjoyed reading this book.
October 17, 2015
I deliberated over whether to give this book 4 or 5 stars so il go with 4.5...not 5 because there were parts of the story that just plodded along n there was nothing much to read about,almost as if whiling away some time until enough time had passed were the story could get going again.
But anyway I loved this book and it was such an easy read that I never put it down till it was finished.
Charlotte aka Lottie is such a likeable character from the start back as a fifteen year old naive restricted vicars daughter. Who becomes pregnant at 17 and who goes on to lose the one thing in life that has meant anything to her.
Charlottes time in the convent was horrific though obviously nowadays a lot has been reported on the goings on in the convents for pregnant girls and the evil they suffered at the hands of the nuns.
The story is told over a lifetime and follows her ups and downs and her career as a midwife and her personal life.
There are many sad moments and times and you can't help but feel sorry for Charlotte,for all that she misses out on in life as a result of her past. On the outside she appears happy and content but she will never be complete,never be happy and that's really sad.
From the start it was really obvious what was going on with her father and I really wish he had got his comeuppance in the end.
The story takes an unexpected turn coming to the last part of the book that you really aren't expecting and it's all pretty much down hill from there and so cruel.
Charlotte is just biding her time and it's horrible to think that she never found true happiness.
But then the story takes another twist and though I didn't like the way it ended for obvious reasons it was nice for Charlotte,she was finally happy.
Makes me feel sad for her even though she's not a real person but she could be and probably is in theory n that's what makes it so heartfelt.
But anyway I loved this book and it was such an easy read that I never put it down till it was finished.
Charlotte aka Lottie is such a likeable character from the start back as a fifteen year old naive restricted vicars daughter. Who becomes pregnant at 17 and who goes on to lose the one thing in life that has meant anything to her.
Charlottes time in the convent was horrific though obviously nowadays a lot has been reported on the goings on in the convents for pregnant girls and the evil they suffered at the hands of the nuns.
The story is told over a lifetime and follows her ups and downs and her career as a midwife and her personal life.
There are many sad moments and times and you can't help but feel sorry for Charlotte,for all that she misses out on in life as a result of her past. On the outside she appears happy and content but she will never be complete,never be happy and that's really sad.
From the start it was really obvious what was going on with her father and I really wish he had got his comeuppance in the end.
The story takes an unexpected turn coming to the last part of the book that you really aren't expecting and it's all pretty much down hill from there and so cruel.
Charlotte is just biding her time and it's horrible to think that she never found true happiness.
But then the story takes another twist and though I didn't like the way it ended for obvious reasons it was nice for Charlotte,she was finally happy.
Makes me feel sad for her even though she's not a real person but she could be and probably is in theory n that's what makes it so heartfelt.
September 17, 2013
Fantastic story from Rosie Goodwin. I could totally understand why Lottie made the decisions she did, although it saddened me.
February 4, 2015
excellent,would reccomend
January 24, 2025
Amazing
May 22, 2017
this was a really interesting story and unputadownable.I found it really sad towards th end.both Charlotte and her husband were a victim of th times.
October 21, 2025
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
Wow, that was by far the darkest and most depressing read I have read in a while-Rosie Goodwin really seemed to be a lot darker with her older books. This was a real doom and gloom fest, and so depressing the way I kept expecting Charlotte to finally get her happy ending after all she'd been through, much like all of Goodwin's other protagonists from her other, more recent books, and as usual for the main antagonist to get their much deserved comeuppance. Unfortunately though, that is not the case here, with it very much being a case of the bad guy winning and a downer ending. Well, okay, Charlotte does find happiness in her final days, but it's overall still not a happy ending in the traditional sense, as she still ends her life having had an unhappy, depressing, miserable life, and after just how much she has gone through, this really is particularly depressing. I almost don't want to give it 4 stars even because of how much second-hand trauma this book left me with, just how unsettled and disturbed it made me feel, but I was as usually really absorbed so I feel the four stars is still deserved, not to mention that having this powerful impact on me is clearly a sign of a very good, compelling book. While most of Rosie Goodwin's other books I've read are full of dark and disturbing events and themes, compared to this they were all light and fluffy reads, and can at least be somewhat of an escape to read, whereas this again, much like with No One's Girl, was one of the few books I found myself wanting to escape from, having desperately sought for things to take my mind off it after having finished it.
This book, despite not being quite as long as Rosie Goodwin's other books that I've read, is really eventful as so much happens that you have to keep up with, as it really goes an awfully long way, covering a very long time span, as we start the story when Charlotte is only 15 and living an oppressive life under the control of her cruel, strict vicar father in 1954, and end the book in 2011 (which is just where the prologue starts off as well) when Charlotte is in a Nursing home at the age of what must be the age of 72. Like I say, so much happens that you have to keep up with and it is very fast-paced in that respect, as it first starts with Charlotte's life with her parents, living under the cruel and strict control of her father, then we see Charlotte's life at the convent after she is raped which results in pregnancy, then we see her brief time at Marianne's house who kindly rescues her from the convent, then we see her returning to England to report her father and returning to her mother who is now with a much kinder man, only sadly finds out that her grandmother has died, who she never even got to say goodbye to. However, with her wicked father dead and her mother now having found happiness and love with a much kinder man who has always been the one she should have been with and is much kinder to Charlotte too, and Charlotte about to embark upon a nursing career in London that she has long aspired to do, things look like they are going to start looking up a great deal, and that happiness is finally on the horizon for all of them. That's where I remember thinking: if only it could have just ended here. That was the most depressing part, when everything seems so happy like a perfect happy ending, but unfortunately, it didn't just end there, with everything turning out far from the perfect happy ending-here, happiness is only fleeting.
Charlotte's time in the convent is very dark and harsh, but that is not even the darkest and gloomiest part of the book. When she embarks upon her nursing career in London, she lives a pretty isolated life, vowing never to get close to a man romantically again after having been raped, with her only friends being her flatmate Libby and Joseph, gay, male colleague, the latter of whom she forms a close bond with due to the fact they are both misfits, with Joseph facing a lot of stigma for his homosexual feelings. Back then it was really, heavily stigmatised of course to be gay, whereas now it is fashionable, much like how unmarried, single mothers were stigmatised, whereas now it is also fashionable and more than normal (or even back 14 years ago in 2011, which is when the final part of this story takes place). It highlights the misfortune of being born at a certain time and having lived in a period when societal attitudes were harsher and crueller. Soon Charlotte's life becomes even more isolated as Libby moves out and she soon seems to lose touch with her, with Joseph now being her only friend, who she soon enters a marriage of convenience with, appearing as a couple to the public but to each other know that there is no real romance, and as we see from the prologue, remains married to him for the rest of his life. While they deeply love and care about each other on a platonic level, they still spend all their lives in a convenience marriage, which is still pretty depressing, that they never really found the true, romantic love they deserved. Charlotte vowed to never get romantically involved with men again after being raped, and you keep expecting this to change, for her to meet someone and realise that there are some good (straight) men out there, but unfortunately she spends the rest of her life with this attitude, and it's just so upsetting to see how much of an impact this all had on her. The only people she really has in her life now are her mother, her stepfather and Joseph.
Things start to go downspiral when Charlotte's mother dies of a heart attack, and again, she doesn't even get the chance to say goodbye. The down-spiralling doesn't stop there though as her kindly stepfather also dies less than 24 hours later, having committed suicide as a result of his bereavement. Now Charlotte only has Joseph left, but unfortunately, the down-spiralling will not end there.
Ethical Dilemmas are the main focus of this story, with Charlotte illegally performing abortions on at least 5 different girls (and later one fully-grown woman even many years later), feeling sorry for them because their lives will be ruined if they have the baby, and sees no other way out, while also remembering how painful it was for her having her own child taken from her. Her personal feelings conflict greatly with professional values, as she decides to follow her heart instead of her head, as of course what she is doing is not only unethical but illegal, but her empathy is just too strong. She does it so various different girls throughout the book, so many actually to the point you lose track and it gets rather repetitive (I just couldn't believe how many pregnant girls she just happened to come across), but each time it gets worse and worse, as each time she performs yet another illegal abortion, it brings her closer to the risk of legal trouble, putting her career in great jeopardy, but also Joseph's, since he is not stopping it and simply going along with it. Sometimes she even offers to do it herself, without them having even asked first. It did really annoy me when she continued to do illegal abortions even when it became legal, as as Joseph said, there was really no need or point, it just didn't make any sense, especially when the woman asking her to perform one was a fully grown woman with many kids rather than a young, naive teenage girl who didn't know any better. The excuse the woman has for asking Charlotte to perform an illegal abortion as well is just pathetic and flimsy, as she still could have gone to get a legal one, as like Charlotte said they have to keep it confidential. It just didn't make any sense to be performing illegal abortions when it was legal now, so it's not like there was even anything to hide. That is the worst part of it, she could have easily avoided it, and discovering the stage of the woman's pregnancy, she realises it would be too dangerous to proceed with the illegal abortion, but feels forced to when the woman blackmails her, threatening to report her to the police for her illegal abortions if she doesn't go through with it. This is where of course she makes what will always be the biggest mistake of her life, for even if her career would be ruined and she'd be in legal trouble, surely that would be better than being held accountable for manslaughter, which is exactly what ends up happening. She would have been in big legal trouble had she been found out about for the illegal abortions, but I doubt she would have gotten an incredibly lengthy sentence like she does when her illegal abortion results in the woman dying. Charlotte was really stupid and wrong doing what she did, but your feelings for her are pretty conflicted, as I found myself feeling so exasperated and annoyed with her for her stupidity and carelessness, yet at the same time couldn't help but feel some sympathy for her, due to all she had been through, her empathy simply having got the best of her. It did make me mad though, as I can understand the sympathy and empathy she had for these women, but they were mostly strangers and their situations and problems weren't her problem or business, especially the last case which resulted her getting a lengthy prison sentence. Not to mention that one or two of them who asked for an illegal abortion even when it had become legalised came up with the most stupid, flimsy excuses for wanting a backstreet abortion instead of going through the proper channels simply saying "Oh I'm worried my parents/husband will find out and get mad at me", which is ridiculous as like Charlotte says there is such thing as patient confidentiality, and how would it even reach them anyway?! Besides if they'd be getting rid of the baby what would the problem even be anyway?! This just really annoyed me, especially with the last woman who she accidentally kills.
This is where things really get particularly dark and depressing and the down-spiralling continues, getting darker and more depressing, as Charlotte is arrested and sentenced to 15 years in prison, and Joseph is also sentenced to a separate prison for his role as an accomplice, having helped move the body, but not for anything like as long. The judge and jury have no sympathy or understanding for Charlotte, simply deeming her as "a disgrace to the midwifery", along with the press, who view her as simply this toxic criminal. What Charlotte did was clearly very wrong and stupid, but of course you can't help but sympathise with her, for she isn't just simply a toxic, evil criminal and a "disgrace" like she is deemed to be, and all the press attention is what ruins her and her image for life, and the fact she is forced to spend 15 years in prison is very dark and depressing, not to mention the fact she is separated from Joseph and doesn't even get to say goodbye to him in this time. Honestly, I'd have rather died than go through all that. After he dies, she is left with nobody in the world, and remains a pariah long after she is released from prison. All in all, it really is all doom and gloom, and very dark and depressing. However, what really tops it off and makes it so infuriating is that her evil Aunt Edith (who I knew we hadn't heard the last of), returns on the scene and despite the fact it has been about 50-60 years since her brother died (which she has always blamed on Charlotte and her mother), STILL continues to hold a hateful grudge against Charlotte for it, to the point she has been conducting a wicked vendetta against her all this time as revenge, with her having spoken to the press and led Joseph to living a reclusive life throughout his final days and possibly (as implied) committing suicide, with him having also been a pariah after he was released from his (much shorter) sentence from prison. The worst and most infuriating part of it is though is that she NEVER gets her comeuppance, but rather gets to live to a ripe, old age while continuing her wicked vendetta, and this just made me so damn angry, with there having been no real catharsis factor whatsoever.
So rather than looking at the development of Charlotte's life and embarking on this journey with her, we instead see the tragic life she has led. Much like others have said here, I did find it most ridiculous and far-fetched the way Charlotte just happens to meet her long-lost daughter Daisy by chance after all these years, who just happens to be the mother of her main carer, not to mention Daisy has been adopted from Ireland as well, yet just so happened to be in the same small town as her! The way it just has to be in her final months of life as well, and I was seriously just like "Oh come on!" I mean I've read fairy tales more realistic and believable than that. Still, she never reveals the truth to Daisy about being her birth mother, or to Beth about being her grandmother, and while this story still took an overall downer ending with Charlotte having spent 15 years in prison, separated from her husband who ends up dying during this time while having been a pariah, with Charlotte returning home after her lengthy sentence to a life of nothing and nobody there for her. Even at Joseph's funeral it is only her and her solicitor in attendance which was very depressing indeed.
A few things I had to nitpick about this story was the lack of closure on certain characters, resulting from a case of "Whatever happened to the mouse", with characters who initially played an important role in Charlotte's life earlier on in the story such as Marianne, Joan and Libby never to be seen again. For instance Marianne rescues her from the convent, yet we never see or even hear from her again after this. We also never find out what happened to Joan after she ran away from the convent, and Libby disappears after she gets married and moves out of her flat with Charlotte, when after having lived together all this time and seemingly become close friends, you'd have thought they'd have stayed in touch and continued their friendship. Another thing was that I think the author got a bit mixed up with the times of Charlotte's prison sentence, as she appears to have got sentenced for 15 years in 1990 or 1991, as that is when this chapter takes place, but by the time we get to 2008 it says she is still in prison, which is more than 15 years of course. Likewise, it says that Joseph died 10 years prior to the time the prologue begins in 2011, meaning that would be 2001, but in the story itself later on it says he doesn't die til around 2008 or something. Not to mention Aunt Edie is said to be in her 90s when Charlotte gets out of prison, and Charlotte is in her 60s, yet earlier in the book it said Aunt Edith was only 20 years older than Charlotte. Very confusing.
Wow, that was by far the darkest and most depressing read I have read in a while-Rosie Goodwin really seemed to be a lot darker with her older books. This was a real doom and gloom fest, and so depressing the way I kept expecting Charlotte to finally get her happy ending after all she'd been through, much like all of Goodwin's other protagonists from her other, more recent books, and as usual for the main antagonist to get their much deserved comeuppance. Unfortunately though, that is not the case here, with it very much being a case of the bad guy winning and a downer ending. Well, okay, Charlotte does find happiness in her final days, but it's overall still not a happy ending in the traditional sense, as she still ends her life having had an unhappy, depressing, miserable life, and after just how much she has gone through, this really is particularly depressing. I almost don't want to give it 4 stars even because of how much second-hand trauma this book left me with, just how unsettled and disturbed it made me feel, but I was as usually really absorbed so I feel the four stars is still deserved, not to mention that having this powerful impact on me is clearly a sign of a very good, compelling book. While most of Rosie Goodwin's other books I've read are full of dark and disturbing events and themes, compared to this they were all light and fluffy reads, and can at least be somewhat of an escape to read, whereas this again, much like with No One's Girl, was one of the few books I found myself wanting to escape from, having desperately sought for things to take my mind off it after having finished it.
This book, despite not being quite as long as Rosie Goodwin's other books that I've read, is really eventful as so much happens that you have to keep up with, as it really goes an awfully long way, covering a very long time span, as we start the story when Charlotte is only 15 and living an oppressive life under the control of her cruel, strict vicar father in 1954, and end the book in 2011 (which is just where the prologue starts off as well) when Charlotte is in a Nursing home at the age of what must be the age of 72. Like I say, so much happens that you have to keep up with and it is very fast-paced in that respect, as it first starts with Charlotte's life with her parents, living under the cruel and strict control of her father, then we see Charlotte's life at the convent after she is raped which results in pregnancy, then we see her brief time at Marianne's house who kindly rescues her from the convent, then we see her returning to England to report her father and returning to her mother who is now with a much kinder man, only sadly finds out that her grandmother has died, who she never even got to say goodbye to. However, with her wicked father dead and her mother now having found happiness and love with a much kinder man who has always been the one she should have been with and is much kinder to Charlotte too, and Charlotte about to embark upon a nursing career in London that she has long aspired to do, things look like they are going to start looking up a great deal, and that happiness is finally on the horizon for all of them. That's where I remember thinking: if only it could have just ended here. That was the most depressing part, when everything seems so happy like a perfect happy ending, but unfortunately, it didn't just end there, with everything turning out far from the perfect happy ending-here, happiness is only fleeting.
Charlotte's time in the convent is very dark and harsh, but that is not even the darkest and gloomiest part of the book. When she embarks upon her nursing career in London, she lives a pretty isolated life, vowing never to get close to a man romantically again after having been raped, with her only friends being her flatmate Libby and Joseph, gay, male colleague, the latter of whom she forms a close bond with due to the fact they are both misfits, with Joseph facing a lot of stigma for his homosexual feelings. Back then it was really, heavily stigmatised of course to be gay, whereas now it is fashionable, much like how unmarried, single mothers were stigmatised, whereas now it is also fashionable and more than normal (or even back 14 years ago in 2011, which is when the final part of this story takes place). It highlights the misfortune of being born at a certain time and having lived in a period when societal attitudes were harsher and crueller. Soon Charlotte's life becomes even more isolated as Libby moves out and she soon seems to lose touch with her, with Joseph now being her only friend, who she soon enters a marriage of convenience with, appearing as a couple to the public but to each other know that there is no real romance, and as we see from the prologue, remains married to him for the rest of his life. While they deeply love and care about each other on a platonic level, they still spend all their lives in a convenience marriage, which is still pretty depressing, that they never really found the true, romantic love they deserved. Charlotte vowed to never get romantically involved with men again after being raped, and you keep expecting this to change, for her to meet someone and realise that there are some good (straight) men out there, but unfortunately she spends the rest of her life with this attitude, and it's just so upsetting to see how much of an impact this all had on her. The only people she really has in her life now are her mother, her stepfather and Joseph.
Things start to go downspiral when Charlotte's mother dies of a heart attack, and again, she doesn't even get the chance to say goodbye. The down-spiralling doesn't stop there though as her kindly stepfather also dies less than 24 hours later, having committed suicide as a result of his bereavement. Now Charlotte only has Joseph left, but unfortunately, the down-spiralling will not end there.
Ethical Dilemmas are the main focus of this story, with Charlotte illegally performing abortions on at least 5 different girls (and later one fully-grown woman even many years later), feeling sorry for them because their lives will be ruined if they have the baby, and sees no other way out, while also remembering how painful it was for her having her own child taken from her. Her personal feelings conflict greatly with professional values, as she decides to follow her heart instead of her head, as of course what she is doing is not only unethical but illegal, but her empathy is just too strong. She does it so various different girls throughout the book, so many actually to the point you lose track and it gets rather repetitive (I just couldn't believe how many pregnant girls she just happened to come across), but each time it gets worse and worse, as each time she performs yet another illegal abortion, it brings her closer to the risk of legal trouble, putting her career in great jeopardy, but also Joseph's, since he is not stopping it and simply going along with it. Sometimes she even offers to do it herself, without them having even asked first. It did really annoy me when she continued to do illegal abortions even when it became legal, as as Joseph said, there was really no need or point, it just didn't make any sense, especially when the woman asking her to perform one was a fully grown woman with many kids rather than a young, naive teenage girl who didn't know any better. The excuse the woman has for asking Charlotte to perform an illegal abortion as well is just pathetic and flimsy, as she still could have gone to get a legal one, as like Charlotte said they have to keep it confidential. It just didn't make any sense to be performing illegal abortions when it was legal now, so it's not like there was even anything to hide. That is the worst part of it, she could have easily avoided it, and discovering the stage of the woman's pregnancy, she realises it would be too dangerous to proceed with the illegal abortion, but feels forced to when the woman blackmails her, threatening to report her to the police for her illegal abortions if she doesn't go through with it. This is where of course she makes what will always be the biggest mistake of her life, for even if her career would be ruined and she'd be in legal trouble, surely that would be better than being held accountable for manslaughter, which is exactly what ends up happening. She would have been in big legal trouble had she been found out about for the illegal abortions, but I doubt she would have gotten an incredibly lengthy sentence like she does when her illegal abortion results in the woman dying. Charlotte was really stupid and wrong doing what she did, but your feelings for her are pretty conflicted, as I found myself feeling so exasperated and annoyed with her for her stupidity and carelessness, yet at the same time couldn't help but feel some sympathy for her, due to all she had been through, her empathy simply having got the best of her. It did make me mad though, as I can understand the sympathy and empathy she had for these women, but they were mostly strangers and their situations and problems weren't her problem or business, especially the last case which resulted her getting a lengthy prison sentence. Not to mention that one or two of them who asked for an illegal abortion even when it had become legalised came up with the most stupid, flimsy excuses for wanting a backstreet abortion instead of going through the proper channels simply saying "Oh I'm worried my parents/husband will find out and get mad at me", which is ridiculous as like Charlotte says there is such thing as patient confidentiality, and how would it even reach them anyway?! Besides if they'd be getting rid of the baby what would the problem even be anyway?! This just really annoyed me, especially with the last woman who she accidentally kills.
This is where things really get particularly dark and depressing and the down-spiralling continues, getting darker and more depressing, as Charlotte is arrested and sentenced to 15 years in prison, and Joseph is also sentenced to a separate prison for his role as an accomplice, having helped move the body, but not for anything like as long. The judge and jury have no sympathy or understanding for Charlotte, simply deeming her as "a disgrace to the midwifery", along with the press, who view her as simply this toxic criminal. What Charlotte did was clearly very wrong and stupid, but of course you can't help but sympathise with her, for she isn't just simply a toxic, evil criminal and a "disgrace" like she is deemed to be, and all the press attention is what ruins her and her image for life, and the fact she is forced to spend 15 years in prison is very dark and depressing, not to mention the fact she is separated from Joseph and doesn't even get to say goodbye to him in this time. Honestly, I'd have rather died than go through all that. After he dies, she is left with nobody in the world, and remains a pariah long after she is released from prison. All in all, it really is all doom and gloom, and very dark and depressing. However, what really tops it off and makes it so infuriating is that her evil Aunt Edith (who I knew we hadn't heard the last of), returns on the scene and despite the fact it has been about 50-60 years since her brother died (which she has always blamed on Charlotte and her mother), STILL continues to hold a hateful grudge against Charlotte for it, to the point she has been conducting a wicked vendetta against her all this time as revenge, with her having spoken to the press and led Joseph to living a reclusive life throughout his final days and possibly (as implied) committing suicide, with him having also been a pariah after he was released from his (much shorter) sentence from prison. The worst and most infuriating part of it is though is that she NEVER gets her comeuppance, but rather gets to live to a ripe, old age while continuing her wicked vendetta, and this just made me so damn angry, with there having been no real catharsis factor whatsoever.
So rather than looking at the development of Charlotte's life and embarking on this journey with her, we instead see the tragic life she has led. Much like others have said here, I did find it most ridiculous and far-fetched the way Charlotte just happens to meet her long-lost daughter Daisy by chance after all these years, who just happens to be the mother of her main carer, not to mention Daisy has been adopted from Ireland as well, yet just so happened to be in the same small town as her! The way it just has to be in her final months of life as well, and I was seriously just like "Oh come on!" I mean I've read fairy tales more realistic and believable than that. Still, she never reveals the truth to Daisy about being her birth mother, or to Beth about being her grandmother, and while this story still took an overall downer ending with Charlotte having spent 15 years in prison, separated from her husband who ends up dying during this time while having been a pariah, with Charlotte returning home after her lengthy sentence to a life of nothing and nobody there for her. Even at Joseph's funeral it is only her and her solicitor in attendance which was very depressing indeed.
A few things I had to nitpick about this story was the lack of closure on certain characters, resulting from a case of "Whatever happened to the mouse", with characters who initially played an important role in Charlotte's life earlier on in the story such as Marianne, Joan and Libby never to be seen again. For instance Marianne rescues her from the convent, yet we never see or even hear from her again after this. We also never find out what happened to Joan after she ran away from the convent, and Libby disappears after she gets married and moves out of her flat with Charlotte, when after having lived together all this time and seemingly become close friends, you'd have thought they'd have stayed in touch and continued their friendship. Another thing was that I think the author got a bit mixed up with the times of Charlotte's prison sentence, as she appears to have got sentenced for 15 years in 1990 or 1991, as that is when this chapter takes place, but by the time we get to 2008 it says she is still in prison, which is more than 15 years of course. Likewise, it says that Joseph died 10 years prior to the time the prologue begins in 2011, meaning that would be 2001, but in the story itself later on it says he doesn't die til around 2008 or something. Not to mention Aunt Edie is said to be in her 90s when Charlotte gets out of prison, and Charlotte is in her 60s, yet earlier in the book it said Aunt Edith was only 20 years older than Charlotte. Very confusing.
August 5, 2024
The Empty Cradle seems to me like two stories in one. The first part tells the story of Charlotte's teenage years in England living with a timid mother and a father who in public is a well respected vicar but in reality is a tyrant at home and also leads a hidden life of child abuse. Charlotte's only refuge is with her grandmother but while she enables her to enjoy a social life it eventually leads to disaster when Charlotte is raped and becomes pregnant. Her father takes her to Ireland on the pretext of staying with his overpowering sister but they abandon her in a mother & baby home where all the young unmarried mothers are cruelly treated by the nuns. Charlotte is lucky to survive and after her baby is taken for adoption she eventually manages to get back home and expose the treachery of her father.
The second story relates to Charlotte's training as a nurse and midwife but it takes a dark turn when she decides to help young girls who have unwanted pregnancies. I found this part of the story difficult particularly when contraception and abortion became legal in England. There is tenderness in the description of her marriage of convenience to Joseph who she knows is desperate to hide his homosexuality. However their relationship ends in tragedy when Charlotte makes a decision to risk both their reputations and professional careers. The ending of the story is both sad and happy.
Overall it was a story well told.
The second story relates to Charlotte's training as a nurse and midwife but it takes a dark turn when she decides to help young girls who have unwanted pregnancies. I found this part of the story difficult particularly when contraception and abortion became legal in England. There is tenderness in the description of her marriage of convenience to Joseph who she knows is desperate to hide his homosexuality. However their relationship ends in tragedy when Charlotte makes a decision to risk both their reputations and professional careers. The ending of the story is both sad and happy.
Overall it was a story well told.
June 12, 2024
Local author.
I really enjoyed this book. The beginning of this book did not lead me to imagine what would become of the ending. The author allows you to fall in love with a character and carefully writes about a sensitive subject. By bonding with the character early on and for three quarter’s of the book its makes it harder in the final quarter to dislike the character.
One to avoid if sensitive to the subject of abortion.
I really enjoyed this book. The beginning of this book did not lead me to imagine what would become of the ending. The author allows you to fall in love with a character and carefully writes about a sensitive subject. By bonding with the character early on and for three quarter’s of the book its makes it harder in the final quarter to dislike the character.
One to avoid if sensitive to the subject of abortion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2023
Great storytelling meaning I really didn’t want to put the book down. The only weak part was the ending which was all a little too easy. All it missed was ‘and they all lived happily ever after’ - except for Charlotte of course. This is the first I have read from this author but certainly won’t be the last.
May 1, 2023
Great
Very sad story.. This poor young girl had to put up with a nasty father.. Then had child through rape.. Charlotte became a midwife.. Did things to help young girls, but of course Charlotte payed the price..
Very sad story.. This poor young girl had to put up with a nasty father.. Then had child through rape.. Charlotte became a midwife.. Did things to help young girls, but of course Charlotte payed the price..
February 19, 2024
This was a very hard story to read indeed , And yes it was gut wrenching at times ..Not sure off the story Line , Some things were horrible ... And many Nuns did those things , to other Human beings . God is in Charge ...
April 22, 2015
Fantastic read, sad in some places. And to think things like this were true!
September 12, 2015
Fantastic book the first of this author, i just couldn't put it down. It has made me go right to the beginning and start to read all her books
May 28, 2016
Brilliant
I would recommend this book to anyone it had you gripped from start to finish. I will definitely read more of this authors books.
I would recommend this book to anyone it had you gripped from start to finish. I will definitely read more of this authors books.
September 21, 2016
A lovely story that was easy to read...the ending was a little sad but it also gave me happy tears.
November 25, 2016
Excellent read
I was hooked from the very first page till the last one. I really do believe they should make this into a film absolutely brilliant.
I was hooked from the very first page till the last one. I really do believe they should make this into a film absolutely brilliant.
January 16, 2017
Fab read
This book was one of the best reads I've had for awhile who ever reads it next enjoy. Excellent brilliant.
This book was one of the best reads I've had for awhile who ever reads it next enjoy. Excellent brilliant.
September 21, 2023
Good book have read this a few times
July 14, 2022
Brilliant book, could not put it down. Loved Charlotte and Joseph, hated her father and aunt.
September 3, 2024
Was hoping for a different ending.
March 25, 2024
This was a very odd book to read. The description of pedophilia was incredibly disturbing and makes you wonder how the author could even bare to write about it!! The middle was quite gripping seeing the main character start to have the happy life she swerved, but seemed to be very rushed towards the end with a storyline that just didn’t seem very believable at all. Although, it was nice to see Charlotte meet Daisy. It just would have been lovely if she could have shared more time with her after such a hard life. Due to the disturbing mention of pedophilia and abuse, I wouldn’t read another book by the author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2022
I found this an uncomfortable read, early in the book I felt like abandoning it due to the storyline but I continued to read as I've never gave up on a book yet. The main character was likable and I felt compassion for her and various other characters in the book, I also felt dislike for certain characters in the book so therefore the author did a good job of building her characters and the scenarios which she placed them in.
May 17, 2022
This book had me in tears
The Empty Cradle is one of Rosie's best books. I've read many. This book is a truly sad story and I was completely taken into Charlotte's life. Charlotte faced so much sadness but right at the end of her life found her lost family. The only thing is the writing enabled the feelings of desperation stayed with me throughout the few days it took to complete the book. Rosie's writing is captivating and believable. Her books are the best!
The Empty Cradle is one of Rosie's best books. I've read many. This book is a truly sad story and I was completely taken into Charlotte's life. Charlotte faced so much sadness but right at the end of her life found her lost family. The only thing is the writing enabled the feelings of desperation stayed with me throughout the few days it took to complete the book. Rosie's writing is captivating and believable. Her books are the best!
January 17, 2023
Another good story from Rosie Goodwin. There is so much going on on every page which continues right until the end.
There is one aspect of the story which is predictable, I was waiting for it during most of the book and it came near the end. I won't give away any spoilers but the reader will immediately know what I mean when they read it. However, there was only one way to end this story and Rosie Goodwin does it perfectly.
There is one aspect of the story which is predictable, I was waiting for it during most of the book and it came near the end. I won't give away any spoilers but the reader will immediately know what I mean when they read it. However, there was only one way to end this story and Rosie Goodwin does it perfectly.
July 10, 2023
Just hear me out – this book was amazing and it should definitely get more attention.
I'm rarely in tears because of a book. But now I was.
I felt deeply emotionally connected to Charlotte. Following her life from a teenager to an old lady was surprisingly touching.
The end was sad but quite satisfying, although I wished Charlotte would've told Daisy that she was her mother.
I highly recommend reading this book. It was an amazing experience.
I'm rarely in tears because of a book. But now I was.
I felt deeply emotionally connected to Charlotte. Following her life from a teenager to an old lady was surprisingly touching.
The end was sad but quite satisfying, although I wished Charlotte would've told Daisy that she was her mother.
I highly recommend reading this book. It was an amazing experience.
July 23, 2023
Just hear me out – this book was amazing and it should definitely get more attention.
I'm rarely in tears because of a book. But now I was.
I felt deeply emotionally connected to Charlotte. Following her life from a teenager to an old lady was surprisingly touching.
The end was sad but quite satisfying, although I wished Charlotte would've told Daisy that she was her mother.
I highly recommend reading this book. It was an amazing experience.
I'm rarely in tears because of a book. But now I was.
I felt deeply emotionally connected to Charlotte. Following her life from a teenager to an old lady was surprisingly touching.
The end was sad but quite satisfying, although I wished Charlotte would've told Daisy that she was her mother.
I highly recommend reading this book. It was an amazing experience.
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