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Apr 28, 2011

Sheree rated it:

4.5 stars

What a nail-biter! An absolute labyrinth of twists, turns and just when you think you've got it all figured out ... bam another shocking revelation! Ok not all were the unexpected, knock-your-socks-off type revelation, some where the ... damn ... I knew it, kind, but still, quite a gut-wrenching rollercoaster ride.

I loved the seamlessly woven alternating narration from key characters and the flashbacks to past events. I loved the complexities of the mother-daug More...

5 comments like (20 people liked it)

Jul 03, 2011

Staci rated it:

My thoughts:
I had read so many great reviews of this title that I just had to get my hands on a copy. I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I finally realized that I was approved to download a copy of this to my Kindle months ago from NetGalley....I just was too lazy to figure out how to do it. Well, thanks to my fellow book lovers and their awesome reviews, I was motivated to learn how to get that ebook on my lovely Kindle. And I'm so happy that I did because this was a fantastic read!! I was dr More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Feb 15, 2012

Leslie rated it:

This was a book chosen by someone at bookclub, and as usual, once I started reading it I had to finish it. It's kind of like being 'pot committed' if you like poker terminology; I had already spent so many hours reading, I figured that I should just stay up and finish. Don't know if that's simply because the book is so good or had more to do with really enjoying those quiet midnight hours to myself.

Anyhow, back to the book... Wow, the lies that are told and the secrets that are kept ar More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 20, 2011

Annie rated it:

There’s a small handful of authors who you know can be relied upon to hook you in from page one, take you swooping through twists and turns of story, with well-written and likeable characters and the feeling (when you come out of the wringer at the other end ) that you’ve thoroughly enjoyed a really, really good book and can’t wait for her next. Jodi Picoult’s one. Heather Gudenkauf is another. And then there’s Diane Chamberlain. This was everything I want in a book – secrets, love, friends More...

6 comments like (8 people liked it)

Jun 06, 2011

April rated it:

One of the best books I have read this year. Diane Chamberlain writes in the same style as Jodi Picoult; however, the twists, turns, and drama are never forced, obvious, or far-fetched. I got this book yesterday afternoon and absolutely devoured it. I couldn't put it down. I found myself sneaking away from the boys to read a chapter and then stayed up far too late finishing it.

As with many of her books, just when you think you've got it figured out Chamberlain throws you another curv More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 25, 2011

Julie rated it:

This review first appeared on my blog: http://www.knittingandsundries.com/2011/...

Tara, whose husband Sam recently died in a car accident, teaches at Hunter High School, where her daughter Grace is also a student. Her best friends are Noelle, a midwife who also runs a babies-in-need program, and Emerson, whose daughter Jenny is also Grace's best friend.

The three women have been besties since college, and Noelle delivered Tara's baby. When Noelle commits suicide in the c More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 27, 2011

Sharon rated it:

I really don't know why I'm not giving this a 5. A story about best friends, mothers and daughters and the secrets that are kept and lies that are told...and how it can turn your life around for better or worse. I can honestly say that I don't know how authors come up with stories like this with so many twists and turns and still able to tell it seamlessly. I love Diane Chamberlain's work and this one was just as good as the rest. I will definitely recommend this book. Well done!

More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Jan 06, 2012

Hazel rated it:

This is my first introduction to Diane Chamberlain. Se's in the mould of Jodi Picoult but less formulaic. The same multiple first person points of view. The same focus on relationships. But less phoney psychoanalysis and philosophical musings (thankfully!)
The Midwife's Confession explores the themes of mother/daughter relationships principally, but also enduring female relationships, and there's a certain kind of authenticity in Chamberlain's writing that I think probably stems from her ye More...

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Sep 16, 2011

Karah rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

1 comment like

Aug 14, 2011

Anna rated it:

Tara, Emerson and Noelle have been friends since they met at college. Tara, now a recently widowed teacher, and Emerson, who has recently opened a café, both have sixteen year old daughters. Noelle has never married and has dedicated her life to midwifery.

Tara and Emerson are shocked to the core when Noelle commits suicide, but as they sort through her paperwork they begin to realise that there were many things they did not know about the life of their friend. To their horror fac More...

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Jul 29, 2011

Shinelle rated it:

I picked this up in a supermarket, because I had an hour to kill waiting for someone. By the time my friend arrived, I wanted her to go away so I could finish the book. The novel focuses on the idea that you may not really know the people you know best, without slipping into the drippy or the maudlin. The prologue and opening chapter highlight two important facts about depression: that there's no telling when it will take you over the edge; it really can be that sudden, and that it is entirel More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 24, 2011

SJSU rated it:

A definite read for defining the complexity of close friendships, and the even more the complex relationship between mothers and daughters. I only gave it 4 stars because throughout the book it was hard to follow the characters. Each chapter is from a different character's perspective. I had thought it would've been helpful for Chamberlain to outline the characters in the beginning but it becomes clear at the end of the book why she didn't.

As you read the story, you get a sense of pre More...

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Jul 14, 2011

Alpa rated it:

Noelle, Tara and Emerson have been best since their college days.Noelle is a midwife and had been involved with Tara's and Emerson's baby.The story starts with
Noelle committing suicide and Tara and Emerson couldn't uderstand why.Noelle seemed to be a
strong and happy person and the reason for suicide was beyond Tara's and Emerson's comprehension.Sometimes you really dont know a person, no matter how long and deep friendship you have shared with them.Tara and Emerson have to kno More...

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Jun 28, 2011

Sarah rated it:

This book focusses on secrets. The main character, Noelle commits suicide in the first chapter so it is strange to view her as the main character but she is central to most of the other storylines. Her good friends Tara and Emerson can't understand why she has committed suicide so they begin to delve deeper into her past and discover secret siblings, surrogacy and baby swapping.

Tara is also trying to come to terms with her husband's death and both she and Emerson have teenage dau More...

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Jun 01, 2011

Louise rated it:

The story starts in Wilmington, North Carolina in September of 2010. Noelle is planning to commit suicide that night. She said she had no idea that: “...this would be the day she could no longer carry the weight?” Noelle was sitting outside under the moon whispering out loud: “I love you world.” The weight of her secret was pressing down on her hard. She turned off her computer and got everything ready and was spending one last time outside under the stars.

Tara has just lost her More...

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May 23, 2011

Stephanie rated it:

This review originally appeared at <a href="http://www.readinasinglesitting.com/2011/05/23/review-the-midwifes-confession-by-diane-chamberlain/>www.readinasinglesitting.com</a>

Gentle, quiet Noelle has made a name for herself through her work as a midwife and her giving, generous nature, which is only too apparent in her affectionate relationship with her two best friends Emerson and Tara. But when Noelle commits suicide, Emerson and Tara are left not only facing t More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 17, 2011

Samantha rated it:

I love giving five stars, and the latest novel by Diane Chamberlain earns them all. The Midwife’s Confession is a tangled story of friendship and love, secrets and betrayal, and realistic characters that will make you cry while you see their story unfold. Tara, Emerson, and Noelle have been friends for years, but when Noelle commits suicide, leaving behind only an unfinished note, Tara and Emerson find out they might not have truly known their friend. The complex mystery that surrounds not only More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

May 06, 2011

chanceofbooks rated it:

Five Umbrella Friday Pick of the Week at Cloudy with a Chance of Books http://www.chanceofbooks.com

Attention Mama friends! I have your summer book club selection right here. Diane Chamberlin has *the* women’s fiction tear jerker of the season with an offering sure to ignite book club discussions across the country. This was not an easy read, and when I was done, I desperately wanted to make someone, anyone read it RIGHT THAT DARN MINUTE so that I could discuss at length. In other wor More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Apr 12, 2011

Stephanie rated it:

I went to the website and read the first chapter and knew that I had to read the rest. This one drew me in and kept me hooked. Over the course of the book, you will get perspectives from all the female characters. That is one thing - the men in the book are very much minor characters. They are important in how they fit into the female characters lives but not as people themselves. However, in this case, that makes sense. This is chick lit at it's finest. Tara, Emerson and Noelle have a bon More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 10, 2011

Ruth rated it:

The suicide of a close friend sends two women on a search to discovery why this seemingly happy woman took her own life. Going through the papers Noelle left behind, Tara and Emerson learn that Noelle had many secrets, and as readers we learn of even more than they do.

Chapters are told in the point of view of different characters and are headed with the character's name, and sometimes, with the date and place as Chamberlain frequently takes us back to past events.

I found More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 04, 2011

karen rated it:

I have long been a Diane Chamberlain fan, and Midwife's Confession is a great example of why. I was thrilled that NetGalley had it up for review, and have chafed reading it in dribs and drabs over the last couple of weeks while waiting for the NetGalley-Kindle fix to appear.NOW -- I charged through this book as soon as Kindle edition became available this week.

Tara, Emerson and Noelle have been friends for 20 years, the kind of friends we all cherish and long for. Connected, supp More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 04, 2011

Christa rated it:

I found this book to be full of unexpected twists. It kept me guessing what would happen next, and I just could not put the book down. The Midwife's Confession has some really good, strong characters. It is the story of three friends - Tara, Emerson, and Noelle. Tara, recently widowed and trying to put her life back together, was my favorite. I enjoyed the friend ship between she and Emerson. I also really liked the secondary character of Anna Knightley, a strong woman who has faced the disappea More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Mar 30, 2011

Debbie rated it:

The Midwife’s Confession
Diane Chamberlain
Mira – Publish Date April 2011
432 pages – ISBN 13: 9780778329862

In the blink of an eye a friend they thought they knew takes her own life and so Tara and Emerson embark on a journey to find out why. What they don’t realize is that in their mission for information about Noelle and her suicide only leads them to more questions. They find that happiness was just a mask she wore to hide a darkest of secrets that will change every life More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 07, 2011

Beth rated it:

I loved this book and read the whole thing in the span of 1 day. I'm such a fan of Diane Chamberlain. Her books always have great plots and are well-written. I don't know why, but I like books that analyze the person who committed suicide after the fact. Maybe I'm morbid, maybe I enjoy the reconstruction. There are lots of twists in this book to keep the reader engaged.

The Noelle character was very fleshed out through the flashbacks. I felt the Anna character was as well even though More...

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Sep 03, 2011

Zarina rated it:

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book and just flew through it. Though, to be fair, I would probably enjoy anything that I had decided to read straight after the dreadful excuse of a novel called The Slap for the simple fact that it just couldn't possibly be as terrible as that book was.

With a new twist and turn around every corner (or in every chapter in this case) The Midwife's Confession certainly was a rollercoaster of a ride. What starts out as a very tragic story abo More...

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Jul 02, 2011

Shannon rated it:

This book surprised me. First of all, I wasn't actually expecting it to be all that good. I noticed how clumsy some of the writing was, particularly dialogue which, in the beginning, sounded way too much like exposition and not enough like the way people actually talk. I also found some of the foreshadowing to be very clumsy and so I started to have my doubts. Surprising plot twists? Riiiight. Not when you see them a mile away.

Then there came an actual surprising plot twist and I was More...

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Feb 22, 2011

UKDana rated it:

Wow, what a rollercoaster of emotions this one is. This is a novel peopled by strong, well-rounded characters. Tara is coming to terms with the recent loss of her husband in a car accident. She has a wonderful support network: her husbands partner Ian, Emerson her best friend since college and Noelle a midwife whom she met at college and who was present at the birth of her daughter Grace. Despite the support network Tara is struggling to come to terms with things, she worries that she may have i More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Mar 14, 2011

Lisa rated it:

A shocking suicide, an unfinished note and an unimaginable secret – these events form the basis of Diane Chamberlain’s latest work, “The Midwife’s Confession.” A haunting, layered story told through flashbacks, as well as the voices of several main characters, it grapples with the question of how well we really know those we love. “The Midwife’s Confession” is Diane Chamberlain at her best. You simultaneously want to finish it, and never want it to end.

I was sucked into this bo More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 29, 2011

Wendy rated it:

This is the kind of story that makes you wonder how well you know the people that you think you know the best.

When Noelle, a midwife, commits suicide, her 2 best friends, Tara and Emerson, are left to not only pick up the pieces but to try to understand why she did it. As they do a little digging into Noelle's life, they make several shocking discoveries that compel them to dig deeper. Neither of them are prepared for the secrets that Noelle kept - secrets that impact each of them pe More...

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Aug 24, 2011

Lani rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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