This is Patricia (friends call her Patsy) Harman's fourth novel after two compelling memoirs. The protagonist of this novel, midwife Clara Perry, runs away from West Virginia, to Canada where she has time to ponder the life-lessons she has learned. Harman herself is a midwife who can tell this story with insight because she did relocate - not really as a runaway - not only into West Virginia, but also within the state. “[Harman] draws on her experience as a midwife to add true-to-life detail to Clara’s adventure, grounding the high-stakes story. Full of hope and heart, this will appeal to anyone tempted by the thought of complete reinvention.” - Booklist. “In The Runaway Midwife, Patricia Harman, delivers a fast-paced, engrossing tale of a woman on the run from a bad marriage and an estranged daughter […] The characters are convincing, the plot tight and the conclusion convincing.” - Roberta Rich.
New York: William Morrow/HarperCollins, 2017, 399 pages plus a Letter from the Author and Questions for Discussion. Trade paperback.