Is there a quote or scene in the novel that stood out for you? Why do you suppose it resonated?
“I consider them my babies. I am not their mother, of course, but they are mine , and I can still feel the weight of grief hanging heavy in those birthing rooms.”
the italics place focus on Martha’s connection to the babies she delivers
“He wants to own the entire town.”
summarizes North’s villainous motivations, highlighting his misogyny, and hunger for strength, power and dominance.
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p. 252 when Mistress North comes to Martha for headache tonic and Martha refuses. Mistress North says Tell your wife that she is wrong. Tell her to make the tonic.
“My wife knows her mind, Mistress North,” Ephraim says. Then he looks up and directly at me. “and I’ll only tell her to follow her conscience.”
I admired him for staying neutral and supporting his wife at the same time. BUT later that page when Mistress North is gone he is judgmental toward Martha, in the end saying, " I did not take you for the kind of woman who would punish the innocent for the sins of the guilty."
Hmmm, wasn’t Mistress North guilty of lying in court? Was this a fair appraisal of Martha’s actions against her? Perhaps as a healer to refuse anyone is wrong, I can see that. But I don’t think his reasoning sound.
The quote below by Martha about her concerns for Cyrus was particularly touching. It reminded me of how we can all choose to be the best we can be and appreciate those that do without prejudging. Martha’s love for her children, no matter what, was inspiring!
“You think it will break your heart to have a child who suffers in this way. One who is seen as damaged. You think, perhaps, that is your fault somehow.That if only you’d done something different, taken better care of him, this would never have happened. And then he asks you to dance on a cold January evening, and you realize that perhaps you are a fool. And whatever his life may be now–different than you imagined it all those years ago when he grew in your womb . . . he is perfect.”
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“And then I cry. Mostly for Rebecca and the tiny, unwanted beating heart deep within her womb. But also for myself. And our daughters. And for every other woman who lives, suffers and dies by the mercurial whims of men.” Martha is reflecting on the injustices against women.
I step into my husband’s arms, soaking up his warmth and scent. We are in the twilight years of a long love affair, and it has recently occurred to me that a day will come when one of us buries the other. But, I remind myself, that is the happy ending to a story like ours. It is a vow made and kept. Till death do us part. It is the only acceptable outcome to a long and happy marriage, and I am determined not to fear that day, whenever it arrives. I am equally determined to soak up all the days between.
Along with the brutality of the main story, this was a beautiful love story. I appreciated the author taking time to let us into Martha’s marriage and family.