The Popish Midwife by Annelisa Christensen

The Popish Midwife

by Annelisa Christensen

Publication Date: July 14, 2016
The Conrad Press
Paperback & eBook; 454 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction







In seventeenth-century London, thirteen years after the plague and twelve years after the Great Fire, the restoration of King Charles II has dulled the memory of Cromwell's puritan rule, yet fear and suspicion are rife. Religious turmoil is rarely far from tipping the scales into hysteria.

Elizabeth Cellier, a bold and outspoken midwife, regularly visits Newgate Prison to distribute alms to victims of religious persecution. There she falls in with the charming Captain Willoughby, a debtor, whom she enlists to gather information about crimes against prisoners, so she might involve herself in petitioning the king in their name.

‘Tis a plot, Madam, of the direst sort.’ With these whispered words Willoughby draws Elizabeth unwittingly into the infamous Popish Plot and soon not even the fearful warnings of her husband, Pierre, can loosen her bond with it.

This is the incredible true story of one woman ahead of her time and her fight against prejudice and injustice.

Copy Received from Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for an honest review

Four Stars

"The Popish Midwife" by Annelisa Christensen is not a light read, it took me a while to get throught it. Two reasons: the format takes me longer to read and two it is a lengthy read at almost 500 pages. But it is well worth the read. Elizabeth Cellier is  a very complex and interesting character.  It's hard for me to say if she is a hero or a victim of her time, but she was anything but dull.  Coupled with a very complex heroine is a very complex time period. Elizabeth faces many different obstacles, and Christensen doesn't hold back on the reality of the situation women-midwives- catholics faced during this time period.  I highly recommend this reading and can definitely say that it is an immersion in 17th Century England with vivid details and an intense storyline. 

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About the Author

Annelisa Christensen was born in Sussex, took a psychology degree at the University of Stirling in Scotland, then returned to the south to partner in a fashion design company with her childhood friend, Julia. They had fun selling to shops and in street markets all over London, but dissolved the business when children came along, both believing in putting their families first. Delighted to be offered the job of laboratory technician in the local secondary school, in which she had herself been Head Girl twenty years earlier, Annelisa simultaneously wrote a magical realism series (as yet unpublished). She wrote The Popish Midwife after falling in love with Elizabeth Cellier in some 300-year-old loose pages of a trial she bought on the internet. The more she discovered about Elizabeth Cellier, the more Annelisa wanted to share this amazing woman’s story. The Popish Midwife is the result of years of research and writing.

For more information, please visit Annelisa Christensen's website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. Sign up for her Newsletter.

Blog Tour Schedule

Wednesday, October 19
Spotlight at The Book Connection
Spotlight at Blogarama

Friday, October 22
Spotlight at What Is That Book About

Monday, October 24
Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective

Tuesday, October 25
Spotlight at Broken Teepee

Friday, October 26
Spotlight at A Literary Vacation

Thursday, October 27
Guest Post at Books, Dreams, Life

Friday, October 28
Spotlight at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, November 1
Review at Book Nerd

Wednesday, November 2
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews

Thursday, November 4
Guest Post at Let Them Read Books

Monday, November 7
Review at SJ2B House of Books

Wednesday, November 9
Interview at The Book Connection
Guest Post and Review at Historical Fiction Obsession

Friday, November 11
Review at Just One More Chapter