The Forgotten Midwife

By: Laura Anthony

Narrators: Helen Laser, Maeve Smyth

Simon & Schuster Audio

ISBN: 9781668047415

Publisher: Gallery Books

Publication Date: 05/12/2026

Format: Other

My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)

MAY 2026 MUST-READ BOOKS

Set in the dual timelines of present-day New Jersey and 1950s Ireland, and based on real historical events, comes a powerful, poignant novel of sisterhood, family secrets, and resilience from the author of the “profound, moving, and memorable” (Fresh Fiction) The Women on Platform Two.

New Jersey, 2023. Riley Carmichael is getting married and finally joining a huge, loving family, but she can’t help but feel the emptiness of her own side of the church. For most of Riley’s life, it’s been just her and her grandmother, Betty, but as late-stage dementia overtakes her grandmother’s mind, Riley knows she’s losing her, too. On one of Riley’s visits to Betty’s nursing home, she encounters her grandmother in one of her increasingly rare moments of lucidity, and Betty desperately shares with Riley a tatty birth certificate for an unknown baby born in Ireland in the 1950s. Full of questions about her heritage, Riley embarks on a trip to Ireland to find that elusive sense of home, identity, and belonging.

Tipperary, Ireland, 1954. Margaret Lannigan’s life is made up of weekly dances and time spent with the love of her life, Joseph. But when Margaret’s older sister dies suddenly, it falls to Margaret to fulfill the family’s commitment to the Catholic Church: the eldest daughter of the Lannigan family has joined a local convent for generations. Forced to part with Joseph and take the veil, Margaret is sent to Ballyvale Home for Fallen Girls to care for expectant mothers who fell pregnant outside of marriage. With no training or midwifery skills, she must fight to provide the compassionate care she feels these women deserve amid the cruelty they face.

When Margaret meets a young and terrified Delia O’Rourke, the sister of her childhood best friend, she must find the strength she needs to protect this young woman and her baby in the face of a system built to ensure they disappear.

Told with courage and heart, The Forgotten Midwife is a haunting, hopeful novel about the strength of women, the meaning of family, and the life-saving power of friendship.

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Praise

As she did in The Woman on Platform Two (2025), Anthony presents a shocking and uplifting tale of perseverance.” —Booklist

“Vividly captures the horrors of Ireland’s Magdalene laundries and the agonizing moral dilemma of having to choose where and when to best rebel against abusive authority…Recommended for those seeking a fast-paced, tense but ultimately inspiring read about a woman willing to risk everything to protect the powerless.”

--Library Journal

#TheForgottenMidwife

My Review

"THE FORGOTTEN MIDWIFE by Laura Anthony is a sweeping, dual-timeline historical mystery that bridges WWII-era Ireland and the present day. When a hidden diary surfaces, it reveals a midwife’s dangerous bravery in the face of war. It’s a hauntingly beautiful tribute to the quiet heroes of history. Having read Anthony’s previous book, The Women on Platform Two, this feels like her most emotionally resonant work yet.

Intro:

A dual-timeline journey moving between New Jersey in 2023 and Tipperary, Ireland in 1954. When Riley’s grandmother, Betty, has a rare moment of lucidity in her dementia, she hands Riley a tattered Irish birth certificate for an unknown baby. Riley travels to Ireland to uncover her heritage, leading her to the story of Margaret Lannigan, a young woman forced to take the veil and serve as a midwife in a home for "fallen girls".

Setting:

~Contrast between modern-day New Jersey and the stark, repressive atmosphere of 1950s Tipperary, Ireland.

~The Ballyvale Home for Fallen Girls is a vividly captured setting that highlights the chilling reality of Ireland's Magdalene laundries.

Vibe:

~"Hauntingly beautiful" and deeply atmospheric. Heart-wrenching and meticulously researched.

~It carries the heavy, misty weight of Irish history while remaining "intensely engaging" and impossible to put down.

Themes:

~Intergenerational legacy; the quiet heroism of women; the echo of wartime choices

~Feminist Resilience

~Identity & Belonging

~Life-Saving Friendship

Character Highlight:

~Margaret Lannigan: A powerhouse protagonist who evolves from a grieving daughter forced into a convent to a courageous rebel risking everything to protect vulnerable women.

~Riley Carmichael: A modern-day seeker whose quest for identity provides a "poignant" emotional anchor to the historical horrors.

Author Writing

~Anthony’s prose is "poignant and powerful," grounded in meticulous research into real historical atrocities.

~She masterfully balances the "agonizing moral dilemmas" of the past with a fast-paced, tense narrative.

Standout

~The historical authenticity. Based on real events, the book lands "harder" because the horrors Margaret witnesses—like the systemic cruelty of the laundries—were a true reality for thousands of women.

Metaphor:

The story is a "quietly stitched thread of hope" running through a fabric of institutional darkness, proving that even the most "forgotten" lives can be reclaimed

Takeaway:

The truth may be buried by systems of power, but the enduring bond of sisterhood and the courage of one individual can bridge even the widest generational gaps.

Why You Should Read

~This is a "must-read" for fans of emotional historical fiction that doesn't shy away from difficult truths.

~It is "heartbreaking yet hopeful," providing a visceral educational experience about a dark chapter of Irish history while still being an inspiring story of survival.

Recs.

~The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue

~Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

~Wayward Girls by Susan Wiggs

~The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

~Historical fiction by Patti Callahan Henry

Audio Standout: 🎧

I look forward to listening to the audiobook performed by the talented duo, Helen Laser and Maeve Smyth, who are known for delivering a captivating performance that breathes life into the characters while capturing the raw emotion that makes listeners feel and ponder.

Special thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for sharing an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks

Pub Date: May 12, 2026

My Rating: 5 Stars

May Newsletter

May 2026 Must-Read Books

From the Author

Hi, I’m Laura Anthony — I write stories about ordinary people living through extraordinary times, finding love, loss, and hope in the quiet corners of history. I live in County Kildare, Ireland, with my husband, our children, and far too many cups of unfinished coffee.

I’ve always been drawn to the kind of stories that stay with you—the ones that make you think about your own family, a friendship you miss, or something you wish you’d said. I try to capture real emotions, small moments, and characters who feel like people you’ve actually met, even if they lived decades ago.

When I’m not writing, I’m usually cooking, or running along winding back roads, and promising myself 'just one more chapter' of whatever audiobook I’m currently hooked on.

P.S. 'Laura Anthony' is a pseudonym, a small tribute to my late niece and my late father. But if you look closely, you might spot a ‘Janelle’ gently sneaking into my novels—that’s me.

Laura Anthony is a pseudonym for a published author of emotional women’s fiction. She lives in Kildare, Ireland, with her husband and children. WEBSITE