Thankyou to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for Starting Out by J.E.Rowney.
Starting Out
Violet thought midwifery training was tough, but now she has to step out onto the ward as a newly qualified midwife. She’s standing on the edge of her new life, but taking the leap is harder than she ever expected.
Living on her own for the first time, while best friend Zoe starts to build a future with soon-to-be-husband Luke, everything is changing for Violet.
Can Violet adapt and adjust, or will anxiety get the better of her?
“Starting Out” – the new book from the world of “Lessons of a Student Midwife”.
My thoughts:
The tagline on the cover was spot-on- being newly-qualified is tough in any job, even more so if you chose a career in medicine and healthcare. Violet Cobham has never dreamed of doing anything elseand she is very much aware that being ‘a midwife’ means being there with women and for women. The previous books in the series dealt with Violet’s training, but Starting Out can be read as a standalone.
Violet is about to start a new phase of her life. She is qualified, although she still has to wait for her registration PIN to arrive,which means she is limited in what tasks she can perform. Luckily for her,she is going to work in the same hospital where she trained, so the ward routines and the colleagues are familiar to her. Still, the beginning is tough. Some shifts are easier and there is time to give the women Violet is working with that little bit of extra attention that means so much to them and their babies, like showing a teenage mum how to bathe her baby boy, or having a chat with a mum going through ‘baby blues’. Violet is still suffering from anxiety, but her solid training and her mentors are going to help.
Violet’s friend Zoe is her rock. However much their lives change (Zoe is also in her first year of her teaching career, and is about to get married as well), they will always make time for each other and their friendship.
The book was full of realistic details and it was clear the author knows the ins and outs of being a midwife, as she spent ten years doing the same job her protagonist does. There is a lot more to doing this work than long shifts, fatigue, and paperwork. There’s also an emotional side which doesn’t always get due recognition.
A quick and satisfying read and I woud very much like to continue with the series. Can’t wait to find out what life has in store for Violet.
Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources and the author for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
Author Bio
J.E. Rowney spent several years in the cold Yorkshire hills, but now lives on the south coast of England. She spent ten years working as a midwife before turning in her gloves to become an author.
She is an award winning poet, and also enjoys writing short stories. In May 2020 she was the winner of the Dinesh Allirajah Prize for Short Fiction.
“Charcoal”, her first novel, was published in 2012 to wide critical acclaim, and was a bestselling novel on Amazon within days of release.
She spends lots of time writing in coffee shops, so if you see her, say hello.
Ms. Rowney says: “I always dreamed of being a writer, until I realised that I was. Then I started to write.”
You can find out more about JE Rowney on her website at jerowney.com, or follow @jerowneywriter on social media.
Social Media Links –
http://twitter.com/jerowneywriter
http://facebook.com/jerowneywriter
http://instagram.com/jerowneywriter
http://pinterest.com/jerowneywriter
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-e-rowney
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