Sara Read

Hello! My debut novel, The Gossips’ Choice, was published in spring 2020. Publishing a novel featuring the Great Plague in the midst of a global pandemic was not part of the plan. I have been delighted at the reception my debut has received from the small but enthusiastic readership (did I mention I launched my debut in a global pandemic?) and those who love Lucie Smith will be pleased to hear the second part of her story will be published in spring 2022.

About the novel

Respected midwife Lucie Smith is married to Jasper, the town apothecary. They’ve lived happily together at the shop with the sign of the three doves for almost three decades. But 1665 is proving a troublesome year. Lucie is called to a birth at the local Manor, and Jasper is uneasy at her involvement with their former opponents in the English Civil War. Their only surviving son Simon flees plague-ridden London for his country hometown, only to argue with his father. Lucie is shaken to learn their loyal maid has been keeping a secret, and knows when Jasper finds out he will be furious. How could she have missed the signs?

As the year draws to a close, Lucie is accused of serious negligence in her care of one of her mothers which could see her not only lose her licence but face excommunication.

Endorsements

“… beautifully crafted novel, giving dramatic insight into the life and work of a midwife.”

- Terri Coates, Clinical Editor, Call the Midwife

“From its opening dramatic scene where much too young a mother gives birth to her first child, to its final vivid moments, The Gossip’s Choice is deeply infused with Sara Read’s expert knowledge of seventeenth-century women and their culture. I consumed it at a single sitting.”

– Professor Elaine Hobby

“Impeccably researched and compelling book. If you’re a fan of ‘Call the Midwife’, then this is a must-read. Travel back to the year 1665 with the local midwife, Lucie where you’ll learn out about the trials and tribulations experienced by a community midwife of the time.”

– Sarah Murden, All Things Georgian

“The novel is well written and researched, well paced, with memorable characters in Martha, Simon, Jasper, and especially Lucie. What a joy it is. Congratulations on having transformed your research into such a good novel — and one relevant today on so many counts.”
Professor Sara Jayne Steen, University of Plymouth, NH, USA.

About me

I am a keen gardener and am easily distracted by plants. My day job is as an an academic specialising in the cultural representations of the reproductive body in the early modern period. I am lecturer in English at Loughborough University, in the Midlands. You can read about the day job here. At Loughborough, I teach at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. If you have an idea for a PhD topic in a field related to mine, do get in touch!

I also publish popular histories mainly connected with early modern England. Maids, Wives, Widows: Exploring Early Modern Women’s Lives, 1540-1740 came out in 2015, with Maladies and Medicines: Exploring Health and Healing in Early Modern England following in 2017. I have published articles for Discover Your Ancestors, History Today, Staffordshire Life, Who Do You Think You Are?, and Your Family History and others both in the UK and overseas. Media approaches are always welcome (Twitter @saralread is the quickest way to get me).

I also a contributing editor at the blog Early Modern Medicine alongside founding editor Dr Jennifer Evans.

Our home is filled with both an excitable nine-year-old cockapoo and a three-year-old grandchild, so it is never dull.