Midwives

Rating:
Summary: Midwives- New England Novel
Review: Midwives is a gut-wrenching novel about Midwifery in rural New England. Midwife, Sibyl Danforth, through the eyes of her daughter. Cut off from the outside world during a blizzard in rural Vermont, Sibyl performes an emergency C-section on a mother she believes is dead to save a baby. What follows is a trial between the ancient art of midwifery and modern medicine. But what is really at stake here is a tradition going back thousands of years between strong self-sufficient mothers and the self-proclaimed security blanket of the establishment.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Read
Review: Midwives: A Novel, is one of the best books I have ever read. Set in Vermont in the 1970's, it is a story of a beautiful hippie midwife who has a patient die in childbirth during a fierce snowstorm. But did her client die from the midwife's error? Told from the P.O.V. of the midwife's young teen daughter, Midwives is thoroughly engrossing. As the picture on the cover of a house in the middle of nowhere, barely visible in the snow-filled night indicates, this is a book to curl up with. The reader alternately squirms during graphic medical sections, is mesmerized during the trial proceedings, and sympathizes with, or hates, the well-portrayed characters.

Midwives was written by a man, Chris Bohjalian. I could not believe that such a book, so sensitive to and understanding of women, was not written by a woman. One of Oprah's book club picks.




Rating:
Summary: Midwives Delivers (No pun intended) ha ha
Review: Sybil is a midwife who had an accident. A patient of hers suffers a brain aneurism while trying to deliver during a storm that had them snowbound. Sybil performed a C-section to save the child seconds after the mother's death. But was she really dead? Witnesses at the birthing house think things could have gone differently, and that's where the story takes off.
Sybil's story is not told by Sybil her self, but her 14 year old daughter, which makes it interesting. There was, of course, a good amount of courtroom drama, and a little infidelity thrown in which I didn't quite get the point of, but all in all, I really enjoyed this book.

Rating:
Summary: Still a great read
Review: This is a wonderful novel that is a deep look into a woman's subconsience (especially since it is writen by a man!). It is a look into the prejudice of modern medicine toward less conventional, alternative therapies. Sybil warms my heart with her caring and compassion. I cried in the courtroom with the family. It is an Oprah's book club book, but still a great read!

Rating:
Summary: May be the next To Kill a Mockingbird
Review: This is one of the most superb novels I have ever read. The characters are beautifully drawn, the prose flows, and the story is absolutely gripping. Choosing to tell this tale from the perspective of a 14 year old girl was a wonderful idea. This is a courtroom drama at its best-- but more importantly, it is a poignant story that emphasizes how fragile we all are.Everyone makes mistakes-- most of us don't have to give up the profession we love because of those mistakes. The topic was absolutely fascinating. The author really captures the beauty and miracle of childbirth-- while exposing a lot of prejudices that the medical community holds. This is a novel of depth that I was touched by in a most intelligent way. This book explores a lot of relatioonshiips-- mother and daughter-- husband and wife-- midwife and patient. I think people may be misled by the title- but they shouldn't be. This is a beautiful book that says a lot about the human condition, beyond the mere story of a midwife on trial.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing Voice
Review: What really impressed me about this book was how well the author, a man, wrote with the voice of a young woman. Though nothing like Connie (I am about the age she was at the time of the trial), I could actually identify with her as a person. Many authors struggle with creating realistic young adult voices, so Bohjalian is clearly very gifted. Reading Midwives, I could hardly believe it wasn't a memoir.
While about the midwife and mother's trial, this book seemed to be more of a coming of age story, with elements of a legal story. Though superior, Midwives reminds me of My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.
It was an absorbing read, drama with a very human element.
Any quibbles I had with the story mostly came from the fact that I myself am not in favor of home births.
Midwives would not be on my list of must-reads, but it is an excellent piece of literature.