Rating: 
Summary: Another good Oprah book
Review: This book was a difficult but enjoyable read. It was obvious reading it that the author had done quite a bit of research to make an accurate portrayal of this situation. However, I thought the story could have been told in a different order to make it a little more engrossing. But I would definitely recommend this book and will read more by Chris Bohjalian.
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Summary: You would never know a man wrote this book
Review: A beautifully written story about 1 life lost and one life saved. The midwife looses the mother during labor becuase a storm prevents any hosptail treatment but the baby is saved. Is the midwife a hero or a criminal. Read and find out it is worth it! An Oprah book lover!
Rating:
Summary: Deeply Moving and Emotional
Review: I wasn't that familar with the world of midwives until I read this book. And, I was shocked to discover that it was written by a man. What a wonderful voice he has. (Much like Wally Lamb in "She's Come Undone") I found this book terriably personal and you just wept for all the heartache reveiled. What a tragic set of circumstances. This is one of the better picks that Oprah has done...I really enjoyed this one.
Rating: 
Summary: How could a man know so well?
Review: Midwives is written by a man from a woman's point of view. Chris Bohjalian has achieved something unexpected in that he graphically and at the same time lovingly describes childbirth and pregnancy. How does he know how it feels? Is it from his own sense of fatherhood or detailed research? The answer is that it doesn't matter. Appreciate the fact that this fine author has mastered the art of storytelling. As the story moves forward and backward in time we grow to care about the midwife of the title and her daughter who is the narrator. As you approach the final pages you will hold your breath awaiting the outcome.
Rating:
Summary: Likes to read
Review: This book was written so well, that I actually thought Chris, the author, was the woman narrating the book. It wasn't until I looked at the author bio that I realized Chris was a father and husband, not a woman telling what happened when she was a young girl. Well done. I also loved "Where the Heart Is" by Billie Letts.
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Summary: A nice read
Review: I thought this was an excellent book. It had a mix of Belva Plain, and then a little John Grisham courtroom drama. I think I would have liked the novel better if it was from Sybyl's point of view instead of her daughter. I also liked this book because I knew very little about midwives and how they practice, so this is also a good educational novel. I hope to read more of Chris' works.
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Summary: What an incredible novel!
Review: First, I have to voice my one major complaint - and it's not with the book per se, but rather with the little blurb on the cover of the paperback edition, to wit: "Astonishing...will keep readers up late at night until the last page is turned." This will give people the mistaken impression that this is a mystery or a thriller. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are hints all through the novel as to what really happened that night, and the epilogue merely confirms them.That blurb does not, however, detract from the story being told - a midwife is charged with unintentionally killing her patient (believing she was already dead due to a cerebral hemhorrage), and with practicing medicine without a license. That is an extremely simple description of what is an extremely well-written novel. Every event is totally believable, and almost every character is totally believable. The one exception is the widowed father, Asa, who does not seem to be as fleshed out as the rest of the characters in the novel. The novel does not make a case either way for or against midwifery or home birth, but rather describes a fictional account of what must be every midwife's worst nightmare. Whether you are for or against the subject, or even if you have no opinion on it, I guarantee you will not look at home birth and at midwives the same way after reading this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Story first, characters last
Review: This is a compelling story told in the voice of a daughter experiencing her mother's trevails. However, the author has a hard time giving us characters with whom we can identify. There is such an emphasis on midwifery's struggle to be viewed legitimately in the health care system (through the telling of the tale) that the potential richness of the characters and their lives is lost. This was a good story, well told. As a reader, I kept hoping the author would give me something to identify with -- something that would allow me to develop empathy for any of the characters. By focusing so much on the sequencing of events and the use of their respective "skills", the opportunity to "bond" with the primary characters is lost.
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Summary: A Great Book Worth Reading!
Review: I am a high school reading this book for a fun book report. I chose this book due to recommendation of a friend. This book is one of the best I have ever read. It goes into great detail about the family and even the thoughts and feeelings of the daughter. You don't read this book, you become a part of it and you almost wish there is something you could do to help the girl and her family. A heart-felt book I will definetly read again.
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Summary: STILL IN SHOCK
Review: Although this was not the type of book that I usually read (usually Koontz/King type), it really caught my interest because of a difficult hospital birth I had. The book seemed to have started out slow, but once they got to the courtroom, I just couldn't put the book down. I started to find myself getting quite anxious right along with the main character. And once I got to the end of it, I just sat there with my mouth hanging wide open. Now I can't wait to find other books like it.
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