Rating: 
Summary: No depth
Review: Midwives is very easy to read and would appeal to those who love courtroom dramas like Grisham's stuff. The book lacked emotion on the birthing topic and never developed any of the human relationships. Shallow and disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: Sloppy writing; interesting topic
Review: The long, convoluted sentences detract from tight storytelling. The comparisons to TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD are especially offensive. I kept reading out of sheer determination, and at times the narrator's tone and personality grew on me . . . But I never quite bought into the reality of the situation. I'm in the minority here, but I think this book is overrated.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent book!
Review: This was the first "Oprah" book I had read, and it was soo good I ran out and bought more "Oprah" books - some not nearly as good as this one.I was truely amazed at the author's ability to write from a young girls perspective and to capture the life of a midwife so accuratly. If you read one book this year, read this one!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've read!
Review: This is a fantastic book--fast paced and a page turner. Those who don't read this are missing on an excellent experience!
Rating:
Summary: Such a great book!
Review: This book was really really good. Right off the bat the story begins and you find yourself on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. I was reluctant to get this book at first because I thought it was going to be sad and involve a long, drawn out court case. It pleasantly surprised me to one of my favorite books in a long time. You will find yourself understanding the characters and thinking you know the outcome when you really don't.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely superb!
Review: Well written, compelling and insightful, I was unable to put this book down.
Rating: 
Summary: Midwives - a story for our times.
Review: This is a book I couldn't put down. It is amazing how Mr. Bohjalian was able to put into writing the feelings of women during childbirth. Certainly it is difficult enough to express those feelings, but to do so as a man shows an incredible amount of compassion and understanding. A lesson to us all, I'm sure. This is a tightly written novel concerning a normally safe home birth gone terribly wrong, and how it affects the lives of all those involved. It twists and turns and leads the reader to wrong assumptions over and over again. At the same time it manages to bring forth the mystery and wonder of life, and especially the moment of birth. The novel is written from the point of view of the Midwife's daughter, who is, at the time of the writing, a doctor, specifically an OB/GYN. Armed with first hand knowledge as well as her mother's copious notes, Constance spins the story of her mother's passion for midwifery, devotion to her trade, and tragic loss of that love after the death of one of her mothers. The trial scenes are wonderfully exciting and maddening at the same time. But more important is the story of love and support in the Danforth family, though not without it's stress and misunderstandings. And Constance tells her own story of growing up and through the tragedy of the public trial, her mother's too close relationship with her lawyer, and her father's struggle to understand and support his wife. All in all, a wonderful book that surprised me a great deal. Thanks to my wife and our book club for getting me to read it.
Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: I thought this book was boring. I kept waiting for it to get better, but it never did. I bought it because I liked other books from Oprah's book club, but not this one.
Rating:
Summary: Shocking and Compelling, A Necessary Read
Review: From the first page to the final, shudderingly brutal word, author Bojalian has brought to life every pregnant woman and midwife's worst nightmare and the lush, gorgeous,and often harsh Vermont landscape in a glittering novel about human frailty. Told surprisingly well from a pre-teen girl's standpoint, male author Bojalian weaves a tale which makes you wish it were easier to put this page-turner down for a little relief. Gorgeously unrelenting.
Rating:
Summary: excellent choice
Review: this was a great book. I couldn't put it down and the ending was terrific. It was unexpected and kept me gasping the phrash "oh my god" for a good five minutes at least. I loved it and would recommend it to everyone but stay clear of the others books by this author. I was so amazed by Midwives - I ran out and bought WATER WITCHES & LAW OF SIMILARS and they really sucked in comparison to Midwives - and at the end I was like "that's it - that's the end". the author might just be a one hit wonder but his one hit is fantastic.
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