Rating: 
Summary: A Unique Storyliine
Review: While reading 'Midwives: A Novel' I was captivated and yet appalled by the graphic portrayal of a midwife caught within a horrific tragedy. As both a 'survivor' of an unexpected c-section performed in a rural area hospital,and consequently, mother of an intelligent and beautiful sixteen-year-old young woman, I remain awed by Mr. Bohjalian talents. The uncanny irony of a man's ability to craft a story from a young girl's perspective with such accuracy was startling. I was washing clothes while reading the novel, inevitably causing lengthy pauses, and found myself reflecting on my own values, beliefs, and morals. At one particularly compelling twist, I stopped the incessant reading to curiously inquire of my husband (a non-reader), after explaining the plot and subplots of the novel, to genuinely give his idea of a moral and ethical response if he were ever confronted with such a dire circumstance. Although emotionally torn between the mind bending realism of Sybil Danforth and her friend, the innocent but fateful Charlotte Buford Bedford, I will always be endeared to the true heroine, Ms. Connie Danforth, for her stoic goodness. A novel that I will pass, effortlessly, to all my reading friends.
Rating: 
Summary: Midwives
Review: I found this book to be a slow starter and a little hard to get into, yet it turned out to be one of those books you can't quite walk away from either. I found myself continuing to read it just to "get it over with", but was lured more and more into the plot with each passing chapter. The writing is superb and one can actually feel oneself feeling the emotions of each character as the story continues. I was surprised to learn the writer was a man though. The feelings and emotions he gives his female characters are very real and could very well mirror those of real women today placed in similiar situations. Women can relate to the characters feelings and feel compassion for them. Chris Bohjalian is to be applauded for his excellent insight and ability to relay that insight to the reader. The ending was well worth the wait and made the entire book worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Birth and Tragedy in Vermont
Review: This book is written in the voice of a young woman, Connie, who was a 14-year old girl in 1981. Through her eyes, we hear the story of her mother, Sibyl Danforth, a lay midwife, who goes on trial when one of her home births goes terribly wrong. Through Connie's eyes, the reader is taken on a page-turning journey by a well-crafted narrative that moves back and forth in time like a jigsaw puzzle. We feel the emotions of her first kiss as well as her feelings about seeing her loving family endure this event. The writer captures everything -- the nuances of the parents marriage, the deep belief her mother has for her calling to be a midwife, the seasonal changes in the State of Vermont, the controversy between home and hospital birth, and the wonder of the birth process itself. The story moves swiftly, pulling the reader into the time, place and internal feelings of Connie as well as the people around her. The physical descriptions of the births and the detailed medical information was fascinating and essential to the plot of the story. The writer is a man, but you'd never know it and I applaud him for this wonderful book which will echo in my mind for a long time. I literally could not put it down and, even though I had peeked at the ending before I started the book, I still felt every bit of the suspense that the writer intended.B
Rating:
Summary: Pregnant Pause
Review: From the first sentence I was hooked and most of the time I turned the pages with trembling hands waiting to see what would happen next. This novel has it all and it is amazing that it was written by a man considering that a large portion of it explores the emotions of a woman. The ending is one you do not expect and will not forget. I finished it a week ago and can't stop thinking about it.
Rating:
Summary: Riveting - a must read!
Review: Midwives is one of the best Oprah picks I've read. I had a difficult time putting this book down -- and I also had a VERY difficult time getting through the somewhat gory first pages. However, the unpleasant details made the story real, and added a lot to the plot. I found myself totally absorbed with the characters (Connie's teenage point of view was dead on) and throughout the novel I questioned my initial instincts about Sibyl's guilt or innocence...now that's a great book! The ending was jawdropping for me...stick with it, even though there are slow stretches..its worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliantly Written!
Review: This book was riveting from the beginning to the final page. There were many moments of the book that took me by surprise. The reader must keep turning the page to see what will happen next. At times I would find my pulse racing. This book certainly kept me up too late at night! A must read!
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing idea, so-so execution
Review: The first pages of the book captured my attention and the character of the narrator is well-developed, but the author could have used an editor's hand to cut some of the scenes between the teenage narrator and her boyfriend. Thematically, they don't relate to the main story at all. Also, the ending in regard to the mother was compelling, but I never really understand on a deeper level why the daughter became an ob/gyn. I would have like a more in-depth analysis of her reasons. The prose at times seemed a bit awkward and not very poetical. Advice to author: Demand a tougher read by your editor next time.
Rating:
Summary: There are no easy answers. . . are there?
Review: The place: Northern Vermont. The Time: 1981. The dilemma: Did she or didn't she? The problem is one for the ages. Did midwife Sybil Danforth unwittingly kill a mom while performing an emergency C-section? Or did she save a life? This is the initial question Midwives poses. But woven into the multi-colored fabric (think peasant skirt circa '70s), are several other issues: midwifery vs. modern medicine, peace-loving hippie vs. Vietnam vet, 14-year old innocent(narrator as a child) vs. more worldy ob-gyn(again the narrator), rural sensibilities vs. urban corporate culture. Midwives can be read on many levels. For example, the obvious guilty-or-not guilty level, which makes it a good read; and the more complex what-does- this-say-about-all-of-us level, which makes it a good moral exercise (if that's what you're into). The only drawback: nitpicking detail. Do we really need the two page description of the lake across from the courthouse? Do we really need all the info on the jurors? Sometimes less is more.
Rating: 
Summary: slooooooow
Review: A good editor might have been able to tighten up and improve this story. The telling was slow moving, and I found it difficult to stay focused on the tale. Stubbornly, I held on until the end when a surprise ending completed the book. It was not enough of a surprise to make it worthwhile reading.
Rating:
Summary: slooooooooow
Review: I found it very hard to proceed through this rambling repetitive story. A good editor could have had a field day with this book. I am glad I got to the last page, though. It provided a surprise ending. But the pain and suffering to finish it was not worth the wait.
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