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Summary: Riveting
Review: I delivered babies for twenty years in rural Iowa and did not expect this book to be able to capture the feelings of joy and fear that can come with providing obstetrical services to women in isolated areas. But this book is riveting and thrilling in its style and content. As I read and enjoyed this book, I kept thinking how similar this author is to Hemingway. I believe this book will become a classic in American literature. It is an insightful and enthralling book about having and delivering babies. But I do not feel women should read it during a pregnancy.
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Summary: Midwives: Praise for the Writter
Review: While reading Midwives, I had to stop several times and remind myself that this book is not only fiction but it was written by a man. How wonderful is the writing that Chris Bohjalian can really get into the brain of a daughter telling the story of her mother and her horrific experience. I continued to be pulled into the story and found myself thinking of the characters during my daily activities. I am still not convinced that this story is purely fiction. Writer does what few can do, convince you of his character and their experience and leave you thirsting for more information.
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Summary: Most Moving Book I've Read All Year
Review: I thought Midwives was one of the best books I have ever read. I read at least one book a week...all types of fiction. From Grisham, to Patterson (husband & wife) and most of Oprah's selections. The way Chris Bohjalean keeps the reader in suspense throughout the book enhances you wanting to read faster and faster to reach the untimate conclusion. The writing is so fluid and Mr. Bohjalean writes as if he speaks from experience...and the emotions experienced by the characters are so genuine, the reader cannot help but feel what these people are feeling. A must read for everyone....And an especially good book selection for any book club.
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Summary: Book Review for Mr. Trainer
Review: The book,"Midwives" by Chris Bohjalian is an extremely wonderful book. It supplies the reader with suspense, while in the courtroom, with life learnings and sad or dissapointing times, also. A thing that I liked was at the beginning of each chapter how there was a passage from the notebook of Sybyl Danforth, offering us with more interesting information. This book offers many life learnings and I think that they will be able to help us to understand what will be going on later in our own lives. I could never put this book down, I alwyas hd to read on and on, and find out what happen.
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Summary: Mediocre
Review: I thought this was a very mediocre book. I could not get attatched to the characters and it wasn't until 3/4 through that I felt I had to see it through to the end. It just wasn't that interesting!
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Summary: Midwives Review
Review: I reluctantly was forced to read the book MIDWIVES by my 9th grade English teacher Mr. Trainer. To my surprise though, it was actually a very good book (and I'm not just trying to be a brown noser). Sibyl Danforth was a very good midwife who had dilivered many babies in her day. This all came to an abrubt stop when there was a disaster during a routine labor. Because the roads were icy, Mrs. Danforth was unable to get her patient to the hospital. The patient, Charlette Fugett Bedford died a short while later from causes unknown. After she thought the women was dead, Mrs. Danforth performed a c-section on the women and saved her child who was later named Veil. Could the woman that she did the c-section on have still been alive? Was there a chance that Syble Danforth had commited involuntary manslaughter or even murder? The state of Vermont brought her to trial. She and a very expensive lawyer whom she had found upstate named Stephen Hastings went to sourt in mid September. After much deliberation by the jurors she was found...I guess You'll have to read the book to find out!
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Summary: Midwives
Review: A part of my English 9 honors class, we had to read this book. We actually got to choose between a few, and Midwives, by Chris Bohjalian, caught my eye. After I selected it, I read the back cover. To me, the book sounded very exciting and interesting. I read about a quarter of the 374 page book in three nights. After that the story seemed more interesting, so I completed the book the following day. I would recommend this book to anyone. It is simple, but exciting and contains no hidden meanings. I enjoyed the book for various reasons. I liked it because of its descriptive writing and its simplicity.
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Summary: Kelly's English Review
Review: This book is a devastating story about a tragic event in a midwives life. One little mistake can cause a lifetime of pain. For Sybil and her family, living with this mistake was one of the hardest things to do. In this book I especially liked the excerpts from Sybil's diary which portray her pain and suffering. They also help you to get to know Sybil's thoughts on her career, daughter, trial and life. Her trial was long and hard. It amazed me that the author of this book was male. He portrayed a young girl so well, the way that I thought only a woman could do.
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Summary: Midwives: A Novel
Review: I thought that this book "Midwives" was beautifully written. I felt that the writer, Chris Bohjalian, was able to portray a young teenage girl perfectly. In fact, had I not read about the author, I would have never suspected that he was a man. You learn about the main character, Connie and see how her mother's experiences transform her from a normal immature teenager to a young adult dealing with unimaginable problems. After reading the first chapter, I was hooked. Not only did the author do an excellent job with creating realistic, likable characters but his choice of words seemed to make me feel as though I was right there watching our heroic midwife, Sibyl. Throughout the story, one learn more about Sibyl Danthford, her past loves, child births and her "hippie" activities. You also get to learn different children she delivered throughout her midwife career. What I liked most about this book was the reader never knows what will become of Sibyl and her practice. The second you feel you know what will happen, some new turn of events will change your mind into thinking something else. The most thrilling part of the book is the suspense of the court room scenes when Sibyl is on the stand and bedroom scenes where Sibyl must decide between the mothers life or the childs. I feel that the book was about to show an equal understanding of midwifery and hospital births. The book was able to give me a better understanding of midwifery and at home child birth. I would definitely recommend this book to all who enjoy suspense and wish to learn more about the wonders of child birth and midwives.
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Summary: One for your library card, not your Master card.
Review: This book was thought provoking and I liked that part about the midwife's tale. I felt the ending was entertaining, but completely out-of-character for a healer-type woman to do. She saves her own precious hide in court and then loses her "calling" for midwifery. I did too. Birth in a hospital gals, and don't buy this book. If you are curious about the story, use your library card to take a look-see. If you're like me, you won't be wanting to read through it again. Tedious. Could stand some serious editing.
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