Rating: 
Summary: slow start...excellent ending
Review: The first chapter definately got me psyched to read this book, however as I continued on, I lost interest! Although I LIKED how it was written from the daughter's viewpoint, I hated how the author would "get off the topic" of the book in earlier chapters. Some tangents were a alrite, but Bohjalian went on with some into too much story than needed. Around the middle of the 10th chapter, I was pleased to see that the rest of the book was definately WORTH the slow start. The very ending was a complete shocker: I LOVED IT! I definately RECOMMEND this book--just be patient. It isn't greatly written, but the overall novel is wonderful!
Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: I liked the choice of narrator in this book and I think the author did a fine job of portraying a 14 year old girl. If I had not read the author bio in the back of the book, I would have never guessed he was male. What I like best about the book is the moral ambiguity. I'm still wondering whether the midwife simply made an unfortunate mistake or whether the death was a result of inexperience and criminal negligence. One thing I didn't like was the subplot romance between the narrator and her boyfriend. It seemed to be going somewhere and then went nowhere. I found myself dreading scenes between them.
Rating: 
Summary: EXCELLANT!
Review: I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN. YOU THINK YOU HAVE IT FIGURED OUT AND IT GETS YOU AT THE END. AFTER YOUR FINISHED READING THIS BOOK YOU THINK ABOUT FOR DAYS. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
Rating:
Summary: A thought-provoking novel that's also a real page turner!
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and also found it hard to put down. Few novels can balance family dynamics and intense introspection with such anticipation and "page turner" quality, but this one does. About two thirds of the way through, I discovered (by finally reading the author's bio) that Chris (a potentially ambiguous name) is a male not a female. I was floored. Not because I think writers are so limited by their gender, but you have to admit: Bohjalian's insight into the 14 year-old character of Connie, as well as the exploration of emotion surrounding the birth experience is profoundly feminine. Most male authors don't take the time to explore such themes, and it was a rewarding surprise to find such a book as this. Great dialogue and character development. Engrossing to the very end.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting look into an old profession...
Review: Having had both a hospital birth and a home birth, I much preferred the attended home birth. I have long thought women need to be attended by women in childbirth. This is a wonderful look into the mind of a midwife through her journal entries. And, the trial which happens after a woman dies due to a very odd set of circumstances. Very thought provoking especially since it is narrated by the midwife's teenage daughter. Women still die in childbirth even in the hospital. There are no guarantees. A very well written book!
Rating:
Summary: WONDERFUL and EXCITING
Review: This was a very enjoyable book to read. The theme is based on the memories of a midwive's daughter and is told from her point of view. The ending will take you by surprise.
Rating:
Summary: A Page Turner!
Review: This novel is a great read. Chris Bohjalian has a wonderful atmosphere with the perception form the daughter of the charged mother. The details of the woman's labor is stunning, and the courtroom battle as well as the whole situation for the family during the time is fantastic to read about. It makes you feel as if you're there. There is not much character development, and you will not get any deeper than a midwife being charged with a crime and her experience going through with it. The words are not so eloquent, which makes it for a easy read, but the details building the story and setting is still a pleasure to read.
Rating:
Summary: Moving and absorbing
Review: The story is gripping, complicated, and utterly engaging. True, the writing is uneven and in one case ungrammatical (". . . jurors were sat by the baliff in four rows of seven . . .") but that's nitpicking. The voice the writer chooses is definitely not the voice of a 12 to 14 year old girl, however precocious. It's the voice of the adult daughter/obstetrician. The issues must be taken from a historical point of view. Then, the medical establishment fought changing hospital birthing practices that proved to be beneficial for families: allowing the father to be present, allowing women to decline drugs, allowing various birthing positions, and on and on. Sibyl's character represents the movement of that time that tried to humanize the so-called modern practices of medicine and bring the doctors down from Olympus to where they belonged--on earth helping people. Of course, the justness of Sibyl's actions are debatable. So are those of many licensed doctors. The book offers no easy answers, to its credit.
Rating:
Summary: Excellant!
Review: This book is a good read. I really recommend this if you want to read a good book. I thought that it had a good plot and the chracters were written well. Maybe I just found it intresting because thats the type of work that I do. Well, enjoy this book!
Rating:
Summary: Loved it, loved it, stayed up all night to finish it!
Review: I finished this book at 4:00 this morning, I could not put it down. Although I'm no advocate of home birth, I found Sybil's theories/thoughts/motivations honorable and admirable. I find it a little alarming that women entrust their most precious treasures -- their children -- to midwives with no medical training. Scary scary. Although I couldn't get into that whole herb and home birth thing, I really did enjoy the story. Connie and Stephen were especially three-dimensional and endearing to me.
| 
