Rating: 
Summary: Powerfully told story
Review: As a "homebirther" I wasn't sure how I would feel about this book. Yet, this book is not even about the issue of home birthing - it is the story of one midwife and her actions to save the life of a baby when she thought her client (the mother in birth) was dead. But, was her client really dead? Did the midwife commit murder?
The story is told in the remembrances of the midwife's 12-year-old daughter and as we read the story and learn the outcome of the lawsuit against the midwife we also learn the present day status of the major and minor characters of the story.
Chris Bohjalian keeps us guessing, worrying, and wondering throughout the book.
I especially enjoyed that this heavy tale was told from the perspective of a young girl.
Rating:
Summary: This book is incredible!
Review: This book is incredible! Although I couldn't wait to find out how it ended, I didn't want the story to end because it was so entralling.
Rating: 
Summary: Midwives- The novel
Review: This book portrayed the life of a midwive on trial for her actions of a birth that went completely and utterly wrong.This book gives you great understanding of the procedures midvives went through and the dangers of birth. This is a great book that holds your attention to the very end. You will not want to put it down. I recommend it to anyone who likes a story of family love and the struggles of life along the way. I promise you this book is worth your while.
Rating: 
Summary: Put this one lower on the reading list
Review: There was a lot of hype to this book, so I was expecting this to be a little more engaging than it was.If you read the synopsis, you'll understand that it's about a Vermont midwife who mistakingly kills a client after giving her a C-Section while still alive. That seems to be pretty much it. Why this bothers me is because I was expecting maybe something else mildly interesting to happen, and it didn't; it was simply the process of going through court, and in the end result, the ruling is what you expect it to be when you first pick up the book up and finish reading the back cover. The writing style is superb and makes the novel move very quickly, which I liked, but by the end I was almost glad it was over.
Rating:
Summary: A man wrote this?
Review: I found this book to be mesmerizing, not only for the writing, but because the the voice of the 12 year old female narrator was so convincing. At a reading, I was startled to discover that the author of this compelling read was a man. In response to the question,"How did you write in the voice of a 12 year old GIRL," he responded,"research." And once he thought he had it, he went back and confirmed it with the daughters of midwives he had talked to. But to have captured the insecurity and inner thoughts of a girl in that place is amazing, not to mention the context she finds herself in. I have not read many "Oprah" books, and have not enjoyed several of those I have picked up. This one, however, I could not put down. I have recommended it to many people, and even my 55-year-old uncle enjoyed it.
Rating:
Summary: ----High Expectations Turns To Disappointment----
Review: (...) The book had so much hype, but I just can't find it within the pages. I kept waiting, hoping, expecting it to really get interesting. I must admit, I am surprised at the ending so I am glad I didn't put it down unfinished.
Characters, esp. Sybil were not developed very well & it just didn't have much depth to it. Maybe it could've been better had the author changed the writing style?
Still pondering on this book, wondering if I missed some shooting star that all these other 4 and 5 star raters seemed to have seen.
(Three stars because the ending surpised me.) I originally thought 2.5.
Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking
Review: This book got better as it went on, starting pretty slow. Some parts were a little boring, but for the most part this book kept me wondering whether or not Sybl was in the wrong and gave both sides to the controversy over midvifery, which also left me going back and forth between the morality of it. It was easy to feel sorry for the little girl in the story and Sybl as well, the characters were likable and believable. The best part of the whole story were the last few pages, so definitely make sure you get there!
Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ
Review: I absolutely could not put down this novel by Bohjalian! This is the story about a midwife on trial for the death of one of her patients retold through the eyes of her daughter. The daughter, now grown, relives her youth, and the trial through alternating chapters.
First of all, the plot is excellent, and this story has not already been told a million times before. The characters have a real voice and you feel like you really know them before it's all over.
Bohjalian has been able to capture and accurately depict life as a girl coming of age. Much to my suprise and delight since he is in fact a man!
This story is one you will not be able to put down, you will want to keep reading as the plot takes many unexpected twists and turns! If you love suspense, this novel is for you. It will keep you guessing all the way until the last page!
Rating:
Summary: Good read
Review: Sibyl Danforth, a Vermont lay-midwife, attends a homebirth that goes horribly wrong when the laboring mother apparently dies. Sibyl makes a hard decision and performs a C-section on the apparently dead woman to save her baby. The story is based upon the ramifications of this decision - because Sibyl's apprentice and the laboring woman's husband claim that the woman wasn't dead when Sibyl performs the C-section. Thus Sibyl ends up being charged by the state with involuntary manslaughter, under the claim that the C-section Sibyl performed to save the baby's life killed it's mother. Midwives is told from the point of view of Sibyl's daughter, Connie, who is fourteen at the time of the tradgedy. As a grown woman and ob/gyn, Connie is still trying to come to terms with what happened to her family in the months after the 'bad birth'. The writing in this book is good, sticking to a simpler style while keeping the tension tight. The author uses the harsh Vermont weather to invoke a bleak atmosphere that serves as the backdrop to the stress that Connie's family will go through. Unlike other books where mood plays an important part, Midwives is not unalterably sad. Instead, it is stressful. The reader can feel the pressure mounting upon Connie and her family as the story move along. The story is also broken up by bits of humor, such as Connie's experiences with her first boyfriend, and the sounds of zippers being undone in the courtroom when a baby needs to be fed. Women who have nursed their babies will relate to the scene of a reporter looking at the wall behind a nursing mother's head while she is being interviewed. The author does an excellent job of demonstrating the ongoing animosity between the mainstream medical community and those who choose so-called alternative medical options (homebirthing, nursing children past 1 year, disuse of vaccines, etc.). This is a real issue for many people and this book will do some good in bringing this to the attention of a wider audience. At the same time, though, people within the 'alternative' community may not take kindly to their being portrayed as a bunch of acid-dropping ex-hippies (which represents only a tiny portion) instead of people who are highly educated and empowering themselves to make their own medical decisions. Readers from both mainstream and alternative schools of thought will enjoy this book. Some people will be angered and outraged by the ending of this book. Some will love the shocking twist at the end. Some will feel betrayed. Everyone will enjoy the book.
Rating:
Summary: Great, thought-provoking book
Review: What a wonderful book. Struggling with the aftermath of a delivery that turned into a tragedy, the Danforth family's saga makes for great reading. I wasn't sure at first -- it started kind of slowly for me, but it was absolutely fascinating once I got further into it. The relationship between Connie and Sibyl is touching, and the fact that the book is written from Connie's viewpoint makes it all the more poignant. It also provides great insight into the midwife profession, something I enjoyed since I just had a baby. I was so eager for the conclusion I couldn't put it down.
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