Midwives: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: I thought the book was ok to read!
Review: Being that I am from the north country (where the story took place, I thought it was very interesting to read of places that I am quite familiar with. The book itself I would not recommend any couples who are pregnant to read or couples who are thinking of having a child. I believe the author was misleading the relationship between the mother and her attorney. I also did not care about the way the author ended the book. The verdict should have just been stated right off at the end of the book and not keeping you guessing. I felt bad about the way the book ended and for the father. I am proud of the daughter (who narrates the book) its amazing how she follows in her mothers footsteps!

Rating:
Summary: This book will keep your attention to the end.
Review: This was one of the best page turners I have ever read. The story narrated by the midwife's daughter is powerful and moving. The book really puts you in the mother's corner and then at the end leaves you wondering if you were in the worng camp. This is a book, I would recommend to any reader. This triller will be hard to beat.

Rating:
Summary: It could have been good, but...
Review: The idea for the storyline is good. It could have captivated a wide audience of women. The sorry aspect of the book that ruined it for me is the point of view from which the story is told: the daughter of the midwife. There are so many details which are key to the legal case and to the main character's development as a person that the daughter could never have observed or understood. This unbelievable piece was distracting throughout the entire book. I'm waiting for the tv movie version...it will be better.

Rating:
Summary: Great book for nurses!
Review: This was one of the better books I have read in a long time. From a medical standpoint, it really makes you think about the whole situation. The book had a lot of twists and turns that I had not anticipated. I could not put it down!

Rating:
Summary: stunning and wonderful
Review: This book manages to be profound, accessible, philosophical, and down-to-earth at the same time, with fully developed characters. Mr. Bohjalian does an excellent job at writing from the female point of view.

Rating:
Summary: This book was a good read
Review: I bought this book because I had heard Oprah and others recommend it so. Usually I read a book in a day or two , this took me two weeks. It took me a long time to get into it! read it while on Holiday!

Rating:
Summary: a total waste of time
Review: I think the author did an excellent job of describing a 14 year old's perceptions of a most extraordinary event. It's just that this 14 year old's perspective just wasn't very interesting. I would have much rather heard about this event from an adult point of view although I don't think any of the adults in this book would have had much of anything interesting to say either. I think one point was missed by the prosecution. Midwives always say that home birthing is safe because they always have a backup plan of transport to a hospital if anything goes wrong. Sibyl deprived herself of this option when she chose to try a home birth even though the weatherman predicted a "nasty" storm with "lots of black ice" and "extremely hazardous conditions". Home birthing is not a safe option when there is no safety valve as she so painfully realized much too late.

Rating:
Summary: It raises two issues that are so prevalent today.
Review: This book is definitely worth reading as it raises two issues that are so prevalent today--the safety and acceptance of alternative medicine and ethical issues people in the medical field have to face. Connie is an exceptional fourteen year old as she manages to stay strong for her parents, yet still maintains some the normalcy of adolescence with her relationship with her boyfriend and social life with her girlfriends. The defense and the court scenes are captivating. The only real flaw the book has is perhaps too much foreshadowing. Keep the readers guessing more.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, very well written...
Review: This book is gripping. You will want to hurry through the end... It shows how a mistake (maybe) can torment you for a long time... The characters are very human, dealing with a life and death decision that keeps haunting them. I recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: One of Oprah's better picks
Review: This is the 3rd Oprah pick that I have read. Having hated The Pilot's Wife, and somewhat enjoying The Book of Ruth, I was reluctant to start on this one, but I did. After all, I'd just bought a slew of Oprah books at a yard sell. At first I thought it was a little slow. Actually put the book down, and read other things for a week or two, and found it, about 1/3 read while cleaning my living room. I started reading again. I think my trust in the author was lost when I read that the main character was a 14 year old girl, and I knew from the 2nd page in the book, that the author was a man. This is a horrible bias I know, but I never would have known that this book was penned by a man, if I hadn't seen his picture in the beginning. He did a marvelous job becoming that 14 year old girl. The ending makes up for the slow points, at the end, I couldn't put it down. It didn't exactly end like I hoped it would, but I did enjoy the ending never the less. Nicely done. My only complaint is that Sybil may be too much of a stock character. The relationship between Sybil and the father could have been a little more defined and believable. It seems their personal lives were nothing but fights(fueled by scotch) and makeup sex. I think that one was a little overdone Chris. If you have to buy an Oprah book, get this one.