Midwives: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Standing by our convictions...standing by family
Review: This book was very interesting. I felt like I got to know Sybil who is a midwife that truly believes that giving birth is a divine natural process between parents and child. The c-section that lead to her court room drama had me on the edge of my seat and had me torn between my belief in what she felt was right and what should have actually happened. I think Chris did a good job sharing this story through the eyes of Sybil's daughter. The ending is a little shocker. An excellent book with beautiful prose. I look forward to reading Chris' next book.

Rating:
Summary: A fairly interesting read,but does a disservice to midwives.
Review: The premise of this story is interesting, but I agree with a previous reviewer that Midwives gives the reader an inaccurate portrayal of the midwifery profession. I am a practicing midwife, and none of my colleagues would consider taking a kitchen knife to a laboring mother and performing a c-section at home. There are enough misconceptions about midwifery without Mr. Bojhalian's adding fuel to the fire.

Rating:
Summary: No literary event, but worth reading
Review: This book is an even mix of bad and good qualities. I thought it was suspenseful; it kept me guessing until the last page. I really wanted to know how it ended. But--the writing leaves much to be desired. I found the voice used by the daughter to be not believable. For a woman with the education she supposedly had, the grammar and style were pathetic. Also I found the aging hippey tie-dye wrap-around-skirt theme to be way overdone. I lived through the 60's and remember the decade well, but I must say that I now know NO ONE who talks about "grooving" to anything. Sybil's diary was just plain nauseating in places. Are there really any adults who still think and talk that way?? Also there were undeveloped references to things such as the relationship between Sybil and her lawyer that were left hanging at the end. And one other thing that just drove me insane--a personal pet peeve--is the constant use of "try and see", "try and go", etc. Mr. Bohjalian, it is "try TO see", "try TO go", etc. ALL of the characters spoke this way. I have to think at least ONE of them paid enough attention in English class to know better. I continue to be unimpressed with Oprah's choices. I would like to know what her criteria are. If you want to read a courtroom drama that is done with style by an obviously intelligent author, try Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson.

Rating:
Summary: I loved this book!
Review: As a reader who likes courtroom dramas and medical sagas, this book had a little bit of everything. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the midwifery field. The cast of characters was full of likeable people. I hated to say goodbye when I finished the book.

Rating:
Summary: I know I'm in the minority but I did not like this book.
Review: I was very disappointed with this book and it was a struggle to finish! I thought it fell apart in two areas. First, character development. Although the reader is given the names of the characters I never felt like I got to know any of them. We learned many interesting 'tidbits' about the characters but never gained more than a cursory insight into them - like why did the daughter choose to become an OB/GYN, was there more to the relationship between the mother and lawyer and how did the husband/father really feel about what had happened and what was going on. The second thing that bothered me, and it goes hand in hand with the shallow character development, was that we learned a lot about specific events but there were no insights into feelings. In the end the mother is exhonerated but dies from cancer, presumably because she is so racked with guilt and pain over the event. This was a 'womans' book written by a man who documented events, technical detail and remedies but showed little insight into human nature, internal conflicts and the feelings of those most closely involved in this tragedy. The premise of the novel was ripe with possibilities for exploring its main characters. The author let us down and any comparisons to "To Kill A Mockingbird" are way off target.

Rating:
Summary: riveting
Review: This is the first book my 15 year old daughter has read on her own in years - I started reading it over the holidays and she was always stopping me so that we could be reading it at the same pace. However, I was in a hurry to get to the end to see what the result of the trial would be. I had my own prejudice as to what I wanted the decision to be, but did not know til the last moment what it would really be. And that decision led to more thoughts and discussion. Some of my friends who also read the book were interested in my daughter's opinions and wanted to know what she would have done had she been the daughter in the story. I am anxiously awaiting his next book.

Rating:
Summary: great
Review: grea

Rating:
Summary: exceptional page-turner
Review: I just finished Midwives this morning,and have not been able to get the book out of my head. I hated to see it end because it was so fantastic. Heartfelt, moving, and extremely well written. I have not read a book that has touched me so deeply in years.

Rating:
Summary: A slow read...
Review: I was a bit disappointed in the story. Although it had some high points, I felt that overall it wasn't enough to truly capture my attention. I read the entire story, but found that it took me a long time to get through it. I felt that I never really got to know the characters Connie and Sybil. What I did enjoy were the last few chapters....they were filled with anticipation and surprises. I was happy to finally finish the story.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely brilliant
Review: I could not believe that an author would have this kind of insight on the life of a young woman, the narrator, and the extent of knowledge on midwives. This book was riviting, full of character developemnt, psychologically profound... I thought it one of the best books I ever read that contains such suspensful anectodes...I am not a mystery or supense reader, but this book is a jewel!!!