Midwives: A Novel

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Summary: Terrific! A Great Story!
Review: It was refreshing to read something different for a change. The writer had me believing it was a true story. Although the book jumped around a bit, it kept me reading late into the night to find out what happened.

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Summary: Bad TV in print
Review: It was as about as dreadful as the cheapest "bodice-ripper" thriller I've ever read/seen. This is television in print; McLuhan would lament our fall to "chewing gum for the soul". It lacks the underlying feel for the subject of even "St. Elsewhere", which is where I wished I was by the last page. The author is a sensational opportunist, and sadly, the American public, especially women, are fooled. Why would so many women rush to buy so violent a caricature of themselves?

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Summary: Bohjalian brings life to "Midwives"
Review: I picked up Chris Bohjalian's novel "Midwives" on Saturday and did not put it down until I finished it on Monday. It was the most visceral reading experience I have had in a long time. The setting and the dialogue was so believable that I could not help but be drawn into the narrative. His use of flashback, in conjunction with the excerpts from Sibyl's diary, lends itself so beautifully to the way in which this story unfolds. I had no idea that a story that is so female, so much a part of the landscape of womanhood could be told with such love, sensitivity, and devotion by a man. I am truly in awe.

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Summary: This was a page turner! A provocative moral dilemma.
Review: The book held a wonderful clarity of deliverance that I enjoyed as much as the moral dilemma. The storyline was tightly knit, a crisp, wonderfully detailed tale. Can't wait to see the movie!

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Summary: The Best Book I've Read This Year!
Review: As a rabid book reader since 1st grade, I have read thousands of novels. Lately, it seems that much of the current work available to read leaves me with a few hours of entertainment, and then abruptly passes from the mind. Not so with Midwives. This is a masterful drama which captures the attention by riveting the reader with wonderful literary techniques and superb writing. For me to dwell on a book in my mind long after I complete the last page is a triumph that I have not enjoyed with many bestsellers, and this has driven me back to reading many of the "classics" that I had skipped as a younger person. Chris Bohjalian's book has given me faith and hope that there is still potential to have some "classics" to pass on to generations from the late 90's. READ IT - you will enjoy the book immensely.

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Summary: WOW! What a read!
Review: This was a great novel about the strength of a family! I loved reading through Connie's eyes. It wasn't as much of a page turner as I'd expected but what an ending! Bojalian totally takes the reader by suprise and left me wide-eyed for hours after finishing! This novel is full of emotion and Bojalian leaves you unable to forget one detail! This book appeals to all types of readers!

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Summary: Readers beware! This book is definitely ANTI-midwifery!
Review: Bojalian has done midwives a HUGE disservice in writing this book. He caricatures midwives, all the while professing to admire them. He has chosen the most extreme situation -- death -- as the central event, & includes a conventional, sensationalistic trial scene. Read carefully & note his alarmist, dark, dank language of risk & danger, the negative cast of all he presents. Oprah, in publicizing this book, falls right into the hands of those who see home birthing as enormously risky. In fact. It is important for readers to know that midwives practice throughout the world, and are the best attendants for childbearing women, especially independent midwives, who know the most about normal, natural birthing. Good midwives celebrate birth, believe in the women they attend, & in their capacities to labor & birth with all their body heart & soul. Oddly, people reading "Midwives" see it as positive. So, new readers, read carefully, thoughtfully, PLEASE. What is the author REALLY saying? Protest the book's aggrandizement!

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Summary: Worth reading and discussing
Review: I was compelled to read Chris's book because his soon-to-be 5 year old daughter is in my kindergarten class. This book is perfect for a discussion group. It's not only a great story full of suspense and great character development, it evokes questions about loyalty, personal choice, guilt, and medical reponsibilities. Chris's foreshadowing techniques helped to pull me into the story. I especially enjoyed his method of learning the verdict from the trial through the reactions of the people in the courtroom.

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Summary: Interesting, enlightening, highly recommend to medical field
Review: Dear Oprah, We cannot judge a book by it's cover, only by the contents of its characters. At first I was not going to read Midwives. The title did not spark an interest or grab my attention. I felt the story would be boring since it consisted of a trial. Periodically I become depressed when reading or hearing about babies and pregnancies. Only after glancing through the book at an area bookstore and coming across a few verses from the book of Lamentations, a quote from James Martineau, and the comparison that was made between it and To Kill A Mockingbird did I gain an interest. I figured it had a sense of spirituality and To Kill A Mockingbird is one of my favorite stories; therefore, it had to be suspenseful. I like a good mystery. Being an only child, I completely absorbed myself into Connie's character. I could totally relate to her. I saw myself in her, from the relationship she had with her parents to that of her boyfriend. I liked the way Bohjalian began each chapter with the thoughts from Sibyl's notebook, except for chapter one and the prologue. Those thought passages helped me a great deal and kept my attention to look forward to the next pages of the novel. I found it to be very interesting reading as well as informative. Sibyl's character portrayed what happens to a person when they panic. By doing that, a person can just totally lose it and Sibyl lost it. Her intentions were well and good. I am glad I read the novel and will recommend it to others. I actually had a hard time putting the novel down once I got into it. Signed Reshay Yow at [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Was This a Documentary or a Novel?
Review: I ask this question because the book doesn't have the depth of character development, suspense, etc. that I expect in a novel. It reminds me more of a good TV docmentary...Facts...Views of the participants. I read the entire book in one afternoon and evening, so it felt like a long docu-drama to me. So much time was spent with the daughter's point-of-view. Much of the detail that, to me, makes a good medical mystery/thriller was absent. I was disappointed in the book. It just wasn't what I expected.