Midwives: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Drama Drama Drama
Review: Chris Bohjalian did a great job with this book. The life of a midwife occupation and the risks they take everyday to make women feel comfortable in their homes was beautifully portrayed. The court room drama held out right to the end...there were twists and turns throughout the book. The becoming of age of the narrator, Connie, makes a great connection between mother and daughter. My hat is off you Chris Bohjalian!!!

Rating:
Summary: Midwives- New England Novel
Review: Midwives is a gut-wrenching novel about Midwifery in rural New England. Midwife, Sibyl Danforth, through the eyes of her daughter. Cut off from the outside world during a blizzard in rural Vermont, Sibyl performes an emergency C-section on a mother she believes is dead to save a baby. What follows is a trial between the ancient art of midwifery and modern medicine. But what is really at stake here is a tradition going back thousands of years between strong self-sufficient mothers and the self-proclaimed security blanket of the establishment.

Rating:
Summary: Midwives: A Novel
Review: I thought that this book "Midwives" was beautifully written. I felt that the writer, Chris Bohjalian, was able to portray a young teenage girl perfectly. In fact, had I not read about the author, I would have never suspected that he was a man. You learn about the main character, Connie and see how her mother's experiences transform her from a normal immature teenager to a young adult dealing with unimaginable problems. After reading the first chapter, I was hooked. Not only did the author do an excellent job with creating realistic, likable characters but his choice of words seemed to make me feel as though I was right there watching our heroic midwife, Sibyl. Throughout the story, one learn more about Sibyl Danthford, her past loves, child births and her "hippie" activities. You also get to learn different children she delivered throughout her midwife career. What I liked most about this book was the reader never knows what will become of Sibyl and her practice. The second you feel you know what will happen, some new turn of events will change your mind into thinking something else. The most thrilling part of the book is the suspense of the court room scenes when Sibyl is on the stand and bedroom scenes where Sibyl must decide between the mothers life or the childs. I feel that the book was about to show an equal understanding of midwifery and hospital births. The book was able to give me a better understanding of midwifery and at home child birth. I would definitely recommend this book to all who enjoy suspense and wish to learn more about the wonders of child birth and midwives.

Rating:
Summary: A Gripping Novel
Review: It isn't often one comes across such an outstanding piece of literature so intricately weaved around a tantalizing plot. Midwives, a stirring novel by Chris Bohjalian, captivated me and kept my suspense and interest until the very last page was turned.

Sibyl Danforth believed that midwifery was her calling, her destiny that she fulfill the wish of countless mothers who desire to give birth in the privacy, safety, and comfort of their own home. Out of hundreds and hundreds of births, only three times was Sibyl forced to deliver a baby dead. Never did one of Sibyl's mothers die in the process of childbearing. But on one stormy night in March, an unusually long labor went horribly wrong. Charlotte Fugett Bedford appeared to have had a stroke. In a state of panic, Sibyl conclusively decided to save at least one life. Presuming Charlotte dead, Sibyl Danforth performed a cesarean section with a kitchen knife in order to save her baby. Soon after, much to the Danforth family's shock and alarm, they were informed that Sibyl would likely be charged with manslaughter because apparently, Charlotte might not have been dead at the time of the c-section. Midwives follows Sibyl and her family's struggle through the eyes of their daughter, Connie.

This book started off rather slowly; it took me until about three fourths of the way through the exposition to become thoroughly engrossed. However, once the story took off, it was hard to put down the book. As a fourteen-year-old girl, I found it easy to relate to Connie, despite the fact that Midwives takes place in the summer of 1980 in Vermont. Connie, recounting what happened as an adult, was fourteen years old when the events described in Midwives took place. She struggles with problems with schoolwork, troubles with friends and boys, and peer pressure, all in the midst of her mother's trial. Besides having a mother who was linked to a woman's death, I could easily empathize with Connie, for I too have dealt with the issues she does in this book.

Midwives is a book I would recommend for women or girls over twelve years of age. It is a story for those who are eager for a wild journey blended with compassion, love, and suspense. Additionally, Midwives deals with the occasionally gruesome aspects of child birth-the content is generally adult material-and people who embark on this novel should be mature enough for it.

After reading Midwives, I developed a newfound sense of respect and consideration for midwives, women who devote their lives to bringing new and beautiful ones into the world. Through their sacrifices and struggles have millions of happy, healthy babies been born. Bohjalian's ability to tell a story through the female perspective and to capture such raw feminine emotions is unbelievable. Midwives truly moved me, a superb book by Chris Bohjalian.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing Voice
Review: What really impressed me about this book was how well the author, a man, wrote with the voice of a young woman. Though nothing like Connie (I am about the age she was at the time of the trial), I could actually identify with her as a person. Many authors struggle with creating realistic young adult voices, so Bohjalian is clearly very gifted. Reading Midwives, I could hardly believe it wasn't a memoir.
While about the midwife and mother's trial, this book seemed to be more of a coming of age story, with elements of a legal story. Though superior, Midwives reminds me of My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.
It was an absorbing read, drama with a very human element.
Any quibbles I had with the story mostly came from the fact that I myself am not in favor of home births.
Midwives would not be on my list of must-reads, but it is an excellent piece of literature.

Rating:
Summary: Took time...
Review: I had this book for over a year before I picked it up. The title and the cover were not at all interesting to me - it was a hand-me-down from a friend (whose sister is an ob/gyn). When I did pick the book up, I couldn't put it down. Truly something that not only questions home births - but to me questions how we obtain knowledge - is a degree is more valuable than "real world" experience. It also questions truthfulness - when is truthfulness less valuable than perceived justice. Is what happens justice? This book creates conflict for me. It made what I thought was black and white into grey, and I appreciate the moral challenges the book presents.

Rating:
Summary: Very Good Book, Gripping Story
Review: I liked this book very much. It was suspensful. I had no idea what the outcome would be in the end. It was not predictable.

Well-written, gripping, and a bit of education on the midwife career. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Still a great read
Review: This is a wonderful novel that is a deep look into a woman's subconsience (especially since it is writen by a man!). It is a look into the prejudice of modern medicine toward less conventional, alternative therapies. Sybil warms my heart with her caring and compassion. I cried in the courtroom with the family. It is an Oprah's book club book, but still a great read!

Rating:
Summary: Wait for the Kicker!
Review: Interesting, and convincing enough that I was repeatedly tempted to look up the case details, only to have to remind myself that it was a work of fiction, not based on actual events. The story flows along fairly predictable lines, but there is a surprise at the end that's worth waiting for.

Rating:
Summary: A good read, you won't want to put it down
Review: Good book. I read it in one sitting, something I have not done in a very long time. Chris writes with a woman's voice, not something that male writers are usually very good at doing, but he has captured his subject very well. Recommend this book highly.