Rating: 
Summary: See Chris write. Write, Chris, write!
Review: This was my first foray into the esteemed world of Okra's Book Club -- courtesy of my public library. I grabbed the well-worn copy, as the subject of midwifery is compelling. Alas, what a disappointment! This book is written at probably a 4th grade level, and it grieves me to think of how many women found this to be a stimulating read. I saw a recent article about the coming demise of Okra's Book Club, and it noted that the club "had people reading again." I would suggest that the people this collection appeals to should start with Hooked on Phonics. Or Dick and Jane.
Rating: 
Summary: I am now reading his other books...
Review: After reading Midwives, and reading through some of the synopses of his other books, I've decided to read more of his works.
I really enjoyed this book. Very interesting to learn about midwives & a suspenseful plot. Good ending. Only thing I'd change is to make it go faster, it was a little slow at some points. I also want to reccomend Hangman by Bohjalian, that was an AWESOME book! It's not listed on here, it's one of his earlier works, but get that book--- it's one of the best books I've ever read. So scary!!
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: I had been disappointed with the ending of the only other book by Chris Bohjalian that I've read, TRANS-SISTER RADIO, so I approached this one with some caution. Well, no caution is needed. This is a powerful, grim tale centered around a midwife who loves bringing babies into the world and is good at it..and the birth incident that devestates her, her family and her calling. Bohjalian is one of the few male writers I've read who creates three-dimensional women chracters---Sybil Danforth, the midwife in question, is a thoughtful, confident caregiver and person who stays believable to the reader throughout. This actually is true of all of the populace of this book. Unlike TRANS-SISTER RADIO, things are far from neatly wrapped-up by the time you reach the end, and you leave the book with a sense that the story still isn't quite over.This is no "light read;" you'll be up in the wee small hours reading 'til the end....and you'll be left with many questions. A terrific book.
Rating:
Summary: Worth 4.5 Stars
Review: Chris Bohajalian does an incredible job writing this book. You feel compassion for its characters and their struggles. Once the story pulls you in it's hard to put it down. Fascinating experience that undoubtedly will cause you to wonder at several turns of the story. This is a definite for your list this year!
Rating:
Summary: A compelling story...
Review: Midwives is a wonderfully written and powerfully told story of a family's life in small-town Vermont and the events that changed it forever. Gripping and real, Chris Bohjalian has woven together a murder mystery that will have readers guessing until the very end. Sybil Danforth, midwife and mother of the story's narrator, 14-year-old Connie, has a thriving practice and normal family life. Then the unthinkable happens: on a cold winter night in the middle of coaching Charlotte Bedford through her lengthy and strenuous labor, tragedy strikes -- Charlotte dies while trying to give birth to her son. With phone lines heaving with ice and roads too treacherous to drive upon, Sybil is forced into a decision -- to save the unborn baby via a homemade Caeserean or let him die along with his mother. As the events of that evening unfold, readers are privy to shocking information: the Caesarean Sybil is forced to perform may have been done on a living woman. Soon a courtroom battle ensues, pitting the medical community against midwifery, and readers will be left wondering after each page is turned what really happened on that cold, dark night. Chris Bohjalian is a very talented writer who has obviously spent a lot of research on this novel. Telling this story in a female voice as accurately as he did makes Midwives all the more compelling and authentic. His writing style was very easy to understand even though it jumps back and forth between past and present. A hearty mystery with a riveting conclusion. I will be reading more by this author.
Rating: 
Summary: Cane River
Review: Cane River was very informative and should be required reading for highschool age children. The reason for this it opens your eyes to racism issue between white and blacks. Also class and racism against blacks. Cane River was very easy to read and yoou felt as if you were apart of the family and could feel there pain. That people in love couldnt be together due to soictey not being accepting of race crossing. Which in the end hurt a lot of people
Rating:
Summary: Powerful Reading and Listenning Experience
Review: I started to read MIDWIVES to see what it was like and quickly became engrossed in a fourteen yr. old daughter's insight and retelling of her mother's story as a midwife on trial for the death of one of her delivering patients. Briefly summarizing the story: Sibyl Danforth is on trial for the death of Charlotte Bedford who died during childbirth at home. Sibyl performed a C-section to save the baby. The state contends Charlotte was still alive when the C-section was done and is the cause of death. Besides being told from the daughter's point of view, each chapter is headed by an excerpt from Sibyl's diary. In addition to playing an integral part of the story, the diary quotes give the reader enormous insight into Sibyl's thoughts and feelings during private moments and her own understanding of past and present events. The story educates the reader about pregnancy, the historical relevance of midwifery, and the legal stategies used in a trial. Most importantly it conveys the emotions surrounding birth, the potential loss of freedom to do what one loves, and the powerful relationship between a mother and a daughter. Reading the story is enlightening. If you really want to experience the story however, also listen to the unabridged audio. Valerie Leonard does a magnificent reading especially conveying the love Sibyl had for her work. It is powerful and Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: It really is a matter of taste...
Review: I am one of those readers who found the beginning of this book NOTHING BUT WORK. There is little character development (or at least it was not very well done in my opinion) in Midwives' first 1/4 of the book. The daughter's relationship with school mates, first crushes and boyfriends are not only uninteresting, but make it hard to get through to the areas that are worth reading. The incident itself, is riveting, I will admit. But drops back to just plain midiocre for the remainder of the novel. I am not a believer in home births for myself personally. If I am going to be in that much pain, and POSSIBLE danger for myself, and an unborn child, I want degrees, medicine, epidurals, operating rooms and forceps near by JUST IN CASE. This book did NOTHING to change my opinion of that, if anything it just made it seem all that much more foolish. Finally due to the lack of character development, I felt no connection or loyalty to Sibyl (the midwife) and found myself rooting for the prosecution. I doubt that is what the author had in mind.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't stop reading!
Review: It had been some time since I had the time (and book) that would let me sit down and really get into it. I ordered Midwives, and set aside a 1/2 hour per night to read. (Those with small children can appreciate how difficult this can be!). My 1/2 hours turned into two and three hours. This book is unbelievably emotional and pulls you right in. I felt like I was right there when all of this happened. If you are looking for a good read, you definitely want to have this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Fizzle
Review: About half way through I found this book so boring I had to force myself to finish to the end. I like the idea of the character trying to do something good and instead doing something terribly wrong but it just devolved into a lackluster courtroom drama.
| 
