Rating: 
Summary: One to treasure!
Review: "A Midwife's Tale" is a solid, intelligent book, the compelling story of Elizabeth Whitely, last in a long line of midwives who have served the women and children of a remote West Virginia valley for generations. It begins prior to World War I when Elizabeth, training under her mother, discovers the brutal dark side of midwifery. It is the first of the harsh realities of life she will face. Laskas has drawn a unique character in Elizabeth Whitely, a strong woman who meets disappointments with courage and a great generosity of spirit and happiness with spirited enthusiasm. All the characters in this novel are invested with such original, yet believable, human traits that even the fanciful strains of the story are plausible. It's a complex story, with surprising twists and turns and a truly memorable heroine making her way through it all. The time and setting of "A Midwife's Tale" are unique, yet never threaten to overpower or even intrude on the story. So seamlessly does the author blend the aspects of a distinctive region that it was only once that I even noticed the dialect. Yet I was always "knew" the geography and history of the place, as well as "heard" the sound of the characters' voices. I've read well-received books by more experienced authors who don't do this nearly as well as Miss Laskas.
"A Midwife's Tale" is a wonderful love story and a polished, literary first novel. I still think about it, even though it's been weeks and many books in between since I read it. I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice story about a WV midwife
Review: After reading this book I was a bit disappointed because I thought it would focus on midwifery. However the book is not strictly about birth. It is the story of a West Virginia midwife's daughter who becomes a midwife herself. It tells of her struggles without a father, infertility, loves lost and much more. The book is very easy to read and the story flows nicely. While I would have enjoyed a storyline centering on birth, I am happy with the outcome of the book. The title is a bit deceiving but the story is very nice.
Rating:
Summary: A truly beautiful book!
Review: Elizabeth Whitely is one of the most compelling narrators I've come across in years. THE MIDWIFE'S TALE is the kind of book you give to sisters and friends and your mother, the kind you rave about to your book club. It is a woman's story in the largest sense: about birth and death, love and loss, and the bonds that make us who we are, even as they break our hearts.
Rating:
Summary: A Captivating Book From a Natural Storyteller
Review: Everyone knows everyone in the hills of Appalachia before WWI --- their foibles, their secret crushes, and their lineage. Most of them can climb a branch of their family tree all the way up to old man Denniker, the first white man to settle the mountain. Elizabeth Whitely, the protagonist in THE MIDWIFE'S TALE, is an exception, since she doesn't know who her father is. But at an early age, she already knows her destiny --- as a third-generation midwife. In her youth Elizabeth follows her mother from house to house, watching and listening. She learns how important the whole family's birth history is and respects the ledgers her mother keeps --- ledgers Elizabeth herself expects to inherit. However, at the age of 17, Elizabeth learns an aspect of the midwife's job that results in her living with her grandmother, vowing never to follow the midwife's way. Before she dies, her grandmother teaches Elizabeth the arts of herbs, and after a year, Elizabeth returns to her mother's house. Still, where love is concerned, Elizabeth is as headstrong as her mother was before her. She has fallen for Alvin Denniker, and even helping his new wife Ivy deliver a child (Lauren) doesn't sway her heart. The birth is a difficult one, though, and Elizabeth becomes Lauren's godmother and Ivy's good friend. Influenza claims Ivy, and Elizabeth moves in to take care of grief-stricken Alvin and the motherless little girl, Lauren. She wins Lauren's devotion and the warmth of Alvin's body in bed, but she knows he'll never love her. Life settles into a routine of hard work and simple pleasures --- until young Lauren displays an uncanny power to heal. This gift unravels the family, which leads Elizabeth on a path that intersects with a truer, more mature love. In the acknowledgements, Ms. Laskas credits the storytelling tradition of her two grandmothers. Wherever she got the talent, she's a natural. Presenting Elizabeth's story in the first person, the author quickly gains our sympathy for these unfamiliar characters. The chapters are expertly paced, with little hints of what's in store. I appreciated the mixed motives of the characters --- their stubbornness and their faults, as well as their strengths. For me, this brings them to life and makes their progress through the book more interesting and unpredictable. Ms. Laskas salts her narrative with the vernacular of the time and place. To be pregnant becomes "getting a baby." To have diabetes is "having sugar." But like any good cook she doesn't overuse the spice, and we never doubt Elizabeth's intelligence despite the down-home expressions. The only thing in this fine first novel that might stretch the reader's credulity is Lauren's ability to heal. However, each reader will have to decide how to deal with that. For, as Elizabeth's Mama tells her in the prologue, "Sometimes the truth isn't found in the story itself, but in the telling --- telling what you know, not just what is real." In THE MIDWIFE'S TALE, Ms. Laskas has admirably achieved this end. --- Reviewed by Eileen Zimmerman Nicol
Rating:
Summary: a stunning debut
Review: From the first page, you know you are in very capable hands (not unlike those of a good midwife). The Midwife's Tale has many sentences that stop you dead, but somehow the language never gets in the way. It is an enormous credit to Laskas' writing. The world portrayed in these pages was foreign to me, but I never doubted a word. Life on that mountain was conveyed with evocative detail. Characters evolved the whole way through. Things happened that you didn't see coming, but ultimately came to feel inevitable. The impossible seemed possible. This is some debut!
Rating:
Summary: A stunning debut
Review: Given the era and the setting of The Midwife's Tale one might expect a cliched depiction of tough Appalachian women who spout hard won and home spun wisdom. Instead, Ms. Moran Laskas warmly invites us to join her narrator Elizabeth on a journey of discovery, from the books her mother keeps that record life and death in Kettle Valley, to her own loveless relationship and redemption. A literary page-turner.
Rating:
Summary: a beautifully written tale
Review: Gretchen Laskas has written a lyrical debut novel that reads like an Appalachian love song plus complications. Unforgettable characters, a startlingly realistic sense of place and a strong plot make this a natural pick for readers devoted to well-written fiction.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Book!
Review: Gretchen Moran Laskas has written a wonderful, compelling tale of life in Kettle Valley, West Virginia in the early 1900's. The characters in this book are not perfect and not always lovable but we love them all the same and invest ourselves in their story. This book is not to be missed. I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Book!
Review: Gretchen Moran Laskas has written a wonderful, compelling tale of life in Kettle Valley, West Virginia in the early 1900's. The characters in this book are not perfect and not always lovable but we love them all the same and invest ourselves in their story. This book is not to be missed. I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: Thou Does Protest Too Much
Review: I am almost amused at these negative reviewers. If you don't care for the book, that is fine. Just say so. There are books we all don't like. But why such strong opinions and so much upset of the reviews from those who do like it ? What are you really saying ? I am saying if you are looking for romance novels, you must look elsewhere as there is a major difference here between them and literature. Get my drift ?
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