Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful book, a wonderful new writer
Review: It is rare to find a novel that is has such a strong voice, is evocative, literary and still good old fashioned story telling, but Laskas has written one. And a fine novel this is down to the happy ending, one of the hardest things to carry off. I stayed up till 2AM to finish this book, and cried at the end. And for me that merits five stars. This is a wonderful book written by a wonderful new writer.
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Summary: The hard life, the gentle truth
Review: It takes a few days for the full impact of THE MIDWIFE'S TALE By Gretchen Laskas to sink in. Every time we pick up a cell phone when the car breaks down, pop an aspirin for a lingering fever, open a bottle of sports water, answer another telemarketing phone call, readers remember life in Appalachia in the early part of the 20th century. This was truly a world apart. No phones, no instant meals, not even a bookshelf of books to read. The world of this book is so deeply rooted in the past that when the Spanish Flu breaks out after World War I, the doctor arrives at one house with a mysterious powder--a wonder drug developed by Germans. It's aspirin, and it saves a character's life. In this remote world, we encounter Elizabeth Whitely, a girl who never knew her father, and who follow her mother along "birthing babies." In an era when doctors were too remote and difficult interest in a birth, midwives were an essential part of life. The herbs, the twisti,g of tiny bodies in wombs, the signs of miscarriage, are all part of Elizabeth's young life, which she assumes will soon be hers. Then one day she uncovers the dirty little secret of midwives. Not everone wants their baby. And in an ironic look at the anti-abortion hysteria going on today, the wealthiest and most pious-looking clients look aside at such a shocking crime as infanticide. "We don't want her," says one mother and the midwife has no choice but to smother the baby or let it die a more brutal death. Then there are the abortions or "knocking free" a baby with herbs. This is a simple, but possibly risky, treatment that so-called unschooled people have been doing for thousands of years. And I'm assured than in today's Belize, the jungle people practice it still. No marches, no banners, just a private abortion that no one discusses.
Elizabeth isn't sure she wants any part of such an amoral world and does her best to avoid midwifery, which she never really does. Rebellious and often contrary to the end, she makes poor choices in her love life. But she is blessed in another way. Her stepdaugther--a "Miracle Baby" who should have died--becomes a healer and goes through her life re-affirming Elizabeth's own doubt that life and love are worth the struggle
The end is predictable, probably, but in its own way, this is the only kind of ending this books could have. Life meets the modern world head on, and ready or not, it must join the age we know.
Kudos to Laskas who writes of an area she knows and loves. If the language sounds odd to an urbanite, it's true to the soul of West Virginia. And that genuineness, more than anything, makes
this book one to cherish.
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Summary: My book club loved it!!!!!!
Review: My book club rarely does hardcover books, but one of the members insisted we read this, and I was so glad. We all loved it! There was so much to talk about--family, tradition, unrequited love, unexpected friendships. And the author completely engrosses you in this fascinating world. And the women are just terrific--really strong and inspirational. I stayed up all night reading this book, and cried at one point. I didn't want it to end--I wanted to keep living with Elizabeth!
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Summary: A wonderful Book Club Choice!
Review: My group read this novel for our monthly book club, and everyone was really enthusiastic (which is rare, at least in my club!) Although this was a story set in the past, the narrator Elizabeth went through so many of the emotional touchpoints women today are going through -- unsuccessful relationships, a step-child who isn't what she expected, the loss of a parent. This book wasn't only a wonderful read, but so many of us were touched on a personal level. Brava Ms. Laskas!!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful and evocative
Review: My litmus test for novels is if they make me feel--and if that emotion is earned. I had flu when I began this luminous novel, and I stayed up until three in the morning finishing it--and weep, I did. The characters are breathtakingly alive, and Laskas has done a magnificent job of recreating place and time and making it all achingly real.
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Summary: Speaking of style
Review: Not sure what got into that Seattle reader, though the basic incoherence of the so-called review hints at severe substance abuse, but I loved the style of this book: A good story and real emotion are timeless, and I enjoy a leisurely, well-written book. I recommend this for all fans of the same.
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Summary: A Bronte in West Virginia
Review: Romance arrives in many shapes in this exquisite first novel, and Gretchen Laskas captures perfectly the many shades of yearning. Whether it be for a lover, a mother, a daughter, or the landscape that means home, love anchors this moving story of a young midwife's passage from child to adult. The story is by no means sentimental or melodramatic, and yet there are times when even a sophisticated reader regains the thirteen year old reader inside, the one who wept madly through Jane Eyre. In fact, this heartfelt novel shares characteristics with those "gothic" reads: suspense, romance, true literary power. We're taken on a journey by Ms. Laskas, one I highly recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Uplifting and rewarding
Review: Set in the mountains of West Virginia during the 1930's, this novel focuses on the challenges of life and work for a third generation midwife, and her longing for her own family and happiness. This story has its share of sadness and tragedies, but is ultimately uplifting and heartwarming. A very rewarding read.
Rating: 
Summary: Sappy drivel
Review: synopsis - Elizabeth Whitely learns the realities of life. The characters are quite unbelievable, everyone has strong qualities, and is better than us. The setting is nothing special. Neither is the story. Love stories are a dime a dozen. Take a close look at some of these positive reviews and ask yourself if they aren't shills hyping the book. The authors style is nothing special, and neither is the story. Whats so interesting about it?
Rating: 
Summary: a good read, excellent storyline
Review: the author draws us into the lives of three women who are midwives in the early 1900's and on. Not wanting to give away the plot, but Elizabeth should not have settled for someone who did not love her. Lauren's gift is woven into the story beautifully. Some of the births were hard to read. very sad. I wasn't sure what was going to happen when Elizabeth suddenly meets David. but the author kept me wrapped up and the ending was just what Elizabeth needed.
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