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Search - Midwives
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Book Description:
"Superbly crafted and astonishingly powerful. . . . It will thrill readers who cherish their worn copies of To Kill A Mockingbird." --People
With a suspense, lyricism, and moral complexity that recall To Kill a Mockingbird and Presumed Innocent, this compulsively readable novel explores what happens when a woman who has devoted herself to ushering life into the world finds herself charged with responsibility in a patient's tragic death.
The time is 1981, and Sibyl Danforth has been a dedicated midwife in the rural community of Reddington, Vermont, for fifteen years. But one treacherous winter night, in a house isolated by icy roads and failed telephone lines, Sibyl takes desperate measures to save a baby's life. She performs an emergency Caesarean section on its mother, who appears to have died in labor. But what if--as Sibyl's assistant later charges--the patient wasn't already dead, and it was Sibyl who inadvertently killed her?
As recounted by Sibyl's precocious fourteen-year-old daughter, Connie, the ensuing trial bears the earmarks of a witch hunt except for the fact that all its participants are acting from the highest motives--and the defendant increasingly appears to be guilty. As Sibyl Danforth faces the antagonism of the law, the hostility of traditional doctors, and the accusations of her own conscience, Midwives engages, moves, and transfixes us as only the very best novels ever do.
With a suspense, lyricism, and moral complexity that recall To Kill a Mockingbird and Presumed Innocent, this compulsively readable novel explores what happens when a woman who has devoted herself to ushering life into the world finds herself charged with responsibility in a patient's tragic death.
The time is 1981, and Sibyl Danforth has been a dedicated midwife in the rural community of Reddington, Vermont, for fifteen years. But one treacherous winter night, in a house isolated by icy roads and failed telephone lines, Sibyl takes desperate measures to save a baby's life. She performs an emergency Caesarean section on its mother, who appears to have died in labor. But what if--as Sibyl's assistant later charges--the patient wasn't already dead, and it was Sibyl who inadvertently killed her?
As recounted by Sibyl's precocious fourteen-year-old daughter, Connie, the ensuing trial bears the earmarks of a witch hunt except for the fact that all its participants are acting from the highest motives--and the defendant increasingly appears to be guilty. As Sibyl Danforth faces the antagonism of the law, the hostility of traditional doctors, and the accusations of her own conscience, Midwives engages, moves, and transfixes us as only the very best novels ever do.
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Other Versions of this Book: Audio Cassette (Cass Abrd), Hardcover, Audio CD (Unabridged)
Top Member Reviews
Angie B. (
7 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book was very well-written and hard to put down. It did have the undesirable effect of really terrifying me about ever having kids (though I was afraid before I had even read this.)
Aside from the childbirthing aspect of this book, there is a very captivating coming-of-age story of a teenage girl, I agree with the description that it really compares to To Kill A Mockingbird.
7 member(s) found this review helpful.
I was skeptical about this book at first, but ended up loving it. The birth stories were more meaningful after I had my daughter. I probably wouldn't read it while pregnant though.
Celeste C. from SUGAR LAND, TX wrote on 5/15/2007...
6 member(s) found this review helpful.
Interesting book. Written from the perspective of a teenager experiencing her mother's trial. Kept me engaaged throughout.
Ann P. from TREMPEALEAU, WI wrote on 5/13/2007...
6 member(s) found this review helpful.
Very captivating tale. I din't think I'd be interested in all the childbirth descriptions, but the plot was so interesting, it really held my attention.
Tish O. (
5 member(s) found this review helpful.
i've waited a long time to read this book as i am a nurse and know what tragedies can happen in home care. this book is this author's best effort, in my opinion. the story of a vermont midwife who on a regular delivery of a baby everything goes terribly wrong. this book floows the family,the friends,the society and the trial to it's conclusion. a very good read!
Marleen B. (
5 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is an awesome, suspensful novel about a midwife that is arrested and tried for possibly causing a woman's death while trying to deliver her baby. It is told from the point-of-view of the midwife's daughter, which gives the story an interesting drama because of the hidden facts that are not know to the daugther. The story details the experience of a rural family, an unusual profession, good intentions, grief, and the horror of your life being in the hands of a jury. A great read; I couldn't put it down.
5 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is an absolutely fabulous and intense story about a midwife and the lengths she goes to in order to save a baby's life.
Melody L. (
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
The tale of a midwife put on trial when she loses a mother during child birth. It's told from the perspective of her daughter looking back (she was a teenager at the time) and from the diaries of the midwife.
It's intense and thought provoking. The author does an excellent job of presenting all sides of the ordeal. You see it from the perspective of the midwife, the daughter, the widower, the midwife's apprentice, the lawyers, the medical establishment, and the midwife community. You are kept in suspense until the very end. An excellent book!
Maureen C. (
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
I had read other reviews that compared this book to Harper Lee's incredible novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. I really didn't see the connection at first, other than the fact that both books involve a court room trial. As I read this book to its conclusion, I was amazed at the similarities.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a well written, well crafted story. It is definitely a story that I will never forget. Once again, that's a similarity to To Kill a Mockingbird (which will always be my favorite book). I found Midwives to be very difficult to put down. Its characters became very real to me. Sybil and Connie will be with me forever.
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Loved this book. Controversial topic about midwive assisted birthing vs. hospital birthing. Yet a fascinating read, and kept me interested until the end - because you don't really learn all the details until the end.
Rate These Member Reviews
Krista C. (Great book...suspenseful, quick read. I especially liked that it was told through the midwife's teen daughter, yet the author is a MALE...interesting, well written...would definately recommend!
Incredible writer! Incredible story! I highly recommend this.
Monica L. (Suspenseful and incredibly well-written, this is an excellent book that kept me up until the wee hours to see what happens next. Highly recommended!
Marie F. from RIDGEFIELD, CT wrote on 7/7/2008...Never finished it. 'Nuff Said
this was written extremely well.
Kathleen K. (Well told story with a surprise ending. Oprah picked another winner
Liz Y. from RUMSON, NJ wrote on 10/18/2007...A real page turner!