Book Information
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ISBN-13: 9780375706776 - ISBN-10: 0375706771 Publication Date: 11/8/1998 Pages: 374 |
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Book Reviews of Midwives
150 Book Reviews submitted by our Members
sorted by voted most helpful
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.
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.
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.
5 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!
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!
(
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.
Sherry G. (
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
I bailed out of this one after about four chapters. It just didn't grab me. Though, I think a midwife's calling is noble this book was just boring. I read enough to know that the girl's mother was on trial for causing a death but it kept jumping back and forth between different time periods. I also have to admit I had a hard timing dealing with a male writer trying to take on a teenage girl persona.
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.
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Great book--the last page made me question my feelings on the subject!
Valerie L. (
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
In this novel, Sybil, a Vermont midwife, is accused of manslaughter after the child whose birth she is attending amidst a terrible winter snowstorm dies. Narrated by Connie, the now-adult daughter of Sybil (who was a young teenager during the events), Midwives moves back and forth in time, fitting vital pieces of information about what happened that terrible night like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle into its complicated plot. As Connie looks back on the events that changed her mother's entire world and which shaped her own life in significant ways, she is still trying to understand what happened, and why.
I found Midwives to be wonderfully written and powerfully told, in the crime scenes, the courtroom scenes, the family scenes, and in all the rest. In the same way he was able to in Before You Know Kindess (another fabulous and moving novel), in Midwives Bohjalian writes sympathetically and convincingly from the point of view of women and young girls, and at the same time educates the reader about the varying perspectives around highly-charged sociopolitical issues, of which home births and midwifery is one.
I read that film rights to the novel have been bought. I really enjoyed this book, and think it would make a terrific movie. Bohjalian writes very cinematically, with each scene very easy to visualize. I can't wait to see this novel adapted on the screen!
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
On an icy winter night in an isolated house in rural Vermont, a seasoned midwife named Sibyl Danforth takes desperate measures to save a baby's life. She performs an emergency cesarean section on a mother she believes has died of a stroke. But what if Sibyl's patient wasn't dead -- and Sibyl inadvertently killed her?
As Sibyl 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.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Excellent book! A page turner.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
well written, thought provoking story of "what if things went wrong"?
SALLY W. (
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Very thought provoking book. Wonderful writer and wonderful read.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Fabulous! Great story! Will keep you on the edge of your seat right up until the last page. Made even better since it takes place in a little town near Burlington, Vermont, not far from where I was born and raised.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
This was a wonderful book. It raises a lot of issues and really makes you think.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Gripping thriller with wonderful accounts of childbirth. A very intelligent Jodi Picault-type dramatic fiction. My book club loved this book.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Never finished it. 'Nuff Said
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
The story about a midwife who looses a mother during a delivery....told from the perspective of the midwife's daughter. I thought the format of the book was great...it was an excellent moral dilemna novel and I never really knew who to believe.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I really enjoyed this book and read it rather quickly. I found the story to be very captivating and interesting. It is told from the perspective of the daughter of the midwife that is in trouble because one of her patients passed away during child birth. It has sort of a crime drama element to it. I give it 5 stars, certainly not boring!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Excellent book. Gripping story until the surprise ending.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I loved this book! Very engaging, I couldn't put it down and read it all night long. The story is about a midwife in the 70's, who has a woman die on her during a home birth. She is subsequently sued by the family, and has a court battle and personal battle to fight. It is written from her daughter's point of view and includes her journal entries. Well written and reads like a true story!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
A very moving, wonderful book that keeps your attention throughout.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Wonderful story and really said a lot.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
One very good read! The story of this mifwife's experience is one that is very current.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Great book! Would recommend this to anyone. It was in Oprah's Book Club.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Very good book for people who like to think.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I loved this story...it caught me from the vest 1st chapter and I was hooked. Its and Oprah's Book Club Edition, so if you are a fan of her pics, you'll enjoy this one.
Jennie B. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Bohjalian did his research about contemporary lay/direct entry midwifery. I had a lay/direct entry midwife at my daughter's birth, and this story about broke my heart -- I felt tremendous sympathy for the characters (all of them) involved in the ambiguous and painful crisis at the heart of the story. Bohjalian has crafted a sensitive portrayal of the teenage narrator's psyche. My hat's off to Bohjalian for getting it just right. Recommended.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Ostensibly a courtroom drama novel, in reality "Midwives" is the story of young girl's coming of age. The story centers around a tragically failed home birth and the ensuing trial of the midwife involved, the events seen through the eyes of the woman's thirteen year old daughter. Wonderfully spare and faultless prose, superb characterization, sharp dialogue...the reader easily slips into the mind, emotions, loves and fears of this teenage girl. If it weren't for the photo on the inside fly leaf you could never ever guess that the author, Chris Bohjalian, is a man.
I strongly recommend this book to the serious reader. I have read it twice now, and actually ordered an extra copy for my "hoarding stash".. those books that I simply cannot let go. This is a MUST READ.
Amy H. (I read this book maybe 14 or 15 years ago and the story is still with me. That is saying a lot because I forget most of the books I read or they all run together. This one stands alone though. Highly recommended!
I found this book extremely interesting and mysteriously woven. Any person involved in the healthcare industry would enjoy reading the book.
The story was well told and suspenseful. I could not put the book down!
Andy J. (The first Bohjalian book I read, and I fell in love with the author! A fantastic blend of legal-thriller-family values-health care.
A book about reflections and human nature that will keep you turning the pages until the end. Chris Bohjalian has an amazing talent for capturing the essence of the female psyche from adolescence to adulthood. Bravo!!!
This book was so good. I could not put it down. I understood the desire to help patients and to connect with them. I also understood the birthing process as a nurse and a mother. Great read!!
Krista 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 (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!
Kathleen K. (Well told story with a surprise ending. Oprah picked another winner
One of the best things written by one of my favorite authors.
Very well written with great characters. One of my favorite writers!
On an icy winter night in an isolated houre in rural Vermont, a seasoned midwife named Sibyl Danforth takes desperate measures to save a baby's life. She performs an emergency cesarean section on a mother she believes has died of stroke. But what is Sibyl's patient wasn't dead - and Sibyl inadvertently killed her? As Sibyl faces the antagonism of the law, the hostility of traditional doctors, and the accusations of her own consicence, Midwives engages, moves, and transfixes us as only the very best novels ever do.
From Oprah's book club. The story of a midwife in a small town in Vermont and how one moment changes the lives of many people. A murder mystery of sorts, with courtroom drama. A great read.
Great book with an awesome and thought provoking ending. Read this book with my book club and they all loved it too!
In the pastoral community of Reddington, Vermont, during the harsh winter of 1981, Sibyl Danforth makes a life-or-death decision based on fifteen years of experience as a respected midwife -- a decision intended to save a child, a decision that will change her life forever.
Well written and suspenseful to the end. A book to read and reread.
compelling story of a midwife accused of killing a patient.
Gripping tale of a midwife's journey from a homebirth gone wrong to the ensuing trial. It is a touching a suspenseful story.
Kathy G. (This is a very good read - with a twist that will catch you unaware.......
This book is very good. Gives a look into a world that I never thought much about.
This book features a good story told through an interesting perspective. A lay midwife loses a laboring mother and faces criminal charges. The story is told from her teenaged daughter's point of view. The reading goes fast, because the reader wants to find out what ultimately happens to a well-intended person who may have made a tragic error in judgment.
Awesome book,of courage and strength.I fell in love with this family.
I really enjoyed this book. Want to read more by Bohjalian.
Kate L. (It was fairly well written although I didn't find myself feeling much for the mother in the tale. It does share a lot of what the midwife 'trade' is about.
I read this while pregnant and boy did my heart drop many times as this midwife unwittingly enters a "worse-case-scenario", testing her passion, faith and courage to stay true to her conscience. Bohjalian builds suspense masterfully.
Excellent story. Well researched. I couldn't put it down.
Elizabeth F. (Beautiful book that was highly lauded upon publication. In addition to writing a questioning, evocative story, Bohjalian also nails the tiny details of rural Vermont.
This is my second Chris Bohjalian book in a row. I loved it and found myself teary at the end. (Incidentally, I really enjoyed his "Tran Sister Radio" story, as well.
Maggie C. (A great book. Very fast read! If you like Oprah's other books, this is definitely for you. It was especially interesting to me as I used a midwife for the birth of my daughter, but in a hospital.
This is an Oprah Book Club book. It tells the story of a Vermont midwife named Sibyl from the standpoint of her daughter. After an emergency C-Section on a Mom Sibyl believes has died of stroke, it becomes uncertain if her patient was truly dead. Superbly crafted and powerful novel. This book has both quiet drama and courtroom thrills.
Wonderful, powerful novel about a contemporary midwife facing a murder charge. Great courtroom and family scenes as told by her young daughter.
Janey H. (This is a tragic book that will keep you sympathizing with the midwife as she performs an emergency C-section on a mother she believes has died of a stroke on an icy winter night in rural Vermont. However, when she is arrested and faces a courtroom, you will be riveted until the last page.
good book about the story of a midwife who delivers a child at home and the mother dies. her story and the guilt associated with the death.
Linda M. (Great book. A little slow at times but well worth staying with it. Even at the end, you aren't sure what really happened. Excellent writing.
A great read that really explains the perils of being a midwife.
From Oprahs book club (the first time she did it)A midwife delivers a baby in an isolated house in Vermont on an icy winter night. The midwife takes drastic measures to save the babys' life with dire consequences. A very good book.
Emily B. (Every good book! Was a little confused if it was a girl if point of view or a guys. But later got it. A MUST READ!!!
It was a great book- held you in suspense- I lost a lot of sleep not being able to lay it down. The trial of the mid-wife was really interesting. They gave enough details but not too many.
Justine B. (WOW!!! After having 2 babies delivered by a midwife at home, I would say this is as close to being there as you can get! I would definitely not read this, though, if you are pregnant right now! I had mine at home with no trouble, but horrors like occur in this book so sometimes occur. Linda
I really enjoyed this book. Had a hard time putting it down. I like how it kept you on edge and guessing.
If you want to learn a lot about a midwife--you will in this mystery.
Set in Rural VErmont, Sibyl Danforth, midwife, gets caught up in a trial of murder...did she intentionally kill a mother to save her baby?
Kate W. (This is a story about a possible crime committed by a rural midwife. Also interwoven into the story are the memories of a little girl about her mother on that horrible night. This book is full of so many twists and turns that you will find it hard to put it down until you discover all of the answers.
First book I have read by this author. It was a great story told from the daughter's perspective about her mother's crime.
An excellent book! I read it in 1 day. Tells the story from a teenage daughters view of her Mothers trial for involuntary manslaughter due to a Home Birthing gone wrong.
This is the intriquing and touching story of a midwive, the mothers and babies she serves, and the family she loves.
I loved this book! It made me laugh and cry...at the same time almost!
Angela A. (Great read, hard to put down. It keeps you guessing to the end!
Lisa P. (I found this book to be an exceptional read. It was uniquely suspenseful.
An intriguing look into the life of a midwife in Vermont, through a tragedy and accusal of murder. Very well written, I enjoyed it very much.
From page one, I got sucked right into this story. I hated to put
the book down.
I LOVED this book. Very thought provoking, yet still a quick and easy read.
This is a wonderful book. It has suspense, but isn't exactly a thriller. It has a good twist at the end.
Kathryn (Excellent story! I saw the movie, with Sissy Spacek, and it was wonderful!
(I read this book some time ago and it still stands out as one of the best I've read.
This book just wasn't for me. It puts questions in your mind of who is right and who is wrong. Its such a difficult subject. For a synopsis of the book, this is the description on the back.
On an icy winter night in an isolated house in rural Vermont, a seasoned midwife named Sibyl Danforth takes desperate measures to save a baby's life. She perfoms an emergency cesarean section on a mother she believes has died of stroke. But what if Sibyl's patient wasn't dead -and Sibyl inadvertently killer her?
As Sibyl 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.
One of the greatest books I read in the 90s. This book keeps you riveted throughout. Bohjalian's best novel to date, in my opinion.
Amazing, powerful novel - with a likeable, competent midwife - suddenly facing legal action
S W. (
Lorrie M. (Very well written, but the situation of the book is so frustrating. However, it does leave the reader always guessing "Was the pregnant woman already dead when the baby was delivered?" Will keep your interest until the end.
A great book! I think that it was well written and a great story. Hard to put down once you start!
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