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Cathryn Conroy
(04/22/23)
A Not-to-Be-Missed Story of Tragedy and Consequences--and Love
I don't know what most impresses me about author Chris Bohjalian's writing in this book:
--He wrote from a woman's perspective.
--He wrote with the knowledge of a physician.
--He wrote with the knowledge of an attorney.
And he pulled it off expertly!
When a woman giving birth dies in the care of experienced midwife Sybil Danforth in a perfect storm (literally) of everything that could possibly go wrong, she is arrested and tried in a court of law. The story is told from the perspective of her daughter, Connie, who narrates the book as a 30-something adult recalling this tragic piece of their family history when she was a young teenager.
The plot moves quickly and holds the reader completely, and the characters are fully developed and three-dimensional. Best of all, the last three chapters are so riveting, you will not be able to stop reading. (If you're the family cook, I hope no one wants dinner when you get to that point of the story.)
This is not-to-be missed story of hopes and dreams, of tragedy and consequences, of the power of the law and the force of conscience. Most of all, it is a story of love. What we do and how we act under the most extreme circumstances is the true testament of who we are as human beings.
Michele Grenier
(02/02/22)
Excellent Read
Very well written, easy to read.
Brontie Hiahowi
(08/13/19)
A very interesting book
When I first saw the title of the book it really interested me as a medical student it got my attention. I really love the book as I was going to write an evaluation of a book for my assessment and the book was so absorbing that I kept reading until i turned the last page.
keilla love
(05/23/11)
midwives is a nice book!
I really liked the novel midwives. It is really exciting and very breathtaking story.
Sandybeach
(09/05/08)
Book that Can't Make Up It's Mind
At first I thought this was a Young Adult book, being narrated by a teen, but the language didn't ring true for YA. Nor does it fit into Mystery or Adult Fiction because of the teenage narrator. While I agree it's suspenseful, there's a withheld piece of information that made me swear I'll never read another book by this author. I felt cheated and disappointed at the end of the book.
Melissa
(02/19/07)
Did She or Didn't She
I enjoyed this book for so many reasons: It was a courtroom drama not centered in a courtroom; It was narrated by the eavesdropping daughter of the protagonist, which provided a great viewpoint; It was suspenseful and touching and the writing itself was beautiful!
Cadi
(10/23/05)
Midwives
I loved the book. I read it in 2 days on a lovely 18 hour road trip. It was very compelling, so deep. I didn't think the end really changed that lingering doubt. I think just taking that risk of acting on those instincts for what you love really makes the point. Those entries still left a reasonable doubt in my mind. This was a lovely book to begin my law classes!
Shannon
(06/05/04)
Oooh, this book annoyed me. I felt manipulated, and I don't like that. I don't want to give any plot points away (though this book has been out for ages, but still), but I found myself bothered by the facts surrounding Sybil. Do we root for her or not? I don't mind when a book makes you think for yourself--in fact, I definitely PREFER that. But I didn't think this was a case of purposeful ambiguity. It was simply inconsistent. For 99% of the book, we are given one set of facts, and then, suddendly, we are given another. I wish that the author would have mixed it up more. It's just felt cheap to me. Like cheating. Thumbs down.