Claudia K

If one decides to read this book be prepared to dedicate a few days of time for you will want to read it in its entirety very quickly. The book is suspenseful and quite troubling at times. I think Ms. Ragen had difficulty with the very end of the novel and this is why I hesitated to describe it as very good. Many of us may have difficulty reading about such extreme behaviors among the most Orthodox Jews as this novel depicts; however, I think we must recognize extremism is not only attributable to certain religions. I applaud Ms. Ragen for delving into this issue. I look for ward to reading more of Ms. Ragens" novels

I enjoy reviewing a book before I've read others opinions. The Secrets of Midwives is a complex book yet written in a style that let's one easily follow the lives of three generations of midwives, grandmother, mother, and daughter. The fact that their stories are not told in a linear manner makes the novel all the more interesting. One feels genuine empathy for each woman and how her life has effected the other women. Candor is paramount among the women once the secrets are finally revealed.

Ms Hepworth develops her characters well, with special emphasis on the midwives. Their strengths as individuals enables them to be honest about their secrets. The men perhaps are there simply in supporting roles.

I think many book clubs would really enjoy this book. It offers a wide range of interesting issues to discuss, secrecy, intergenerational struggles, and the role of midwives in to today's medical world.

Bravo to Ms. Hepworth.

I must admit that having three children attend prep schools in New England I felt very much at home while reading The Headmaster's Wife. Beyond this connection, my comfort level stopped. What is reality, what is confused memory, and what is what one might wish it had been. Throughout this novel, these questions kept recurring. I suggest reading this book with out trying to determine the answers to the questions until the end and then try to reconstruct what is a troubling and compelling story of love, lose, and confusion. I hope to read more of Thomas Christopher Greene's work.