I wrote this review below, and then before posting it, I realized how negative it sounds, so please let me start this by saying: The book was a solid 4-star book, one that I will think about long after I turned the last page....a book with a huge WOW factor.....then let the remainder of the review tell you how it didn’t get 5 stars.....I found the first 3 or 4 chapters hard to get through and honestly might have stopped reading the book had the author not been recommended to me by someone with whom I have shared tastes in fiction....and to be honest, the story and the writing style did seem quite promising. These first chapters were slow and provided information that seemed unnecessary and all over the place – no direction, as if written from the point of view of a child with ADHD, which in all honesty would have been perfectly fine if that had been the character, but it wasn’t at all....it’s told from Connie’s perspective - the adult daughter of a midwife, recounting the story as it happened when she was 13.....I found myself wishing the story was told from the perspective of the mother. While I found some of the beginning information tiresome, scattered, and unnecessary, I absolutely loved and appreciated the focus and detail of the court case, and of the jury members....in fact, I honestly felt like I was sitting right in the back of that court room. And I came to realize why it was necessary for the story to have been told from the daughter’s perspective....Other than the necessity of it all, I think she also allowed the story slightly more open-mindedness, more emotion, and more curiosity. – thus gaining back the star the story lost from me in the beginning.....Where the story lost a star more permanently was for what I felt like were “sneaky spoilers”....how the author would be describing something and then add a gasp-worthy, yet abruptly quick, point of time in the future and say something along the lines of, “but that would come years later” or “but that would come after the conclusion of the trial.” It spoiled the emotion for me when that information came out in more realistic timing.I look forward to reading more stories by Chris Bohjalian. His writing gets the character’s feelings across to the reader in a concise way, without resorting to clichés (and this statement is a bit ironic as cliches are outwardly avoided).
Okay I really did like this book. I actually think it deserves 4 stars, but the circumstances that surrounded the reading of this book insist upon a 3 star rating. Here are a few of those reasons: 1. I am pregnant! What was I thinking reading a book about a tragic home delivery 4 months before I'm due? It was all a little too close to home for me. And although I am not planning on having a home delivery (not that there's anything wrong with that) Just the description was a little to vivid for me. I cannot believe this was written by a MAN. 2. Greg has been out of town so I decided to finish it up while he was gone. I stayed up late to finish it. MISTAKE! The ending is a little disturbing, which is only enhanced when you are alone in a dark quiet apartment at night. I had all kinds of crazy dreams about death and murder and I couldn't go back to sleep after waking up at 5. But to be fair, this book was really good. It had a lot more to do with the trial logistics than I thought, but I thought it was a great story that was written really well. I don't think I've ever read another one of Oprah's book club books, but I thought this was pretty good. I'd love to hear about any of your reasons for home delivery (if any of you have done it). I'm a hospital kind of girl, not because it's safer, but because It's easier for me to compartmentalize the "ordeal of labor" with the hospital and the recovery and peaceful new baby with home. Give it a read, just not when you're pregnant.
What do You think about Midwives (1998)?
I maintain I am not a transphobe. I am vaginaphobe. I would date a transgender if she was really a he.(I prefer a certain set of equipment, that's all.)
—Books Ring Mah Bell
I LOVED this book, which was totally unexpected. It was absolutely riveting for me. There wasn't a slow part in it. I really enjoyed the organization, with the journal entries, and the tone associated with the author's reflections (kind of "if only..."). It made the whole book feel like you were hearing an exciting story first hand, where the story-teller felt compelled to add little bits of insight or extra information along the way to help enhance your experience. I really enjoyed how it begins and especially how it ends. WHAT AN ENDING!!! Makes me think of the relationship between justice and mercy.I loved the setting and the pace of the criminal trial proceedings. I had read "Civil Action" before and it was far too mundanely/tediously detailed and slow-moving for me. The court case in "Midwives" was a LOT better, and it would make a substantially better movie too.The characters were great as well. Their relationships with each other were interesting and realistic without being overdramatic. Normally I don't appreciate a male author writing a story from a woman's perspective --especially a subject that is this feminine -- but I think Chris Bohjalian did a fantastic job.FABULOUS BOOK! I would definitely recommend it. (Especially to mothers.)*Just read it for the second time 2/10 for another book club. It's still awesome!
—Stephanie
So the Washington Post Book World says that this will keep readers up late until the last page is turned. I started the book this morning, and only had hopes that it'd be as good as the last few books I've read. Didn't think I'd do all 370 pages today. LOLI guess depending on how you feel about midwives and home births, you could view this book as an injustice upon Sibyl, or an injustice against the woman who died. Personally, I feel that a woman has the choice as to whether she wants a home birth or a hospital birth. It's her body, and if she wants the baby at home, fine. But if there's a medical problem, then the hospital is the place to go. But I understand that things happen. I'm getting worked up about this, and I know it's a work of fiction. But I know women have been prosecuted and tortured for being midwives. It's an Oprah Book Club book, of course it's going to bring up opinions. Don't a great deal of her choices do? So yes. A thought-provoking book. Well-researched. And I was surprised to see it was written by a man. lol
—Kristen
