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賲丨丕讴賲赖
賲丨丕讴賲赖 丿丕爻鬲丕賳蹖 丕爻鬲 丕夭 鬲賯丕亘賱 爻賳鬲 賵 賲丿乇賳蹖鬲賴 丿乇 噩丕賲毓賴鈥屰� 丌賲乇蹖讴丕. 丿乇 賱丕蹖賴鈥屬囏й� 倬賳賴丕賳 噩丕賲毓賴鈥屫й� 賲鬲噩丿丿 讴賴 賴賳賵夭 賴賲 亘毓囟蹖 丕夭 賲乇丿賲丕賳卮 亘乇丕蹖 賲賵丕噩賴 亘丕 賲卮讴賱丕鬲貙 亘蹖賲丕乇蹖鈥屬囏� 賵 賲爻丕卅賱蹖 丕夭 丕蹖賳 丿爻鬲 乇賵蹖 亘賴 爻賳鬲鈥屬囏й� 丨丕讴賲 亘乇 噩丕賲毓賴 賲蹖鈥屫①堌辟嗀�. 丿丕爻鬲丕賳蹖 丕爻鬲 丕夭 爻蹖爻鬲賲 丨賯賵賯蹖 丌賲乇蹖讴丕 讴賴 亘乇丕蹖 賴乇 趩蹖夭蹖 倬乇賵賳丿賴鈥屫й� 鬲卮讴蹖賱 賲蹖鈥屫囏� 賵 爻毓蹖 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 讴賴 丕乇亘丕亘丕賳 賯丿乇鬲 賵 丨丕讴賲丕賳 卮賴乇蹖 乇丕 乇丕囟蹖 賳诏賴 丿丕乇丿. 賲丕賲丕蹖 亘丕 鬲噩乇亘賴鈥屫й� 丿乇 爻蹖乇 蹖讴 夭丕蹖賲丕賳 胤亘蹖毓蹖 賯乇丕乇 賲蹖鈥屭屫必�. 夭丕蹖賲丕賳蹖 讴賴 胤賵賱丕賳蹖 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 賵 爻乇賲丕 賵 蹖禺亘賳丿丕賳 賵 亘乇賮 賵 讴賵乇丕賳 丕乇鬲亘丕胤 乇丕 亘丕 賴賲賴鈥屫� 賵 賴賲賴 趩蹖夭 賯胤毓 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀�. 賲丕賲丕賳 賲噩亘賵乇 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 禺賵丿 丿爻鬲 亘賴 讴丕乇 卮賵丿 賵 丕蹖賳 禺賵丿 丌睾丕夭 賲丕噩乇丕蹖蹖 丿乇丿丌賵乇 丕爻鬲. 賲丕丿乇蹖 讴賴 賲蹖 賲蹖乇丿貙 亘趩賴鈥屫й� 讴賴 爻丕賱賲 亘賴 丿賳蹖丕 賲蹖鈥屫③屫� 賵 賲丕賲丕蹖蹖 讴賴 賲丨丕讴賲赖 賲蹖鈥屫促堌�
416 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1997
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About the author
Chris Bohjalian
42听books12.7k听followersChris Bohjalian is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 25 books. His 25th book, THE JACKAL鈥橲 MISTRESS, is now on sale. He writes literary fiction, historical fiction, thrillers, and (on occasion) ghost stories. His goal is never to write the same book twice. He has published somewhere in the neighborhood of 3.5 million words.
His work has been translated into 35 languages and become three movies (MIDWIVES, SECRETS OF EDEN, and PAST THE BLEACHERS) and an Emmy-winning TV series (THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT). He has two other novels in development for TV series as well.
He is also a playwright, including THE CLUB in 2024; MIDWIVES in 2020; and GROUNDED (now WINGSPAN) in 2018.
His books have been chosen as Best Books of the Year by the Washington Post, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Hartford Courant, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Bookpage, and Salon.
His awards include the Walter Cerf Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts; the Sarah Josefa Hale Award; the ANCA Freedom Award for his work educating Americans about the Armenian Genocide; the ANCA Arts and Letters Award for THE SANDCASTLE GIRLS, as well as the Saint Mesrob Mashdots Medal; the New England Society Book Award for THE NIGHT STRANGERS; the New England Book Award; Russia鈥檚 Soglasie (Concord) Award for THE SANDCASTLE GIRLS; a Boston Public Library Literary Light; a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for TRANS-SISTER RADIO; a Best Lifestyle Column for 鈥淚dyll Banter鈥� from the Vermont Press Association; and the Anahid Literary Award. His short story, SLOT MACHINE FEVER DREAMS was a finalist for Best Short Story from the International Thriller Writers Association and the audio production was an Audie Finalist. His novel, MIDWVES was a selection of Oprah鈥檚 Book Club, and his novel, HOUR OF THE WITCH, was a Barnes & Noble Book Club pick. He is a Fellow of the Vermont Academy of Arts and Sciences.
He has written for a wide variety of magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, Reader鈥檚 Digest, and The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine. He was a weekly columnist in Vermont for The Burlington Free Press from 1992 through 2015.
Chris graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude from Amherst College. He has been awarded Honorary Degrees as well from Amherst, Champlain College, and Castleton University.
He lives in Vermont with his wife, the photographer Victoria Blewer.
His work has been translated into 35 languages and become three movies (MIDWIVES, SECRETS OF EDEN, and PAST THE BLEACHERS) and an Emmy-winning TV series (THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT). He has two other novels in development for TV series as well.
He is also a playwright, including THE CLUB in 2024; MIDWIVES in 2020; and GROUNDED (now WINGSPAN) in 2018.
His books have been chosen as Best Books of the Year by the Washington Post, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Hartford Courant, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Bookpage, and Salon.
His awards include the Walter Cerf Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts; the Sarah Josefa Hale Award; the ANCA Freedom Award for his work educating Americans about the Armenian Genocide; the ANCA Arts and Letters Award for THE SANDCASTLE GIRLS, as well as the Saint Mesrob Mashdots Medal; the New England Society Book Award for THE NIGHT STRANGERS; the New England Book Award; Russia鈥檚 Soglasie (Concord) Award for THE SANDCASTLE GIRLS; a Boston Public Library Literary Light; a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for TRANS-SISTER RADIO; a Best Lifestyle Column for 鈥淚dyll Banter鈥� from the Vermont Press Association; and the Anahid Literary Award. His short story, SLOT MACHINE FEVER DREAMS was a finalist for Best Short Story from the International Thriller Writers Association and the audio production was an Audie Finalist. His novel, MIDWVES was a selection of Oprah鈥檚 Book Club, and his novel, HOUR OF THE WITCH, was a Barnes & Noble Book Club pick. He is a Fellow of the Vermont Academy of Arts and Sciences.
He has written for a wide variety of magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, Reader鈥檚 Digest, and The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine. He was a weekly columnist in Vermont for The Burlington Free Press from 1992 through 2015.
Chris graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude from Amherst College. He has been awarded Honorary Degrees as well from Amherst, Champlain College, and Castleton University.
He lives in Vermont with his wife, the photographer Victoria Blewer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,055 reviews
January 7, 2011
It was very well-written, but I read it with mixed feelings. When I was done I had to say that I didn't like it. The author says many positive things about midwifery but in the final analysis it really is an indictment of lay midwifery and home birth. I gave birth to 5 children at home: 1 with an old-time doctor and 4 with a lay midwife. I had 3 at the hospital: 1 without drugs, 1 with an epidural, and 1 with a C/S. So I feel qualified by experience to at least comment. My home births were by far my better birthing experiences, especially those with the lay midwife, and all of those children were born whole and healthy, thank G-d. Home is private and sacred and if your midwife is competent and you are in good health with a normal fetus and pregnancy then I am all for home birth. I'll try not to bore you with birth details but I have had a couple of bad experiences in the hospital: 1. doctor yelling "what the hell are you doing?!!" at me when I rolled onto my side during labor rather than staying flat on my back. That child was not in danger btw and was born healthy shortly thereafter. 2. nearly losing the C/S child because the hospital delivery staff didn't believe the lay midwife who said the child had to be born by C/S and thereby making us go through trial of labor before rushing me into a emerg C/S delivery like a Monty Python skit. My C/S child lived and there is no doubt that both of us would have died if not for the C/S as he was a PWS baby with very low muscle tone and he was a face presentation as well. Basically he was like a limp noodle in utero with his face against the cervix and he wasn't going to be born without surgical intervention. BUT the midwife knew he was face presentation at 8 months and suspected an anomaly as stress tests showed his heart rate was too flat. The hospital paid her no heed and my child's heart was slowing down and then stopping in 2nd stage labor in the hospital setting managed by hospital staff, hence the EMERGENCY C/S, which could have been performed without the emergency part if the doctors had listened to the midwife or me. Now how is this mis-judgment on the part of the hospital staff so different from the mis-judgements made on the part of the lay midwife in this book? She actually did pretty well, saving the life of the child. I guess what the author wants you to recognize is that if the hospital makes mistakes they have everything right there, surgical suites and all, to correct their error. But you know what? Hospital staff make mistakes all the time but they are better protected against the consequences of their mistakes. If lay midwifery were supported in this country with certification for midwives to deliver at home with a support system of doctors, hospitals and emergency transportation then we could have women deliver at home with less risk. ALL birth entails risk. There is an attempt in this book to link home birth with hippies and all that that lifestyle might entail. I really resent the idea that home birth is less hygienic than hospital birth when the fact is hospitals are home to a plethora of the very worst germs around. It is, as I said, a well-written indictment and no amount of story-telling and fictionalizing and choice of narrator changes that.
September 15, 2012
DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!
I have no idea how Chris Bohjalian wrote the voice of a 14-year-old girl so well that it actually made me remember what it felt like to be 14. AND against my will, mind you. I would do anything to never feel 14 again. There are many other wonderful things about this book. But it's enough to say read it because here is a man writing in the perfect 14-year-old-girl voice and that's some amazing motherfucking writing.
I have no idea how Chris Bohjalian wrote the voice of a 14-year-old girl so well that it actually made me remember what it felt like to be 14. AND against my will, mind you. I would do anything to never feel 14 again. There are many other wonderful things about this book. But it's enough to say read it because here is a man writing in the perfect 14-year-old-girl voice and that's some amazing motherfucking writing.
November 9, 2019
Midwives, Chris Bohjalian
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鈥攁nd Sibyl inadvertently killed her? Midwives tells the story of Sibyl Danforth from the point of view of her young daughter.
鬲丕乇蹖禺 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 禺賵丕賳卮: 乇賵夭 賳賴賲 賲丕賴 丕讴鬲亘乇 爻丕賱 2017 賲蹖賱丕丿蹖
毓賳賵丕賳: 賲丨丕讴賲赖貨 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 讴乇蹖爻 亘賵噩丕賱蹖賳貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 賲賴乇丿丕丿 亘丕夭蹖丕乇蹖貨 鬲賴乇丕賳: 讴鬲丕亘爻乇丕蹖 鬲賳丿蹖爻鈥忊€� 鈥忊€€€�1395貨 丿乇 416 氐貨 卮丕亘讴: 9786001822209貨 賲賵囟賵毓: 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賴丕蹖 賳賵蹖爻賳丿诏丕賳 丕蹖丕賱丕鬲 賲鬲丨丿賴 丌賲乇蹖讴丕 - 爻丿賴 20 賲鈥�
丿乇 蹖讴 卮亘 夭賲爻鬲丕賳蹖 爻乇丿 丿乇 蹖讴 禺丕賳賴 丿乇 乇賵爻鬲丕蹖 賵乇賲賵賳鬲貙 蹖讴 芦賲丕賲丕禄 亘賴 賳丕賲 芦爻蹖亘賱 丿丕賳賮賵乇鬲禄 丕賯丿丕賲丕鬲 賳賵賲蹖丿丕賳賴 丕蹖 乇丕 亘乇丕蹖 賳噩丕鬲 噩丕賳 蹖讴 讴賵丿讴 丕賳噩丕賲 賲蹖丿賴丿. 丕賵 爻夭丕乇蹖賳 丕賵乇跇丕賳爻 乇丕 乇賵蹖 賲丕丿乇蹖 丕賳噩丕賲 丿丕丿貙 讴賴 亘賴 亘丕賵乇 賵蹖 亘乇 丕孬乇 爻讴鬲賴 賲睾夭蹖 丿乇诏匕卮鬲. 芦賲丨丕讴賲赖 (賲丕賲丕賴丕)禄 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 芦爻蹖亘賱 丿丕賳賮賵乇鬲禄 乇丕 丕夭 丿蹖丿诏丕賴 丿禺鬲乇 噩賵丕賳卮 賲蹖诏賵蹖丿. 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
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鈥攁nd Sibyl inadvertently killed her? Midwives tells the story of Sibyl Danforth from the point of view of her young daughter.
鬲丕乇蹖禺 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 禺賵丕賳卮: 乇賵夭 賳賴賲 賲丕賴 丕讴鬲亘乇 爻丕賱 2017 賲蹖賱丕丿蹖
毓賳賵丕賳: 賲丨丕讴賲赖貨 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 讴乇蹖爻 亘賵噩丕賱蹖賳貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 賲賴乇丿丕丿 亘丕夭蹖丕乇蹖貨 鬲賴乇丕賳: 讴鬲丕亘爻乇丕蹖 鬲賳丿蹖爻鈥忊€� 鈥忊€€€�1395貨 丿乇 416 氐貨 卮丕亘讴: 9786001822209貨 賲賵囟賵毓: 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賴丕蹖 賳賵蹖爻賳丿诏丕賳 丕蹖丕賱丕鬲 賲鬲丨丿賴 丌賲乇蹖讴丕 - 爻丿賴 20 賲鈥�
丿乇 蹖讴 卮亘 夭賲爻鬲丕賳蹖 爻乇丿 丿乇 蹖讴 禺丕賳賴 丿乇 乇賵爻鬲丕蹖 賵乇賲賵賳鬲貙 蹖讴 芦賲丕賲丕禄 亘賴 賳丕賲 芦爻蹖亘賱 丿丕賳賮賵乇鬲禄 丕賯丿丕賲丕鬲 賳賵賲蹖丿丕賳賴 丕蹖 乇丕 亘乇丕蹖 賳噩丕鬲 噩丕賳 蹖讴 讴賵丿讴 丕賳噩丕賲 賲蹖丿賴丿. 丕賵 爻夭丕乇蹖賳 丕賵乇跇丕賳爻 乇丕 乇賵蹖 賲丕丿乇蹖 丕賳噩丕賲 丿丕丿貙 讴賴 亘賴 亘丕賵乇 賵蹖 亘乇 丕孬乇 爻讴鬲賴 賲睾夭蹖 丿乇诏匕卮鬲. 芦賲丨丕讴賲赖 (賲丕賲丕賴丕)禄 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 芦爻蹖亘賱 丿丕賳賮賵乇鬲禄 乇丕 丕夭 丿蹖丿诏丕賴 丿禺鬲乇 噩賵丕賳卮 賲蹖诏賵蹖丿. 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
January 11, 2012
The premise of the book is that a very experienced lay (not certified) midwife has a messy delivery in a patient's home in which the mother ends up dying. In order to save the baby when her efforts at CPR fail, she performs a cesarean on the mother. The baby, incidently, does live because of her efforts. However, her inexperienced assistant and the father of the baby both have their doubts about whether or not the mother was actually dead at the time of the incision, and the midwife goes to trial for manslaughter.
I liked the story and the relationships between the midwife's family and friends (and lawyers) as told by her teenaged daughter. The author does a good job of creating suspense, and I did find myself drawn into it. I really wanted to find out whether or not the mother would be convicted or not, and really, whether or not she killed her patient. I won't spoil the end for you, but I will say I was surprised and sick when I read it.
I liked the story and the relationships between the midwife's family and friends (and lawyers) as told by her teenaged daughter. The author does a good job of creating suspense, and I did find myself drawn into it. I really wanted to find out whether or not the mother would be convicted or not, and really, whether or not she killed her patient. I won't spoil the end for you, but I will say I was surprised and sick when I read it.
September 16, 2022
鈥淓veryone 鈥� believes somebody鈥檚 dead right now because a midwife performed a bedroom cesarean on a living woman.鈥�
For some readers, MIDWIVES will be characterized as a medical or a legal thriller. But it isn鈥檛 really. Like Jodi Picoult鈥檚 MY SISTER鈥橲 KEEPER, it鈥檚 more of a hypothetical examination of a specific question of medical ethics with a thriller style ending twist to give the entire novel some real pizzazz. To plant the ethical questions into the readers鈥� minds, as it were, and to have them walk away pondering the answers for a good deal of time after they close that last page.
Sibyl Danforth is a midwife trapped by the confluence of two perfect storms. The first real storm is weather. A severe winter ice storm leaves her and her patient mother in deep labor trapped and unable to retreat to a hospital. The second is a metaphorical perfect storm of medical conditions that kill the mother during the labour and leave the midwife with no alternative but to perform an dangerous, unsanctioned Caesarean section to save the unborn baby鈥檚 life. But a subsequent autopsy reveal that the mother was, in fact, still alive and that she had died as a result of hemorrhagic shock caused by the surgery.
MIDWIVES is not exciting or jammed with page-turning suspense in the traditional style of thrillers. It is, however, compelling, gripping, dramatic and provocative from first page to last.
Paul Weiss
For some readers, MIDWIVES will be characterized as a medical or a legal thriller. But it isn鈥檛 really. Like Jodi Picoult鈥檚 MY SISTER鈥橲 KEEPER, it鈥檚 more of a hypothetical examination of a specific question of medical ethics with a thriller style ending twist to give the entire novel some real pizzazz. To plant the ethical questions into the readers鈥� minds, as it were, and to have them walk away pondering the answers for a good deal of time after they close that last page.
Sibyl Danforth is a midwife trapped by the confluence of two perfect storms. The first real storm is weather. A severe winter ice storm leaves her and her patient mother in deep labor trapped and unable to retreat to a hospital. The second is a metaphorical perfect storm of medical conditions that kill the mother during the labour and leave the midwife with no alternative but to perform an dangerous, unsanctioned Caesarean section to save the unborn baby鈥檚 life. But a subsequent autopsy reveal that the mother was, in fact, still alive and that she had died as a result of hemorrhagic shock caused by the surgery.
MIDWIVES is not exciting or jammed with page-turning suspense in the traditional style of thrillers. It is, however, compelling, gripping, dramatic and provocative from first page to last.
Paul Weiss
February 4, 2010
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!
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!
July 2, 2009
I鈥檝e had Midwives, Chris Bohjalian鈥檚 fifth novel, on my to-read list for quite a while, but I resisted reading it until now because of some personal baggage: my only son was born, perfectly healthy, in a hospital; but the labour was prolonged, resulting in life-threatening complications that brought me back to the hospital in isolation for almost three weeks during which I was not even allowed to hold my own newborn child.
Midwives is a story about a pregnancy that goes wrong, but not in a hospital: in a home. The novel is mainly told through the eyes of Connie, the daughter of midwife Sibyl Danforth. Each chapter begins with an entry from Sibyl鈥檚 diary. Connie鈥檚 narration does require a degree of concentration from the reader. Bohjalian takes us back and forward in time, from Connie telling the story as an adult, going back to when she was fourteen. And because she was the point-of-view character, Connie had to overhear many, many conversations. Once I had the narrator, and the author鈥檚 narrative technique, firmly fixed in my mind, I was able to settle in to reading this compelling novel.
For years Sibyl enjoyed a thriving career as a 鈥渃atcher鈥� of babies. And then, one cold winter night, after a difficult and lengthy labour, Sibyl realizes she needs to get the mother, Charlotte to the hospital. But the phone lines are down, and Sibyl drives her car into a snow bank. She returns to continue to assist in the birth, and then Charlotte collapses. Believing Charlotte has had a stroke, Sibyl attempts CPR, and after some time, concludes that the mother has died 鈥� but that there may still be time to save the baby. She performs a caesarian section, and saves the baby, but did she kill Charlotte in the process? Sibyl鈥檚 inexperienced apprentice, Anne, and Charlotte鈥檚 husband, Asa, later contend that she did: that Charlotte was still alive before Sibyl performed the operation. The coroner comes to the same conclusion, and Sibyl is charged with involuntary manslaughter. The book is the story of the trial and the events leading up to it.
As I read this novel I was never bored; and as I approached the end it became, for me, more and more of a nail-biting page-turner. I found the trial and the complementary battle outside the courtroom 鈥� medical community against midwifery 鈥� very interesting reading. Throughout the story Bohjalian casts doubt even as he leads the reader 鈥� sometimes 鈥渁stray鈥� 鈥� to certain assumptions. For example, Charlotte hid her medical history from Sibyl. Did this contribute to her prolonged labour and resulting collapse? Then there鈥檚 our discovery, before the end of the book, that Connie is now, as an adult, a certified OBGYN. We must assume that this is because of her mother鈥檚 experience. Finally, we never really know what happened that night until the very end of the book. Clearly that was Bohjalian鈥檚 intention, and he pulled it off very well.
Read Midwives with an open mind, and you鈥檒l form your own ideas about why and how Bohjalian decided to write this story. He certainly did his research, and he makes us think: the major issues surrounding midwifery and the dangers associated with any birth are presented without the author taking sides.
For myself, in the end, I feel I didn鈥檛 so much read Midwives, as ingest it. Looking back, I think that if I had had a certified midwife, along with a doctor, working with me during my pregnancy, things might well have turned out better. Interestingly, Chris Bohjalian himself has been quoted as saying that 鈥渋n a heartbeat鈥� he and his wife would be comfortable having a baby at home, or using a nurse-midwife at the hospital.
Midwives is a story about a pregnancy that goes wrong, but not in a hospital: in a home. The novel is mainly told through the eyes of Connie, the daughter of midwife Sibyl Danforth. Each chapter begins with an entry from Sibyl鈥檚 diary. Connie鈥檚 narration does require a degree of concentration from the reader. Bohjalian takes us back and forward in time, from Connie telling the story as an adult, going back to when she was fourteen. And because she was the point-of-view character, Connie had to overhear many, many conversations. Once I had the narrator, and the author鈥檚 narrative technique, firmly fixed in my mind, I was able to settle in to reading this compelling novel.
For years Sibyl enjoyed a thriving career as a 鈥渃atcher鈥� of babies. And then, one cold winter night, after a difficult and lengthy labour, Sibyl realizes she needs to get the mother, Charlotte to the hospital. But the phone lines are down, and Sibyl drives her car into a snow bank. She returns to continue to assist in the birth, and then Charlotte collapses. Believing Charlotte has had a stroke, Sibyl attempts CPR, and after some time, concludes that the mother has died 鈥� but that there may still be time to save the baby. She performs a caesarian section, and saves the baby, but did she kill Charlotte in the process? Sibyl鈥檚 inexperienced apprentice, Anne, and Charlotte鈥檚 husband, Asa, later contend that she did: that Charlotte was still alive before Sibyl performed the operation. The coroner comes to the same conclusion, and Sibyl is charged with involuntary manslaughter. The book is the story of the trial and the events leading up to it.
As I read this novel I was never bored; and as I approached the end it became, for me, more and more of a nail-biting page-turner. I found the trial and the complementary battle outside the courtroom 鈥� medical community against midwifery 鈥� very interesting reading. Throughout the story Bohjalian casts doubt even as he leads the reader 鈥� sometimes 鈥渁stray鈥� 鈥� to certain assumptions. For example, Charlotte hid her medical history from Sibyl. Did this contribute to her prolonged labour and resulting collapse? Then there鈥檚 our discovery, before the end of the book, that Connie is now, as an adult, a certified OBGYN. We must assume that this is because of her mother鈥檚 experience. Finally, we never really know what happened that night until the very end of the book. Clearly that was Bohjalian鈥檚 intention, and he pulled it off very well.
Read Midwives with an open mind, and you鈥檒l form your own ideas about why and how Bohjalian decided to write this story. He certainly did his research, and he makes us think: the major issues surrounding midwifery and the dangers associated with any birth are presented without the author taking sides.
For myself, in the end, I feel I didn鈥檛 so much read Midwives, as ingest it. Looking back, I think that if I had had a certified midwife, along with a doctor, working with me during my pregnancy, things might well have turned out better. Interestingly, Chris Bohjalian himself has been quoted as saying that 鈥渋n a heartbeat鈥� he and his wife would be comfortable having a baby at home, or using a nurse-midwife at the hospital.
September 3, 2024
Midwives by Chris Bohjalian is a novel that explored the complexities of moral and ethical decisions, the power of community judgment, and the emotional decisions of life and death decisions. The story is set 1980s around Sibyl Danforth, a midwife performs a delivery that goes wrong. An ice storm, electricity goes out, no phone, in the middle of nowhere rural Vermont. Sibyl is met with a decision that could cost her everything including her freedom. Bohjalian explores issues around midwifery, medical ethics, and the conflict between traditional practices and modern medicine. This well written novel is a fast but emotional read.
April 15, 2024
4.5猸愶笍
I love books like this. Literary fiction, that tells the story of human life. Experiences, family, hope and heartbreak. Family struggles and personal demons. There鈥檚 not necessarily action, or fast paced chapters鈥� just a well told story about humans experiencing life鈥� the good, and the bad.
This book is told by adult Connie, who鈥檚 writing the story of her life as she lived it when she was 13 and 14 years old. During this time, her mother, Sybil is arrested and charged in the murder of her patient, Charlotte. Sybil has been a successful midwife in northern Vermont for over a decade, but when Charlotte appears to suffer a fatal stroke while giving birth, Sybil makes the extraordinary decision to perform a C-section to save her baby. The question is, was Charlotte really dead?
This was my first Chris Bohjalian book and I鈥檓 excited to read more. It鈥檚 not fast paced but I loved the character development and the final third of this book during the courtroom testimonies, it was impossible to put down.
I love books like this. Literary fiction, that tells the story of human life. Experiences, family, hope and heartbreak. Family struggles and personal demons. There鈥檚 not necessarily action, or fast paced chapters鈥� just a well told story about humans experiencing life鈥� the good, and the bad.
This book is told by adult Connie, who鈥檚 writing the story of her life as she lived it when she was 13 and 14 years old. During this time, her mother, Sybil is arrested and charged in the murder of her patient, Charlotte. Sybil has been a successful midwife in northern Vermont for over a decade, but when Charlotte appears to suffer a fatal stroke while giving birth, Sybil makes the extraordinary decision to perform a C-section to save her baby. The question is, was Charlotte really dead?
This was my first Chris Bohjalian book and I鈥檓 excited to read more. It鈥檚 not fast paced but I loved the character development and the final third of this book during the courtroom testimonies, it was impossible to put down.
December 19, 2009
Sorry, what was this book about? Because if the author stuck to what I believe to be the original idea, a courtroom drama-esque debate of ethics and assumptions surrounding homebirth and modern medicine, it would have kept my interest. These are certainly things that interest me. Well, there is that, but this book is also littered with totally irrelevant tangents, dead-end storylines, rambling emotions and love-life details of a 14 year old, and weird wavering between timelines.
It also drove me crazy how the author never explained how the main character, a hippy midwife with "no medical training" but this wise, experienced caregiver, trained or learned her craft. How did she become qualified to do what she did? He made it seem like she just loved wombs and babies so much it made her a natural midwife...it really discredited the character and drove me crazy. It was so central to the story, but never addressed. Boo.
It also drove me crazy how the author never explained how the main character, a hippy midwife with "no medical training" but this wise, experienced caregiver, trained or learned her craft. How did she become qualified to do what she did? He made it seem like she just loved wombs and babies so much it made her a natural midwife...it really discredited the character and drove me crazy. It was so central to the story, but never addressed. Boo.
January 4, 2008
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. LOL
I 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
I 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
February 26, 2008
I would like to preface my comments with a recommendation that if you are pregnant or are planning to have children sometime soon this would NOT be a good book choice. Having said that, I thought this book was exceptional. I was definitely drawn to this book, having delivered both of my children with a nurse midwife. This story is told from the adult daughter's perspective regarding her mother's role ( a midwife) during a home delivery gone bad. As I noted in someone else's review, I had to stop a few times and remind myself that this was not a true story. The author very realistically portrays the struggle of the lay midwife vs the nurse midwife/physician. I thought it was quite thought provoking and I could not put it down for the last 1/4 of the book. It is not a light, fun read, but an incredible one nonetheless.
June 13, 2020
This was a gripping read and I loved Connie, the 14-year old narrator of this story. A compelling story and great characters. I'm glad I had the chance to read this novel which was written in 1997. If I hadn't have seen mention of it in a review of another Chris Bohjalian novel I would probably never have chosen to read it! Highly recommended.
May 20, 2017
Midwives goes into detail about the practice of midwifery, following Sibyl Danforth as she catches babies. Sibyl's 14 year daughter, Connie tells the story of a home birth gone terribly wrong. What really happened to Charlotte bedford? Did she die on her own, or was still alive when Sibyl tried to save the baby??
This book started out extremely strong for me. I didn't want to put it down and the content was really interesting to me. Each chapter started out with an excerpt from Sibyl's journals, and then the rest of the book was from Connies 14 yr old perspective. Connie is telling the story from present day, which is surprisingly easy to follow and the novel is fluid.
The reason that this is only garnering 3 stars is for the fact that I felt that the middle of the book seemed to drag on too long, and I personally felt like it made the ending less climatic.
This book started out extremely strong for me. I didn't want to put it down and the content was really interesting to me. Each chapter started out with an excerpt from Sibyl's journals, and then the rest of the book was from Connies 14 yr old perspective. Connie is telling the story from present day, which is surprisingly easy to follow and the novel is fluid.
The reason that this is only garnering 3 stars is for the fact that I felt that the middle of the book seemed to drag on too long, and I personally felt like it made the ending less climatic.
October 17, 2007
This book is told by the prespective of a 30 year old woman who is recalling her life and turmoil at age 14. The cause for the turmoil...her mom, a self-appointed 70's-throwback-midwive who preforms a C-section on a patient in an extreme situation, to save a dying baby from his alreay dead mother. Why the drama? Well, maybe the birthing mother wasn't dead..so the court drama begins. Will her mothr be convicted of involuntary manslaughter or will the jury find her innocent?
All I can add was that it would ordinarilly have been a page turner for me, but I felt there was such a need to describe everything to the upteenth degree with this author's writing technique. I found myself skipping sentences just to move on.
I wouldn't have got to the end if it wasn't for Liz's recommendation to finish. She said that she had read it, didn't remember what it was all about, but that she remembered what she felt when she was done. She was right, when I finally got the the end, I understood what she meant.
Safe to say, don't read the last page!
All I can add was that it would ordinarilly have been a page turner for me, but I felt there was such a need to describe everything to the upteenth degree with this author's writing technique. I found myself skipping sentences just to move on.
I wouldn't have got to the end if it wasn't for Liz's recommendation to finish. She said that she had read it, didn't remember what it was all about, but that she remembered what she felt when she was done. She was right, when I finally got the the end, I understood what she meant.
Safe to say, don't read the last page!
March 20, 2020
Another book loan from a bookclub member and an author that I cannot resist reading. Written in 1997, Chris Bohjalian takes readers to a wintry night in Vermont where a seasoned midwife, named Sibyl Danforth makes a decision to save a baby's life. But by the next evening, rumors will begin to fly that Sibyl is actually a killer. Told through the eyes of Sibyl 's daughter, Connie, the unfolding investigation and courtroom drama definitely kept me wondering as to who is telling the truth?
I was absolutely hooked by this one even when the book slowed down. Although I had a feeling what was ultimately going to be the conclusion of the story, I still felt the story was thrilling enough to keep me engaged. I thought it was interesting to have the story told through the eyes of Sibyl's daughter. Here Connie was this normal teenager and then her whole life is turned upside down and neighbors are taking sides and yet she doesn't want to be helpless. She wants to ensure readers that her mother was excellent at midwifery. She's any kind of teen that adores her parent. In between chapters, we are also given glimpses into Sibyl's midwife journals and this also allows a glimpse into Sibyl the midwife and not just Sibyl, Connie's mother.
A book that I wouldn't hesitate to re-read or recommend to others.
欧宝娱乐 20/03/20
I was absolutely hooked by this one even when the book slowed down. Although I had a feeling what was ultimately going to be the conclusion of the story, I still felt the story was thrilling enough to keep me engaged. I thought it was interesting to have the story told through the eyes of Sibyl's daughter. Here Connie was this normal teenager and then her whole life is turned upside down and neighbors are taking sides and yet she doesn't want to be helpless. She wants to ensure readers that her mother was excellent at midwifery. She's any kind of teen that adores her parent. In between chapters, we are also given glimpses into Sibyl's midwife journals and this also allows a glimpse into Sibyl the midwife and not just Sibyl, Connie's mother.
A book that I wouldn't hesitate to re-read or recommend to others.
欧宝娱乐 20/03/20
June 20, 2013
Right. Midwives. Which I had been looking forward to since it came out and I spotted it on a grocery store bookshelf (yes, really).
Alas.
Bohjalian wrote four books before this one, but you wouldn't know it from the awkward prose. His dialogue isn't bad. His characters are... more or less realistic (I buy everyone except the narrator). So much of the writing meanders into tangential places that have little, if any, bearing on the story as it stands.
Either we needed less of this book or different pieces of it.
If we needed less of this book, maybe . The narrator does and doesn't have the full picture somehow, and I'm confused as to how a first-person omniscient narration style even works. Maybe her mother filled in the blanks for her. I don't know. But it doesn't make sense.
If we needed different pieces, we could have come in tighter on the Main Event and all that followed. Yes, tighter. No hints at what happened after. Keep what came before. We can't have it from perspective because then the mystery's gone, but we could've had it from someone else who was there.
The novel's as messy as the ethics involved.
Full disclosure: in the years since I put this book on my TBR list, I have learned much more about home birth and the various kinds of midwives practicing in the United States. I am not a lay midwife kind of person any longer. If helping women to have babies is your passion, go be a nurse-midwife. Go be one of the book's five percent who practice out of homes, malpractice insurance be damned; if you have a good doctor at your back, and you're conservative in your transfer approach (i.e. transfer at the first sign of maternal or fetal distress), you're not betraying the idea that the body knows what it's doing. Generally the body does; how else would babies have been born for thousands of years? It's when something goes wrong that you need a doctor, who .
I would absolutely have .
Overall a disappointment. Not as total as some books, but pretty thoroughly so.
Alas.
Bohjalian wrote four books before this one, but you wouldn't know it from the awkward prose. His dialogue isn't bad. His characters are... more or less realistic (I buy everyone except the narrator). So much of the writing meanders into tangential places that have little, if any, bearing on the story as it stands.
Either we needed less of this book or different pieces of it.
If we needed less of this book, maybe . The narrator does and doesn't have the full picture somehow, and I'm confused as to how a first-person omniscient narration style even works. Maybe her mother filled in the blanks for her. I don't know. But it doesn't make sense.
If we needed different pieces, we could have come in tighter on the Main Event and all that followed. Yes, tighter. No hints at what happened after. Keep what came before. We can't have it from perspective because then the mystery's gone, but we could've had it from someone else who was there.
The novel's as messy as the ethics involved.
Full disclosure: in the years since I put this book on my TBR list, I have learned much more about home birth and the various kinds of midwives practicing in the United States. I am not a lay midwife kind of person any longer. If helping women to have babies is your passion, go be a nurse-midwife. Go be one of the book's five percent who practice out of homes, malpractice insurance be damned; if you have a good doctor at your back, and you're conservative in your transfer approach (i.e. transfer at the first sign of maternal or fetal distress), you're not betraying the idea that the body knows what it's doing. Generally the body does; how else would babies have been born for thousands of years? It's when something goes wrong that you need a doctor, who .
I would absolutely have .
Overall a disappointment. Not as total as some books, but pretty thoroughly so.
January 1, 2013
Well, I finished my adult beverage I wanted to finish before writing this last review of 2012 of the last book I read in 2012. I also wanted to make sure I kissed my husband at midnight, so, I delayed this review.
I'm going to give Midwives 4.5 stars. I initially was going to give this 4 stars, but the end kind of "wowed" me, and it deserved a half star.
Initially, I didn't know much about midwifery until I read Midwives, and there really is a lot to learn about it. This read definitely gives you insight into the profession, and I thought it was very interesting.
The beginning was a little slow to me, but before I even got to the middle of the book, it became a lot more interesting and had me hooked until the end. I almost abandoned the book mainly because I became disinterested, but I read this with my friend Veronica, and she told me to keep at it because it gets better.
I really didn't know much about this story, or what happens, and I'm so glad. There were some things which really shocked me, as far as events go, and I think I developed a new appreciation for midwives. Honestly.
All things aside, Midwives is a great read. It was worth my .49 cent investment. I really enjoy Bohjalian's writing, too. It is clear, visual, and I felt like I could feel what the characters were feeling. There were a few times as the reader, I had some bad feelings for the outcome, a few situations in the book, and I love when an author can do that. I will definitely be checking out more of Bohjalian's works.
Also, sorry if this is review is a little awkward, I don't want to give the story away, because this is one story I think would be definitely disappointing to be spoiled on, and I really am starting to dislike reviews which give you the entire novel summarized as a review.
Great book!
I'm going to give Midwives 4.5 stars. I initially was going to give this 4 stars, but the end kind of "wowed" me, and it deserved a half star.
Initially, I didn't know much about midwifery until I read Midwives, and there really is a lot to learn about it. This read definitely gives you insight into the profession, and I thought it was very interesting.
The beginning was a little slow to me, but before I even got to the middle of the book, it became a lot more interesting and had me hooked until the end. I almost abandoned the book mainly because I became disinterested, but I read this with my friend Veronica, and she told me to keep at it because it gets better.
I really didn't know much about this story, or what happens, and I'm so glad. There were some things which really shocked me, as far as events go, and I think I developed a new appreciation for midwives. Honestly.
All things aside, Midwives is a great read. It was worth my .49 cent investment. I really enjoy Bohjalian's writing, too. It is clear, visual, and I felt like I could feel what the characters were feeling. There were a few times as the reader, I had some bad feelings for the outcome, a few situations in the book, and I love when an author can do that. I will definitely be checking out more of Bohjalian's works.
Also, sorry if this is review is a little awkward, I don't want to give the story away, because this is one story I think would be definitely disappointing to be spoiled on, and I really am starting to dislike reviews which give you the entire novel summarized as a review.
Great book!
October 17, 2011
I felt like I really couldn't connect with the characters well. It didn't go into other characters head and how they felt. We only knew how Connie felt. I could not sympathize with Sybil ( the midwife) or her husband. I felt she was so selfish. She did what she wanted and didn't care how anyone else felt.
#1. She couldn't give up "catching" babies for the sake of her marriage when she and her husband fought over it.
#2. She knew her daughter was upset when she couldn't make it to dinner, but she always put her job first.
#3. She had something going on with the lawyer, that her husband was paying for, behind his back.
#4. She didn't want to take that sweet plea deal because she wouldn't give up being a midwife, only to end up giving it up anyways.
I don't have anything against home births or midwives, but she was reckless. Seriously, the prosecutor had a really good point, you knew the weather was going to be bad, and you didn't have the common sense to plan ahead? And another thing that made me angry was when another father testified about Sybil having his wife push for 10 hours! Really? TEN HOURS?!? PUSHING?!?
Maybe Sybil is this midwife that doesn't think things over. Maybe she really shouldn't be delivering babies at all. We only know the viewpoint of her 14 year old daughter, who of course is going to side with her dear mother.
#1. She couldn't give up "catching" babies for the sake of her marriage when she and her husband fought over it.
#2. She knew her daughter was upset when she couldn't make it to dinner, but she always put her job first.
#3. She had something going on with the lawyer, that her husband was paying for, behind his back.
#4. She didn't want to take that sweet plea deal because she wouldn't give up being a midwife, only to end up giving it up anyways.
I don't have anything against home births or midwives, but she was reckless. Seriously, the prosecutor had a really good point, you knew the weather was going to be bad, and you didn't have the common sense to plan ahead? And another thing that made me angry was when another father testified about Sybil having his wife push for 10 hours! Really? TEN HOURS?!? PUSHING?!?
Maybe Sybil is this midwife that doesn't think things over. Maybe she really shouldn't be delivering babies at all. We only know the viewpoint of her 14 year old daughter, who of course is going to side with her dear mother.
June 10, 2008
I read this book when I was on business travel in Zimbabwe and it definitely kept me turning the pages. As someone who values very strongly the role of midwives in healthcare, this was a tough book to read. The midwife at the center of the story is faced with a very dangerous (and statistically incredibly unlikely) situation and the outcome makes her a pariah in the community. She becomes a scapegoat and a target of all sorts of anger, most of which is misdirected and misguided and often comes from people who weren't even affected by the situation.
It's a tragic novel, and one that I didn't feel a lot of satisfaction from reading. The story is well-told (from what I remember). But this is another book that is just too sad and depressing (aren't most Oprah books that way?), and there's enough sadness in the real world that I don't really need to subject myself to more through the books I read.
It's a tragic novel, and one that I didn't feel a lot of satisfaction from reading. The story is well-told (from what I remember). But this is another book that is just too sad and depressing (aren't most Oprah books that way?), and there's enough sadness in the real world that I don't really need to subject myself to more through the books I read.
June 30, 2011
my mom insisted i read this book for years. now it's on the oprah book club so i feel lame saying i read it, because i find oprah's book club to be lame and i find the 'oprah book club' logo on a books front cover detrimental. But it was an interesting book. I liked it; a quick read. It follow the court case of a midwife in vermont who delivers a baby via an emergency c-section in which the mother dies and then they discover that the mother wasn't actually dead before the c-section occured. it's an interesting premise. go ahead and read it, it takes about a day.
August 14, 2017
Read this book some years ago and I remember really enjoying it, especially the trial.
March 6, 2022
Qu岷� l脿 m峄檛 cu峄憂 ti峄僽 thuy岷縯, m峄檛 膽峄� t脿i hi岷縨 hoi, 膽峄檆 膽谩o v峄� m峄檛 ngh峄� m脿 gi峄� 膽芒y ch峄� c貌n trong qu谩 kh峄�. 膼贸 ch铆nh l脿 ngh峄� b脿 m峄�, m峄檛 c么ng vi峄嘽 膽峄� 膽岷� t岷 nh脿 v峄沬 bi岷縯 bao c芒u chuy峄噉 vui bu峄搉, su么n s岷� l岷玭 m岷 m谩t trong 膽贸. C岷� nh芒n lo岷 cho 膽岷縩 khi c贸 s峄� b霉ng n峄� v峄� b峄噉h vi峄噉 v峄沬 c谩c ti岷縩 b峄� c峄 y khoa, ch岷硁g ph岷 膽峄乽 膽茫 膽瓢峄 ch脿o 膽贸n b峄焛 膽么i b脿n tay c谩c b脿 m峄� hay sao? D岷玼 bi岷縯 trong qu谩 tr矛nh sinh 膽岷� h脿ng ngh矛n n膬m 岷, t峄� l峄� th脿nh c么ng v脿 sai s贸t c农ng ch岷硁g m岷 ch锚nh l峄嘽h. Nh瓢ng n岷縰 nh矛n cho th岷 膽谩o, 鈥渂脿 m峄モ€� kh么ng ch峄� l脿 ngh峄� hay nghi峄噋, n贸 c貌n xu岷 ph谩t t峄� t矛nh th瓢啤ng y锚u, s峄� 膽am m锚 v峄沬 nhi峄噈 v峄� thi锚ng li锚ng c峄 ng瓢峄漣 ph峄� n峄� - 膽贸 l脿 sinh 膽岷�. B脿 m峄� d脿y d岷 kinh nghi峄噈 Sibyl Danforth kh么ng n岷眒 ngo脿i t铆nh nh芒n v膬n 岷, b脿 l脿 ng瓢峄漣 ph峄� n峄� kh么ng ng峄玭g n峄� l峄眂 h岷縯 s峄ヽ trong t峄玭g ca 膽峄� 膽岷� c峄 m矛nh. Nh瓢ng cho d霉 v岷瓂, m峄檛 sai s贸t, n贸i 膽煤ng h啤n m峄檛 s峄� c峄� t峄搃 t峄� trong m峄檛 ca 膽峄� 膽岷� 膽茫 k茅o tu峄檛 to脿n b峄� s峄� hoan h峄� 膽贸 xu峄憂g, thay v脿o 膽贸 l脿 s峄� c岷痭 r峄﹖ l瓢啤ng t芒m v脿 n峄梚 s峄� h茫i.
B岷 k峄� ai ch峄峮 膽瓢峄 sinh 膽岷� t岷 nh脿 v峄沬 b脿 m峄� h岷硁 膽峄乽 c贸 s峄� t峄� tin v峄� kh岷� n膬ng v瓢峄 c岷 c峄 m矛nh. 膼i峄乽 膽贸 c农ng c峄� v农 tay ngh峄� kh么ng c贸 b岷眓g c岷 n脿o 膽瓢峄 c么ng nh岷璶 c峄 c谩c b脿. Ng瓢峄 l岷, b脿 m峄� lu么n ph岷 c岷﹏ th岷璶 膽峄� ph貌ng v脿 chu岷﹏ b峄� c岷� b谩c s末 d峄� b峄� hay ph瓢啤ng ti峄噉 chuy峄僴 s岷 ph峄� 膽岷縩 b峄噉h vi峄噉 trong tr瓢峄漬g h峄 x岷 nh岷. Th岷� nh瓢ng, ph岷 l脿m th岷� n脿o khi th峄漣 ti岷縯 kh岷痗 nghi峄噒 khi岷縩 kh么ng th峄� di chuy峄僴, m峄峣 膽瓢峄漬g d芒y li锚n l岷 b峄� c岷痶 膽峄﹖? 膼贸 ch铆nh l脿 v岷璶 xui c峄 s岷 ph峄� c农ng nh瓢 c峄 b脿 m峄�. Sibyl Danforth b峄� k岷箃 l岷 ng么i nh脿 h岷籵 l谩nh c峄 m峄 s瓢 Asa Bedford trong ca 膽峄� 膽岷� cho v峄� 么ng gi峄痑 bang Vermont. Qu谩 tr矛nh sinh 膽岷� k峄� di峄噓 v脿 kho岷h kh岷痗 鈥渄芒ng tr脿o tinh hoa鈥� theo 媒 ni峄噈 c峄 b脿 膽茫 b峄� c啤n m瓢a b茫o l岷h gi谩 膽锚m 膽贸 cu峄憂 ph膬ng 膽i. B脿 kh么ng c贸 膽峄� th矛 gi峄� 膽峄� k峄媝 nh岷璶 th峄ヽ, c谩i th岷, c岷 nh岷璶 v脿 tr峄眂 gi谩c 膽茫 膽i峄乽 khi峄僴 b脿, b脿 bu峄檆 ph岷 h脿nh 膽峄檔g nhanh nh岷 c贸 th峄� 膽峄� c峄﹗ 膽峄゛ b茅 trong l岷眓 ranh mong manh sinh t峄� c峄 ng瓢峄漣 m岷�. L煤c 膽贸, 峄� v峄� tr铆 膽贸, b脿 kh么ng sai nh瓢ng c谩i ch岷縯 c峄 ng瓢峄漣 m岷� l岷 tr峄� th脿nh v岷 膽峄� g芒y tranh c茫i cho m峄峣 ng瓢峄漣 v脿 hoang mang cho ch铆nh b脿.
Lu岷璽 ph谩p 膽茫 kh么ng quay l瓢ng, 膽茫 can thi峄噋 m峄檛 c谩ch tri峄噒 膽峄� v脿o v峄� vi峄嘽 n脿y. H峄� th峄憂g ph谩p lu岷璽 ch峄媢 岷h h瓢峄焠g tr峄眂 ti岷縫 t峄� nh峄痭g ng瓢峄漣 d岷玭 d岷痶 c贸 膽岷 贸c 膽岷 膽峄媙h ki岷縩. H峄� mu峄憂 kh岷硁g 膽峄媙h c谩i ch铆nh ki岷縩 h峄� cho l脿 膽煤ng, ch瓢a c岷 mua chu峄檆 nh芒n ch峄﹏g, h峄� 膽茫 c贸 n峄璦 s峄� th脿nh c么ng khi m脿 c貌n kh谩 nhi峄乽 ng瓢峄漣 h猫n nh谩t, s峄� tr谩ch nhi峄噈 v脿 qu谩 mu峄憂 th峄� hi峄噉 n膬ng l峄眂 c贸 h岷 c峄 m矛nh. Vi峄嘽 so s谩nh gi峄痑 m峄檛 b谩c s末 s岷 ph峄� khoa v脿 m峄檛 b脿 m峄� v矛 th岷� m脿 b峄� 膽岷﹜ l锚n cao tr脿o. Nh峄痭g k峄� v峄峮g v脿 ph茅p m脿u c峄 s峄� sinh 膽岷� b峄� 膽瓢a l锚n b脿n c芒n. D霉 th岷� n脿o c农ng c贸 th峄� th岷, ngh峄� b脿 m峄� c农ng c贸 cho n贸 m峄檛 tri岷縯 l媒 s峄憂g ri锚ng, nh峄痭g tr岷 nghi峄噈 v脿 n峄乶 t岷g 膽瓢峄 x芒y d峄眓g qua nhi峄乽 n膬m v峄沬 v么 s峄� ng脿y v脿 膽锚m 膽峄� 膽em s峄� s峄憂g 膽岷縩 v峄沬 cu峄檆 膽峄漣 n脿y.
V峄� lu岷璽 s瓢 l茫o luy峄噉 Stephen Hastings qu岷� l脿 m峄檛 ng瓢峄漣 膽脿n 么ng c瓢啤ng tr峄眂, s岷痗 s岷, quy岷縯 li峄噒 m脿 v么 c霉ng 岷 谩p. S峄� 膽峄搉g h脿nh kh么ng m峄噒 m峄廼, b岷 v峄� 膽岷縩 c霉ng cho thanh danh c峄 Sibyl Danforth n贸i ri锚ng, c峄 ngh峄� b脿 m峄� n贸i chung l脿 m峄檛 b瓢峄沜 ngo岷穞 l峄沶 lao, m峄檛 c煤 h铆ch cho s峄� nghi峄噋 c峄 么ng. Nh峄痭g h瓢峄沶g d岷玭 t岷璶 t矛nh, truy lu岷璶 s岷痗 b茅n, an 峄 m峄眂 th瓢峄沜 膽茫 膽em 膽岷縩 cho gia 膽矛nh Sibyl Danforth m峄檛 ni峄乵 hy v峄峮g v脿 s峄� ho脿 thu岷璶 l岷玭 c岷 th么ng kh么ng nh峄�. Qu谩 tr矛nh tr瓢峄焠g th脿nh t峄� c么 b茅 膽岷縩 thi岷縰 n峄� v峄沬 bao n峄昳 lo岷 ng岷 Connie lu么n c贸 s峄� 膽峄搉g h脿nh c峄 m岷� n锚n c么 th岷 hi峄僽 m岷� h岷縯 m峄眂. Theo d玫i v脿 lo l岷痭g cho t峄玭g bi岷縩 chuy峄僴 c峄 v峄� 谩n, Connie 膽茫 c贸 m峄檛 quy岷縯 膽峄媙h v么 c霉ng 膽煤ng 膽岷痭 v脿o ph煤t cu峄慽, quy岷縯 膽峄媙h 岷 膽茫 thay 膽峄昳 t岷 c岷�, l脿 minh ch峄﹏g cho t矛nh m岷玼 t峄� tuy峄噒 di峄噓 v脿 l脿 膽峄媙h h瓢峄沶g cho c么ng vi峄嘽 tr峄� th脿nh b谩c s末 s岷 ph峄� khoa sau n脿y c峄 c么.
M峄檛 v峄� 谩n 膽岷 k峄媍h t铆nh v脿 v么 c霉ng nh芒n v膬n 膽茫 k岷縯 th煤c c贸 h岷璾. Ngh峄� b脿 m峄� l脿 m峄檛 ngh峄� nghi峄噋 膽谩ng tr芒n qu媒 d岷玼 cho n贸 膽茫 d岷 v岷痭g b贸ng v脿 kh么ng 膽瓢峄 th峄玜 nh岷璶 nhi峄乽 h啤n. Quy峄僴 s谩ch 膽瓢a ta 膽岷縩 nh峄痭g kho岷h kh岷痗 v瓢峄 c岷 c峄 nh峄痭g ph峄� n峄� s岷痯 l脿m m岷� m峄檛 c谩ch chi ti岷縯 v脿 s峄憂g 膽峄檔g 膽岷縩 n峄梚 ta ng峄� nh瓢 m矛nh 膽ang g峄搉g, 膽ang r岷穘 c霉ng h峄�. Nh峄痭g ca 膽岷� t岷 nh脿 膽么i khi c么 膽啤n, 膽么i khi c贸 s峄� qu芒y qu岷 c峄 膽岷 gia 膽矛nh. 膼峄峜 膽峄� hi峄僽 r岷眓g vi峄嘽 sinh 膽岷� l脿 m峄檛 cu峄檆 chi岷縩 m峄噒 nho脿i, c峄璦 sinh l脿 c峄璦 t峄�. Nh瓢ng c农ng l脿 m贸n qu脿 qu媒 gi谩 khi v瓢峄 tho谩t v脿 鈥渄芒ng tr脿o tinh hoa鈥�, 膽贸 l脿 kho岷h kh岷痗 m峄檛 s峄� s峄憂g m峄沬 v瓢啤n ra th岷� gi峄沬, l脿 ni峄乵 h岷h ph煤c kh么ng th峄� 膽ong 膽岷縨 cho ng瓢峄漣 m岷� v脿 cho c岷� b脿 m峄�. 鈥溎愥夯 t岷 nh脿 l脿 m峄檛 tr岷 nghi峄噈 c峄眂 k峄� m岷h m岷� v脿 t膬ng c瓢峄漬g s峄ヽ l峄眂, n贸 cho nh峄痭g ng瓢峄漣 ph峄� n峄� y岷縰 膽u峄慽 ngu峄搉 n膬ng l瓢峄g, s峄� t峄� tin v脿 s峄ヽ m岷h. H峄� bi岷縯 c啤 th峄� m矛nh c贸 th峄� l脿m 膽瓢峄 g矛, v脿 n贸 cho h峄� s峄� 膽峄檔g vi锚n.鈥�
膼峄峜 Chris Bohjalian m脿 c峄� ng峄� nh瓢 膽峄峜 m峄檛 n峄� nh脿 v膬n. Hi峄僽 t瓢峄漬g t岷璶 v峄� vi峄嘽 sinh 膽岷� l岷玭 ngh峄� 膽峄� 膽岷� nh瓢 v岷瓂, 么ng h岷硁 l脿 ng瓢峄漣 bi岷縯 tr芒n tr峄峮g v脿 y锚u th瓢啤ng ph峄� n峄�. V膬n vi岷縯 g茫y g峄峮, mi锚u t岷� t芒m l媒 r岷 s芒u. D霉 膽么i ch峄� di峄卬 gi岷 h啤i d脿i v脿 l岷璸 l岷 nh瓢ng t峄昻g th峄� l脿 m峄檛 t谩c ph岷﹎ nh芒n v膬n, ch峄塶 chu v脿 膽岷 c岷 x煤c.
B岷 k峄� ai ch峄峮 膽瓢峄 sinh 膽岷� t岷 nh脿 v峄沬 b脿 m峄� h岷硁 膽峄乽 c贸 s峄� t峄� tin v峄� kh岷� n膬ng v瓢峄 c岷 c峄 m矛nh. 膼i峄乽 膽贸 c农ng c峄� v农 tay ngh峄� kh么ng c贸 b岷眓g c岷 n脿o 膽瓢峄 c么ng nh岷璶 c峄 c谩c b脿. Ng瓢峄 l岷, b脿 m峄� lu么n ph岷 c岷﹏ th岷璶 膽峄� ph貌ng v脿 chu岷﹏ b峄� c岷� b谩c s末 d峄� b峄� hay ph瓢啤ng ti峄噉 chuy峄僴 s岷 ph峄� 膽岷縩 b峄噉h vi峄噉 trong tr瓢峄漬g h峄 x岷 nh岷. Th岷� nh瓢ng, ph岷 l脿m th岷� n脿o khi th峄漣 ti岷縯 kh岷痗 nghi峄噒 khi岷縩 kh么ng th峄� di chuy峄僴, m峄峣 膽瓢峄漬g d芒y li锚n l岷 b峄� c岷痶 膽峄﹖? 膼贸 ch铆nh l脿 v岷璶 xui c峄 s岷 ph峄� c农ng nh瓢 c峄 b脿 m峄�. Sibyl Danforth b峄� k岷箃 l岷 ng么i nh脿 h岷籵 l谩nh c峄 m峄 s瓢 Asa Bedford trong ca 膽峄� 膽岷� cho v峄� 么ng gi峄痑 bang Vermont. Qu谩 tr矛nh sinh 膽岷� k峄� di峄噓 v脿 kho岷h kh岷痗 鈥渄芒ng tr脿o tinh hoa鈥� theo 媒 ni峄噈 c峄 b脿 膽茫 b峄� c啤n m瓢a b茫o l岷h gi谩 膽锚m 膽贸 cu峄憂 ph膬ng 膽i. B脿 kh么ng c贸 膽峄� th矛 gi峄� 膽峄� k峄媝 nh岷璶 th峄ヽ, c谩i th岷, c岷 nh岷璶 v脿 tr峄眂 gi谩c 膽茫 膽i峄乽 khi峄僴 b脿, b脿 bu峄檆 ph岷 h脿nh 膽峄檔g nhanh nh岷 c贸 th峄� 膽峄� c峄﹗ 膽峄゛ b茅 trong l岷眓 ranh mong manh sinh t峄� c峄 ng瓢峄漣 m岷�. L煤c 膽贸, 峄� v峄� tr铆 膽贸, b脿 kh么ng sai nh瓢ng c谩i ch岷縯 c峄 ng瓢峄漣 m岷� l岷 tr峄� th脿nh v岷 膽峄� g芒y tranh c茫i cho m峄峣 ng瓢峄漣 v脿 hoang mang cho ch铆nh b脿.
Lu岷璽 ph谩p 膽茫 kh么ng quay l瓢ng, 膽茫 can thi峄噋 m峄檛 c谩ch tri峄噒 膽峄� v脿o v峄� vi峄嘽 n脿y. H峄� th峄憂g ph谩p lu岷璽 ch峄媢 岷h h瓢峄焠g tr峄眂 ti岷縫 t峄� nh峄痭g ng瓢峄漣 d岷玭 d岷痶 c贸 膽岷 贸c 膽岷 膽峄媙h ki岷縩. H峄� mu峄憂 kh岷硁g 膽峄媙h c谩i ch铆nh ki岷縩 h峄� cho l脿 膽煤ng, ch瓢a c岷 mua chu峄檆 nh芒n ch峄﹏g, h峄� 膽茫 c贸 n峄璦 s峄� th脿nh c么ng khi m脿 c貌n kh谩 nhi峄乽 ng瓢峄漣 h猫n nh谩t, s峄� tr谩ch nhi峄噈 v脿 qu谩 mu峄憂 th峄� hi峄噉 n膬ng l峄眂 c贸 h岷 c峄 m矛nh. Vi峄嘽 so s谩nh gi峄痑 m峄檛 b谩c s末 s岷 ph峄� khoa v脿 m峄檛 b脿 m峄� v矛 th岷� m脿 b峄� 膽岷﹜ l锚n cao tr脿o. Nh峄痭g k峄� v峄峮g v脿 ph茅p m脿u c峄 s峄� sinh 膽岷� b峄� 膽瓢a l锚n b脿n c芒n. D霉 th岷� n脿o c农ng c贸 th峄� th岷, ngh峄� b脿 m峄� c农ng c贸 cho n贸 m峄檛 tri岷縯 l媒 s峄憂g ri锚ng, nh峄痭g tr岷 nghi峄噈 v脿 n峄乶 t岷g 膽瓢峄 x芒y d峄眓g qua nhi峄乽 n膬m v峄沬 v么 s峄� ng脿y v脿 膽锚m 膽峄� 膽em s峄� s峄憂g 膽岷縩 v峄沬 cu峄檆 膽峄漣 n脿y.
V峄� lu岷璽 s瓢 l茫o luy峄噉 Stephen Hastings qu岷� l脿 m峄檛 ng瓢峄漣 膽脿n 么ng c瓢啤ng tr峄眂, s岷痗 s岷, quy岷縯 li峄噒 m脿 v么 c霉ng 岷 谩p. S峄� 膽峄搉g h脿nh kh么ng m峄噒 m峄廼, b岷 v峄� 膽岷縩 c霉ng cho thanh danh c峄 Sibyl Danforth n贸i ri锚ng, c峄 ngh峄� b脿 m峄� n贸i chung l脿 m峄檛 b瓢峄沜 ngo岷穞 l峄沶 lao, m峄檛 c煤 h铆ch cho s峄� nghi峄噋 c峄 么ng. Nh峄痭g h瓢峄沶g d岷玭 t岷璶 t矛nh, truy lu岷璶 s岷痗 b茅n, an 峄 m峄眂 th瓢峄沜 膽茫 膽em 膽岷縩 cho gia 膽矛nh Sibyl Danforth m峄檛 ni峄乵 hy v峄峮g v脿 s峄� ho脿 thu岷璶 l岷玭 c岷 th么ng kh么ng nh峄�. Qu谩 tr矛nh tr瓢峄焠g th脿nh t峄� c么 b茅 膽岷縩 thi岷縰 n峄� v峄沬 bao n峄昳 lo岷 ng岷 Connie lu么n c贸 s峄� 膽峄搉g h脿nh c峄 m岷� n锚n c么 th岷 hi峄僽 m岷� h岷縯 m峄眂. Theo d玫i v脿 lo l岷痭g cho t峄玭g bi岷縩 chuy峄僴 c峄 v峄� 谩n, Connie 膽茫 c贸 m峄檛 quy岷縯 膽峄媙h v么 c霉ng 膽煤ng 膽岷痭 v脿o ph煤t cu峄慽, quy岷縯 膽峄媙h 岷 膽茫 thay 膽峄昳 t岷 c岷�, l脿 minh ch峄﹏g cho t矛nh m岷玼 t峄� tuy峄噒 di峄噓 v脿 l脿 膽峄媙h h瓢峄沶g cho c么ng vi峄嘽 tr峄� th脿nh b谩c s末 s岷 ph峄� khoa sau n脿y c峄 c么.
M峄檛 v峄� 谩n 膽岷 k峄媍h t铆nh v脿 v么 c霉ng nh芒n v膬n 膽茫 k岷縯 th煤c c贸 h岷璾. Ngh峄� b脿 m峄� l脿 m峄檛 ngh峄� nghi峄噋 膽谩ng tr芒n qu媒 d岷玼 cho n贸 膽茫 d岷 v岷痭g b贸ng v脿 kh么ng 膽瓢峄 th峄玜 nh岷璶 nhi峄乽 h啤n. Quy峄僴 s谩ch 膽瓢a ta 膽岷縩 nh峄痭g kho岷h kh岷痗 v瓢峄 c岷 c峄 nh峄痭g ph峄� n峄� s岷痯 l脿m m岷� m峄檛 c谩ch chi ti岷縯 v脿 s峄憂g 膽峄檔g 膽岷縩 n峄梚 ta ng峄� nh瓢 m矛nh 膽ang g峄搉g, 膽ang r岷穘 c霉ng h峄�. Nh峄痭g ca 膽岷� t岷 nh脿 膽么i khi c么 膽啤n, 膽么i khi c贸 s峄� qu芒y qu岷 c峄 膽岷 gia 膽矛nh. 膼峄峜 膽峄� hi峄僽 r岷眓g vi峄嘽 sinh 膽岷� l脿 m峄檛 cu峄檆 chi岷縩 m峄噒 nho脿i, c峄璦 sinh l脿 c峄璦 t峄�. Nh瓢ng c农ng l脿 m贸n qu脿 qu媒 gi谩 khi v瓢峄 tho谩t v脿 鈥渄芒ng tr脿o tinh hoa鈥�, 膽贸 l脿 kho岷h kh岷痗 m峄檛 s峄� s峄憂g m峄沬 v瓢啤n ra th岷� gi峄沬, l脿 ni峄乵 h岷h ph煤c kh么ng th峄� 膽ong 膽岷縨 cho ng瓢峄漣 m岷� v脿 cho c岷� b脿 m峄�. 鈥溎愥夯 t岷 nh脿 l脿 m峄檛 tr岷 nghi峄噈 c峄眂 k峄� m岷h m岷� v脿 t膬ng c瓢峄漬g s峄ヽ l峄眂, n贸 cho nh峄痭g ng瓢峄漣 ph峄� n峄� y岷縰 膽u峄慽 ngu峄搉 n膬ng l瓢峄g, s峄� t峄� tin v脿 s峄ヽ m岷h. H峄� bi岷縯 c啤 th峄� m矛nh c贸 th峄� l脿m 膽瓢峄 g矛, v脿 n贸 cho h峄� s峄� 膽峄檔g vi锚n.鈥�
膼峄峜 Chris Bohjalian m脿 c峄� ng峄� nh瓢 膽峄峜 m峄檛 n峄� nh脿 v膬n. Hi峄僽 t瓢峄漬g t岷璶 v峄� vi峄嘽 sinh 膽岷� l岷玭 ngh峄� 膽峄� 膽岷� nh瓢 v岷瓂, 么ng h岷硁 l脿 ng瓢峄漣 bi岷縯 tr芒n tr峄峮g v脿 y锚u th瓢啤ng ph峄� n峄�. V膬n vi岷縯 g茫y g峄峮, mi锚u t岷� t芒m l媒 r岷 s芒u. D霉 膽么i ch峄� di峄卬 gi岷 h啤i d脿i v脿 l岷璸 l岷 nh瓢ng t峄昻g th峄� l脿 m峄檛 t谩c ph岷﹎ nh芒n v膬n, ch峄塶 chu v脿 膽岷 c岷 x煤c.
August 13, 2007
I didn't read this book because it was an Oprah read...I don't think I even knew this was one until today. I found it at a little independent bookstore in Monterey years ago. This was one of those books I couldn't put down but... because of the intense emotional content of the book I ended up stepping away from the book a couple of times. I was amazed by the authors ability to write about such an emotional subject(home childbirth gone wrong)and had to remind myself numerous times that it was written by a man, he really seemed to be able to capture the labor and childbirth from a woman's point of view. For me it reminded me that decisions we make in life really do count on so many levels. A REALLY good read.
January 18, 2016
A very unexpected story. Sibyl the midwive and her patient. Sibyl is accused of murder, but she saved a life . The majority of the story took place in the court room, with all the drama. Sibyl's life changes forever. The story was very well written .
May 27, 2021
Before my GR Days
August 8, 2019
Next up for book club, although we're skipping August. I have heard of this author, but other than that I have no clue. I picked up four of his books at our recent library book sale. Starting tonight ...
Started this last night. So far it's reminding me of Jodi Picoult only with a better writer. The story is pretty matter-of-fact so far. The author's style, as it adopts the voice of a 14-year old girl, seems a bit pedestrian, but I suspect the story is all in this one. Tom Perrotta might be an apt comparison. Ones who do it(the "realism" thing) a bit better? Richard Russo, Richard Ford etc. Worse: Wally Lamb.
So, just as I was beginning to grumble about getting bored with the narrative voice(how old IS that voice anyway?), all hell breaks loose as the "thing/event" about which this book revolves takes place. Bad follows worse follows horrible and there you go. For myself, I was sort of not wanting to read the whole thing(a tribute to the author's skill) and needing to buck up and get on with it. It's over now at least and the legal(and more) aftermath will take up the rest of the book. Notes ...
- I'm back in Vermont after "We Have Always Lived in the Castle," which is unofficially set there.
- Worcester, Massachusetts(my birthplace) is a city, not a town.
- The author writes of old clapboards that have had nails "slammed through them" ... I don't think so. Trying too hard ...
- Sybil is a vaguely troubling figure. Up until the bleep hits the fan she's not much in the story, and that's one of the points of the narrator's portrayal of her. VERY "careerist/dedicated" and something of an uber-Earth mother. Still kind of a hippie and a bit tiresome. Both husband and daughter have reason for complaint vis-a-vis her absent parenting and wifing(?) ... wifery(?) ... partnering(?). Her behavior during the "thing" is open to question, but then, what then hell would YOU have done, dear reader? One thing I would have done(presumably) was pay more attention to the weather(forecast). A labor can go on for hours. At the first whiff of bad weather Sybil and mother should have been out of there and off to the hospital. Not sure if that point will be visited again.
- How does smug Sybil know that she'd never birthed a baby banker?
- "air force" should be "Air Force."(twice now)
Last night's reading was set in the post-disaster, pre-trial stage of things. There's some more boring life-of-a-teenager stuff as well. The structure of the book is curious, as the big intense disaster is fading into the mists of time. What will happen now is all the contention about WHAT REALLY HAPPENED. So far that's only sort-of interesting and so my rating has dipped back down to 3* territory.
- When I was working at Boulder Memorial Hospital in Boulder we had a patient in the Physical Therapy Rehab unit who was the wife of an ex-football player from C.U. She was in some sort of coma following a disastrous labor-and-delivery(at another hospital). I don't know if she ever came out of it.
- Don't we all know to NOT talk to cops w/o a lawyer present?????
- Please 86 the teen romance stuff - PLEASE!
- OK, it's time to get into the courtroom! Quit dawdling ...
And so to an issue that't been on my mind relative to this book and others like it in that huge category of "contemporary" serious but popular writing. Jodi Picoult and Wally Lamb come to mind. Kent Haruf would be another. I can only speak to writers I've read. John Green's another one. Is this stuff to be considered legitimate serious literature? If Tom Perrotta is a yes then why would Chris Bohjalian be a no? To me this book is NOT serious literature(though not nearly as bad as the pretentious "The Goldfinch"). Hmmm ...
Finally, the trial begins - should be interesting.
- Sybil gives the la-la-la version of what the 60's were about. Like the mother in "My Sister's Keeper," she is borderline insufferable. One of those "bogus charisma" people.
- "The Notebooks of Sybil Danforth" - supposed to be of some compelling(yes, as it turns out) interest???? BTW, there once was a Hollywood actress named Sybil Danning,
- Too much "inner Connie" is filling up the literary spaces here. Not interesting ...
Finished up last night with that "Kobayashi Maru" thing that's really the highlight of the book - on the last two pages. VERY thought-and-emotion-provoking indeed. Was it enough to push the rating of the book back to 4*? I guess not quite, but it's close. The narrator's reasons for her career choice become clearer, and, if anything, we gain more sympathy for Sybil. She screwed up with the weather-thing and had to pay a bitter price(not as much as Charlotte, however).
- The weather thing DID come back strong into the legal proceedings and then got kind of dropped. Should Sybil have been found guilty(and I'm not saying either way - no spoilers from ME) for that lapse in judgement alone? You could make a case, I suppose.
- Joni Mitchell on a dance tape????
- The notebook thing = kind of contrived I think. But ... this IS a novel, not reality. Mightn't the judge have seen that it's been tampered with?
- A consistent problem for the book is the sort-of droning/flat affect of the narration. If you choose that method to present a story it does have it's limitations if the narrator is lacking in charisma. NOT a problem for "Lolita" or "True Grit," for instance. Anyway ...
- 3.5* rounds down to 3*.
Started this last night. So far it's reminding me of Jodi Picoult only with a better writer. The story is pretty matter-of-fact so far. The author's style, as it adopts the voice of a 14-year old girl, seems a bit pedestrian, but I suspect the story is all in this one. Tom Perrotta might be an apt comparison. Ones who do it(the "realism" thing) a bit better? Richard Russo, Richard Ford etc. Worse: Wally Lamb.
So, just as I was beginning to grumble about getting bored with the narrative voice(how old IS that voice anyway?), all hell breaks loose as the "thing/event" about which this book revolves takes place. Bad follows worse follows horrible and there you go. For myself, I was sort of not wanting to read the whole thing(a tribute to the author's skill) and needing to buck up and get on with it. It's over now at least and the legal(and more) aftermath will take up the rest of the book. Notes ...
- I'm back in Vermont after "We Have Always Lived in the Castle," which is unofficially set there.
- Worcester, Massachusetts(my birthplace) is a city, not a town.
- The author writes of old clapboards that have had nails "slammed through them" ... I don't think so. Trying too hard ...
- Sybil is a vaguely troubling figure. Up until the bleep hits the fan she's not much in the story, and that's one of the points of the narrator's portrayal of her. VERY "careerist/dedicated" and something of an uber-Earth mother. Still kind of a hippie and a bit tiresome. Both husband and daughter have reason for complaint vis-a-vis her absent parenting and wifing(?) ... wifery(?) ... partnering(?). Her behavior during the "thing" is open to question, but then, what then hell would YOU have done, dear reader? One thing I would have done(presumably) was pay more attention to the weather(forecast). A labor can go on for hours. At the first whiff of bad weather Sybil and mother should have been out of there and off to the hospital. Not sure if that point will be visited again.
- How does smug Sybil know that she'd never birthed a baby banker?
- "air force" should be "Air Force."(twice now)
Last night's reading was set in the post-disaster, pre-trial stage of things. There's some more boring life-of-a-teenager stuff as well. The structure of the book is curious, as the big intense disaster is fading into the mists of time. What will happen now is all the contention about WHAT REALLY HAPPENED. So far that's only sort-of interesting and so my rating has dipped back down to 3* territory.
- When I was working at Boulder Memorial Hospital in Boulder we had a patient in the Physical Therapy Rehab unit who was the wife of an ex-football player from C.U. She was in some sort of coma following a disastrous labor-and-delivery(at another hospital). I don't know if she ever came out of it.
- Don't we all know to NOT talk to cops w/o a lawyer present?????
- Please 86 the teen romance stuff - PLEASE!
- OK, it's time to get into the courtroom! Quit dawdling ...
And so to an issue that't been on my mind relative to this book and others like it in that huge category of "contemporary" serious but popular writing. Jodi Picoult and Wally Lamb come to mind. Kent Haruf would be another. I can only speak to writers I've read. John Green's another one. Is this stuff to be considered legitimate serious literature? If Tom Perrotta is a yes then why would Chris Bohjalian be a no? To me this book is NOT serious literature(though not nearly as bad as the pretentious "The Goldfinch"). Hmmm ...
Finally, the trial begins - should be interesting.
- Sybil gives the la-la-la version of what the 60's were about. Like the mother in "My Sister's Keeper," she is borderline insufferable. One of those "bogus charisma" people.
- "The Notebooks of Sybil Danforth" - supposed to be of some compelling(yes, as it turns out) interest???? BTW, there once was a Hollywood actress named Sybil Danning,
- Too much "inner Connie" is filling up the literary spaces here. Not interesting ...
Finished up last night with that "Kobayashi Maru" thing that's really the highlight of the book - on the last two pages. VERY thought-and-emotion-provoking indeed. Was it enough to push the rating of the book back to 4*? I guess not quite, but it's close. The narrator's reasons for her career choice become clearer, and, if anything, we gain more sympathy for Sybil. She screwed up with the weather-thing and had to pay a bitter price(not as much as Charlotte, however).
- The weather thing DID come back strong into the legal proceedings and then got kind of dropped. Should Sybil have been found guilty(and I'm not saying either way - no spoilers from ME) for that lapse in judgement alone? You could make a case, I suppose.
- Joni Mitchell on a dance tape????
- The notebook thing = kind of contrived I think. But ... this IS a novel, not reality. Mightn't the judge have seen that it's been tampered with?
- A consistent problem for the book is the sort-of droning/flat affect of the narration. If you choose that method to present a story it does have it's limitations if the narrator is lacking in charisma. NOT a problem for "Lolita" or "True Grit," for instance. Anyway ...
- 3.5* rounds down to 3*.
October 6, 2021
A very powerful story that raises important moral and ethical issues. It's amazing to me that it was written by a man that was able to articulate the story through the eyes of a 14 year old girl. Great book club read!
July 23, 2008
As a home-birther I was very intrigued by the topic of this book. I know the risks that accompany both home and hospital births and, after much study and prayer my husband and I know that home births are the way to go. I have gotten many different reactions from the "fish eye" look to anger from people who find out our girls were delivered naturally, at home, by a midwife.
I loved the author's portrayal of midwives; his description of their mannerisms, their education, and their outlook was right on with my fabulous midwife. Like the heroin my midwife gives the biggest, tightest hugs, is truly concerned about me and my children, and is very well educated and engages in a constant state of learning.
As I got more into the book I realized it was about much more than home vs. hospital birthing. It carried the same moral dillemma as "TO Kill a Mockingbird" (one of my personal favorites). When I was done I enjoyed comparing the situations from "Midwives" and "Mockingbird". I admit that, while I hold honesty as one of the most important of virtues, the actions of the young characters in these stories are justified and I would hope that I would have the courage to do what they did.
I loved the author's portrayal of midwives; his description of their mannerisms, their education, and their outlook was right on with my fabulous midwife. Like the heroin my midwife gives the biggest, tightest hugs, is truly concerned about me and my children, and is very well educated and engages in a constant state of learning.
As I got more into the book I realized it was about much more than home vs. hospital birthing. It carried the same moral dillemma as "TO Kill a Mockingbird" (one of my personal favorites). When I was done I enjoyed comparing the situations from "Midwives" and "Mockingbird". I admit that, while I hold honesty as one of the most important of virtues, the actions of the young characters in these stories are justified and I would hope that I would have the courage to do what they did.
December 24, 2018
*Spoiler alert*
The plot is good: a midwife who does home delivery gets stuck in a blizzard and is forced to deliver a baby via c-section after the mother dies trying to give birth. She is then accused of manslaughter.
So this is both a gripping medical thriller and a courtroom drama. Which are fine plot devices, but I was just plain overwhelmed by the sadness of the story and its people. In the course of telling the story, it seemed like the mother died over and over again, with the same agonizing pain for the rest of the characters. There is one twist, but it actually makes the story more harrowing.
Bohjalian is a wonderful writer. His characters, plot and dialogue are all beautifully done (as is his description of northern Vermont). But this is the second of his books that I've read that left me unsatisfied with the ending.
The plot is good: a midwife who does home delivery gets stuck in a blizzard and is forced to deliver a baby via c-section after the mother dies trying to give birth. She is then accused of manslaughter.
So this is both a gripping medical thriller and a courtroom drama. Which are fine plot devices, but I was just plain overwhelmed by the sadness of the story and its people. In the course of telling the story, it seemed like the mother died over and over again, with the same agonizing pain for the rest of the characters. There is one twist, but it actually makes the story more harrowing.
Bohjalian is a wonderful writer. His characters, plot and dialogue are all beautifully done (as is his description of northern Vermont). But this is the second of his books that I've read that left me unsatisfied with the ending.
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