A talented midwife is arrested for murder when she saves a baby by performing a Caesarean section once she believes the mother has died--only to have her assistant insist later that the woman was still very much alive. Told in the mesmerizing voice of the midwife's daughter, Midwives depicts the aftermath of the tragedy.
Midwives: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries)
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Midwives, Chris Bohjalian's fifth novel, is the story of two women: Sibyl Danforth, a lay midwife in rural Vermont, and her daughter, Connie. The nexus of this cautionary tale is an emergency Caesarean section Sibyl performs during a home birth that goes disastrously wrong. Believing the mother is already dead from a stroke, Sibyl operates and later finds herself on trial for killing the woman. The compelling story of her trial and its aftermath comes to us from Connie, who believes "this is my story, too." In fact, Connie's reaction to her mother's ordeal is to go to medical school and become an obstetrician. The book raises provocative issues about medical ethics and the limits of risk.
From Library Journal
In this new tale from the author of the acclaimed Water Witches (LJ 2/1/95), a New England midwife is accused of murder. Film rights were bought by Columbia-Tristar Pictures.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Jane Pincus
Format:Paperback
Bojalian has done midwives a HUGE disservice in writing this book. He caricatures midwives, all the while professing to admire them. He has chosen the most extreme situation -- death -- as the central event, & includes a conventional, sensationalistic trial scene. Read carefully & note his alarmist, dark, dank language of risk & danger, the negative cast of all he presents. Oprah, in publicizing this book, falls right into the hands of those who see home birthing as enormously risky. In fact. It is important for readers to know that midwives practice throughout the world, and are the best attendants for childbearing women, especially independent midwives, who know the most about normal, natural birthing. Good midwives celebrate birth, believe in the women they attend, & in their capacities to labor & birth with all their body heart & soul. Oddly, people reading "Midwives" see it as positive. So, new readers, read carefully, thoughtfully, PLEASE. What is the author REALLY saying? Protest the book's aggrandizement!
By I LOVE BOOKS
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
A very entertaining book, speaking of a series of difficult decisions to be taken in a split second and against a further series of negative circumstances surrounding the problematic birth of a baby, delivered by an experienced midwife during a snowy night in rural Vermont. When things deteriorate, Sybil, the midwife, has to make a crucial decision which will then lead to a lawsuit.
This book certainly makes you think about how everything can go wrong if adverse fate interferes, but not only. It also gives rise to a crucial question regarding the choice between childbirth taking place in the serenity of a home or at a hospital, where everything would be "colder" but most risks could be kept at bay.
With all due respect, I must admit I was really impressed that the author of this book is a male, as everything is recounted with such feminine accuracy. Well done, truly well done. A book to be remembered. I still do and I've read it at least five years ago!
This book certainly makes you think about how everything can go wrong if adverse fate interferes, but not only. It also gives rise to a crucial question regarding the choice between childbirth taking place in the serenity of a home or at a hospital, where everything would be "colder" but most risks could be kept at bay.
With all due respect, I must admit I was really impressed that the author of this book is a male, as everything is recounted with such feminine accuracy. Well done, truly well done. A book to be remembered. I still do and I've read it at least five years ago!
Format:Paperback
What a great story. Told by the teenage daughter, this book has everything and keeps you interested until the end. I have recommended this book to many friends and I recommend it to the readers of this review - you will surely appreciate this read.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Midwives- New England Novel
Midwives is a gut-wrenching novel about Midwifery in rural New England. Midwife, Sibyl Danforth, through the eyes of her daughter. Read more
Published on Jun 24 2004 by Doug Welch
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magnificently Perfect
Chris Bohjalian did an Excellent job writting Midwives. I was enormously shocked to find out that the person writting this book was a man!! Read more
Published on Jun 22 2004 by Juana
4.0 out of 5 stars
Midwives, how disturbing
If there is any book that exemplifies self-doubt and innocence, it is Chris Bohjalian's Midwives. The story is told by a grown woman about the most important moment in her life... Read more
Published on Jun 21 2004 by "icerushz"
5.0 out of 5 stars
Drama Drama Drama
Chris Bohjalian did a great job with this book. The life of a midwife occupation and the risks they take everyday to make women feel comfortable in their homes was beautifully... Read more
Published on Jun 17 2004 by Sarah Stevens
5.0 out of 5 stars
New England Novel
I really enjoyed reading this book. I was really impressed with the form of narration that this book was written in. Read more
Published on Jun 17 2004 by Jenny Comers
4.0 out of 5 stars
Birth and Death
Birth and Death
Midwives, by Chris Bohjalian, shakes all preconceptions one might have about the practice of midwifery. Read more
Published on Jun 17 2004 by Sharon L. MacCartney
4.0 out of 5 stars
Read this if you want
This was an entertaining book about Sybil Danforth, a midwife. There are tons of high and low points, and there never really is a dull moment. Read more
Published on Jun 17 2004 by Kevin Liu
4.0 out of 5 stars
Male acceptance
froma guy point of view, i was truly engaged with this novel. From the begining with the word "Vulva" i was stuck ready. Read more
Published on Jun 17 2004 by Ronald Harvey
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Rollercoaster Ride!
Chris Bohjalian's Midwives was a beautifully written narrative with the power to hold the reader's full attention from start to finish. Read more
Published on Jun 16 2004 by Patty
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing Until the End
From the beginning, up until the end, this novel was an intriguing emotional drama that kept me enthralled. Read more
Published on Jun 16 2004 by Lynsey Reiss
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