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Midwives
"Superbly crafted and astonishingly powerful. . . . It will thrill readers who cherish their worn copies of To Kill A Mockingbird." --People
With a suspense, lyricism, and moral complexity that recall To Kill a Mockingbird and Presumed Innocent, this compulsively readable novel explores what happens when a woman who has devoted herself to ushering life into the world finds herself charged with responsibility in a patient's tragic death.
The time is 1981, and Sibyl Danforth has been a dedicated midwife in the rural community of Reddington, Vermont, for fifteen years. But one treacherous winter night, in a house isolated by icy roads and failed telephone lines, Sibyl takes desperate measures to save a baby's life. She performs an emergency Caesarean section on its mother, who appears to have died in labor. But what if--as Sibyl's assistant later charges--the patient wasn't already dead, and it was Sibyl who inadvertently killed her?
As recounted by Sibyl's precocious fourteen-year-old daughter, Connie, the ensuing trial bears the earmarks of a witch hunt except for the fact that all its participants are acting from the highest motives--and the defendant increasingly appears to be guilty. As Sibyl Danforth faces the antagonism of the law, the hostility of traditional doctors, and the accusations of her own conscience, Midwives engages, moves, and transfixes us as only the very best novels ever do.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
With a suspense, lyricism, and moral complexity that recall To Kill a Mockingbird and Presumed Innocent, this compulsively readable novel explores what happens when a woman who has devoted herself to ushering life into the world finds herself charged with responsibility in a patient's tragic death.
The time is 1981, and Sibyl Danforth has been a dedicated midwife in the rural community of Reddington, Vermont, for fifteen years. But one treacherous winter night, in a house isolated by icy roads and failed telephone lines, Sibyl takes desperate measures to save a baby's life. She performs an emergency Caesarean section on its mother, who appears to have died in labor. But what if--as Sibyl's assistant later charges--the patient wasn't already dead, and it was Sibyl who inadvertently killed her?
As recounted by Sibyl's precocious fourteen-year-old daughter, Connie, the ensuing trial bears the earmarks of a witch hunt except for the fact that all its participants are acting from the highest motives--and the defendant increasingly appears to be guilty. As Sibyl Danforth faces the antagonism of the law, the hostility of traditional doctors, and the accusations of her own conscience, Midwives engages, moves, and transfixes us as only the very best novels ever do.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Audio CD
First published April 1, 1997
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About the author
Chris Bohjalian
40 books13.1k followersChris Bohjalian is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 26 books. His new novel, THE AMATEUR, arrives on August 4, 2026. 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 3.7 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’s 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 “Idyll Banter” 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’s 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’s 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’s 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 “Idyll Banter” 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’s 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’s 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 5,160 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.
February 18, 2026
5+ stars!
Loved every single word of this!
2026 Favourites List! 🏆
A midwife on trial. A daughter forever haunted. A family never to be the same.
Sibyl is a midwife in a small town in Vermont in 1981. A time when midwifery is not vastly accepted and getting proper affordable medical insurance to practice midwifery is next to impossible for women operating their home-base clinics alone. Still there remains a demand, and Sibyl proudly cares for her patients, her station wagon always waiting at the ready for a middle of the night call. During an icy winter storm, a baby delivery faces complications that have deadly consequences and Sibyl ends up on trial for her actions during the birth.
This story is brilliantly narrated by Sibyl’s daughter who is reflecting on the time of her mother’s trial when she was a young teenager. Now, over a decade later, she tells the story with wisdom and grace, yet the innocence and vulnerability she carried during her families most delicate and devastating years.
This narrative choice was absolutely brilliant on so many levels! Experiencing the story from the eyes and mind of Sibyl’s teenage daughter was emotional, informative and shocking. I adored this endearing narrative choice. A daughter sharing her mother’s most vulnerable and tragic time while also processing the situation herself. The author built an unforgettable quiet yet powerful tenderness as the daughter revealed the heartbreaking situation. They were a family forever torn by the “before” and “after”.
Part family drama, part courtroom drama, this slow burn story had me gripped from the first to last word. I was right alongside the characters in their family home, waiting for their landline to ring with news of trial updates and watching them grieve their former life. I was sitting in the courtroom viewing area witnessing the trial unfold. My heart was all in.
I was fascinated to be inside the family of a small town midwife. A home-based office offered pregnancy clinic visits but labour calls happened at any hour of the day. Husbands and children learn to go through their daily lives without their wife/mother there. It’s all part of the job. It’s why the career needs to be a passion for the person and accepted by the family as a whole. It’s not something you can do if your whole heart isn’t in it. The toll it takes on your family cannot outweigh your dedication to your patients. Experiencing this longing and “missing” from a young teenage daughter who both admires her mothers midwifery profession but also hates all the “missing” she feels in her mothers regular absences.
The strength, support and sense of solidarity from the midwife community was a stand out aspect for me. The unquestioning sense of support. I could feel the love and positivity flowing off the pages as midwives who didn’t know one another travelled great distances to show support to one of their own.
Journal entries start every chapter. This was a clever narrative addition. It allowed the reader to get to know Sibyl more intimately, instead of solely through her daughter’s eyes. It provided intriguing and insightful breaks from the plot.
This novel is largely focused on pregnancy, birthing, babies and motherhood which tend to be topics I’m drawn to reading about. This is a definite stand out book in that regard and I highly recommend it to anyone who also finds themselves interested in those themes. There is 1980’s nostalgia threaded throughout this novel that was done extremely well.
This book was an unexpected gem! It is my first time reading this author and I adored his writing. This book had been sitting on my shelf for years and I randomly picked it up one day and instantly fell in love with the storyline and writing. This was an EASY 5 stars for me. I’ll be thinking of this book for a long time. I was sad to finish as I didn’t want the story to end however, I am so excited to get hands on more of this authors work.
If you haven’t read this one already, make sure you get your hands on a copy - you won’t regret it!
Loved every single word of this!
2026 Favourites List! 🏆
A midwife on trial. A daughter forever haunted. A family never to be the same.
Sibyl is a midwife in a small town in Vermont in 1981. A time when midwifery is not vastly accepted and getting proper affordable medical insurance to practice midwifery is next to impossible for women operating their home-base clinics alone. Still there remains a demand, and Sibyl proudly cares for her patients, her station wagon always waiting at the ready for a middle of the night call. During an icy winter storm, a baby delivery faces complications that have deadly consequences and Sibyl ends up on trial for her actions during the birth.
This story is brilliantly narrated by Sibyl’s daughter who is reflecting on the time of her mother’s trial when she was a young teenager. Now, over a decade later, she tells the story with wisdom and grace, yet the innocence and vulnerability she carried during her families most delicate and devastating years.
This narrative choice was absolutely brilliant on so many levels! Experiencing the story from the eyes and mind of Sibyl’s teenage daughter was emotional, informative and shocking. I adored this endearing narrative choice. A daughter sharing her mother’s most vulnerable and tragic time while also processing the situation herself. The author built an unforgettable quiet yet powerful tenderness as the daughter revealed the heartbreaking situation. They were a family forever torn by the “before” and “after”.
Part family drama, part courtroom drama, this slow burn story had me gripped from the first to last word. I was right alongside the characters in their family home, waiting for their landline to ring with news of trial updates and watching them grieve their former life. I was sitting in the courtroom viewing area witnessing the trial unfold. My heart was all in.
I was fascinated to be inside the family of a small town midwife. A home-based office offered pregnancy clinic visits but labour calls happened at any hour of the day. Husbands and children learn to go through their daily lives without their wife/mother there. It’s all part of the job. It’s why the career needs to be a passion for the person and accepted by the family as a whole. It’s not something you can do if your whole heart isn’t in it. The toll it takes on your family cannot outweigh your dedication to your patients. Experiencing this longing and “missing” from a young teenage daughter who both admires her mothers midwifery profession but also hates all the “missing” she feels in her mothers regular absences.
The strength, support and sense of solidarity from the midwife community was a stand out aspect for me. The unquestioning sense of support. I could feel the love and positivity flowing off the pages as midwives who didn’t know one another travelled great distances to show support to one of their own.
Journal entries start every chapter. This was a clever narrative addition. It allowed the reader to get to know Sibyl more intimately, instead of solely through her daughter’s eyes. It provided intriguing and insightful breaks from the plot.
This novel is largely focused on pregnancy, birthing, babies and motherhood which tend to be topics I’m drawn to reading about. This is a definite stand out book in that regard and I highly recommend it to anyone who also finds themselves interested in those themes. There is 1980’s nostalgia threaded throughout this novel that was done extremely well.
This book was an unexpected gem! It is my first time reading this author and I adored his writing. This book had been sitting on my shelf for years and I randomly picked it up one day and instantly fell in love with the storyline and writing. This was an EASY 5 stars for me. I’ll be thinking of this book for a long time. I was sad to finish as I didn’t want the story to end however, I am so excited to get hands on more of this authors work.
If you haven’t read this one already, make sure you get your hands on a copy - you won’t regret it!
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
“Everyone … believes somebody’s dead right now because a midwife performed a bedroom cesarean on a living woman.”
For some readers, MIDWIVES will be characterized as a medical or a legal thriller. But it isn’t really. Like Jodi Picoult’s MY SISTER’S KEEPER, it’s 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’ 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’s 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’t really. Like Jodi Picoult’s MY SISTER’S KEEPER, it’s 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’ 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’s 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’ve had Midwives, Chris Bohjalian’s 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’s diary. Connie’s 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’s 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 “catcher” 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 – 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’s inexperienced apprentice, Anne, and Charlotte’s 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 – medical community against midwifery – very interesting reading. Throughout the story Bohjalian casts doubt even as he leads the reader – sometimes “astray” – to certain assumptions. For example, Charlotte hid her medical history from Sibyl. Did this contribute to her prolonged labour and resulting collapse? Then there’s 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’s experience. Finally, we never really know what happened that night until the very end of the book. Clearly that was Bohjalian’s intention, and he pulled it off very well.
Read Midwives with an open mind, and you’ll 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’t 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 “in a heartbeat” 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’s diary. Connie’s 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’s 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 “catcher” 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 – 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’s inexperienced apprentice, Anne, and Charlotte’s 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 – medical community against midwifery – very interesting reading. Throughout the story Bohjalian casts doubt even as he leads the reader – sometimes “astray” – to certain assumptions. For example, Charlotte hid her medical history from Sibyl. Did this contribute to her prolonged labour and resulting collapse? Then there’s 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’s experience. Finally, we never really know what happened that night until the very end of the book. Clearly that was Bohjalian’s intention, and he pulled it off very well.
Read Midwives with an open mind, and you’ll 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’t 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 “in a heartbeat” 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⭐️
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’s not necessarily action, or fast paced chapters… just a well told story about humans experiencing life… the good, and the bad.
This book is told by adult Connie, who’s 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’m excited to read more. It’s 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’s not necessarily action, or fast paced chapters… just a well told story about humans experiencing life… the good, and the bad.
This book is told by adult Connie, who’s 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’m excited to read more. It’s 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 5, 2025
A boulder on a chain, tied around a family's neck. That’s how heavy Midwives by Chris Bohjalian feels after Connie’s mother, Sibyl Danforth, makes the unthinkable decision to perform a cesarean section on Charlotte Bedford when she appears to die during childbirth. It’s up to the reader to decide whether Sibyl’s act was brave, foolish, reckless, or all three. No matter what conclusion one reaches, it’s clear that this is a tremendous weight for a family to carry for months and then years, and even more so when Sibyl’s daughter, Connie, is at such a transformative age.
The premise is as fascinating as it is burdensome. Did Sibyl perform a C-section on a living woman? Did she kill a woman or save a baby? Should women be allowed to give birth in their own homes, tended by midwives instead of doctors? Should Sibyl allow Connie so close to the case, even though she would be affected regardless? These are some of the questions I found myself asking while reading, and they’re questions I’ll continue to ponder long after finishing. The story is never dull, though the pacing does snag in a few places. Even so, I stayed rapt through those sections because I wanted (no, needed) to know how Sibyl would be found at the end of this novel that was part family drama, part courtroom reckoning.
It would be nearly impossible not to connect with at least one or two of the characters, with all their evident flaws and virtues. The story is narrated almost entirely in the first person by Sibyl’s daughter, Connie, who experiences all this between the ages of 13 and 15, a pivotal time in anyone’s life, and Bohjalian does an excellent job of making her perspective feel authentic. Her voice is intelligent and relatable as she looks back on this chapter of her life. The beginnings of chapters are first-person diary entries from Sibyl herself, allowing the reader glimpses into her thoughts and, likely, what truly happened. Many readers, myself included, will relate to her passion for her profession and her deep care for her patients. And naturally, it would be hard not to connect to Charlotte Bedford, the patient who dies, as the manner of her death and its consequences weigh heavily over the story.
I related less to Connie’s father and her mother’s lawyer, Stephen. They were believable, but the reader could’ve been given a few more details to make them feel fully alive. Still, even these quieter characters add to the sense that everyone in this novel is carrying a burden, whether visible or not.
By the end, I felt both heavy and grateful. Heavy for what these characters endured, and grateful that Bohjalian made me care so deeply about them. Midwives is not an easy read, but it is an honest one. It will likely resonate most with middle-aged female readers, as childbirth and a woman’s right to choose where she gives birth are central themes. Readers who enjoy Jodi Picoult and the morally impossible choices her characters face will likely be drawn to this as well. And, of course, anyone who appreciates complex family dynamics and the lengths one will go for love will find Midwives deeply rewarding.
The premise is as fascinating as it is burdensome. Did Sibyl perform a C-section on a living woman? Did she kill a woman or save a baby? Should women be allowed to give birth in their own homes, tended by midwives instead of doctors? Should Sibyl allow Connie so close to the case, even though she would be affected regardless? These are some of the questions I found myself asking while reading, and they’re questions I’ll continue to ponder long after finishing. The story is never dull, though the pacing does snag in a few places. Even so, I stayed rapt through those sections because I wanted (no, needed) to know how Sibyl would be found at the end of this novel that was part family drama, part courtroom reckoning.
It would be nearly impossible not to connect with at least one or two of the characters, with all their evident flaws and virtues. The story is narrated almost entirely in the first person by Sibyl’s daughter, Connie, who experiences all this between the ages of 13 and 15, a pivotal time in anyone’s life, and Bohjalian does an excellent job of making her perspective feel authentic. Her voice is intelligent and relatable as she looks back on this chapter of her life. The beginnings of chapters are first-person diary entries from Sibyl herself, allowing the reader glimpses into her thoughts and, likely, what truly happened. Many readers, myself included, will relate to her passion for her profession and her deep care for her patients. And naturally, it would be hard not to connect to Charlotte Bedford, the patient who dies, as the manner of her death and its consequences weigh heavily over the story.
I related less to Connie’s father and her mother’s lawyer, Stephen. They were believable, but the reader could’ve been given a few more details to make them feel fully alive. Still, even these quieter characters add to the sense that everyone in this novel is carrying a burden, whether visible or not.
By the end, I felt both heavy and grateful. Heavy for what these characters endured, and grateful that Bohjalian made me care so deeply about them. Midwives is not an easy read, but it is an honest one. It will likely resonate most with middle-aged female readers, as childbirth and a woman’s right to choose where she gives birth are central themes. Readers who enjoy Jodi Picoult and the morally impossible choices her characters face will likely be drawn to this as well. And, of course, anyone who appreciates complex family dynamics and the lengths one will go for love will find Midwives deeply rewarding.
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!
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.
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.
Goodreads 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.
Goodreads 20/03/20
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.
February 14, 2026
Why did it take me so long to read this one?
Looking for a gut-wrenching, heartache-y, thought provoking read?
This one’s for you,but it’s going to hurt!
I recommend adding MIDWIVES to your tbr list.
If it’s already there, you might want to move it up!
Looking for a gut-wrenching, heartache-y, thought provoking read?
This one’s for you,but it’s going to hurt!
I recommend adding MIDWIVES to your tbr list.
If it’s already there, you might want to move it up!
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 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 14, 2017
Read this book some years ago and I remember really enjoying it, especially the trial.
March 6, 2022
Quả là một cuốn tiểu thuyết, một đề tài hiếm hoi, độc đáo về một nghề mà giờ đây chỉ còn trong quá khứ. Đó chính là nghề bà mụ, một công việc đỡ đẻ tại nhà với biết bao câu chuyện vui buồn, suôn sẻ lẫn mất mát trong đó. Cả nhân loại cho đến khi có sự bùng nổ về bệnh viện với các tiến bộ của y khoa, chẳng phải đều đã được chào đón bởi đôi bàn tay các bà mụ hay sao? Dẫu biết trong quá trình sinh đẻ hàng nghìn năm ấy, tỉ lệ thành công và sai sót cũng chẳng mấy chênh lệch. Nhưng nếu nhìn cho thấu đáo, “bà mụ” không chỉ là nghề hay nghiệp, nó còn xuất phát từ tình thương yêu, sự đam mê với nhiệm vụ thiêng liêng của người phụ nữ - đó là sinh đẻ. Bà mụ dày dạn kinh nghiệm Sibyl Danforth không nằm ngoài tính nhân văn ấy, bà là người phụ nữ không ngừng nỗ lực hết sức trong từng ca đỡ đẻ của mình. Nhưng cho dù vậy, một sai sót, nói đúng hơn một sự cố tồi tệ trong một ca đỡ đẻ đã kéo tuột toàn bộ sự hoan hỉ đó xuống, thay vào đó là sự cắn rứt lương tâm và nỗi sợ hãi.
Bất kỳ ai chọn được sinh đẻ tại nhà với bà mụ hẳn đều có sự tự tin về khả năng vượt cạn của mình. Điều đó cũng cổ vũ tay nghề không có bằng cấp nào được công nhận của các bà. Ngược lại, bà mụ luôn phải cẩn thận đề phòng và chuẩn bị cả bác sĩ dự bị hay phương tiện chuyển sản phụ đến bệnh viện trong trường hợp xấu nhất. Thế nhưng, phải làm thế nào khi thời tiết khắc nghiệt khiến không thể di chuyển, mọi đường dây liên lạc bị cắt đứt? Đó chính là vận xui của sản phụ cũng như của bà mụ. Sibyl Danforth bị kẹt lại ngôi nhà hẻo lánh của mục sư Asa Bedford trong ca đỡ đẻ cho vợ ông giữa bang Vermont. Quá trình sinh đẻ kỳ diệu và khoảnh khắc “dâng trào tinh hoa” theo ý niệm của bà đã bị cơn mưa bão lạnh giá đêm đó cuốn phăng đi. Bà không có đủ thì giờ để kịp nhận thức, cái thấy, cảm nhận và trực giác đã điều khiển bà, bà buộc phải hành động nhanh nhất có thể để cứu đứa bé trong lằn ranh mong manh sinh tử của người mẹ. Lúc đó, ở vị trí đó, bà không sai nhưng cái chết của người mẹ lại trở thành vấn đề gây tranh cãi cho mọi người và hoang mang cho chính bà.
Luật pháp đã không quay lưng, đã can thiệp một cách triệt để vào vụ việc này. Hệ thống pháp luật chịu ảnh hưởng trực tiếp từ những người dẫn dắt có đầu óc đầy định kiến. Họ muốn khẳng định cái chính kiến họ cho là đúng, chưa cần mua chuộc nhân chứng, họ đã có nửa sự thành công khi mà còn khá nhiều người hèn nhát, sợ trách nhiệm và quá muốn thể hiện năng lực có hạn của mình. Việc so sánh giữa một bác sĩ sản phụ khoa và một bà mụ vì thế mà bị đẩy lên cao trào. Những kỳ vọng và phép màu của sự sinh đẻ bị đưa lên bàn cân. Dù thế nào cũng có thể thấy, nghề bà mụ cũng có cho nó một triết lý sống riêng, những trải nghiệm và nền tảng được xây dựng qua nhiều năm với vô số ngày và đêm để đem sự sống đến với cuộc đời này.
Vị luật sư lão luyện Stephen Hastings quả là một người đàn ông cương trực, sắc sảo, quyết liệt mà vô cùng ấm áp. Sự đồng hành không mệt mỏi, bảo vệ đến cùng cho thanh danh của Sibyl Danforth nói riêng, của nghề bà mụ nói chung là một bước ngoặt lớn lao, một cú hích cho sự nghiệp của ông. Những hướng dẫn tận tình, truy luận sắc bén, an ủi mực thước đã đem đến cho gia đình Sibyl Danforth một niềm hy vọng và sự hoà thuận lẫn cảm thông không nhỏ. Quá trình trưởng thành từ cô bé đến thiếu nữ với bao nổi loạn ngầm Connie luôn có sự đồng hành của mẹ nên cô thấu hiểu mẹ hết mực. Theo dõi và lo lắng cho từng biến chuyển của vụ án, Connie đã có một quyết định vô cùng đúng đắn vào phút cuối, quyết định ấy đã thay đổi tất cả, là minh chứng cho tình mẫu tử tuyệt diệu và là định hướng cho công việc trở thành bác sĩ sản phụ khoa sau này của cô.
Một vụ án đầy kịch tính và vô cùng nhân văn đã kết thúc có hậu. Nghề bà mụ là một nghề nghiệp đáng trân quý dẫu cho nó đã dần vắng bóng và không được thừa nhận nhiều hơn. Quyển sách đưa ta đến những khoảnh khắc vượt cạn của những phụ nữ sắp làm mẹ một cách chi tiết và sống động đến nỗi ta ngỡ như mình đang gồng, đang rặn cùng họ. Những ca đẻ tại nhà đôi khi cô đơn, đôi khi có sự quây quần của đại gia đình. Đọc để hiểu rằng việc sinh đẻ là một cuộc chiến mệt nhoài, cửa sinh là cửa tử. Nhưng cũng là món quà quý giá khi vượt thoát và “dâng trào tinh hoa”, đó là khoảnh khắc một sự sống mới vươn ra thế giới, là niềm hạnh phúc không thể đong đếm cho người mẹ và cho cả bà mụ. “Đẻ tại nhà là một trải nghiệm cực kỳ mạnh mẽ và tăng cường sức lực, nó cho những người phụ nữ yếu đuối nguồn năng lượng, sự tự tin và sức mạnh. Họ biết cơ thể mình có thể làm được gì, và nó cho họ sự động viên.”
Đọc Chris Bohjalian mà cứ ngỡ như đọc một nữ nhà văn. Hiểu tường tận về việc sinh đẻ lẫn nghề đỡ đẻ như vậy, ông hẳn là người biết trân trọng và yêu thương phụ nữ. Văn viết gãy gọn, miêu tả tâm lý rất sâu. Dù đôi chỗ diễn giải hơi dài và lập lại nhưng tổng thể là một tác phẩm nhân văn, chỉn chu và đầy cảm xúc.
Bất kỳ ai chọn được sinh đẻ tại nhà với bà mụ hẳn đều có sự tự tin về khả năng vượt cạn của mình. Điều đó cũng cổ vũ tay nghề không có bằng cấp nào được công nhận của các bà. Ngược lại, bà mụ luôn phải cẩn thận đề phòng và chuẩn bị cả bác sĩ dự bị hay phương tiện chuyển sản phụ đến bệnh viện trong trường hợp xấu nhất. Thế nhưng, phải làm thế nào khi thời tiết khắc nghiệt khiến không thể di chuyển, mọi đường dây liên lạc bị cắt đứt? Đó chính là vận xui của sản phụ cũng như của bà mụ. Sibyl Danforth bị kẹt lại ngôi nhà hẻo lánh của mục sư Asa Bedford trong ca đỡ đẻ cho vợ ông giữa bang Vermont. Quá trình sinh đẻ kỳ diệu và khoảnh khắc “dâng trào tinh hoa” theo ý niệm của bà đã bị cơn mưa bão lạnh giá đêm đó cuốn phăng đi. Bà không có đủ thì giờ để kịp nhận thức, cái thấy, cảm nhận và trực giác đã điều khiển bà, bà buộc phải hành động nhanh nhất có thể để cứu đứa bé trong lằn ranh mong manh sinh tử của người mẹ. Lúc đó, ở vị trí đó, bà không sai nhưng cái chết của người mẹ lại trở thành vấn đề gây tranh cãi cho mọi người và hoang mang cho chính bà.
Luật pháp đã không quay lưng, đã can thiệp một cách triệt để vào vụ việc này. Hệ thống pháp luật chịu ảnh hưởng trực tiếp từ những người dẫn dắt có đầu óc đầy định kiến. Họ muốn khẳng định cái chính kiến họ cho là đúng, chưa cần mua chuộc nhân chứng, họ đã có nửa sự thành công khi mà còn khá nhiều người hèn nhát, sợ trách nhiệm và quá muốn thể hiện năng lực có hạn của mình. Việc so sánh giữa một bác sĩ sản phụ khoa và một bà mụ vì thế mà bị đẩy lên cao trào. Những kỳ vọng và phép màu của sự sinh đẻ bị đưa lên bàn cân. Dù thế nào cũng có thể thấy, nghề bà mụ cũng có cho nó một triết lý sống riêng, những trải nghiệm và nền tảng được xây dựng qua nhiều năm với vô số ngày và đêm để đem sự sống đến với cuộc đời này.
Vị luật sư lão luyện Stephen Hastings quả là một người đàn ông cương trực, sắc sảo, quyết liệt mà vô cùng ấm áp. Sự đồng hành không mệt mỏi, bảo vệ đến cùng cho thanh danh của Sibyl Danforth nói riêng, của nghề bà mụ nói chung là một bước ngoặt lớn lao, một cú hích cho sự nghiệp của ông. Những hướng dẫn tận tình, truy luận sắc bén, an ủi mực thước đã đem đến cho gia đình Sibyl Danforth một niềm hy vọng và sự hoà thuận lẫn cảm thông không nhỏ. Quá trình trưởng thành từ cô bé đến thiếu nữ với bao nổi loạn ngầm Connie luôn có sự đồng hành của mẹ nên cô thấu hiểu mẹ hết mực. Theo dõi và lo lắng cho từng biến chuyển của vụ án, Connie đã có một quyết định vô cùng đúng đắn vào phút cuối, quyết định ấy đã thay đổi tất cả, là minh chứng cho tình mẫu tử tuyệt diệu và là định hướng cho công việc trở thành bác sĩ sản phụ khoa sau này của cô.
Một vụ án đầy kịch tính và vô cùng nhân văn đã kết thúc có hậu. Nghề bà mụ là một nghề nghiệp đáng trân quý dẫu cho nó đã dần vắng bóng và không được thừa nhận nhiều hơn. Quyển sách đưa ta đến những khoảnh khắc vượt cạn của những phụ nữ sắp làm mẹ một cách chi tiết và sống động đến nỗi ta ngỡ như mình đang gồng, đang rặn cùng họ. Những ca đẻ tại nhà đôi khi cô đơn, đôi khi có sự quây quần của đại gia đình. Đọc để hiểu rằng việc sinh đẻ là một cuộc chiến mệt nhoài, cửa sinh là cửa tử. Nhưng cũng là món quà quý giá khi vượt thoát và “dâng trào tinh hoa”, đó là khoảnh khắc một sự sống mới vươn ra thế giới, là niềm hạnh phúc không thể đong đếm cho người mẹ và cho cả bà mụ. “Đẻ tại nhà là một trải nghiệm cực kỳ mạnh mẽ và tăng cường sức lực, nó cho những người phụ nữ yếu đuối nguồn năng lượng, sự tự tin và sức mạnh. Họ biết cơ thể mình có thể làm được gì, và nó cho họ sự động viên.”
Đọc Chris Bohjalian mà cứ ngỡ như đọc một nữ nhà văn. Hiểu tường tận về việc sinh đẻ lẫn nghề đỡ đẻ như vậy, ông hẳn là người biết trân trọng và yêu thương phụ nữ. Văn viết gãy gọn, miêu tả tâm lý rất sâu. Dù đôi chỗ diễn giải hơi dài và lập lại nhưng tổng thể là một tác phẩm nhân văn, chỉn chu và đầy cảm xúc.
March 3, 2026
I found this pretty fascinating, even as it seemed to give WAY too much information about childbirth (something I've never experienced). That said, it was both informative and gripping at times (kudos to the author for his extensive research that informed this story).
The story of a birth gone wrong is told through the eyes of the fourteen year old daughter of the midwife involved. I liked this choice, as it brought up not only what she was watching take place, but her own internal attempt to process the things she saw and heard, during a tumultuous time for the family which pulled you in emotionally. Meeting with lawyers and courtroom testimony were able to be "nutshelled" as she processes what this all means to her mother and the family. There are brief diary entries at the beginning of each chapter that give the reader a chance to see inside her mother, which is a nice additional perspective that broadens the story.
Overall, I found it pretty fascinating. The basic question the trial is addressing highlights how "gray" the situation was, how hindsight can interfere with memory, how nebulous "beyond a reasonable doubt" is as a concept, and how hard lawyers work to create that doubt with their conflicting "expert testimony"; often with the result that truth gets lost or ceases to matter.
4.5, rounded up because I really did look forward to continuing the story each day.
The story of a birth gone wrong is told through the eyes of the fourteen year old daughter of the midwife involved. I liked this choice, as it brought up not only what she was watching take place, but her own internal attempt to process the things she saw and heard, during a tumultuous time for the family which pulled you in emotionally. Meeting with lawyers and courtroom testimony were able to be "nutshelled" as she processes what this all means to her mother and the family. There are brief diary entries at the beginning of each chapter that give the reader a chance to see inside her mother, which is a nice additional perspective that broadens the story.
Overall, I found it pretty fascinating. The basic question the trial is addressing highlights how "gray" the situation was, how hindsight can interfere with memory, how nebulous "beyond a reasonable doubt" is as a concept, and how hard lawyers work to create that doubt with their conflicting "expert testimony"; often with the result that truth gets lost or ceases to matter.
4.5, rounded up because I really did look forward to continuing the story each day.
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*.
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