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darkwood (Australia) (2007/10/02):
a page turner right up until the last few sentences.
Lisa (Australia) (2008/05/05):
Once I started reading this book I didn't want to put it down. I know reading about midwives may not sound like gripping reading but in this story it's the sequence of events makes this story that kept me wanting to see what happened next. Also I enjoyed that the story is told mostly through a 14 yr old eyes, the daughter of the midwife and also the midwife herself. I couldn't put this book down.
I'd Rather Be Reading (USA: CA) (2008/06/05):
This is an AMAZING book not only for the story line & the FABULOUS writing, but because it is written from the eyes of a 14-year-old girl but the author is a MAN! I could not stop wondering how a man could articulate the thoughts & feelings of a teenage girl when he had never been one himself.
castleridge (USA: NC) (2008/09/22):
This book was really good from the first page to the last. It almost sounds like a true story as you are reading it and you can really identify with the characters' decisions and personalities.
Sandra (USA: IN) (2009/03/27):
After reading some comments listed on this site, I was anxious to read this book. Personally, while I liked the author's writing style, I cannot say it is easy for me to believe the story was written from the perspective of a 14-year old girl. It could just as easily have been a 14-year old boy, or a young adult of either gender. The narrator's character was never fully explored or developed to my satisfaction. This is the first time I have ever read one of Oprah Winfrey's book club choices. I do not know what criteria she uses for choosing her books. I can only say I was not impressed by this one.
Kathy (USA: ID) (2009/04/10):
the detail and heart and beauty of this book was intense. Being 37 weeks pregnant, I still barreled ahead and finished this book within 4 days. I would recommend to book to anyone who is going to be and is a mother, midwife and or doctor. Intensity the whole way...well thought and researched, as a female I can hardly believe a man wrote this book.
Cynthia Welsh (USA: AZ) (2009/05/25):
The author slowly let doubt grow in my mind just as it did in the mind of the teenage narrator in this book. Although the book is primarily written from the viewpoint of a teenage girl (14 years old) there are passages from the diary of her mother who is accused of killing a patient in her midwife practice. But doubt was already growing in my mind because the narrator reveals that she is now an ob-gyn physician. I liked the whole family and did not emotionally want this wife/mother/midwife to go to prison. But then was I starting to think (very typically) just like the teen daughter and fearful about the impact of a conviction for manslaughter would have on this likeable family and not on the truth of the midwife's actions. The real question was whether or not this woman did the best she could in the moment and if the best she could do was enough. Is the narrator now a medically trained doctor because she is compensating for what her mother did--which was not enough? Human actions are rarely easy to judge.
I enjoyed the rural Vermont setting and the warmth and joy expressed around birthing babies. The progress of the legal case and court trial was also interesting.
allikat (Canada) (2009/10/19):
Good Book..... Great character development but I wanted to know about the protagonist life after the "Trail". Also interesting to note that this book was written in a woman's voice, about a woman, related to a essentially woman's issue and yet the author is a man. Interesting to remember as you read.
Daisydog (USA: VA) (2010/12/06):
Fantastic book. I actually felt lucky to be stuck on a 7 hour delayed train so I could dig into this.
Troy Yarbrough (USA: AL) (2011/03/25):
a very personal book, real characters and a slice of the contemporary American life in a poignant dramatic setting.
Suzy (USA: SC) (2011/09/10):
Borrowed this book from a friend. I loved it. The author obviously did her research as far as midwifery, which I appreciate. I think she also captured the attitude of a teenager perfectly, caught somewhere between trying to remain normal and feel sympathetic to her mother's situation.
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