4.5 stars

Sybil is a midwife and Connie's mom. The story is told from Connie's viewpoint. Connie is 14 years old when it happens. Sybil is helping a mom, Charlotte, in labour, but there is trouble, and Charlotte dies. Hoping to still save the baby, Sybil performs an emergency C-section on Charlotte. Unfortunately, there is now doubt as to whether or not Charlotte was actually dead before the C-section, or if that may have been what killed her. Sybil is charged, and brought to trial.

I have to admit this book surprised me. I had no idea I would like it nearly as much as I did. I don't want kids, so the first couple of chapters may have been a bit too much info for me, with the detail about women giving birth, but once the story really got going... once the night of Charlotte's labour and death arrives, then the subsequent investigation and trial happens, wow! I just did not want to put the book down. If I wasn't reading the book, I wanted to be. The tension and suspense as to what would happen, who would say what, especially at the trial, was huge. Of course, being told from Connie's viewpoint, you see how this affects the entire family. But, it was really the tension and suspense in the book that really drew me in and wouldn't let go. This will most likely be on my favourites list for the year.

This was a good quick read that kept me guessing to the end. The narrator had an authentic voice; and I enjoyed the bits interspersed by the midwife on trial. I wasn't sure if she would be convicted or not, right until the end. Some interesting insight into the world of midwifery ~ and maybe a little too much information for the faint of heart ~ but a good read all the same. While I enjoyed this selection ~ I thought the Birth House (recommended below) was a more moving account of midwifery and if you had to choose, pick The Birth House.

This book is about a midwife who goes to trial after one of her patients dies during childbirth. It presented very interesting moral and legal questions. Because I work in the legal field, I found this dilemma very interesting.
The ending was a surprise to me (as mentioned by other reviewers). I would like to read this again sometime.

What a great read! I absolutely adored this book from the first page to the very last word. I ending was quite a surprise. I kept thinking about it days after I had finished reading it. It's a quick read but a very good one. Enjoy!

In the middle of an ice storm in rural Vermont, Charlotte Bedford goes into labour with her trusted midwive, Sibyl Danforth at her side. After 10 hours of pushing, Charlotte is no further and Sibyl attempts to call an ambulance to take her to a hospital but the lines have been taken down by the ice storm. Taking Sibyl in her car also proves impossible with all the ice on the road. A few more hours of labour seems to cause Sibyl to stroke and no matter how much CPR Sibyl performs, she can't bring Charlotte back. Sibyl then focuses on saving the baby that is still alive within Charlotte.

As soon as the roads clear and the medics come out to Charlotte's house, it's clear the Sibyl requires a lawyer. The police seem to think that Sibyl caused Charlotte's death. Told partially from Sibyl's journal and mostly from her daughter's perspective, this book shows how a family strains under the weight of a criminal trial for something that isn't 100% clear.

This book was very easy to get into and it was easy to relate to Connie, Sibyl's daughter. I didn't find this to be a typical Oprah book, which usually I find to be about woman who have been done wrong by men. In this case, it's a very fuzzy line between right and wrong. An interesting moral question is presented to the reader and I'm sure each person reading has a different opinion about how the trial will end.

The ending to the book provided a perfect final touch. A great Oprah read!

I did enjoy this book, the only thing that bothered me was that they jumped around a lot. It would go from past to present then back, for one event to the next and back and found the ending very predictable. It was a good read, and I would recommend it, but thats my only complaint.

I absolutly loved this book. It was a bit slow to start, but as it progressed, it totally drew me in. A touching story with believeable characters that your heart goes out to. A dramatic tale of how one nights' events totally changed a whole family forever.

I thought this was a great, easy read. Definitely a page turner.

This novel was light and easy to read. A definite page turner.

This book revolves around the life of Sybil Danforth who is a midwife in Vermont. On a stormy night she is called to deliver Charlotte Bedford's baby. It is a night that will forever change the lives of Sybil and her family because she is charged with involuntary manslaughter. The story of this event, its aftermath and the impact it makes on so many lives is told through the eyes of Sybil's daughter and through the pages of Sybil's journal. I found the story to be incredibly well written and suspenseful. I liked the last line of the book...it indeed makes you think.

My English teacher had asked me to look for some books to add to a reading list at my high school, and this was one of the books that I had found. She asked me to read it, and I have to say it was incredible. At the beginning, I was having sympathy pains as Charlotte was trying to have her baby; I felt for Sibyl during the trial. This is an excellent book. I literally couldn't put it down!

Although the author was a man, I found his ability to see this through the eyes of a woman impressive. I enjoyed the way the story was narrated by the midwives' daughter. Also the loyalty of the daughter to her mother (even when she knew the truth) gave me goosebumps. I thought it was a terrific book with a great twist at the end.

An interesting book - interesting issue. I liked the fact that the story was recounted by the daughter. While I sympathized with Sibyl, I am skeptical about her innocence. I am a mother, but also a nursing student. I support a woman's choice around birthing, but only within the confines of safety. It seems to me that Sibyl's lack of knowledge caused Charlotte's death.

I really enjoyed the book "Midwives". I found it very suspencefull right to the last moment I was usure whether Sybil would be convicted or not. Even the outcome was not what was expected as their is a surprise in the ending. The book gave me a perspective on how midwives feel and how they are thought about.

I found it heartbreaking beacause nobody recognized The midwife's love of doing her job

I really enjoyed this book. I especially liked the fact that it was written from the daughter's perspective, I felt this added another dimension to the big picture. As someone employed in the legal community, I related to the battle Sybil was fighting on a personal level. I also strongly believe in a woman's right to choose home birth or hospital birth, as long as her choice is an informed one. I would recommend this book to just about anyone, and in fact have.

Although I personally am totally pro-hospital births, I do support a woman's decision to give birth at home, but I am not a big fan of midwives. I was however, a fan of Sybil Danfarth, the midwife in this novel. I went through most of the book with complete faith in her, wishing that she had been present at the births of my children. I rooted for her to win her court case, and wanted her to go back to practicing midwifery. After supporting her for 370 pages, the end of this novel was a massive letdown for me, even though I suspected what would happen. This is still a good book and I would recommend it - but if you're expecting a child, avoid it until after you have given birth.

An engaging, Oprah-recommended novel about the controversial murder trial of a midwife whose patient dies during childbirth, as told through the midwife's diaries, and by her daughter. The story is drawn out, and the writing flat at times, but the trial is suspenseful with a few good twists. Although the subject matter is typically a female domain, the story might also appeal to male readers, because it is a legal drama, and the author is a man.