I read this the year my youngest son was born, which was the year 2000. In fact, I remember finishing it in the hospital during that post-partum stay, and one of the maternity ward nurses scolded me for reading it at such a time, saying, "That is really not appropriate reading material for a pregnant woman!" (Actually, it was more appropriate than that college genetics course I took while pregnant with my first child! But I digress...)

Still, I loved this book, and once I started it I couldn't put it down (obviously). I read it during a time when I wasn't doing much reading -- no more than a handful of books a year. I don't know if that impacted my overall rating of it or my emotional attachment to it or not...

Anyway, this was the story of a home birth, obviously attended to by a midwife. But it went terribly wrong, and the midwife had to go to trial, and it was all related back to the reader by the midwife's 13 year old daughter. This was a book that by nature must include the most intimate details of womanhood; yet it was written by a man. Wow. To my knowledge, only Chris Bohjalian (how I love to say that last name!) and Wally Lamb know how to do that well.

Update, August 2004: I kept this in my permanent collection for a long time. Even though I have fond memories of it, it's not one I would revisit again. I do look forward to more interesting and well written works by this author, and I'm thinking, in particular, about his book "Water Witches".

I had this book on my wish list and Choclaholic was kind enough to surprise me by bringing to me at this months meeting. Thanks!

I really enjoyed this book. It is about a midwife who has a tragic delivery and is charged with a crime. The story line itself is a good one, but it was written from the midwife's 13 year old daughters point of view, which makes it even more interesting. I like that the author is still able to communicate the midwife's thoughts by including excerpts from the Midwife's diary. Like Choclaholic, I am amazed that Bohjalian has such a great understand of childbirth and still be a man! A very enjoyable read.

I have decided to start a bookring for this book. If you are interested in joining the bookring, please send me a private message indicating if you will ship internationally (surface mail is okay), or if you prefer to stay local.

Placed in the mail to not-a-clue on March 7th, 2005. I also included a post card from my area. If it's not too much trouble, please add a card from your area before sending it to the next person. If this is not something you can do, that is fine. I just thought it would be neat to get an idea about the places the book has been.

Bookring order:
1. Not-a-clue - Wisconsin, Anywhere Rcvd 3/12/05, Mailed 4/12/05
2. GrannyAnn - New York, Prefers U.S. Rcvd 4/26/05, Mailed 5/17/05
3. CandieB - Texas, Prefers U.S. Rcvd 5/24/05, Mailed 6/2/05
4. perfcangel, California, Anywhere Rcvd 6/17/05,
5. gategypsy - Japan, Anywhere
6. Your-book-fairy - New York, Anywhere Rcvd 11/1/05
7. AmberC - Australia, Prefers local Rcvd 11/29/05
8. Purple-Lilly - Australia, Prefers local
9. Peggysmum - Australia, Prefers local, will ship anywhere if needed <=== It's here!
10. MaisyMay - U.K., Prefers U.K, International if needed
11. Sadogs - U.K., Will ship international
12. QueenSissi - Portugal, Prefers to ship to Europe
13. Marie-Therese - Scotland, Will ship international
14. Back home to PaigeTurner124!

I got this yesterday and I can't wait ot read it. It sounds very interesting. A book, that I probably won't want to put down. We'll see.

I just finished reading this last night. I thought it was a good book. Not really what I expected, but still very good. I agree with PaigeTurner124 that having the story told through Connie's (the midwife's 13-year old daughter) eyes, is a different prespective. So it's off to GrannyAnn.

I apologize for the wait of getting this book off to GrannyAnn. I gave it to a friend to mail for me, because me and the post office don't agree on hours, it's usually closed by the time I get out of work. Well, my friend went on a trip and forgot to mail the book before she went. So it finally got mailed yesterday. So I hope you enjoy it GrannyAnn.

I got back from vacation and here was this book! I'm just about done with another book and I'll dive right in. I'm looking forward to reading this. Thanks for the postcard,not-a-clue.

I enjoyed this book very much. I thought using Connie's voice with journal entries by Sybil was a very effective way of telling the story. And it did keep me guessing till the end.

I'm mailing it off to candieb tomorrow. Enjoy.

Mailed to CandieB today. Enjoy! Thanks, PaigeTurner124, for sharing this book.

Just got this in today's mail. I have a bookring I'm about half way through in front of this one, so I should start it soon.

There were no postcards in it, but I will try to grab one from my area and start it again before passing it along.

Wow. This was a really great book. I will be looking for others written by this author. I loved the way it was told, the way the daughter interjected news about her "current" life into the story so we learned as we went about her and her life as well as her mother's life. I read all 372 pages within 2 days... it was that good.

I must admit to be surprised at the end. I don't want to give away the ending... eeek... at any rate, this book is beautifully written and completely and utterly amazing.

I have PMed the next person, am waiting on a response so I can pass it along. I didn't have any local postcard, but I did put a pretty one in there :)

RELEASE NOTES:

Mailing via media mail to perfcangel, next on the ring... enjoy!

Received the book last week (sorry, haven't had time to visit this site). Will start the book asap.

I really loved this book. It made me think a lot about our culture of blame. So many people hold the lives of patients or clients or customers in their hands every day. It's amazing how one brief moment can forever alter the lives of everyone involved.

I will say I felt emotionally robbed at the end, but I felt like I got the author's point. It was well done.

RELEASE NOTES:

Mailed to gategypsy. Was told it will take 4-6 weeks.

Arrived in the mail! Will get to this as soon as I've finished the book I am currently in.

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I wondered, as I began this book, if I would like it much, since it seems to be a great deal about the court trial... I'm happy to report that I did, indeed, enjoy it. Another reader said she was kept guessing right to the end. I thought I had it figured out and the ending still surprised me. I'm glad to have gotten a chance at this one, and am currently awaiting the next bxer's addy to send it along...

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In the mail and on the way!

The book has made it back from Japan! I got this in the mail last night, and am going to try and zip through the bookring I'm reading right now so I can get to this by the weekend. I'm so excited to read this, even my sister who was over last night saw it on my desk and said how good it was.

WOW. I stayed up late last night because I was dying to see how this book ended, and then the ending had me so worked up that I nearly got back out of bed to journal right when I was done. Don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike the ending, but I think I was just surprised. I may have even been surprised twice.

I really enjoyed this book, it reminded me in ways of "My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult, which also did a great job of addressing medical rights and responsibility issues in a heartfelt, family centered way (and also has an ending that has you sort of like "Wait, what?". I was surprised that I ended up disliking Sybil somewhat, something about her stubbornness towards things and her clinging to her hippie ways sort of rubbed me the wrong way. Nothing against hippies, since my parents were most definitely of that tribe, but I felt like she acted so open minded but was really very judgmental of anyone who wasn't as "radical" as she was.

I agree with everyone else who will be looking for more books by this author; his style and the way he crafts a story were really captivating and I'd love to read more.

Waiting for AmberC's address, and then I'll be sending this one off to Australia. I don't think I have a postcard handy, but I should be able to stick something in there that reflects my lovely New York City.

arrived safely today.

i love all the postcards. living in a tropical area as we do my children were amazed by the snow in Japan. your-book-fairy - the photo is a lovely, personal postcard and your daughter beautiful.

i have a few other bookrings at the moment and will start this asap.

i enjoyed this book. like your-book-fairy it reminded me in a lot of ways of Jodi Piccoult's writing, addressing a difficult topic in a way that involves your feelings and perhaps causes you to think about what is right and what is wrong in a difficult situation.

telling the story with Connie's voice gave it a diferent perspective, one that i enjoyed.

like others, i too would like to read more by this author.

posting to Purple-Lilly today.

Received in the mail today, unfortunately a little bent out of shape . I will try putting weights on it and straighten it out! I love the included postcards and will be on the lookout for one from my immediate area to include not just a generic Adelaide one!

Finished today, I enjoyed this very much. It was so sensitively written, and as others have mentioned so true to a woman's thinking and her emotions , amazingly written by a man. The device of inserting diary excerpts kept you close to Sibyl's mind and heart, and was enhanced by the story being told by the daughter. I loved it , thankyou PaigeTurner124.

RELEASE NOTES:

Send to Peggysmum, hope she enjoys it as much as I did. Apologies for having it for so long, life really got in the way.

Arrived in the overstuffed letterbox. 3 rings arrived today. So blessed with books. :)

RELEASE NOTES:

On its way to QueenSissi as there was no respons from MaisyMay or Sadogs.

It arrived yesterday! Thank you!

I just finished itand enjoyed it. It made me reflect on the difficult life of midwives - there's no real schedule, is there. And one mistake can change one's lives. Anyway... Thanks!

sending it home since I haven't had a reply from Marie-Therese.