Summary and Reviews of Midwives by Chris Bohjalian

Throughout the long summer before my mother's trial began, and then during those crisp days in the fall when her life was paraded publicly before the county--her character lynched, her wisdom impugned--I overheard much more than my parents realized, and I understood more than they would have liked.

Through the register in the floor of my bedroom I could listen to the discussions my parents would have with my mother's attorney in the den late at night, after the adults had assumed I'd been sleeping for hours. If the three of them happened to be in the suite off the kitchen my mother used as her office and examining room, perhaps searching for an old document in her records or a patient's prenatal history, I would lie on the bathroom floor above them and listen as their words traveled up to me through the holes that had been cut for the water pipes to the sink. And while I never went so far as to lift the receiver of an upstairs telephone when I heard my mother speaking on the kitchen...

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Midwives: Reading Guide & Q&A

Reading Guide
The questions, discussion topics and suggestions for further reading that follow are designed to enhance your group's reading of Chris Bohjalian's Midwives. We hope they will give you a number of new angles from which to consider this enthralling and provocative novel, a gripping combination of courtroom thriller, domestic drama, and novel of ideas that adds up to a lyrical and suspenseful work of art.

On an icy winter night of 1981 in the rustic community of Reddington, Vermont, seasoned midwife Sibyl Danforth is forced to make a life-or-death decision that will change her world forever. Trapped by the weather in an isolated farmhouse, cut off from the hospital or even the emergency ...

Please be aware that this discussion may contain spoilers!

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BookBrowsers Ask Author Chris Bohjalian
Thank YOU, MaryJane. Look for my next novel, THE AMATEUR, in August 2026. It's my first courtroom drama since MIDWIVES.
-Chris_B

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If you’ve read other books by this author, how do they compare to this one? How, in your opinion, does his writing bring to life the intersection of chance and choice?
The first book of his that I read was Midwives, years ago, which was one Oprah's first book picks. I really enjoyed this new author and so for a while I read all his books. I didn't enjoy any of his contemporary thrillers so stopped reading his books. I'm glad I was selected to read and review th...
-Carol_Dirks

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What audience would you recommend The Frozen River to? Is there another book or author you feel has a similar theme or style?
I really like reading about midfwifery. I remember really liking the book Midwives: A Novel, by Chris Bohjalian. I also loved Call the Midwife on PBS and have watched all the seasons. I think I enjoy reading birth stories is because every woman's experience is different and a capable midwife can ...
-Lynn_R

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