Midwives (Oprah's Book Club)
by Chris Bohjalian

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Book Reviews of Midwives (Oprah's Book Club)

Book Review: "Ever spent a week in a commune?...Slept in a van?" So?
Summary: 2 Stars

Throughout the story, the author tells us what the characters felt--but there is little in the action or dialogue to support those feelings. Sybil, the midwife, and Stephen, her lawyer, have a romantic attraction in spite of the fact she's married, he's a professional, and there's nothing otherwise in their characters, such as they are, to support the attraction. It just happens.

The story moves slowly (except the climax). The dialogue is often stilted, the narration awkward. For example,

"Tom didn't have a car of his own, but an advantage of coming from a family that owned an automotive garage and graveyard was that he always had one at his disposal (214)"

I read "Midwives" as part of a book club; in it's defense, everyone else seemed to like it. But I found little to recommend.

Genre Fiction Books

• Books > Subjects > Literature & Fiction
• Literary
• Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers > Legal