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The Birth House: A Novel
 

The Birth House: A Novel

by Ami McKay

An arresting portrait of the struggles that women faced for control of their own bodies, The Birth House is the story of Dora Rare—the first daughter in five generations of Rares.

As apprentice to the outspoken Acadian midwife Miss Babineau, Dora learns to assist the women of an isolated Nova Scotian village through infertility, difficult labors, breech births, unwanted... (more)

Top tags: historical fiction,  fiction,  medicine,  canada,  coming of age (all tags)

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Most Helpful Reviews

Liked It

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
booklady
  • Rated 4 stars

“A story about midwifery in the early 20th century Canada. Very enjoyable and well written, as well as well researched. Never having read about childbirth in this time period, I found this book both informative and entertaining--and was just really glad that my child was born at a much later date! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.”

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Didn’t Like It

Katy D
  • Rated 2 stars

“This was mediocre. There was tremendous potential in the story line. She tried too hard to be "relevant" instead of letting the story speak for itself. The characters were not evenly developed, some of the plot elements don't make sense given the groundwork she laid at the outset. The title does not really connect to the book.”

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Community:
  • Rated 3.946188 stars
Amazon:
  • Rated 4.125 stars
  

Newest Comments

  • redmittengirl

    redmittengirl said:

    “this one rang false to me, too. but i liked the setting, the time period. poor character development, and lazy plot. ”

    posted Thursday, January 31 2008
  • FatherOfHollywood

    fatherofhollywood said:

    “I like the unique way McKay weaves the midwife's recipes, news articles, etc. throughout the story. The story's female protagonist is a strong woman and does not become a victim. I can understand why this book has swept across Canada - being given and recommended from woman to woman, book club to book club.”

    posted Thursday, October 25 2007
  • Artemis_98

    artemis_98 said:

    “What did you think about Archer's personality change?

    I was unconvinced by the dramatic personality change that Archer went through -- from being so noble and pacifist to all of a sudden a horrible, sex-crazed, philandering, drinking, abusive person.

    This was one of the weakest points of the book and really undermined the book, in my view. ”

    posted Monday, May 28 2007 ( | view 1 reply )
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