I met with my new book club for the third time this past week to discuss Midwives, a book from 1998 set in the early 1980s (and an Oprah Book Club pick).Short summary:
Sibyl, a Vermont based midwife, is accused of manslaughter and practicing medicine without a license after a woman in her care dies giving birth. Sibyl insists she was not at fault, but her journal entries may tell a different story. The trial sets up a showdown between midwives and those in the medical community who believe babies should be born exclusively in hospitals.
The group* verdict:
The novel was generally well-liked although some found it lacking real tension and somewhat repetitive.
The actual book discussion didn’t last very long and devolved into topics both related (childbirth) and unrelated (the impact of social media).
My favorite parts were the court scenes, especially jury selection, and I thought the conversations Sibyl had with her lawyer were quite illuminating.
Up next:
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. I’ll miss the meeting though since I’ll be out of town.
*Since it has come to my attention that not all members of my book club feel comfortable about my posting of the group’s opinions, I am including only the opinions of those members who gave me permission to do so.
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