The Birth House

Product Details

Author : Ami Mckay
Binding : Paperback
EAN : 9780676977738
Number of Pages : 408
Product Group : Book
Publication Date : 2007-03-06
Publisher : Vintage Canada
Release Date : 2007-03-06

ASIN : 0676977731

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.ca

Dora Rare is the first girl in five generations born to the Rare family who live in a small Nova Scotia fishing village. Set in the years before World War I, this down-to-earth novel relates the life story of a most unusual woman. In her youth, Dora apprentices to Miss Babineau, an aged Acadian midwife known for her storytelling and herbal acumen. She is also considered something of a witch by those locals most desperate to embrace modernity. The arrival in the village of Dr. Gilbert Thomas, a doctor of obstetrics, sets up the major conflict of the novel as the haughty and presumptuous newcomer quickly denigrates the use of midwives by the local women. McKay has caught the voice of rural Nova Scotia with uncanny clarity ("A breech baby's just waitin' on trouble") and adds period documents from local newspapers, including an advertisement for an early vibrator from Sweden. Altogether this is a richly satisfying novel filled with intriguing characters, both good and evil, as well as voluminous lore on birthing traditions, herbs and earthy wisdom. --Mark Frutkin

Customer Reviews

A Good Read (2008-06-17)

I enjoyed this book from cover to cover. Unlike with some other fiction, I was absorbed into the story from the beginning. I found the characters and the storyline wonderfully entertaining, but I could have done without the detailed descriptions of the midwives' home remedies and prayers. It was very good but not one of my favourites, so I'm giving it four stars.

Loved it (2007-09-02)

I'm sad that it's done. A warm and cuddly book, even with the sad and tragic aspects of its storyline. I didn't think it was like any book I'd read before. I would recommend it highly; it's an enjoyable and entertaining read.

A "can't put me down" novel! (2007-08-26)

Ami McKay writes with such ease it is a pleasure to read. The plot is interesting and the story flows through each chapter. I had to stay up and finish the novel. Being highly selective and picky with books I read, this one will not disappoint!

Mediocre (2007-08-07)

Although "The Birth House" was not a bad book, I cannot understand why it continues to be ranted and raved about. I've read several books about the lives of midwives and this one is no different - you have the eccentric old midwife who is both loved and despised by the community she serves, the prodigious young girl who is fated to take the old woman's place, and plenty of myths and controversy surrounding the credibility of midwifery. Perhaps the only difference with "The Birth House" - and in my opinion, the only reason why such a fuss continues to be made over it - is that it is set in a tiny Nova Scotian fishing village. The articles and advertisements that are featured throughout the book are a nice touch, however, as is the herbal glossary at the end, but cannot save "The Birth House" from becoming a forgettable book.

Couldn't put it down (2007-07-12)

I bought this book on a whim. I'd never heard of it before, but the cover just...caught my eye. And the charming binding made me pick it up. I wasn't dissappointed. It took me...a day to read it, 12 hours maybe, of solid reading, because try as I might, I couldn't bear to set it down for long. The story just...completely drew me in, and the characters make you fall in love with them from the very first chapter. This book made me laugh and cry and rage all in a single chapter...and provoking such an emotional response...is one of the hardest jobs an author has. Also, the additions of a glossary, recipe and other little fun tidbits in the back of the book were delightful. The perfect book for the summer. Here's to tea with mitts!

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