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Midwives by Chris Bohjalian

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Book name: Midwives (2024)
Category: Fiction
Author:
Pages: 384 pages
Language: English
Publication data: Nov. 8, 1998, 8 a.m.
The time is 1981, and Sibyl Danforth has been a dedicated midwife in the rural community of Reddington, Vermont, for fifteen years. But one treacherous winter night, in a house isolated by icy roads and failed telephone lines, Sibyl takes desperate measures to save a baby's life. She performs an emergency Caesarean section on its mother, who appears to have died in labor. But what if—as Sibyl's assistant later charges—the patient wasn't already dead, and it was Sibyl who inadvertently killed her?

As recounted by Sibyl's precocious fourteen-year-old daughter, Connie, the ensuing trial bears the earmarks of a witch hunt except for the fact that all its participants are acting from the highest motives—and the defendant increasingly appears to be guilty. As Sibyl Danforth faces the antagonism of the law, the hostility of traditional doctors, and the accusations of her own conscience, Midwives engages, moves, and transfixes us as only the very best novels ever do.

About the author

Chris Bohjalian

Chris Bohjalian

3 books

Chris Bohjalian is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 25 books -- including his March 2025 novel, THE JACKAL'S MISTRESS. His work has been translated into 35 languages and become three movies and an Emmy-nominated TV series. (Yes, you can preorder it as a hardcover, eBook, or on audio wherever you buy books.)

His other recent books include THE PRINCESS OF LAS VEGAS, THE LIONESS, and HOUR OF THE WITCH.

His 2018 novel, THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT, is now a Max TV series, starring Kaley Cuoco.

He … Read more