MIDWIVES (Chris Bohjalian) - January 30/08

Very well written but ultimately too long, Midwives suffers from a midsection that sporadically feels endless. Nothing much happens until Sibyl goes on trial, and it's at that point that the book finally becomes as entertaining as one might've hoped. The pay-off that ensues in terms of the diary entries - ie she believes she did cut into a still-living woman - is spectacular. *** out of ****