I've been reading Midwives by Chris Bohjalian for a few weeks now.Normally I can make it through a good book in a day or two (less if I don't choose to sleep), but I've been drawing this one out because I haven't wanted to finish it. As much as I've wanted to know whether Sybil Danforth would be found guilty of second-degree murder after a laboring mom in her care died in childbirth during a particularly treacherous winter ice storm that knocked out power and phone lines (was she already dead when Sybil, a lay midwife, used a kitchen knife to perform a Cesarean and save the baby?), I've wanted more to keep reading about the details of the ensuing courtroom trial than to find out exactly how it the case ends.
Because once the verdict was revealed, I'd have reached the end of the book.
I knew that eventually I'd have to finish the book, though. I knew that eventually I'd have to find out whether Sybil was found guilty or innocent -- and that, unlike many books, this one wouldn't be better the second time through, for obvious reasons.
And now I need another great book, and quick! Got any good recommendations? I've loved The Pilot's Wife, The Red Tent, The Time Traveler's Wife... and Midwives (among many others... are we seeing a theme here?). Care to to recommend which book I should take with me to Germany to make two 11-hour flights "disappear"?
I loved Midwives, so you might like Good Grief by Lolly Winston, While I was Gone by Sue Miller, The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Also, Ursula Hegi is another author I like.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Plainsong and Eventide by Kent Haruf. And, my guilty pleasure, anything by Ann Rule (real life crime stories). Really, my list is endless and eclectic.
ReplyDeleteI am just starting the Time Traveler's wife after hearing so much positive feedback about it.
ReplyDeleteSome of my all-time favorite books are Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi (and there's a book that's related to it called The Vision of Emma Blau ), Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore, and She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb. Oh, and I like The Physician by Noah Gordon...long book but a very interesting adventure.
ReplyDeleteThat was a great book. I was a practicing doula when I read it, so it was particularly relevant.
ReplyDeleteSo many good book choices....Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Anne Burns, Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner (anything by Stegner is good), Outlander by Dana Gabaldon, Cane River by Lalita Tademy...gosh, I could go on and on.
Outlander is a good choice, because there are six books in the series, so it will keep you entranced for a good long time.
OOPS, forgot my FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME, "Peace Like A River" by Leif Enger.
ReplyDeleteI had to comment so I could see the comments! My reading is generally much lighter and less emotional.
ReplyDeleteOh, I also loved She's Come Undone. Hard to believe that it was written by a man. Wally Lamb has another book, I Know This Much is True, which is also great. I also just finished (for the second time) Backroads by Tawni O'Dell. Great read.
ReplyDeleteI've been lurking for a while, but a request for book recommendations... well that will bring me out from under my rock. If you haven't read Eat Pray Love, it's definitely something to consider. I also really enjoyed Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress, but its sensibility might not appeal to everyone. Anything by Alice Hoffman. She's Come Undone was really amazing.
ReplyDeleteI envy you your trip to Germany. Enjoy!