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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enticing and Inspiring, January 10, 2007
I received this book for Christmas, 2006, and like most books I receive, I had never heard of this novel. Not without some trepidation, I began to read the first few pages of this lovely novel, becoming more and more spellbound with the story being woven by Ami McKay and her tales of Scots Bay and, later Spider Hill. It is a rarity to feel so entranced by one woman's struggle to find her own in the world before, during and after World War I, and I have never longed for the well being of a character as much as I did Dora Rare. When picturing her, I couldn't help but see her as child, still unsure about the world, or even whether to question the life she leads, but in contrast, a woman with so much intimate knowledge about health, that I couldn't help but relate to her. She is a wholesome character, who made me want the best for her, and her own struggles and strengths, tugged greatly at my heart strings, and in the end I felt inspired at her courage. This novel truly is a piece of art, and I encourage any woman, or man for that matter, to read this book and hopefully they will take as much from this remarkable character and author as I have.
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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Poignant and Compelling!, July 14, 2006
Congratulations, Ami, on a fabulous first novel.
A young girl, Dora Rare, moves in with an elderly small town midwife or 'traiteur' who claims that Dora will take over her birthing business. Marie Babineau trains the young girl in the ways that only tradition can teach.
The story takes place over a number of years, seeing the main character married, operating a birthing house and raising someone else's child. Dora is caught between the old ways and new, modern birthing practices. The story evolves slowly, deeply and emotionally.
As a fellow Canadian author, it is uplifting to see Canadian fiction so well accepted. I too write about Canadian locales, but haven't yet made it to the east coast in my books yet. Having lived in New Brunswick and traveled to Nova Scotia, I think McKay has painted a quaint and realistic picture of how life was (and maybe still is to some extent), with characters that live and breathe. Canadian fiction is alive and well, thanks to authors like Ami McKay!
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to delve into the emotions and lives of small town Nova Scotia. But warning...bring Kleenex!
~ Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Author of Divine Intervention
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Beautiful Book, September 10, 2006
This is a book for and about mothers. I found the story magical, and although I am of a scientific bent, I love to find myself on the side of the mystical and mysterious. The prologue is positively musical in its choice of language, and I was hooked immediately. Like another of the reviewers, I was unable to put the book down.
The characters in The Birth House are real people, people we care about throughout the story. These are the women we wish we had as neighbours, women we wish we were.
If I have one criticism, it would be seeing our heroine, Dora, in so many historical events. I was OK with seeing her help out at the Halifax explosion, but my credibility was stretched a bit when the small town midwife also helped in Boston during the Influenza epidemic in 1918.
All in all, an excellent read. I would recommend it to all mothers and mothers-to-be. (Wonderful to see yet another amazing Canadian woman author!)
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