The Birth House
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4.4 • 74 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
The Birth House is the story of Dora Rare, the first daughter to be born in five generations of Rares. As a child in an isolated village in Nova Scotia, she is drawn to Miss Babineau, an outspoken Acadian midwife with a gift for healing. Dora becomes Miss B.’s apprentice, and together they help the women of Scots Bay through infertility, difficult labours, breech births, unwanted pregnancies and even unfulfilling sex lives. Filled with details as compelling as they are surprising, The Birth House is an unforgettable tale of the struggles women have faced to have control of their own bodies and to keep the best parts of tradition alive in the world of modern medicine.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Canadian radiojournalist McKay was unable to ferret out the life story of late midwife Rebecca Steele, who operated a Nova Scotia birthing center out of McKay's Bay of Fundy house in the early 20th century; the result of her unsatisfied curiousity is this debut novel. McKay writes in the voice of shipbuilder's daughter, Dora Rare, "the only daughter in five generations of Rares," who as a girl befriends the elderly and estranged Marie Babineau, long the local midwife (or traiteur), who claims to have marked Dora out from birth as her successor. After initial reluctance and increasingly intensive training, 17-year-old Dora moves in with Marie; on the eve of Dora's marriage to Archer Bigelow, Marie disappears, leaving Dora her practice. A difficult marriage, many difficult births, a patient's baby thrust on her to raise without warning and other crises (including WWI and the introduction of "clinical" birthing methods) ensue. Period advertisments, journal entries and letters to and from various characters give Dora's voice context. The book is more about the texture of Dora's life than plot, and McKay handles the proceedings with winning, unsentimental care.
Customer Reviews
Absolutely Breathtaking
As one of the best books I’ve ever read, the Birth House by Ami McKay, shows true strength in women and their bodies all while capturing the imagination and keeping you flipping pages as quickly as possible just to find out what happens to Dora Rare. Dora is a spectacularly deep, perfectly chiselled character who shows innocence, passion, courage, determination and wisdom all while remaining quick-witted and incredibly entertaining. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a book with gritty details, absolutely poetic writing, and a read you won’t be able to step away from.
Wonderful
Strong feme leads , beautifully written, crying and laughter page by page .
The Birth House
Great book. Second time I have read it
Have joined a book club and this is our next meeting project
Looking forward to sharing in a lively conversation about The Birth House