Product Description

Spanning the 20th century, Ami Mckay takes a primitive and superstitious rural community in Nova Scotia and creates a rich tableau of characters to tell the story of childbirth from its most secretive early practices to modern maternity as we know it. 'The Birth House' is the story of Dora Rare, the first female to be born in five generations of Rares. As a child in a small village in Nova Scotia, she is befriended by Miss Babineau, an outspoken Acadian midwife with a kitchen filled with herbs and folk remedies, and a talent for telling tales. Dora becomes her apprentice at the outset of World War I, and together they help the women of Scots Bay through infertility, difficult labour, breech births, unwanted pregnancies and even unfulfilling marriages. When Gilbert Thomas, a brash medical doctor, comes to Scots Bay with promises of sterile, painless childbirth, some of the women begin to question Miss Babineau's methods. After her death, Dr. Thomas doubles his efforts to eliminate midwifery in the area. He sets out to undermine Dora's credibility by blaming her for the death of Mrs. Experience Ketch, a woman who had once sought Dora's care. Gossip follows, the women begin to take sides, and Dora must summon all her strength to protect the birthing traditions and women's wisdom of her community. Gripping and alive with the details of times and traditions long past, Ami McKay's debut is an unforgettable tale of the struggles women faced to have control of their own bodies.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #102983 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Review
'Ami McKay cleverly points out the good and the bad in both old and new attitudes, while contemporary newspaper reports and advertisements illustrate the pace of change.' Guardian 'Ami McKay's debut novel vividly captures the apparently quaint world inhabited by the people of Scots Bay, Canada. McKay creates a magical world, and her exquisite descriptions draw the reader further and further from reality.' Time Out 'This is a truly captivating read, set in early 19th-century Nova Scotia. The story weaves lyrical detail of the natural beauty in which these pioneer families live with the pricklier reality of the First World War era, when centuries-old folk wisdom collides with science. The underlying theme of the shared strength that women give each other in hard circumstances lends this tale a solid bedrock.' She '"The Birth House" has a spirited momentum and it is difficult not to be swept along by it. Her writing is often beautiful, with colourful turns of phrase that mirror the earthiness of her setting, and her protagonist.' Sunday Business Post 'By turns lyrical and gripping, brimming with historical detail and with a touching love story at the core, "The Birth House" brings to life a time, place and traditions long forgotten.' Irish Post

Observer
'...an impressive novel, laced with quirky research and rippling with muscular poetry...'

Sunday Business Post
'It is difficult not to be swept along...'

Customer Reviews

9 out of 10
I thoroughly enjoyed this, a warm story wrapped in an historical blanket.
The descriptions were excellent and I found myself there with Dora through her struggles and successes. The book is very evocative of the battles women faced to make their own choices and of a life of hard work lived in an isolated community.

Dora Rare, a bit of a loner amongst her peers, is chosen by the local elderly midwife to train in the arts of midwifery and herbal remedies. Unfortunately this natural succession is interrupted by the arrival of a new age doctor, advocating pain free births in the new modern hospital. It seems he has the law on his side and home births become 'outdated'. As the women fight for their right to choose, this battle becomes symbolic of all the things in their lives that are decided for them.
Alongside this central theme are woven details of several events that occurred at the time: the Halifax bomb, the Boston flu of 1918, the first world war and the struggles of the suffragettes.

Well researched and well written, I thoroughly recommend this book.

Wonderful historical novel
I couldn't put it down. The story is gripping and endearing. It was empowering in that it spoke of woman's rights at a birth of their choosing. It was encouraging, with wonderful references to the midwifery of old. Well written, well researched. I enjoyed the historical references eg. Halifax bomb, Boston flu of 1918, as well as the herbal and homeopathic remedies listed (although i've not cross-referenced these, given the great amount of research obviously done for this book I wouldn't be suprised if modern herbalist still list the same for childbirth). As a student midwife who has visited Nova Scotia I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to all who want to have a good read!

Lyrical pose, interesting plot
I am a sucker for stories about midwifery, so when I bought this book for a friend I could not resist taking a peek inside the covers. Before I knew it I was a thrid of the way through, and knew that my friend would have to wait until I had finished before I would hand it over to her.

The characters are well written, with enough depth to enable you to love or hate them. The plot is gentle but moves along nicely so kept my interest. I like the fact that historical events play key roles in the story. Some of the descriptive passages are very powerful. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more books by Ami McKay.