The birth house : a novel

Summary: "A fierce and original debut that explores midwifery and women's health in the early decades of the twentieth century and brings two fascinating female characters into the pantheon of Canadian literature. This 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 talent for telling tales and a kitchen filled with herbs and folk remedies. Dora becomes her apprentice at the outset of World War I. 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. Filled with details that are as interesting as they are surprising, Ami McKay has created an unforgettable tale of the struggles women have faced to have control of their own bodies, and in keeping the best parts of tradition alive in the world of modern medicine."--Publisher.

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