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The Birth House was an unexpected delight, not only because of the setting, a remote coastal village in Nova Scotia, but because of two extraordinary characters, Dora Rare, the apprentice midwife, and Madame Babineau, her Acadian teacher. In many ways the book reminded me of Eva Figes' beautiful book, The Seven Ages, which is now just about impossible to find. It deals with the reality of women's lives in a rural area in the early part of the twentieth century. The characters are entirely believ
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I liked this book. If you don't dissect it too much, it is a pleasant little tale of a woman who triumphs over both a philandering husband and the medical establishment in the form of a complete prat of a male doctor. And given that I've delivered many babies and am actually a doctor, that's high praise. Dora learns her craft from an older woman, who has her own ways and herbal remedies- she's all about low-tech medicine and has earned the respect of her community for her healing over many years
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Aug 27, 2010
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