73 pages • 2 hours read
The Birth House
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
The Birth House is a work of historical fiction written by Canadian novelist Ami McKay and published in 2009. The book was nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and won three Libris Awards from the Canadian Booksellers Association. The story takes place in the early 20th century during World War I and is set primarily in Scots Bay, a small shipbuilding community in Nova Scotia, Canada. While she is originally from Indiana, McKay lives in Nova Scotia in the house that inspired the book.
Plot Summary
Dora Rare is the only girl in a family of six boys and the first female Rare in six generations. Due to this and to the circumstances of her birth, she is viewed as an outcast by the superstitious town and thus is a natural ally of Miss B., the town midwife, who is regarded as a witch. At age 17, Dora moves in with Miss B. and becomes a midwife-in-training.
During Dora’s training in midwifery, Dr. Thomas, an obstetrician, sets up a modern maternity home nearby and tries to persuade the women of Scots Bay to abandon their midwives in favor of his facility. He makes arguments for the supposed benefits of new drugs and instruments that remove the pain and difficulty of birth.
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