The Birth House

By: Ami McKay

Narrated by: Geneviève Steele

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.

©2009 Ami McKay (P)2021 Vintage Canada

Critic reviews

2020, Governor General's Literary Award—Translation

2007, OLA Evergreen Award

"The Birth House is a poignant, compassionate, bittersweet and nostalgic look at early 20th-century Nova Scotia. . . . Reading McKay’s novel is like dipping into a saner, more intimate, past; a past that’s long gone. . . . McKay is not only a new author to note, but one to look forward to with anticipation."—National Post

"From the beginning of Ami McKay’s debut novel, The Birth House, we know we’re in for a bit of magic. . . . The Birth House is compelling and lively, beautifully conjuring a close-knit community and reminding us, as Dora notes, that the miracle happens not in birth but in the love that follows."—The Globe and Mail

"The Birth House is filled with charming detail. . . . McKay has a quiet and lyrical style that suits her subject. . . . [It is] a story of individual human tenderness and endurance. . . . McKay is clearly a talented writer with a subtle sense of story, one that readers will look forward to hearing from, again and again."—The Gazette (Montreal)

Fascinating tale of a remote east coast village!

I’d read this book 15+ years ago and rated it 5 stars. It’s a rare occasion when I like a book written a while ago just as much today as I did back then!

relationships, historical fiction in a Nova Scotia village

This book offers a captivating glimpse into the history of a small village in Nova Scotia, blending midwifery, folklore, and time-tested herbal remedies. Set against a backdrop of richly drawn characters, it weaves together relationships and tradition in an engaging way.

Highly enjoyable!

Some of the reviews discouraged me, and I almost passed on it. So glad I did not.

Having recently visited Nova Scotia, I was specifically looking for a novel in that setting, and this one perfectly captured the magic of the place as well as the humor and homespun nature of the people.

I also thought the book did a great job capturing the attitudes about women of the time and a slice of the history of midwifery.

It also touches on the ship-building of the day. A crucial industry in the maritime for decades.

The reader was exceptional.

I love the relationship between Ms. B and Nora!

I absolutely loved this book! The narrator was fabulous. So far, my favorite book of 2024!

Enchanting!

I loved the historical references, the totally believable characters and the story. Definitely one of my all-time favorite books.

Really Interesting

a kind of historical fiction full of “old wives tales” and actual homeopathic remedies. more importantly shows how woman’s symptoms were once treated as hysterical. touches on the suffragette movement.

As a midwife, I would highly recommend this book

There was something just perfectly beautiful about listening to the epilogue of this book as I drove home under Moonlight after finishing a day of prenatal visits out on the Oregon coast.

People like to read about what they do, and this book just really resonated with me as a midwife. The characters are so true to what I have seen experienced in my own life, both the midwives and the mothers.

I would highly recommend this book as a beautifully written work of historical fiction.

Fantastic story

Excellent reader. The story was so fascinating- one of the best I’ve read in awhile…

womens suffrage

lovely writing, great research, very interesting story! another chapter in women's history to remind us from whence we come

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Book review of "The Birth House" by Amy McKay: I highly recommend this book to fellow birth nerds. Having studied midwifery and doulas, I found this beautiful story of women taking control of their birthing experience during World War I in a small Canadian village to be particularly compelling. #TheBirthHouse #amymckay