Search - The Midwife of Venice

I had to give up on this book. It was very slow moving. It took place in the last 16th century, and was heavy in the Jewish culture/custom. If I favored the time frame I would have enjoyed the book. Just not my cup of tea.

This was a good book. It had it all: love, romance, excitement, and fear. But I just didn't "click" with it. I liked the characters well enough, and the plot was pretty interesting. However there was just something in this one that I couldn't connect with.

Hanna was a brave fierce woman who takes every chance she can get to get her husband back. She's a midwife who uses "unorthodox" (and she's Jewish, so excuse the pun) actions to help babies and mothers who are struggling during childbirth. But she's got her mind set on saving her husband from captivity so against her Rabbi's suggestion, and against the law she goes to deliver a baby that will earn her enough money to save her husband. She was a very strong woman and knows what she wants.

There's some twists and turns in the story that are unexpected, but for me the story seemed predictable, and the pace was slow. Even the tense scenes seemed to move slowly.

Overall it was ok. Rich does a good job at describing the scenes and explaining the character's emotions. But I just didn't connect with the story. It was readable and even enjoyable, but I just can't say that I loved it.

Great book. Historical fiction that takes you to see the life a Midwife had to endure during the Renaissance times. Pretty much "wordship" when succeded at saving the life of a loved one and their child and in the other hand facing the fear of prosecution by the inquisition if anyone would dare to accuse them as witches.

Midwifery is such a fascinating topic and to combine it with interesting locales and by setting the story in a Venice overrun with plague and superstition you get one intriguing story in The Midwife of Venice. I honestly could not put this book down because the very first page told me that this wasn't going to be an average, everyday story. The rich details of the Jewish Ghetto Nuovo of Venice and the hustle and bustle of the island city of Valletta, Malta, came alive in the pages of this book.

Don't get me wrong this story is not a "light-hearted" tale but one of the struggles of a midwife, Hannah Levi, who wants to usher healthy babies into the world without being accused of sorcery or witchcraft by the wealthy Catholics of Venice simply because of the tools she uses or because she's Jewish. Hannah also has to deal with the possibility that she may not see her beloved husband again as he lost everything they had and was being held captive on Malta until his ransom is paid. I will admit I thought this story was going to end well but I was pleasantly surprised by the way Ms. Rich tied everything up giving the reader a sense of hope and happiness for Hannah in her future life that went along great with the rest of the story. I have never read a book set in Venice that was told from the side of a Jewish heroine so this was a first for me and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from Roberta Rich in the future!

If you're looking for a last minute gift for mom this Mother's Day I suggest going to your local bookstore and checking this book out. I don't think mom will be disappointed nor you if you decide to give this book a try.

Note: Some strong language, violence and sexual content

*I received my complimentary copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for posting my honest review of the book. I was not compensated in any way.*