Title: The Midwife of Venice

Author: Roberta Rich

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Gallery Books

Format: Paperback

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis:

Hannah Levi is renowned throughout Venice for her gift at coaxing reluctant babies from their mothers — a gift aided by the secret “birthing spoons” she designed. But when a count implores her to attend to his wife, who has been laboring for days to give birth to their firstborn son, Hannah is torn. A Papal edict forbids Jews from rendering medical treatment to Christians, but the payment he offers is enough to ransom her beloved husband, Isaac, who has been captured at sea. Can Hannah refuse her duty to a suffering woman? Hannah’s choice entangles her in a treacherous family rivalry that endangers the baby and threatens her voyage to Malta, where Isaac, believing her dead in the plague, is preparing to buy his passage to a new life. Not since The Red Tent or People of the Book has a novel transported readers so intimately into the complex lives of women centuries ago or so richly into a story of intrigue that transcends the boundaries of history.

Review:

This book was so interesting! I loved being transported to 16th century Venice, and what life would have been like for the Jewish people living there.
The story revolves around Hannah, who is a Jewish midwife in Venice. Her husband has been taken as a slave in Malta while traveling east, and she has to find a way to ransom him. Back then, it was illegal for a Jewish woman to deliver Christian babies. But when a wealthy Christian nobleman comes and begs her to safe his wife and child, she agrees if he will pay her husbands ransom. She does this even though she knows it could bring death to the ghetto. What then ensues is a compelling tale of Hannah doing her best to not get wrapped up in the trouble that follows, and to not be named a witch. Hannah used this contraption called birthing spoons to help each out children, and the book goes into detail on how these are used. However, giving birth was considered to be Gods work, and she could be sentenced to death as a witch if the inquisition got a hold of this device.
We also get a glimpse at what life was like for a slave in Malta, through the perspective of her husband, Isaac. I love the detail that goes into this book, and I learned a lot about the time period. I would definitely recommend this book for those who love historical fiction!

Happy reading bookworms!