The Midwife of Venice Audiobook

" I really enjoyed this book. Even if it wasn't entirely historically accurate, it was still interesting and a good story. "

" I really, really liked this historical fiction novel. I learned a lot that I did not know about Venice, life as a Jew in Italy, and the life of a midwife. Good strong characters and a great storyline. Recommend to fans of historical fiction for sure. "

" Delightful quick read. Sometimes the exaggerations became a bit much as well as the heroin's deftness and midwifery tricks. Not great fiction, but very enjoyable. "

" Fascinating story about a young Jewish midwife named Hannah who lives in the Jewish ghetto in Venice in the early-1500s. The story unfolds as a Christian noble begs her to come to help deliver his wife's baby; however, papal edicts prevent the intermixing of Jews and Christians. Despite her misgivings, Hannah goes and successfully delivers wee Matteo. Meanwhile, Hannah's husband, Isaac has been kidnapped and imprisoned on the island of Malta--half of this book is his story too. I really enjoyed the descriptions of Venice and of the complications and challenges that Venetians faced at this time: poverty, a return of the Plague, Catholic laws and blatant ignorance and anti-Semitism. "

" A good easy read!!! "

" Quick easy read with rich descriptions of 16th century Venice. Unfortunately I felt that the story was somewhat contrived and I'd have trouble recommending it. "

" This book was very good! So interesting to read about historic events like the plague and such. "

" A seriously interesting and compelling book. There was a relentless feel of inevitability to the majority of the book as both Levi and Hannah were pushed along by fate. "

" I was quickly caught up in this intriguing story. A real test of keeping with religious tradition versus what you know in your heart is the right thing to do. "

" A historical novel set in a fascinating time. It was spoilt by characters behaving inconsistently and improbably. Interesting but not great. "

" Not as good as some others I have read...but was an entertaining story. "

" A very enjoyable book about sixteenth century Venice, delivering babies, Jewish life and a story of suspense. It had lots of wonderful detail. "

" Well-researched account of 16th century Venice but the story-line, in spite of the interesting characters, needed to be developed further. "

" It wasn't bad... but I've read better books about Venice, better books about midwifery, and better books about Jewish ghettos in the Renaissance. "

" Great story with fascinating historical context (the protagonist is a Jewish midwife who lives in the Venice ghetto and is forbidden to minister to Christians, but is forced to, in order to maybe save her enslaved husband), but simply written so that it's almost a beach read. "

" I'm not sure what I expected but I was disappointed with this book. Maybe it was my mood while reading it - I just found myself skimming after awhile rather than reading. It didn't grab me like I thought it would. "

" I really enjoyed this book, it had me captivated from the start. As a reader you find yourself routing for Hannah and her enslaved husband. Would recommend. "

" Loved it- couldn't put it down! "

" I am not a big fan of historical fiction but thought to give this book a try. Life is too short for depressing books about dismembered babies. That is where I closed the book. I don't even want to know if it continues like that. Her prose is vivid, I will say that for it. "

" This was a wonderful book. I loved reading about Hanna and Issac and their journey to find each other again. Great book for discussion. "

" This was compared to The Red Tent???? No way! Not very well written at all. No depth; quite unbelieveable in parts; predictable. "

" Just when I thought all was lost, the ending takes a turn for the better. I love happy endings. "

" Loved this book! Loved the characters and the way the author told both stories and weaved them together. "

" I'm almost finished with this. I think it sheds light on the prevalence of antisemitism as far back as medieval times. The main characters are well developed and you're really rooting for them. "

" I didn't love this novel. I had no emotional connection with any of the characters and I found the storyline quite ridiculous and unbelievable:( "

" Just readable enough that I couldn't stop but not good enough that I enjoyed the journey. The plot is over-stuffed and it would be easy not to notice the fact that this book is quite well-researched (it includes notes and a bibliography). A disappointment. "