An
opulent, captivating, suspenseful historical novel rom the author of
the thrilling international bestseller The Midwife of Venice.
The
Imperial Harem, Constantinople, 1578. Hannah and Isaac Levi, Venetians
in exile, have overcome unfathomable obstacles to begin life anew in the
Ottoman Empire. He works in the growing silk trade, and she, the best
midwife in the capital, tends to the hundreds of women in Sultan Murat
III’s lively and infamous harem. One night, Hannah is unexpectedly summoned
to the extravagant palace and confronted with Leah, a Jewish peasant
girl who was violently abducted. The sultan favors Leah as his next
conquest and wants her to produce his heir, but if the spirited girl
fails an important test, she faces a terrible fate. Taken by Leah’s
tenacity, Hannah risks everything to help her. But as Hannah agonizes
over her decision, an enchanting stranger arrives from afar to threaten
her peaceful life with Isaac, and soon Leah too reveals a dark secret
that could condemn them both.
Filled with adventure and vivid detail and peopled with memorable characters, The Harem Midwife showcases Roberta Rich’s boundless talent for capturing readers’ imaginations.
The Harem Midwife is a delectable little gem of a book! I loved it and would highly recommend it. I haven’t
read the first book in this series and was a little afraid that I
wouldn’t be able to keep up with the characters or their backstory.
Luckily I didn’t have to worry. Roberta Rich does an amazing job of
giving you little tidbits of what happened to Hannah and Isaac in Venice, that it is easy to get caught up.
Hannah is a very compassionate character who wants to help everyone. So much so that it gets her in trouble. She feels sorry for Leah and actually helps her escape from the harem. Through this action she sets off a chain of events that could end with her and her family’s deaths.
Roberta Rich weaves an amazing story. All of the characters (fictional and real) are well thought out and rounded. The storyline is at times a little far-fetched but with so many twists and turns, you don’t mind going along for the ride.
I
couldn’t put this book down and was actually excited that I was
recovering from surgery so that I could read as much as I wanted. This
is one book that I’m planning on reading a few times, even when I’m not
sick. I would highly recommend this book. It is a great read.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Author
of the internationally bestselling THE MIDWIFE OF VENICE. Writers of a
certain vintage always seem to boast of the variety of interesting jobs
they held before settling down to write. Jobs like fire breather on the
Reforma in Mexico City, or turkey plucker. I have not done anything
so exotic. Moving from present to past, I have been: a divorce lawyer,
student, waitress, nurses' aide, hospital admitting clerk, factory
assembly line worker and child.
I
live in Vancouver, B.C. and in Colima, Mexico. I have one husband, one
daughter, three step-children, a German Shepherd, tropical fish and many
over sexed parakeets. When in Mexico, I nurture my husband, and my
vanilla vines. When in Vancouver I try to keep dry.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Stephanie
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The old grey donkey, Eeyore stood by himself in a thistly corner of the Forest, his front feet well apart, his head on one side, and thought about things. Sometimes he thought sadly to himself, "Why?" and sometimes he thought, "Wherefore?" and sometimes he thought, "Inasmuch as which?" and sometimes he didn't quite know what he was thinking about.
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