Hannah Levi is a Jewish midwife with magical hands...or spoons, rather. The mystery of her success is somewhat due to her "birthing spoons," which enable Hannah to save hard to reach babies and their desperate mothers. Hannah's success may be her downfall, however, when a Christian husband begs her to save his laboring wife. Hannah is uncertain whether or not she should go, but her morals get the better of her and she risks helping a Christian (an act that took a great deal of bravery during this time period). Although no Jewish midwives are supposed to attend a Christian birth, Hannah gets right down to business. The following events set off more and more reactions that will force the plot along at a rapid clip and keep the reader avidly reading.

Hannah's character is excellent. She was the perfect main character to relate to and the reader can not help but like her. Down to earth, intelligent, and brave, Hannah is an unforgettable character. The book switches from Hannah's point of view to that of her husbands', Isaac. He fell upon bad circumstances due to illegal activity concerning medical activity (Jews are banned from certain things). These two characters will create a plot in THE MIDWIFE OF VENICE that is impossible to forget and fun to read.

Hannah's character was excellent. She was the perfect main character to relate to and like. Down to earth, intelligent, and brave, Hannah is an unforgettable character. The book switches from Hannah's point of view to that of her husbands', Isaac. Isaac will appeal to male readers more than Hannah, perhaps. He fell upon bad circumstances due to illegal activity concerning medical activity (Jews are banned from certain things). These two characters will create a plot that is impossible to forget and fun to read.

Book Summary