the Jewish midwife Hannah is struck through many challenging decisions that go against her religion and also the rules at the time. it is a fast novel that includes murder, blackmail, and personal struggle. I loved this novel because for once is actually showed the scarce side of Venice for once rather than what everyone makes it out to be! I absolutely recommend this novel if you are looking for a book about The 16th century that shows the truth from the point of view of an independent woman. I still feel like I don't actually know the two main characters, but my real issue with this book was the situations that cropped up for Isaac and Hannah. There was nothing believable about either the plot twists or the characters' reactions to them. After a while it was like a musical, where you're waiting for the next song and dance - a character would get in a hopeless situation, you'd turn the page, and voila! Something random would come up that would change their fate. The ending was very abrupt as well.
