I can't say I enjoyed this as much as the Midwife of Venice, though the plot carries some surprises. I loved learning about life in Constantinople during the 16th C and found the historical details to be its strength. There is much conniving and double-crossing by the secondary characters who are often more interesting than the primary ones. There's also lots of violence and gore. I did find the essential goodness of the main character, Hannah, and the doubts she developed around her too-perfect husband to be almost tedious near the end. I really enjoyed the Midwife of Venice and was looking forward to reading this sequel. For the most part I was not disappointed. This book carries on the story of Hannah, a well respected midwife who has the ear of the Valide (Sultan's mother). The main story is very intriguing and I found myself wanting to find out what happens to the characters. Roberta Rich did a good job of describing Constantinople and the harem. I found myself really sympathizing with the plight of the characters. The absolute power that a few people in Hannah's society wielded while the rest of society scraped by with a meagre living is not a far stretch from the world that we live in today.I was disappointed by the ending of the novel. It's not that it wasn't a good ending, I just thought that Rich solved the problems of the characters with a fairy tale ending that I thought was a little contrived. Rich was very clear earlier in the novel about the power of the Valide, so I found it a little unbelievable that not only did she forgive Hannah her mistake but also conveniently rewarded her with exactly what she needed. Other than this, I found the novel interesting and enjoyable to read. I would recommend this novel to people who are interested in historical fiction.
What do You think about The Harem Midwife (2013)?
It was quite an amazing book, however, the grant from the Valide seemed a little too good to be true
—teresa18
I could not follow a lot of what was going on because I didn't read the Midwife of Venice.
—Tehreem
3.5 good, however the end wrapped up a little bit too quickly and neatly
—lapislazuli
