Synopses & Reviews
Not since Anna Diamantand#8217;s andlt;Iandgt;The Red Tentandlt;/Iandgt; or Geraldine Brooksand#8217;s andlt;Iandgt;People of the Bookandlt;/Iandgt; has a novel transported readers so intimately into the complex lives of women centuries ago or so richly into a story of intrigue that transcends the boundaries of history. A and#8220;lavishly detailedand#8221; (andlt;Iandgt;Elleandlt;/Iandgt; Canada) debut that masterfully captures sixteenth-century Venice against a dramatic and poetic tale of suspense.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Hannah Levi is renowned throughout Venice for her gift at coaxing reluctant babies from their mothers using her secret and#8220;birthing spoons.and#8221; When a count implores her to attend his dying wife and save their unborn son, she is torn. A Papal edict forbids Jews from rendering medical treatment to Christians, but his payment is enough to ransom her husband Isaac, who has been captured at sea. Can she refuse her duty to a woman who is suffering? Hannahand#8217;s choice entangles her in a treacherous family rivalry that endangers the child and threatens her voyage to Malta, where Isaac, believing her dead in the plague, is preparing to buy his passage to a new life. Told with exceptional skill, andlt;I andgt;The Midwife of Veniceandlt;/Iandgt; brings to life a time and a place cloaked in fascination and mystery and introduces a captivating new talent in historical fiction.
Review
"Riveting and compulsively readable,andlt;Iandgt;The Midwife of Veniceandlt;/Iandgt; combines fast- paced adventure with richly evocative historical writing." and#8212; Freshfiction.com
Review
"Successfully captures the seedy side of 16-century Venice." and#8212; andlt;Iandgt;Publishers Weeklyandlt;/Iandgt;
Review
“A cliffhanger-strewn debut … breathless historical adventure.”—Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Richand#8217;s fascinating historical details and her warm empathy for her protagonists will capture historical fiction fans and readers who enjoyed Anita Diamantand#8217;s andlt;Iandgt;The Red Tentandlt;/Iandgt;." and#8212;andlt;Iandgt;Library Journalandlt;/Iandgt;
Review
and#8220;By definition, novels set in Venice must exude atmosphere, and this one positively drips with it. and#8230;Rich capably depicts the strength of women and the precariousness of their lives.and#8221; andlt;iandgt;and#8212;The Globe and Mailandlt;/iandgt; (Canada)
Review
and#8220;andlt;iandgt;The Midwife of Veniceandlt;/iandgt; is one of the best novels to be written in the genre of historical fiction since andlt;iandgt;The Girl with the Pearl Earringandlt;/iandgt;.and#8221; and#8212;Blogcritics.org
Review
and#8220;Rich skillfully incorporates a wealth of historical detail into her riveting tale of a heroine who won't give up on her marriage.and#8221;and#8212;andlt;Iandgt;Chicago Tribuneandlt;/Iandgt;
Review
"An engrossing, well-written, and fast-paced story about a fascinating period in history. The descriptions of sixteenth century Venice were so vivid, they were almost tangible."
Review
"A compelling and engaging novel, a well-researched high-stakes drama written with elegance and compassion: fascinating!" Sandra Gulland, author of The Josephine B. Trilogy and Mistress of the Sun
Review
"A meticulously researched page-turner that evokes renaissance Venice with remarkable clarity, radiance, and vigour."
Review
Praise for the novels of Elizabeth Loupas “Effortlessly evokes the dangerous glamour of Renaissance Italy…spellbinding”—The Chicago Tribune
"Thick with intrigue and spiced with scandal, The Flower Reader is a lush, vibrant tapestry of a book.”—Deanna Raybourn, New York Times bestselling author of The Dark Enquiry
“The historical mystery at the heart of this excellent novel kept me turning pages late into the night even as I admonished myself to slow down and savor the feast for the senses laid out on each page.”—Brenda Rickman Vantrease, author of The Heretics Wife
“This novel was completely mesmerizing and captivating…The writing style is masterful, creating a novel that was suspenseful, complex, and peopled with quirky and difficult characters.” —San Francisco Book Review
"Rich in historical detail and all the dangerous grandeur of court life in Renaissance Italy." —C.S. Harris, author of the Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery series
“I look forward to Elizabeth Loupass next book.”—Historical Novels Review (Editors Choice)
Review
andlt;divandgt;"A cliffhanger-strewn debut ... breathless historical adventure."andlt;iandgt;--Kirkus Reviewsandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/divandgt;
Review
andlt;divandgt;"Successfully captures the seedy side of 16-century Venice." -- andlt;Iandgt;Publishers Weeklyandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/divandgt;
Review
"A compelling and engaging novel, a well-researched high-stakes drama written with elegance and compassion: fascinating!"
Review
"Not only did Roberta Rich transport me to sixteenth-century Venice, with its seductive tapestry of smells, sights, textures and beliefs, she involved me in a poignant story of seasoned love. I don't know which I admired more--the wonderfully realized setting or the suspenseful story of Hannah and Isaac."
Review
andlt;divandgt;"A beautifully conceived debut novel... A
Review
and#8220;A cliffhanger-strewn debut and#8230; breathless historical adventure.and#8221;andlt;iandgt;and#8212;Kirkus Reviewsandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"A beautifully conceived debut novel... A finely drawn plot with well-developed characters to andlt;BRandgt; whom the reader feels a deep connection. Historical fact is well preserved in the fictional story, and it seems clear that Rich herself feels an abiding connection with that story and her characters. The pages fly by as we too connect deeply with Hannah and Isaac. A highly recommended novel."
Review
Praise for The Red Lily Crown
“Machiavelli meets The Brothers Grimm: a dark fairy tale with the addictive allure of a poison dream. Renaissance Florence springs to life in all its gorgeous, treacherous glory when a brave street urchin finds herself neck deep in Medici blood-lust. A dash of magic, a maze of murder, a heroine to root for, and a villain who needs to die--this is historical fiction at its most compelling.”—Kate Quinn, author of The Serpent and the Pearl and The Lion and the Rose
“Brings to life all the brutality, deception, and glamour of one of historys most intoxicating eras. I could not put it down!”—C.W. Gortner, author of The Queens Vow
“Elizabeth Loupas works her own particular alchemy on her readers as she brings the heady elements of the Medici court to life—fascinating!”—Marina Fiorato, author of The Botticelli Secret and The Venetian Secret
“You will race through this book and then find yourself wishing it did not have to end.”—Sophie Perinot, author of The Sister Queens
“I'm enthralled by the world evoked in The Red Lily Crown: the magnificent, dangerous and deeply amoral court of the Medici in late 16th century Florence. And I fell in love with Chiara, a spunky alchemist's daughter…. A deliciously decadent page-turner.”—Nancy Bilyeau, author of The Crown and The Chalice
Praise for the novels of Elizabeth Loupas
“Effortlessly evokes the dangerous glamour of Renaissance Italy…spellbinding”—The Chicago Tribune
"Thick with intrigue and spiced with scandal, The Flower Reader is a lush, vibrant tapestry of a book.”—Deanna Raybourn, New York Times bestselling author of The Dark Enquiry
“The historical mystery at the heart of this excellent novel kept me turning pages late into the night even as I admonished myself to slow down and savor the feast for the senses laid out on each page.”—Brenda Rickman Vantrease, author of The Heretics Wife
“This novel was completely mesmerizing and captivating…The writing style is masterful, creating a novel that was suspenseful, complex, and peopled with quirky and difficult characters.” —San Francisco Book Review
"Rich in historical detail and all the dangerous grandeur of court life in Renaissance Italy." —C.S. Harris, author of the Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery series
“I look forward to Elizabeth Loupass next book.”—Historical Novels Review (Editors Choice)
Synopsis
Not since Anna Diamant's The Red Tent or Geraldine Brooks's People of the Book has a novel transported readers so intimately into the complex lives of women centuries ago or so richly into a story of intrigue that transcends the boundaries of history. A "lavishly detailed" (Elle Canada) debut that masterfully captures sixteenth-century Venice against a dramatic and poetic tale of suspense.
Hannah Levi is renowned throughout Venice for her gift at coaxing reluctant babies from their mothers using her secret "birthing spoons." When a count implores her to attend his dying wife and save their unborn son, she is torn. A Papal edict forbids Jews from rendering medical treatment to Christians, but his payment is enough to ransom her husband Isaac, who has been captured at sea. Can she refuse her duty to a woman who is suffering? Hannah's choice entangles her in a treacherous family rivalry that endangers the child and threatens her voyage to Malta, where Isaac, believing her dead in the plague, is preparing to buy his passage to a new life. Told with exceptional skill, The Midwife of Venice brings to life a time and a place cloaked in fascination and mystery and introduces a captivating new talent in historical fiction.
Synopsis
Hannah Levi is renowned throughout Venice for her gift at coaxing reluctant babies from their mothersand#8212;a gift aided by the secret and#8220;birthing spoonsand#8221; she designed. But when a count implores her to attend to his wife, who has been laboring for days to give birth to their firstborn son, Hannah is torn. A Papal edict forbids Jews from rendering medical treatment to Christians, but the payment he offers is enough to ransom her beloved husband, Isaac, who has been captured at sea. Can Hannah refuse her duty to a suffering woman? Hannahand#8217;s choice entangles her in a treacherous family rivalry that endangers the baby and threatens her voyage to Malta, where Isaac, believing her dead in the plague, is preparing to buy his passage to a new life. Not since andlt;Iandgt;The Red Tent andlt;/Iandgt;or andlt;Iandgt;People of the Book andlt;/Iandgt;has a novel transported readers so intimately into the complex lives of women centuries ago or so richly into a story of intrigue that transcends the boundaries of history.
Synopsis
Hannah Levi is renowned throughout Venice for her gift at coaxing reluctant babies from their mothers—a gift aided by the secret “birthing spoons” she designed. But when a count implores her to attend to his wife, who has been laboring for days to give birth to their firstborn son, Hannah is torn. A Papal edict forbids Jews from rendering medical treatment to Christians, but the payment he offers is enough to ransom her beloved husband, Isaac, who has been captured at sea. Can Hannah refuse her duty to a suffering woman? Hannahs choice entangles her in a treacherous family rivalry that endangers the baby and threatens her voyage to Malta, where Isaac, believing her dead in the plague, is preparing to buy his passage to a new life. Not since The Red Tent or People of the Book has a novel transported readers so intimately into the complex lives of women centuries ago or so richly into a story of intrigue that transcends the boundaries of history.
Synopsis
Elizabeth Loupas returns with her most ambitious historical novel yet, a story of intrigue, passion, and murder in the Medici Court...
April, 1574, Florence, Italy. Grand Duke Cosimo de Medici lies dying. The city is paralyzed with dread, for the next man to wear the red lily crown will be Prince Francesco: despotic, dangerous, and obsessed with alchemy.
Chiara Nerini, the troubled daughter of an anti-Medici bookseller, sets out to save her starving family by selling her dead fathers rare alchemical equipment to the prince. Instead she is trapped in his householdimprisoned and forcibly initiated as a virgin acolyte in Francescos quest for power and immortality. Undaunted, she seizes her chance to pursue undreamed-of power of her own.
Witness to sensuous intrigues and brutal murder plots, Chiara seeks a safe path through the labyrinth of Medici tyranny and deception. Beside her walks the princes mysterious English alchemist Ruanno, her friend and teacher, driven by his own dark goals. Can Chiara trust him to keep her secrets
even to love her
or will he prove to be her most treacherous enemy of all?
About the Author
Elizabeth Loupas held various positions in radio and television, and worked as an editor, writer, and marketing consultant. She holds degrees in literary studies and library/information science. She lives with her husband and two beagles. She is the author of The Second Duchess and The Flower Reader.