Written by Maggie Anton, an authority on medieval French Jewish women, this is a novel about love and The Talmud in medieval France (around 1070 CE). This was a period of relative calm between the Jews and the Christians. I can't recommend it whole heartedly because it's not a book that grabbed me or made me want to get back to reading it. But, having seen it through to the end, I realize that I have learned so much about orthodox Jewish customs and beliefs and traditions, some of which I found very beautiful. Rashi, the father of Joheved, is a scholar who actually lived and Joheved is his oldest daughter, who has two younger sisters, Miriam and Rachel (the subjects of Books 2 and 3). These daughters, like their father, actually lived in 11th century France. This historical fiction book tells about the fathers selecting husbands for their daughters, the courtship, the wedding, the first night, conception of a child, miscarriages, birth of a child, the circumcision of male babies, use of herbs in treating illness, the last days of life, death, and preparing the body for burial, all told in the light of sometimes curious beliefs.
I'm glad I read this book but I doubt that I'll read the two follow-on books about Joheved's sisters.
Reviewed by Cal
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