Customer Reviews

The Witch of Cologne

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Yes, the style of writing is a bit unconventional. Yes, there are sex and torture scenes and they are graphic. Yes, the Kabbalah takes a back seat less than 1/3 of the way through the novel. And, yes, the cover art is disconcerting. Get over it! This book isn't a romance by any stretch of the imagination and, quite frankly, if 17th century German politics aren't your thing, you will be sorely disappointed by The Witch of Cologne. However, if you're willing to keep an open mind, you just might learn a little something about the melding of the philosophies, religions, and economics of the people of the Rhenish region. Love story be damned, this book is not so much about the relationhsip between the two main characters as it is about a war between what is politically comfortable and what is morally just. Read this novel for what it is, not what you wish it to be, and you'll come away from it both entertained and pleased.

I, too was sceptical of this novel due to the cover; it was actually recommended to me by students of mine, who enjoy historical fiction. All facets of the characters and their very human struggles, including the long-standing vendetta of the Inquisitor against the daughter of Sara Navarro are believable from the perspective of the reader. The novel is charged with energy; characters are dynamic and credible, especially the romance between Alphonse and Ferdinand. The clergy are conflicted and realistically trapped in the politics of the Inquisition, the rise of Protestantism and the burgeoning Age of Enlightment of which Ruth is the talisman. A major effort for the novelist as the text remains true and solid until the very final pages of the novel. All characters, except the fanatics, question the rationale of their time and even the Count at the end of the text and his life, reconciles himself to the fact that his heir is of mixed blood, yet during his life he could not publically reconcile himself to his sham marriage and hidden homosexuality.

A rare jewel of a glimpse into the period of Charles II, Benedict Spinoza and the Holy Roman Emperor just before the turn of the eighteenth century.

The story of a Jewish midwife, Ruth Bas Elazar Saul, who lives and works in the German city of Cologne in the 1660's. Unlike the average midwife of the time Ruth is also trained in medicine but, despite her scientific approach to healing, she frequently finds herself resorting to traditional Jewish birth charms. Ruth does not see herself as a Witch, but rather as a follower of 'Scientia Nova' (new science), yet despite this, she is unfairly accused of Witchcraft and suffers greatly at the hands of the Spanish Inquisition. This is a thought provoking, sometimes horrifying story which inspires much musing about the historical relationship between Judaism and Witchcraft. The book is divided into ten sections named for the ten Kabbalistic Sephiroth, and Ruth owns an old copy of the Zohar: a key Kabbalistic text, written in Aramaic and sometimes referred to as the 'Bible' of the Kabbalists, however we don't really get to hear much in the way of Kabbalistic secrets and the Zohar is more a silent decorative prop - although Ruth does base some of her mysticism and spells on its contents. Nevertheless, it is interesting to be reminded that the Kabbalah, which is so heavily associated with Western Ceremonial Magick, is actually a Jewish tool. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this historical fiction novel set in a time period I am utterly unfamiliar with but, now, intensely interested in. Ruth bas Elazar Saul, the defiant and headstrong daughter of the chief rabbi of Cologne's Jewish getto Deutz, is a young Jewish midwife who dabbles in the ancient Kabbalah. To escape an unwanted marriage, she flees to Amsterdam, and studies hidden as a young man. There she acquires new skills as a midwife and begins using to deliver babies upon her return to Cologne to much success. Success that earns her the title of witch and finally reaches the attention of the Inquisition. Ruth's intellect and bravery lead one of her inquisitors to fall in love with her.

I was skeptable that this would be a good book but was pleasantly surprised. The cover lead me to believe it was a bodice ripper and to some degree it is very steamy in places. But the intricate plotting, the mesmerizing characters and the attention to detail overrode my misgivings and lead me into a very enjoyable book. I highly recommend.

'The Witch of Cologne'is a well written story that will appeal to lovers of historical fiction. I enjoyed it *although I can't really compare it to 'The Red Tent' as one cover blurb does*, and would recommend it to lovers of the medieval/Renaissance genre. It centers around the life of Ruth, a young Jewish midwife and the religious upheaval of the times *both Christian/Jew & Catholic/Protestant*.

Although the "villain" of the piece is motivated by the usual "spurned lover/revenge on the family" scenario, the author creates well developed characters that you care about. If you like Phillipa Gregory, Margaret George & Geraldine Brooks, then you will like this book.

The only negative comment I have is that the cover photograph makes it look like a tacky porn novel, which is most unfortunate both for the author & the book itself, and might turn some prospective readers away from it. Don't let that stop you though, it is well worth reading.

I work at a library and we were all very skeptical about this book because of the cover. I decided to read it anyway and I'm very glad that I did! This is a very moving story about religious prejudices, the abuse of power and, most importantly, about love. Her style of writing is very sensuous and the torture scenes are quite graphic, but this makes the story more real for the reader. I couldn't put the book down! It is a historical romance, but seems well balanced between the history and the romance. I learned a great deal about this region and the time period while enjoying a timeless romance!

I loved this book but it had its flaws. What I loved: the historical detail, the background of the melting pot that became modern Europe, the outline of the characters. It was a great idea, and the writer has great promise. The plot just didn't flow quite right and the relationships between the characters just fell a little flat. What I didn't like: the ending, the choppy plot, a lack of successfully written feeling between major characters. Ruth is rather one-dimensional - she doesn't make sense.
I felt the author was trying for something along the lines of Philippa Gregory's "WISEWOMAN" or "WIDEACRE" but it didn't quite work out. The ending was just so disappointing and left me feeling like I'd wasted my time except for learning a lot about 1660's Cologne & Amsterdam.

A mass-market epic romance combines philosophical radicalism (Spinoza's secularism), political upheaval (Dutch rebellion against the monarchy), and Catholic suppression (the Inquisition extends its long bony hands towards the German frontier). The later 17th century's full of power, lust, and greed, and Learner intersperses erotic scenes that make her characters seem much more like contemporaries than our ancestors, if their uninhibited tastes were indulged.

Reviewers appeared shocked or unsettled by Learner's ambitious tale. However, as the author of "Quiver: a book of erotic tales," one might expect her application of steamier interludes into an often sobering dramatization of how liberal ideals were hunted down by enforcers of Church and State. I sought this out curious about the portrayal of Sephardic Judaism in a modernizing Europe, and this element, especially in the earlier sections, enriches this story. The question of whether she's a witch, interestingly or annoyingly, appears understated: we see evidence of such, but details soon get skimmed over and obscured, perhaps reflecting the way Ruth would wish to distract others from her acquaintance with amulets and spells.

The novel's chapters are named for kabbalistic levels, but as the story goes on, the actual connections between the Zohar and the plot seem to recede and vanish. Later chapters find Ruth, once with her lover, a Catholic canon who turns Protestant preacher, seemingly abandoning her Jewish heritage, if understandably due to clerical and judicial persecutions which never seem to end. This grim tone of oppression permeates the whole novel. Judaism and skepticism both seem thought crimes. I felt the pressure upon freethinkers that must have terrorized so many who dared to consider revolutionary conceptions in such an oppressive climate.

For me, that struggle to articulate humanist ideals proved the most memorable aspect of this narrative. Learner also writes for the stage and screen, and the cinematic perspective of many scenes enlivens her novel. Here is a plague hospital: "Oblivious to the human agony below, a swallow tends to the mud nest she has wedged precariously between two wooden rafters. Beneath the industrious bird lie row after row of the infirm. Thrown on the dirty straw, the sick are contorted and delirious, like the victims of some massive shipwreck, their eyes already flooding with the resignation of the drowning. Nuns in the brown habit of their order scurry between their patients, removing pails of diseased slops, many wearing cotton masks packed with herbs in a desperate attempt to ward off the extraordinary stench of disease." (284)

She takes time to characterize even walk-on figures, and you glimpse their complexity. Her skill at rendering scenes (as what I've quoted) enlivens her novel. Her research generally works smoothly. Perhaps inevitably some dialogue lags didactically given what we must comprehend about the machinations of Austria, Holland, and the German entities. Towards the end, the narrative energy flags as some main characters weary; passages tell us rather than show us the progress of the pursued, hunted characters. (One aside: I don't think Kaddish for the dead would have been recited in "perfect Hebrew"; it's traditionally in a literary Aramaic.) Given our unfamiliarity with 17th-century history, there's a few notes appended, a list of characters (many taken from real life) with annotations, and a helpful glossary.

Learner's learning's generally blended well, but this may be a daunting read for the squeamish, the prim, or the easily distracted reader. It takes about a third of the way into the plot for the key players to square off, but after that, the pace steadies. The conclusion did not wrap up the way I thought, while the fate of one foe and the general denouement seemed too hasty after so long a story. I suspected a sequel either was altered and edited into this novel, or that the character triumphant at the conclusion may earn another tale to come.

So, it's recommended for an adventurous reader. The lively couplings and gruesome tortures jibe with Learner's wish to make us feel the fleshly fates of her characters, as moments of grace and depth enter nearly every figure she introduces. She's nimble at telegraphing traits to help us identify with these distant people and their thoughts and fears. Our protagonist seems by the end overwhelmed by it all, and we may be too, but that's the force of the encounter between frail humans and ideological forces that try to crush, rather than liberate, everyday folks who dare question what seems to have always been true.

I ordered this book after reading "Soul", which was absolutely terrific. I was disappointed in The Witch of Cologne. It starts very slowly and I had to often reference the list of characters (provided at the beginning of the book) to try to keep the plot straight. The author did do a lot of research, which I appreciate. However, the first third of the book was actually boring to me, even though I am a devotee of history and detail. Had I not loved "Soul" so much, I would not have bothered to drag myself through "The Witch...". Things did pick up further into the story and the last half of the book was more interesting and readable. Overall, however, I was disappointed.

This is one of the best books I've read; excellent character depiction, strong yet loving main character, incorrigible antagonist that you truly want rid of. Ms. Learner's style of writing is very interesting and full of historical fact (complete with glossary of terms)! I enjoyed the "meaty" aspect of this book, in that you could not just sit down and read a few pages and absorb everything. This book is worth reading with your full mind and intellect to capture everything the author puts forth. This isn't a book for people who enjoy a bit of light reading, but if you every want to delve into a subject, this is the book for you. I absolutely loved it!