by Regina O'Melveny
Book Description (per Amazon)
Publication Date: April 10, 2012
Dr. Gabriella Mondini, a strong-willed, young Venetian woman, has followed her father in the path of medicine. She possesses a singleminded passion for the art of physick, even though, in 1590, the male-dominated establishment is reluctant to accept a woman doctor. So when her father disappears on a mysterious journey, Gabriella's own status in the Venetian medical society is threatened. Her father has left clues--beautiful, thoughtful, sometimes torrid, and often enigmatic letters from his travels as he researches his vast encyclopedia, The Book of Diseases.
After ten years of missing his kindness, insight, and guidance, Gabriella decides to set off on a quest to find him--a daunting journey that will take her through great university cities, centers of medicine, and remote villages across Europe. Despite setbacks, wary strangers, and the menaces of the road, the young doctor bravely follows the clues to her lost father, all while taking notes on maladies and treating the ill to supplement her own work.
Product Details
- Hardcover
- Publisher: Little Brown and Company (April 10, 2012)
- ASIN: B008KUEGLQ
My Review
I was so excited to finally
receive The Book of Madness and Cures
in the mail. It was a book I’d requested
from the publisher and I was beside myself with excitement when it
arrived. I love historical novels and,
if you toss in a bit of medicinal lore sprinkled with early treatments for
madness, you’ve got this clinician drooling! I couldn’t wait to read about the
adventures of Gabriella Mondini: a 16th century Venetian physician
determined to practice medicine during the Renaissance, when doing so could be
construed as heretical. Remember, most
gals in the 16th century used needles for needlepoint, not suturing
wounds! Gabriella’s unseemly interest in
such manly things is tolerated by the physicians in Venice only because her father, a renowned physician, acts as her mentor. When he abandons her in pursuit of a personal
quest, Gabriella is no longer permitted to practice the healing arts. The tale of her attempts to find her father,
and complete their book of cures for madness, moves the story along. I could
scarcely contain my excitement as I settled in for, what I was sure would be, a
delightful read.
It really should have been. All the requisite pieces for a perfect story
were there, yet, the story fell flat. I
regret to say that it just did not pull me in.
The dialogue, in general, was stilted and the interactions between
mistress and servant were unrealistic for the Renaissance period. Interesting case histories of patients
suffering from madness are interjected sporadically throughout the book. All-in-all, the clinical feel of the writing
was such that it left me removed from the supposed distress of the protagonist.
Still, this is a debut novel and O’Melveny certainly has talent. Her next book, I’m sure, will flow more
freely. This one, however, earned 3 of 5
hearts from this reviewer.
Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My review reflects my honest opinion of the work.
