The Harem Midwife

A sweeping work of historical fiction set in 16th-century Constantinople, The Harem Midwife is a richly detailed novel of Jewish exile, palace intrigue, and dangerous secrets inside the Ottoman Empire. In 1578, Hannah and Isaac Levi—Venetian Jews forced from their homeland—have rebuilt their lives in the glittering yet volatile world of Sultan Murat III’s court. Isaac prospers in the thriving silk trade, while Hannah has become one of the most sought-after midwives in Constantinople, attending the women of the imperial harem. When Hannah is summoned to the palace, she encounters Leah, a young Jewish girl abducted and delivered into the sultan’s harem. Chosen as a potential mother of an heir, Leah faces a brutal test that could seal her fate. Moved by the girl’s courage and desperate vulnerability, Hannah risks her hard-won security to protect her. But as court politics tighten and a mysterious stranger from Venice threatens Hannah’s fragile peace, long-buried secrets begin to surface. In a world ruled by power, faith, and survival, one misstep could destroy everything she and Isaac have built. Lush with historical detail, religious tension, and emotional depth, The Harem Midwife is an immersive tale of resilience, forbidden love, female solidarity, and survival in the shadow of empire.