Regina O'MelvenyRezensionen

Started out slow, got slightly better, then I just started skipping the long, boring, descriptive paragraphs...waiting for more dialogue. Should be called he book of dullness and cures...except there is no helping this one.

Muy pocas mujeres podían ejercer la medicina en la Venecia de 1590. Gabriella lo ha conseguido gracias a la ayuda de su padre, el renombrado doctor Mondini, con el que ha adquirido los conocimientos y la intuición necesarios, y a quien ayuda a documentarse para su obra maestra: un enciclopédico trabajo titulado El libro de las dolencias.
Cuando su padre desaparece misteriosamente, el Gremio de Médicos le prohíbe ejercer sin su tutela. Para continuar con la vocación de su vida, atendiendo a las mujeres venecianas, Gabriella habrá de encontrar a su padre y regresar con él. Emprende así un apasionante viaje por la Europa de finales del siglo XVI, siguiendo las pistas que aparecen en las enigmáticas cartas que recibe de su progenitor.

I got this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. And let me be frank, that was months ago. This was not an easy read. On the other hand, it was a beautiful and melancholic book. The ending seemed to clash with the mood of the book, being so upbeat and jovial. All in all, I would recommend reading this book if you like incongruous endings and roller coaster rides of emotions. Also crying.

A young woman doctor from Venice goes on a journey across late 16th century Europe to find her father. She uses his letters to her as a map of his own journey through the Medieval landscape. As she meets people who knew him, she suspects he has been driven and cursed with some sort of madness. She writes tales of remedies and cures for various maladies on her way.

I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

I enjoyed reading this book but it felt like something was missing, at least to me. I kept waiting for more.

Oh my GOSH. This book was AWFUL. I had to force myself to finish it. But the author certainly did her research, so I'll give it 2 stars instead of 1.

3.5 stars. It took a LONG time for me to get into the story, but the ending was very satisfying.

First I won this book through GoodReads. Set in 16th century Venice it follows the life of Gabriella on a quest to find her father who left to travel and finish his chronology of diseases and cures. She follows a course led by letters from her father and is helped along by her two servants Lorenzo and Olimino. They helped along by many of her fathers friends and other acquaintances along their journey. Gabriella brings along her copy of the book she and her father had worked on before he set out on his journey.

The book is detailed in 16th century life and for the life of a woman during this time period. The meat of the story does not occur until 2/3 into the book so you do need a little patience. I was sad for the loss of Lorenzo on their journey. I felt Gabriella was a bit like Don Quioxte in her push to find her father crossing through many countries and oceans on a quest that seemed unlikely to succeed.

I listened to the book on Audio CD. What could have been a really good story fell short for me. I felt it was dry and somewhat boring.

Should be a 3 1/2 stars category. Different than the usual fare, this was an interesting book, with only a few points which seemed incongruent to me. The reader of the audio book truly made this book come alive.

liked it! quirky and beautiful book. review soon...

Venice in 1590 was one of the more forward thinking cultures of Europe. Even so, Gabriella Mondini had to hide her ability as a physician because of her gender. Her father taught her the art of physick and she had looked forward to practicing with him. When he decided to go wandering throughout Europe to find more cures for his Book of Physick she was devastated to be left behind with her mother. As his correspondence became more and more sporadic she made the decision to follow his path and find him. Not quite as simple as it sounds. A woman travelling alone with her staff of two attracts all kinds of unwanted attention, and a woman physician could be misconstrued as a witch. All making for an interesting and perilous quest.

I enjoyed this book for several reasons; the description of life as a “liberated” woman in 16th century Europe, Gabriella’s quest and the descriptions of the various countries she travelled through and the description of common cures, uncommon ailments and everyday life. This book would definitely appeal to fans of Arrianna Franklin’ Mistress in the Art of Death books.

Fascinating look at 16th century Italian woman physician; she seemed like more of a herbalist. Gabriella Mondini's father, a physician himself, behaves oddly and just decides to go wandering one day. He leaves his wife and daughter in Venetia [Venice]. After Gabriella is finally barred from the physicians' guild since she is a female with no mentor, she decides to trace out her father's journey, using as clues, letters he has written her from foreign parts these last ten years. She hopes to find him and bring him home, although the last letter she has received says he is never coming back. She sets off with two servants. Their search takes them to Padua, Switzerland, the Black Forest area of Germany, Tübingen, Holland, Scotland, France, Spain, Mauritania [North Africa] and comes full circle to Venetia. The three have many adventures on the way-- such as losing their horse and mules in Lake Constance, a bear attack and death of her manservant. She loses her medicine chest, then it is almost miraculously returned to her. She witnesses an autopsy.

http://www.rembrandthuis.nl/en/rembrandt/belangrijkste-werken/de-anatomische-les...

You might have to scroll down to see the Rembrandt. You'll get an idea of what a Dutch autopsy might have looked like.

Her father had been writing a "Book of Diseases" but she keeps her own notes; as the novel progresses, the "case histories" become more and more bizarre, from the recognizable, such as depression, to ones completely outlandish: Blue Earworms. They seem to reflect her father's descent into madness.

I enjoyed this story and learned a lot about the social customs and about physicians of this period. Some things were implausible, e.g., how the trio could journey all over Europe without being set upon by thieves. Although her father's story was sad, the ending was upbeat.

I picked this up on a whim because of the title and the setting (16th century Italy), but it did not end up being all that great. It is the story of a woman doctor journeying around Europe in search of her father, who disappeared some years before. The descriptions of contemporary medical case studies and treatments were fascinating, but the story itself left a bit to be desired. It's mostly about her somewhat aimless wanderings, some lukewarm interactions with locals, and ultimately a pretty disappointing climax. It passed the time, but I wouldn't recommend it.

First, to comply with the terms and conditions that I'm sure no one ever reads, I hereby disclose in this, my review, that I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Second, I will warn you now. There are spoilers. Do not read the last paragraph if you intend to read the book.

Now that THAT is out of the way, I will begin by saying that I was, sadly, underwhelmed with this book. I was expecting more; I can't exactly pinpoint how, exactly. The description, or rather summary hooked me, to say the least and I was VERY excited when I had found out that I'd won it. I ran to the mailbox each day after work, waiting for the book to come in. I was so anxious to read it, hoping it would live up to the description, title and cover art.

I loved the characters. Lorenzo and Gabi were probably my two favorites. Their personalities and their overall development as characters pleased me a great deal. Olmina was a wonderful character as well, since I'm pretty sure everyone knows someone like her: an older, stubborn woman who tends to be quite motherly, although either has no children of her own or they've grown and moved away, practical to a fault, mildly superstitious, and, to top it all off, more than she seems. She was incredibly relatable and, I believe, she was an excellent addition to to book to balance out the personalities in the traveling trio.

The course of the story is where I was disappointed. I enjoyed the author including the parts of "The Book of Diseases" that Gabriella was writing through out the journey, but I feel as though the journey its self was monotonous, repetitive, and vague. Every town, though in different areas of Europe, was the same experience: Looking for information about her father and not finding it. Each gentleman scholar she stayed with having something to do with her romantic life in some way, whether they themselves were interested, or one of their students etc. Pressing on, fleeing, followed or even accompanied by some sort of tragedy. Every. Single. Town.

I was bothered that none of the doctors she stayed with seemed to share the same feelings as the council when it came to a woman practicing medicine. It seems odd that it would only be in Venice, her home town, the very place where she practiced her art alongside her father (when he was in the picture), where Gabi would find those opposed to her occupation strictly because she was a woman. These men who helped her along her journey, although they knew her father and his reputation well, didn't really know much about HER practice, from what I was able to gather. Why would they treat her with the same respect they treated her father when, in their eyes, she was yet unproven in the art of medicine and a woman to boot? It's the late 1500's for goodness sake!

Finally a few other minor details bothered me towards the end of the story. First of all, she gets pregnant. Although I know she wasn't overly religious, and sex before marriage isn't impossible, even back then, it WAS still frowned upon, regardless of age or station. I just didn't feel as though Gabi would do that. Next, I was bothered by everything with her father. I don't want to go into details because I'm pretty sure I already ruined this for people, but I'll just say that the author left a lot of questions unanswered in that regard. Finally, where did they get the name for the child? I mean seriously, I know it's not a HUGE point and not really worth making a stink over, but you would think she'd do something with her father's name. Just saying.

I received The Book of Madness and Cures as part of a Goodreads giveaway.

I read this book (and wrote its review) quite some time ago; however, somehow it must not have gotten posted.

Gabriella is a rarity: a female physician, tutored by her father and practicing in Renaissance Venice. Her world falls apart, however, when her father disappears, leaving Gabriella only a cryptic note. This final letter becomes the starting point in her search for him, in order to discover his fate and restore her own livelihood.

O'Melveny's research into Renaissance medicinal knowledge, practice, and techniques is obviously well done, and she weaves it into her story well. Personally, however, the characters and the storyline didn't grab me as much as I'd wished. I wasn't really feeling the romance and a female physician as the main character seemed a little cliche and anachronistic. I think it would be a worthwhile read for someone interested in the social and scientific worlds of the period--the milieu and the knowledge that forms the backbone of the story is sound and worthwhile. I'd like to read something of O'Melveny's in the future, however--if she can flesh out her characters and storylines a bit better, I think she'd be a great historical fiction writer given her impeccable research.

Gabriella is a sixteenth century woman doctor who journeys after her father, who departed home over ten years ago. Her travels take her through treacherous territory and dangerous villages. An especially well written scene takes her through a village in which the women are gone (I won't spoil the rest). Throughout the journey she updates entries in her medical dictionary and continues her medical studies.

The author excels at creating the atmosphere of sixteenth century Europe and the writing is lyrical and easy to read. The descriptions of medical study and superstitions were fascinating. However, the characters were not always well developed and I never felt as if I knew Gabriella and it affected how I read the novel. Overall, this is a good historical fiction novel but maybe not as great as it could have been if the characters were better created. This was a Goodreads Firstreads Giveaway.

Amazon Description:
Gabriella Mondini is a rarity in 16th century Venice: a woman who practices medicine. Her father, a renowned physician, has provided her entrée to this all-male profession, and inspired her at every turn. Then her father disappears and Gabriella faces a crisis: she is no longer permitted to treat her patients without her father's patronage. She sets out across Europe to find where-and why-he has gone. Following clues from his occasional enigmatic letters, Gabriella crosses border after border, probing the mystery of her father's flight, and opening new mysteries of her own. Not just mysteries of ailments and treatments, but ultimate mysteries of mortality, love, and the timeless human spirit.

Filled with medical lore and sensuous, vivid details of Renaissance life, THE BOOK OF MADNESS AND CURES is an intoxicating and unforgettable debut.

Opinions:
The Book of Madness and Cures takes place during the Renaissance. Gabriella’s father sets off throughout Europe to gather information for his book – The Book of Diseases – which Gabriella continues to work on throughout the book. With letters coming fewer and farther in between, Gabriella sets out to find her father with the help of two servants – Olmina and Lorenzo.

The story is written in first person – Gabriella. Gabriella is not a typical thirty year old woman of the 16th century; she has studied medicine with her father and remains unmarried. In her practice, she has gained female patients that feel more comfortable seeing her than a male doctor. Her father is/was her mentor growing up. He’s her key into the profession. When he goes missing, she not only loses a father but access to the profession she loves. Not able to stand being alone with her mother any longer, she travels throughout Europe with her nanny (now her servant), Olmina, and her husband, Lorenzo. As they travel throughout Europe (going up through Germany to Scotland and back down through France and Spain), they must piece together what has happened to Gabriella’s father. They meet other doctors and interesting people along the way – with a few bumps and turns.

As they piece together the clues left from places where Gabriella’s father left, they come to realize that something might be wrong with him. Something that is not quite right mentally.

The story itself had an interesting premise. I haven’t read a renaissance book similar to this one. Gabriella’s character was done well. She is a smart girl (well, woman) who knows many things about medicine, as well as, many languages. I was surprised that she didn’t actually start her searching where the last letter was known to be from and work backwards from there (if necessary), rather than following her father’s journey from start to finish. It seems like a waste of time if she was really just concerned with finding her father. I was also a little surprised that they didn’t have a little more trouble while travel such long distances as they did. Granted, there are a few scenes within the book that does this; I just expected more of it.

Overall, I liked the book. If you like historical fiction that revolves around women doctors, travel, and difference European countries, this book might be for you.

While the flower-y language had me wondering, the knowledgeable telling of the travels around old Europe in the late 1500s of a devoted daughter seeking her long-absent father drew me into, and along, the difficult journey. Many topics were handled by the writer with ease and expertise including, the strict class structure, discrimination against females and certain religions, the conflict between proven home remedies and the medical establishment of the day, lost loves, sexual indiscretion, and mental illness. This was a most interesting read from which I walked away a wiser person. Ms. O'Melveny receives my enthusiastic congratulations on a very good first novel and one that I will recommend to my friends.

I received a free copy of "The Book of Madness and Cures" from Goodreads Firstreads.

I received this book for free from Goodreads. It was released in April of 2012 as a hardcover and recently released as a paperback. It is 316 pages. It is a beautiful father and daughter story. I have the one on top. I was surprised that this had been released with two other covers already in the short time that it has been out. I couldn’t decide which I liked better.

This is the journey of Gabriella the doctoressa as she searches for her father. Gabriella is a strong woman who was taught to be a doctor by her father. She is forced to quit doctoring after her father leaves. It is not an acceptable occupation for women in 17th century Venice. She follows in her father’s footsteps traveling to Switzerland, Germany, France, Scotland, the Netherlands and lastly Morocco. In each place she learns more and more about her father. She often dresses as a man to avoid trouble. In her journey she stays with the same doctors that her father stayed with and meets with many unsavory characters and difficult situations. Olmina and Lorenzo her family’s servants accompany her throughout most of the journey. Olmina is more like a mother to Gabriella. Gabriella’s own mother is disappointed in her and Gabriella has never been what her mother wished her to be.

I found the treatments and the illnesses that Gabriella describes in the book, an interesting look at 17th century medicine. I should have seen the ending coming, but the book ended a little different from how I thought it would. It was a bitter-sweet ending. Gabriella finds love with Hamish and has a daughter, but this is only part of the ending. I don’t want to give the whole thing away.

This book went pretty fast for me. I think I finished it in 3 or 4 days. It did seem to take a long time to get to the end of the story. The end was short in comparison to the length of the tale. It kept me reading to see what would happen to Gabriella next. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

An elegant portrait of a resolute woman who practices medicine in 16th-century Venice...The writing is superb, particularly when the author describes. Exotic locales and ancient superstitions. The book will especially attract readers who enjoy female¬ centered historical novels whose plots are not driven by romance. Intriguing.... Every new chapter brings a new adventure and a new piece of the puzzle.

I enjoyed this book very much and do hope the author writes another historical fiction piece. It was very thoroughly researched; well-crafted; somewhat unusual writing style, but that added to the texture and grittiness of the story. I was even more pleased to see how creatively the author was able to craft a historical fiction book that tells a good story.

Set in the late 16th Century, Dr Gabriella Mondini traverses Europe and Northern Africa in search of her missing father. The quality of prose made this an enjoyable read but the story didn't quite hook me. Certainly not a dissapointment though.

Where I got the book: e-ARC from NetGalley.

This was one of those lyrical novels where the words outshine the plot. Plot, indeed, was thin on the ground: Gabriella, a doctor of medicine in an era where women simply were not doctors, goes in search of her missing father. The search, naturally, takes her into all kinds of places and dangers.

Smells, touch, taste, sight: lots of detail here. Beautifully painted scenes using carefully chosen words. The scene where Gabriella watches a dissection only to realize...well, I won't spoil it...was very good indeed, and I could have done with more of that kind of writing.

If anything, this book reminded me of The Name of the Rose, but it lacked the intricacy of plot that made the latter compelling. If you've seen the movie of The Name of the Rose, you'll understand what I mean when I talk about the poetically gruesome evocations to which depictions of the medieval and Renaissance periods lend themselves, a sort of chiaraoscuro of words and images; this novel has them in spades, but not enough underlying structure to bring it up to Eco's standard.

I really enjoyed the plot in this book. Very different and because it is set back in time I enjoyed it even more.

If you judge a book by its cover, this would be a 5 star book. Unfortunately, Regina O'Melveny doesn't quite live up to the artistry that jacket designer Keith Hayes evokes. Hayes lures the reader in with the lovely Giovanna Tornabuoni by Domenico Ghirlandio (1489-1490)surrounded by some mixed media additions. And it worked. I am in the text and underwhelmed. But still looking at the cover longingly.½