Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The Bloodletter's Daughter is a highly engaging read about a period of time that I was not that familiar with. Marketa works with her father helping him as he performs leechings and purges of bad humors through bloodletting. She also helps her mother in the bathhouse, a public bathing house were women often sell more than a good scrub. She loathes being a bathmaid. Her mother pushes her to surrender her virginity to patrons to help feed their family. So far, Marketa has managed to appease her mother by letting the brewer look upon her naked body, but she knows it will not last. She dreams of becoming a serious doctor, like her father. Everything changes when the king's mad son is sent to her town, and her father is asked to help heal him of his madness. What follows is a tale of obsession, madness, and heartache. When looking at the sheer size of this novel, some people might be leery to start. While it is a long novel, the pages flew by while I read. Through every heartache and humiliation, I could not stop reading Marketa's story. I was fascinated with the time period and how society was structured. The language in this novel was easy to follow, and I never felt confused by who or what was happening. Not only historical fiction fans will be impressed with this novel. The Bloodletter's Daughter will appeal to anyone who enjoys reading a novel with a bit of a bite. If you are looking for some complex retelling of history that has level upon level of metaphors and symbolism, you won't find it here. If you want an interesting read about passion, madness and a strong woman, pick up this novel. Marketa's evolution from victim to hero is a roller coaster ride that was thoroughly enjoyable to read.