Miriam

Rashi’s Daughters #2

by Maggie Anton

The engrossing historical series of three sisters living in eleventh-century Troyes, France, continues with the tale of Miriam, the lively and daring middle child of Salomon ben Isaac, the great Talmudic authority. Having no sons, he teaches his daughters the intricacies of Mishnah and Gemara in an era when educating women in Jewish scholarship was unheard of. His middle daughter, Miriam, is determined to bring new life safely into the Troyes Jewish community and becomes a midwife. As devoted as she is to her chosen path, she cannot foresee the ways in which she will be tested and how heavily she will need to rely on her faith. With Rashi?s Daughters, author Maggie Anton brings the Talmud and eleventh-century France to vivid life and poignantly captures the struggles and triumphs of strong Jewish women.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Jewish, Fiction, Judaism, Judaica, France, Historical

496 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Maggie Anton is an award-winning author of historical fiction, as well as a Talmud scholar with expertise in Jewish women’s history. She was born Margaret Antonofsky in Los Angeles, California, where she still resides. In 1992 she joined a women’s Talmud class taught by Rachel Adler. There, to her surprise, she fell in love with Talmud, a passion that has continued unabated for over thirty years. Intrigued that the great Jewish scholar Rashi had no sons, only daughters, she started researching the family and their community.
Thus the award-winning trilogy Rashi’s Daughters was born in 2004, to be followed by National Jewish Book Award finalist, Rav Hisda’s Daughter: Apprentice and its sequel, Enchantress. Then she switched to nonfiction in 2016, winning the Gold Ben Franklin Award in the religion category for Fifty Shades of Talmud: What the First Rabbis Had to Say about You-Know What, a lighthearted in-depth tour of sexuality within the Talmud. In 2022, she returned to fiction with the Independent Publishers’ Silver Award-winning The Choice: A Novel of Love, Faith, and the Talmud, a wholly transformative novel that takes characters inspired by Chaim Potok and ages them into young adults in 1950s Brooklyn. Her latest historical novel is The Midwives’ Escape: from Egypt to Jericho, which describes the Exodus from the point of view of an Egyptian mother and daughter who join the Hebrews to follow Moses to the Promised Land.
Since 2005, Anton has lectured about the research behind her books at hundreds of venues throughout North America, Europe, and Israel. She still studies women and Talmud, albeit mostly online at https://www.conservativeyeshiva.org/l.... You can follow her blog and contact her at her website, www.maggieanton.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Goodreads. And if you liked this book, please give it a nice review at all the usual websites. Maggie has been married to David Parkhurst, her books’ illustrator, since 1970. They have two children, six grandchildren, and one cat.

Reviews

[Brina]

Read the whole series multiple times before joining GoodReads. Added for posterity. This book focuses on Miriam the midwife.

[Diana Marques | Papéis e Letras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, another great story about Salomon's family, particularly his middle daughter, Miriam.
I loved this book because of its historical character and because of its depiction of what the daily life of a jewish family in the 11th Century France was. Besides, the author opens the discussion about homosexuality in this time, in the jewish community, and the discussion about what was the role of women in the public life (Miriam becomes a mohelet and a midwife) but also in the private life of the family.
Great story, told beautifully. I became really attached to these characters and I'm looking forward to read the next one.

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the second in the Rashi's Daughters trilogy. It's historical fiction, based on a Jewish scholar and his family, who lived in Medieval France. I think I liked the first book (Joheved) better. This one seemed way too long. And I started to get bored with the religious discussions.

I enjoyed learning more about the people and customs of that time period. It's interesting to consider just how important religion was to people (and perhaps still is to some) - every decision they made (from when to leave on a journey, to social behavior, to setting a date for a wedding, etc) was based on some religious rule or superstition.

There were also some interesting discussions about homosexuality. Apparently it was considered normal for the male study partners to become enamored with each other, but it was forbidden for them to act on it, of course. Even so, people seemed to ignore it as long as nobody was getting hurt.

I almost abandoned this book halfway into it, but I hung in there. I really did want to find out what happened to the characters. And I might also read the third book about Rachel, who traveled a lot with her husband. I'm curious to learn how her life was different than her sisters, who stayed very close to home.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked it. Didn't love it. It was about Miriam at first but the second half was really more about her gay sexually frustrated husband. He loved deeply 3 different men and somehow even in the end he never got to experience sex with a man. It was a total tease and very frustrating. The real romance story of the book was on this closeted husband of hers. The history was ok. I never really felt like I was transported into the time or place which is a pretty big failure as it was supposed to be historical fiction. It also failed as a romance novel because I think the author couldn't decide who she was really focused on. In the end the lesson learned was...if you can't be with the one you love...love the one your with. So eh...for me it failed as romance and as historical fiction but the Jewish info was interesting. Learned a lot there and I am Jewish.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really turned off by the topic of supposed homosexuality of Miriam's husband and am concerned that it will go down in history as 'fact'. I felt it really distracted from what should have been a good story of Miriam's personal development.

[Deborah Mattes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is better than the first. Miriam's story has more depth. Looking forward to reading the next book about Rachel.

[Rachel Pollock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book even more than the first one. It's very different structurally, in that book one followed the expected art of traditional romance, despite its extensive historical research and accuracy. The relationships between the people, especially men and women and particularly Miriam and her husband Judah, are much more complicated and realistic. I really love that these books are historical fiction which feature intelligent, self-possessed female characters who do much more than moon about men. All the women feel so much more real than I am used to in even literary historical fiction. I can't wait to read the third one now.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the second book of this trilogy more then the first. Can’t wait to finish it with the third book soon.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look at more of Rashi's time period in history. The author brings up (again) the mundane, the provocative, the surprising issues of the era. She weaves in many aspects of Jewish life (this is fiction, though, so some of the characters and their professions are just that...fiction) into a tale of love, sorrow, and Talmud. I loved it as much as the first, and I can't wait to read the 3rd in the trilogy (Rachel). Highly recommended for those who've read the first (Yoheved), and for those who want to learn more about life in the year 1000 in France.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this almost as much as the first one though it was quite different. I found the historical herbs and midwifery interesting.... the use of ginger to control nausea of morning sickness. I was surprised I guess, but also found interesting, the whole homosexual subculture and how it was lived out in that time. This author does lots of research, so I find her take fascinating.

[Atarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the first one.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first book of this trilogy a couple of weeks ago focusing on Rashi's daughter, Joheved, based on true characters. I loved it and could not wait to read the next book!

Rashi's Daughters : book II, Miriam, by Maggie Anton.

Again I got fully engrossed in the story of this family whose members felt very familiar! Rashi educated his daughters in the study of Talmud in the 1070s. This was no exception for Miriam who also learned to be a midwife as well as succeeded in being allowed to perform circumcision, extremely unusual for a Jewish woman in those times. Married, she will also have children..
What I particularly loved about this novel is that I could immerse myself in the very interesting world of a community who stood up for each other, who tried to live according to their beliefs as much as possible through their strengths and also (or particularly?) weaknesses. I was again fascinated by the extensive account of the study of Talmud with so many thought provoking debates as part of this novel! It was not overbearing at all, it wonderfully worked with the story! A prominent part of this second book is about how openly homosexualty was approached, but up to what degree though?
A very rich and beautiful novel I highly recommend! It won't be long before I read the third book!

[Laurie Hertz-Kafka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this second book in the series of Rashi's Daughters. Miriam is a strong, independent woman who, in addition to being a Talmud scholar like her sisters and their husbands, is a mohelet as well as a midwife. The story covers the challenges she faces as a female in a traditionally male role; the town's acceptance of her in this role was much more than I would have expected for the times.

The story also emphasizes the challenges that Miriam faces with her husband Judah, who is bisexual. The book goes into great detail regarding the difficulties that both Miriam and Judah face due to his sexuality as well as his effect on her family and includes Talmudic commentary and guidance on homosexuality, all of this very interesting.

As with the first book in the series, Joheved, this story depicts the ways of life in the Jewish community within the medieval city of Troyes, including the customs, superstitions and integrating Talmudic guidance and laws governing how the Jews lived.

[Cyndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book two in a trilogy about Rashi's three daughters. Amazing research of 11th century Jewish life in France and beyond. Anton is also a sex researcher and she weaves that into these books. In book one it was pretty heavy handed but worked. Here it gets rather overwhelming. Her focus in book two is on male homosexuality with characters that either "give in" to their desires or who resist them (or some of both). On and on and on. Breathing a sigh of relief that in our time people can marry as they wish and don't have to force themselves to settle for someone they can never be attracted to (thus ruining the life of their spouse as well).

Miriam's story with midwifery and ritual circumcision is well done. I also loved reading about the everyday lives of the people, including their sex lives, to a point. A lot of time passes in this book and all three daughters grow up and have independent lives, learning trades.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't give this more than 2 stars. Miriam, midwife extraordinaire (or so) is now married to a firmly closeted homosexual, and most of the book deals with his passions and guilty feelings--when it's not talking about the couple's sex life or her multiple pregnancies. The book was written at the height of midwife mania and it shows. I found the cultural aspect interesting, but there was far too much about sex, sexual feelings, sexual acts, sex guilt etc. Gave me the impression Anton had an obsession. Miriam continues to stretch the envelope by engaging in "men's work" to match the "men's studies."

Will I read "Rachel"? Maybe, but not any time soon. The only reason I got through this without DNF is because I picked it up on a "zero day"--a day when I had wakened at 3 AM for some reason and couldn't go back to sleep. Her prose is undemanding, but her subject matter this time was definitely not to my taste. But let us be politically correct or dieeee!

[Ursula Brandt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the type of book that if produced in a creative writing class would get failed I think. The language and syntax are basic in the extreme. There is often no build up in dramatic tension and precious little description. Nevertheless the author managed to hold my attention somehow. Perhaps it was the comparative originality of the topic and the fact it was an easy read. I got confused with all the characters but somehow managed to care a bit for some of them. I felt we were taken often to cliffhangers which never quite materialised especially regarding the various male relationships. Would they or wouldn't they? I wouldn't read another book in this series. One is enough but I guess I quite liked it for its originality and unexpected twists.

[Jean St.Amand · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only thing I don't like about historical fiction is all the nonsense about humors and bile and blood letting etc. The things about certain plants and herbs being beneficial is interesting though. About 360 pages in there was suddenly a lot of the stuff that kind of drives me crazy so I did some skimming and skipping and finished the book eager to move on to the third book about these people I have really come to care about. Sometimes find a lot of the names are hard to keep track of... some of them are very similar and of course babies being named after relatives.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book very much and for various reasons! While reading it, I decided I did want to read Rachel, and Joheved less so. After reading some of the Comments, I think I may give the first book an eventual reading. So, thank you. It is interesting to see how everyone is rating this book, and view it. And, I would like to thank the Ms. Anton for her book. Thank you!

[Linda Goodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found book 2 to be better written and more engaging than the first book. One major error is in chapter 33 where Sukkot precedes the Days of Awe. If you like historical fiction of the medieval times, this novel may interest you.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A continuation of Rashi's Daughters #1, this time centering on the second daughter Miriam. The information on homosexuality during the medieval times in this community will be of special interest to some readers.

[Kirsten · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first one of this series was pretty good, but I just couldn't get through this one. It dragged too much, and didn't go anywhere, so I abandoned it 300 pages (!) in. Some interesting topics, but ultimately the story just wasn't compelling enough to hold my attention.

[Emma Sass · Rating 4 out of 5]

intriguing, exciting, and better than the first

[Shaynipper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was just as enjoyable as Joheved. Eager to read third book Rachel.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love historical fiction! I am really enjoying this series, gives a small taste of what life was like in those days (or what life could have been like).

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book slow and going nowhere. I only read the first quarter and took it back to the library. Not worth my time.

[Naomi Spiegelman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Throughly enjoyed the second book of Rashi’s daughters. Although harder to read than Joheved, Anton brings to life the joys and woes of religious womanhood in the times of Rashi

[Ilana · Rating 3 out of 5]

not as good as the first one and almost all of that opinion is informed by the fact that there were simply too many characters whose names I couldn't keep track of

[Melissa Crespy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this a long time ago and really loved it.

[Monica Goodell · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not as good as the first book, it was still a good entertaining read. There is a lot of great Jewish history, but Judah's story line felt not authentic.

[deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters, settings and historic traditions of this Jewish family are fascinating.