The Midwife of St Petersburg

In the vein of such historical explorations as in Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa Lee and Mary Doria Russell’s A Thread of Grace, Chaiken’s rich tale of Czarist Russia explores the roles of women of Jewish heritage in a country undergoing great change.The Flames of Love and Revolution…It is Czarist Russia, 1914. Karena Peshkev dreams of escaping her family’s country estate and attending medical school. But each year, as she watches her hopes of being accepted to the Imperial College of Medicine slip further away, she much content herself with working alongside her mother, the village’s Jewish midwife.On a visit to her cousin’s sumptuous mansion, Karena gets a taste of Russian high society-and meets Colonel Alexsandr Kronstadt. Their attraction is immediate, but they can never act on it. Alex is meant for Karena’s cousin, the general’s daughter, a superior match politically and socially.But when the accusations of Bolshevik conspiracy tear her family apart, Karena and her mother flee to St. Petersburg. The Okhrana-the Russian secret police-are convinced Karena is a Bolshevik traitor, in league with the rebel party’s leader. Certain she is guilty of murder and assassination, they’re determined to hunt her down. Alex risks his career and his life to protect her from afar, but will it be enough? Will he find her in time to save her from false accusations-and declare his love?Vibrant with historical detail and richly woven themes of danger, romance, and God’s faithfulness, The Midwife of St. Petersburg is an eloquent tale portraying the beauty and madness of a country that is about to change forever.